Chapter Sixty-Six: When Has He Ever Not Tricked Others?

“We’re being watched again…” Su Jian recounted the events in a few words.

Then he took out another jammer, explained its use, and indicated that Zhao Qianxue should keep it with her from now on.

Zhao Qianxue’s face was full of worry. “You have to be careful too. It seems like you’re their main target…”

Su Jian let out a long breath; he hadn’t expected even Zhao Qianxue to sense as much. He wasn’t exactly a prize worth fighting over, so the enemy could only be after the Vajra Ring.

Without further delay, they activated their teleportation talismans and left in succession.

In the blink of an eye, Su Jian appeared once again nearly a hundred miles from Yingdu City.

Suddenly, the Holy Master’s latest movements surfaced in his mind—

[The Holy Master sold off all the talismans you gave him.]

Su Jian: “……”

Damn it!

He hadn’t even done that himself, but the other had beaten him to it. He wasn’t afraid of these things entering the cultivation world, but he’d always had some misgivings. Even without the threat of the Alliance of the Righteous and the shadowy mastermind, if he started selling spiritual items in bulk, he’d inevitably draw the attention of those with ulterior motives.

As the saying goes, wealth stirs the hearts of men.

The world of cultivation was complex, as were the hearts of men. Even if he could disguise himself and hide his aura, that might fool ordinary cultivators, but in front of a true master of the arcane, his tricks were nothing. The Alliance of the Righteous, for all its reputation, was not so formidable—the main threat to him, the leader of the Southern Alliance, was only at the Return-to-Void stage.

True masters possessed all kinds of inscrutable methods—divination, shrinking the earth to a mere step, and many other profound abilities.

Su Jian shook off these thoughts and took out his communication jade, beginning to contact Zhao Qianxue.

Zhao Qianxue’s voice was bright with joy. “Little Jian, where are you?”

…

After a brief exchange, Su Jian already knew her precise location. They were about a hundred miles apart, and as long as they headed in the same direction, they would soon meet.

About half an hour later, as dusk approached, Su Jian finally caught sight of Zhao Qianxue’s graceful figure.

As soon as they met, Zhao Qianxue threw herself into his arms, remaining wordless for a long time.

She didn’t know why, but her heart had suddenly grown heavy, as if she were about to lose Su Jian. Only now did she realize how much she had come to rely on him.

Her spirits lifted as she nestled against his broad chest, feeling a profound sense of security.

In a gentle voice, Zhao Qianxue asked, “Little Jian, what should we do next?”

It seemed their great business venture had fallen through—and they hadn’t even paid their shop assistants yet.

But there was still some unsold stock left from yesterday, more than enough to cover their wages. This was Su Jian’s strategy: never keep too much in the shop at once, lest the staff grow greedy.

Su Jian had already been considering exactly what Zhao Qianxue had raised. In his view, where they went didn’t matter much, so long as it was somewhere unremarkable. For the mastermind to find him now would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He sighed. “Let’s find a place nearby to settle down for a while. Looking at the entire Jin Dynasty, there probably isn’t even a cultivator at the Mahayana stage. It won’t be easy for them to track us down.”

Though the most dangerous place is sometimes the safest, that didn’t quite apply here. For them, distance didn’t make much difference. Besides, he still wanted to uncover the enemy’s true aim and destroy them before they could act.

He had no intention of risking himself by feigning loyalty and staying close to the enemy. Now that he was the one operating from the shadows, it was time to swap roles. He would become the enemy’s nightmare and teach them what it meant to live in constant unease.

Zhao Qianxue nodded, then proposed, “Even if we can’t stay in Yingdu City, we could open a shop in the nearby Cold Mountain City.”

While the cultivation scene there wasn’t as prosperous as in Yingdu, it was close by and quite decent.

“There’s no rush for that,” Su Jian replied, spreading his hands helplessly. “Let’s wait until we’ve settled down first.”

He felt rather aggrieved—after all, he’d just spent five hundred spirit stones on a shop in Yingdu, and now, after only a few days of business, disaster had struck, leaving him nearly ruined. At least he still had the deed… Once he dealt with the mastermind, he could resume business.

He had never taken such a loss before. It wasn’t so much humiliation as sheer frustration—when had he ever been the one to be played?

Su Jian and Zhao Qianxue then used the Morphing Pills once again to change their appearances. Back at the Lingyun Inn, even if the mastermind hadn’t seen their faces, the inn’s staff certainly had. If he were the mastermind, and two guests had gone missing, he would surely question the innkeeper and staff.

Su Jian checked his new appearance—it was a bit ugly this time.

Appearance could be plain, but he couldn’t stomach making himself look repulsive.

So, he decided to try a few more times.

Zhao Qianxue was left speechless. She hadn’t realized Morphing Pills could be used like this, though it did seem a waste. But in the next moment, Su Jian handed her several hundred more.

…

They made their way through the forest. Su Jian had passed through this area before, and if he remembered correctly, there was a small, inconspicuous mountain village nearby. The surrounding feng shui was good—nestled between mountains and waters, just over ninety miles from Yingdu City, neither too far nor too close.

With a serious expression, Su Jian said, “Let’s not reveal ourselves as cultivators from now on.”

A cultivator’s status would carry weight in a remote village—villagers might never see one in their entire lives. News of a man and woman, both cultivators, settling in a village would soon reach the mastermind’s ears. Anyone with sense would find it suspicious.

Suddenly, Su Jian sensed something odd a few miles away—a strange disturbance, rising and falling, swaying unpredictably. In the cover of night, it looked like ghosts flitting about.

He pulled Zhao Qianxue into hiding, and together they watched from the shadows.

They saw a cluster of irregular shadows, bobbing several yards above the ground. They looked oddly familiar…

Su Jian’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that the little love nest I painstakingly built for Pei Aoyun?!”

Zhao Qianxue was also surprised. “Could those be people from the Alliance of the Righteous?”

Su Jian pondered for a moment.

“But why would this thing show up here…? Don’t tell me the Alliance of the Righteous is keen on physical training?”