Why rush through life Why not steal a moment of leisure.

Su Ji's suggestion instantly sent towering waves crashing through the tranquil lake of Su Jiu's heart.

She froze completely.

Her fox-like eyes widened into perfect circles, brimming with disbelief.

How could words possibly be arranged in such a way?

And even more absurd...

Su Ji was now wearing a smug expression that practically screamed, "I'm so clever—praise me!"

For a moment, Su Jiu found herself utterly speechless.

How... how could someone in this world be so shameless?

What did he mean by "getting a little something dirty on her feet"?

And he wanted to "help" with that?

Wasn't that just like last time...

Su Jiu's cheeks flushed a deep, intoxicating scarlet, starting from the tips of her ears and spreading rapidly.

Like the hues of a sunset, the blush crept downward until even her snow-white neck was thoroughly dyed.

"You... shameless!"

After struggling for a long moment, she finally managed to squeeze out those two words through gritted teeth.

Su Ji, however, seemed completely oblivious to her fury and embarrassment. Instead, he spread his hands with an innocent expression.

"Ah, Junior Sister, you misunderstand."

"I’m only doing this for your own good. Think about it—I’m helping you solve a cultivation problem. How can that be called shameless?"

He spoke with such earnestness, his logic clear and his reasoning methodical.

"Look, as a former miscellaneous-duty disciple for two and a half years, I’m no stranger to dirt or hard work. Isn’t it only natural for me to lend a hand?"

"......"

Su Jiu felt blood rushing straight to her head.

She opened her mouth, only to realize she couldn’t find a single word to refute him.

Because, from a certain twisted perspective, what this scoundrel said... actually made a sliver of sense.

But even if the logic held, was this really how things should be done?

"Get lost!"

Finally unable to endure any longer, Su Jiu lashed out with a kick aimed straight at Su Ji.

Su Ji, ever prepared, caught her foot effortlessly.

Then, under Su Jiu’s horrified gaze...

He deliberately leaned in closer.

...

And then, well, there was no "then."

Furious and humiliated, Su Jiu delivered another kick for good measure.

With a bright red footprint now adorning his left cheek, Su Ji finally behaved.

"We can discuss cultivation matters slowly, no need to rush," he muttered.

Su Jiu ignored him completely. Her face icy, she turned and strode briskly toward Wang’an City.

If she had to spend another second listening to this scoundrel, she might just die of rage.

Su Ji didn’t seem bothered. He followed at a leisurely pace, keeping a short distance behind her.

The two walked in silence, one ahead, the other trailing.

Upon nearing the inn, they slipped back into their room through the window.

An awkward, charged atmosphere settled between them once again.

Su Jiu glanced at the spacious bed, then at the infuriating man beside it, and felt her temper flare anew.

She marched to the table, poured herself a cup of cold tea, and downed it in one gulp, hoping to quell the heat rising within her.

Su Ji joined her, sitting across the table.

His usual playful smirk faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"The Blood Fiend Sect is playing the thief crying 'stop thief.' They’re the ones who massacred the city, yet they’re dragging the other two sects into the investigation."

"So, they’ll definitely exploit the Anyang City incident to muddy the waters. Their goal is to pit us against the Joyful Union Sect, letting them reap the benefits while we fight."

Despite her lingering anger, Su Jiu had to admit that when it came to serious matters, this man possessed an uncanny sharpness far beyond ordinary people.

Her petty embarrassment gradually faded in the face of greater stakes.

"Then how should we respond?"

She asked almost instinctively, already accustomed to treating Su Ji as her anchor.

Su Ji tapped his fingers lightly against the table, producing a rhythmic knock-knock sound.

"Wait and observe. If the enemy doesn’t move, neither do we."

"Right now, we have no evidence—only conjecture."

"If the Blood Fiend Sect dared to invite us here, they must’ve prepared thoroughly. Getting them to slip up will be next to impossible."

"So, when the time comes, follow my lead."

......

The night passed without incident.

By the next morning, the sun was already high.

Su Jiu had spent the night meditating in cultivation.

Su Ji, meanwhile, snored away peacefully.

Only when Su Jiu completed another cycle of qi circulation and exhaled a turbid breath did Su Ji finally stir—mimicking her with a sleepy, "Haaah~ zZZ."

Su Jiu: "......"

A Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily sustain themselves without food or sleep, replacing rest with cultivation.

But Su Ji showed no signs of being a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He ate when hungry, slept when tired.

Su Jiu didn’t dwell on it, assuming he simply hadn’t adjusted yet after his recent breakthrough.

Still, watching him snooze so soundly, she frowned.

Did he need... a wake-up service?

After a brief hesitation, she decided on the most direct approach—planting her foot squarely on his face and pinching his nose shut.

As expected, within three seconds—

"Ah~ Haaah—!"

