Chapter Seventy-Three: Starting a Side Hustle

“Could it be that the Bai family’s hidden presence in Lingxiu Village is connected to Li Lingguang’s ancestral home?” Su Ji’an stroked his chin thoughtfully. Yet, no matter what scheme the other party might be plotting, they were not worthy of his concern.

Although eliminating them directly would no doubt arouse the village chief’s suspicion, as a cultivator, he hardly needed to tiptoe around for the sake of a mere mortal’s opinion. After all, the Bai family had just suggested expelling him from the village, and soon after, they would be wiped out. To claim it had nothing to do with him—he could scarcely convince even himself.

If his identity were exposed, at worst he would simply move elsewhere and continue living in obscurity. But to let the Bai family linger another day—that would be his failing.

Su Ji’an considered his options and decided to act that very night. Still, he intended to avoid exposure as much as possible.

On his way home, an idea struck him. He remembered just having obtained the Celestial Maiden Transformation… He could very well try a different approach.

Without delay, Su Ji’an quietly left Lingxiu Village with Zhao Qianxue. Empowered by the Swiftstride Talisman, their sword-riding speed turned them into streaks of light.

Suddenly, the Holy Lord’s movements appeared before him.

[The Holy Lord senses Xi Wang’s intent to harm you, but since he doesn’t know your true identity, he pays it little mind.]
[The Holy Lord seizes the opportunity to appear suddenly, decisively using the Dragon Talisman on Xi Wang. Caught off guard, Xi Wang’s body is wounded and in an instant, he vanishes in a flash of blood. The Holy Lord, unable to track him, vents his anger by killing several city guards at the Lord’s Manor.]

Su Ji’an lamented the missed opportunity. This time, he had merely caught Xi Wang unprepared, and since the latter was unaware of the Holy Lord’s true capabilities, he had decisively used a secret art to escape. In a true confrontation, the Holy Lord would likely have lost.

Had he known, he would have equipped the Holy Lord with a Binding Talisman.

Now, Su Ji’an was curious how Xi Wang would proceed. The Holy Lord’s intervention may have startled the snake from the grass.

If one were to follow the Dao of Stealth, the next step should be to lie low and eliminate the opponent before attending to anything else. But if Xi Wang was loath to relinquish the position of City Lord, he was essentially exposing himself to danger.

“It seems I must return to Yingdu City soon…” Su Ji’an’s expression grew solemn. Though risky, there was no other way. Xi Wang was scheming so intently against him that he could not allow the man to grow any stronger.

Su Ji’an surmised, “Xi Wang’s secretive plotting in Yingdu City must be related to cultivating dark arts. Surely it isn’t for the sake of good governance.”

Aside from this, the information relayed by the Holy Lord also mentioned Xi Wang’s intent to harm him.

Could he be planning to use the powers of the Department of Justice?

Even the mastermind behind the scenes had failed to track him down, yet Xi Wang still fancied himself capable of causing trouble—pure foolishness.

...

Compared to Yingdu City, Hanshan City was much smaller in scale. Still, cultivators passed through from time to time, so there was a market for business.

After making some inquiries, they quickly found a place where courtyard shops in the city were up for sale. Prices in Hanshan City were much lower than in Yingdu. A decent shop in a good location cost only one hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Without hesitation, Su Ji’an produced three hundred spirit stones and purchased the deeds to two shops—one in the east of the city, the other in the west. The distance between east and west spanned several dozen miles, not exactly close.

At the same time, Su Ji’an learned that Hanshan City had only one Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, located in the west of the city. The reason there weren’t more branches was likely because of the Pavilion’s strong reputation; most cultivators believed that Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion guaranteed quality, so they didn’t mind traveling from east to west for their needs.

“We’ll go to the shop in the west first,” Su Ji’an said.

Zhao Qianxue nodded slightly. It made no real difference which they visited first.

After helping with some trivial matters, Su Ji’an soon felt his interest flagging. There remained the hiring of staff, setting up counters, preparing for the shop’s opening, and a host of other tasks.

He reflected, “Running a shop in the mortal world, without the need to pay taxes to the authorities, really saves a fortune.” Whether it was an encouragement for the pursuit of immortality or simply a sign of bullying the weak, he wasn’t sure, but this policy certainly worked in his favor.

Zhao Qianxue, for her part, was quite adept at managing a shop.

Taking advantage of the moment, Su Ji’an said, “Qianxue, I’ll leave the whole business of setting up the shop to you. I need to tend to a side venture. If anything comes up, contact me via the communication jade.”

Though he called it a side venture, this was actually his main reason for coming to Hanshan City. What he urgently needed was to summon a player to help establish contact with the Demon Emperor and deal with the mastermind behind the scenes. This matter was even more important than opening the shop.

Zhao Qianxue asked curiously, “A side venture?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Su Ji’an replied, offering no further explanation.

His next target was the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Once his plans came to fruition, Hanshan City was sure to be shaken.

The destruction of the Pavilion was, after all, a long-term task.

Before leaving, Su Ji’an handed all his remaining spirit stones to Zhao Qianxue.

She would need money for supplies. Though she still had some funds of her own, she accepted them nonetheless. Su Ji’an spent lavishly, so she thought it best to keep some in reserve for emergencies. If their identities were ever exposed and they found themselves pursued by the Alliance of the Orthodox Path or the shadowy mastermind, at least they would have a way out of a tight spot.

She guessed that Su Ji’an’s high spending on spirit stones was surely connected to the series of spiritual treasures he had recently obtained. It seemed more like a stroke of fortune than anything else.

Still, even so, her earlier worries had not entirely vanished.

...

Su Ji’an soon arrived at a nondescript corner near the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Although it was broad daylight and not the best time to act, he had no intention of using his own identity.

Besides, there seemed to be no one in Hanshan City who could threaten him. And even if he couldn’t win a fight, he could always escape.

With practiced ease, Su Ji’an employed the Celestial Maiden Transformation. This was entirely thanks to He Hansu’s deep insights—he himself had never tried it in secret before.

The effect of the Celestial Maiden Transformation was much like the Alien Shape Pill, though it lacked a detailed description, and he had no idea what level of cultivator it could deceive.

He reasoned, “But since this technique hails from the Celestial Realm, it should be able to fool even immortals. If that’s so, then likely no one in the lower realm can see through the disguise.”

In an instant, Su Ji’an assumed a new form—dressed in white, skin pale as snow, exuding a glacial beauty.

He looked even more stunning than Zhao Qianxue.

Su Ji’an’s expression turned a bit awkward; wielding this power made him feel uncomfortable all over. Still, he would make do.

A true man can bend or stretch as the times demand!

And Little Ji’an was still present, so he could think of this as an advanced version of the Alien Shape Pill.

Adjusting his form, Su Ji’an headed straight for the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.