Su Ji woke up.

His nose was trapped in a gentle yet unyielding grip.

The first thing he saw was a delicate, fair-skinned foot.

"Morning, Junior Sister," he mumbled, his voice muffled as he casually grabbed her ankle.

"Starting the day with such enthusiasm?"

Su Jiu snorted, effortlessly pulling her foot free and hopping off the bed.

Admittedly, the bed was quite spacious.

She meditated; he slept.

Neither disturbed the other.

"It’s not morning anymore," she said coolly, looking down at him from her standing position.

"High noon is less than two hours away."

"It’s time to go."

Without another word, she turned and headed downstairs.

Su Ji stretched lazily before finally rolling out of bed and following her.

Downstairs, the innkeeper hurried over, all smiles.

"Leaving so soon, honored guests? Won’t you stay a few more days? Was our service lacking in any way?"

Su Ji waved him off. "Business to attend to. We’re leaving."

The innkeeper nodded repeatedly, watching them exit before turning to a nearby waiter.

"Go, clean their room."

He paused, then added,

"Oh, and the three rooms rented by that merchant group upstairs—clean those too."

The waiter scratched his head in confusion. "But boss, those guests haven’t checked out yet. Isn’t that against the rules?"

The innkeeper flicked his abacus beads without looking up.

"Doubt they’ll be coming back to check out."

He shot the waiter a sidelong glance.

"Quit yapping and get to work."

......

On the streets of Wang’an City, Su Jiu walked briskly ahead, her mind wholly occupied with the Anyang City affair.

Su Ji, however, ambled along behind her, gawking at everything like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.

"Senior Brother!"

Su Jiu finally stopped and turned, her voice laced with impatience.

But Su Ji ignored her, striding over to a candied hawthorn vendor instead.

He plucked a stick of glistening candied fruit and unceremoniously shoved it into Su Jiu’s hands.

"Try it."

Su Jiu stared at the treat, her delicate brows knitting tightly. "Senior Brother, we should head to Anyang City to meet the other sects. No more delays."

"If we’re late, complications may arise."

Meanwhile, Su Ji was stuffing a meat bun bought from a nearby shop into his mouth. "Wow, Junior Sister, this bun is so juicy!"

"Senior Brother, I'm talking about serious matters right now. Is this really the time to discuss how juicy a bun is?"

The three sects had never been on friendly terms, with covert and overt conflicts constantly brewing.

Arriving even a moment late could mean falling into a disadvantageous position in the upcoming collaboration.

Yet Su Ji paid no mind, picking up a stick of candied hawthorn and taking a bite.

"You're observing them, but they're observing us too."

"Showing up early just means revealing all our cards. What’s the point in that?"

Su Jiu wanted to argue further, but Su Ji pulled her into a crowd gathered by the roadside.

At the center, a woman with a heaving chest was performing a stone-splitting act on her torso.

The stone shattered with a crack, drawing cheers from the onlookers.

Su Jiu had no interest in such spectacles—to her, it was just a crude trick used by commoners to scrape by, a waste of time.

But Su Ji watched with great relish, even clapping and cheering along with the crowd.

Only when the woman began collecting coins with a copper gourd did Su Ji reluctantly drag Su Jiu away.

"Senior Brother!"

"We’re not here for sightseeing!"

"Focus on the mission!"

The smile on Su Ji’s face vanished abruptly.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around, his expression more solemn than ever before.

Those usually playful eyes now stared straight at her, devoid of any trace of amusement.

Su Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. "What’s wrong?" she asked instinctively.

Su Ji’s gaze shifted past her shoulder, toward the direction of Anyang City, his face turning ashen.

In a low, deliberate voice, he spoke.

"Anyang City... holds a great terror."

Su Jiu’s pupils constricted sharply at his words.

Su Ji’s complexion grew even paler, as if he had glimpsed something truly horrifying.

"If we go there now..."

He slowly turned his gaze back to Su Jiu’s unsettled face.

"Both of us... will die there."

"We have to stall a little longer before going."

Su Jiu found his words absurd, but seeing the genuine dread in Su Ji’s expression, she recalled past instances.

His predictions had never been wrong before.

Su Ji watched her wavering resolve, then glanced at the remaining four-day cooldown of his [Foresight of Fate].

He sighed inwardly.

Su Jiu, ah, Su Jiu.

Why must your life always be spent in such haste?

Sometimes, you should pause and steal a moment of leisure in this fleeting life.

Su Ji’s tone brooked no argument.

"When have the things I’ve foreseen ever been wrong?"

Su Jiu stared at him, then finally gave a slow nod.

Seeing this, Su Ji’s grave expression melted away in an instant, replaced by his usual carefree grin as he tugged her toward the next shop. He picked up a hairpin at random.

"Junior Sister, Junior Sister, doesn’t this look pretty?"