Two and a half days passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Ji had polished the translucent white Shunguang Stone spear until it gleamed, leaving not a trace of bloodstains.
Then he placed it openly by his bedside.
Though he had left his name on the corpse—an act of sheer audacity—he couldn’t predict how the Love-Longing Sect would react.
Yet, two days later, everything remained eerily calm.
This unsettling silence only deepened Su Ji’s unease.
Just as he thought the waiting would drag on, a series of knocks—thud, thud, thud—rapped against his wooden door.
Su Ji’s heart lurched.
They’re here.
He took a deep breath, steadying his turbulent emotions, and strode over to pull the door open.
Outside stood a figure clad in familiar crimson robes.
Su Jiu stood there, her delicate face icy and expressionless.
Her eyes held no warmth as she regarded Su Ji—clearly, she had no desire to see him.
But this time, she had no choice.
"The mess you made has come to light," Su Jiu cut straight to the chase, her voice frosty. "You’d better lay low and stop stirring up trouble."
Hearing this, Su Ji instantly adopted an expression of utter innocence, his voice dripping with grievance. "Junior Sister, I didn’t kill that guy! It’s obvious someone’s trying to frame me!"
Su Jiu: "…"
Her clear eyes flickered with momentary confusion.
"I haven’t even said what it’s about yet…" she replied flatly.
Su Ji’s feigned innocence froze on his face.
Damn. Jumped the gun.
He coughed awkwardly, his expression turning sheepish. "Ah… So it’s not about that fat guy?"
Su Jiu gave a slight nod, her face twisting into a look of exasperation, as if she were staring at an idiot.
"The fat man’s body was discovered yesterday morning," she said, her tone indifferent, as though discussing trivial gossip. "He’d exploited his position in the Personnel Hall to peddle so-called ‘local specialties’ to too many disciples. Made plenty of enemies."
"The sect’s aware. They usually turn a blind eye, but now that he’s dead, the list of suspects is too long to investigate properly."
She paused. "As for the name you left on the corpse, the Enforcement Hall’s initial assessment is that someone deliberately framed you. The power gap was too wide, and your motive was insufficient."
"So, don’t worry about such a minor matter."
Su Ji: "???"
Minor?
A foreign hall’s steward was dead, his corpse defaced with a blatant taunt—and it was just a minor matter?
Had the sect’s culture really rotted to this extent?
"Then… why are you here?"
"A major matter…"
Su Jiu’s voice remained cool, but Su Ji detected a trace of… discomfort in her words.
He adjusted his mindset and asked curiously, "What could be bigger than murder?"
Su Jiu averted her gaze, her eyes settling on the lone rickety table in Su Ji’s room, as if its grain patterns were far more captivating than his face.
She fell silent for a moment, as though carefully choosing her words.
"Recently, several female outer disciples have reported…"
Her voice hitched slightly, as if the next words were too repulsive to voice.
"Unidentified filth appearing on their drying laundry… and their residence doors."
Su Jiu ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say the explicit term, substituting it with "filth."
But she added a critical detail: "The sect’s investigation confirmed that the substance… appears to be spiritual root-derived."
Su Ji’s expression shifted from curiosity to bewilderment, then to shock.
Finally, it settled into something indescribably bizarre.
Spiritual root-derived?
Since when did cultivators in this world get so… creative?
Wait—
Weren’t all outer male disciples supposed to have their spiritual roots severed?
"So…" Su Ji ventured cautiously, "Junior Sister, you’re not here because you suspect… I did this, are you?"
Su Jiu finally tore her gaze from the table and met his eyes again.
"These incidents actually began over two months ago."
"The first female disciple didn’t report it—it would’ve been too humiliating."
"The timing coincides with your enrollment as an outer disciple."
She didn’t finish, but the implication was clear:
You’re the only outer disciple still carrying the… ‘equipment.’
Su Ji felt a surge of exasperation lodged in his throat, begging to be let loose.
"Junior Sister, be reasonable!" This time, his indignation was genuine, devoid of any acting.
"Why would I risk exposing myself like this? It’d be a dead giveaway that my ‘severance’ was faked!"
Su Jiu replied icily, "I know you didn’t."
"You value your spiritual root too much to take such disproportionate risks."
"If only my door had been targeted, then I’d suspect you."
"Because you’d use it to blackmail me, knowing I couldn’t retaliate."
"That’s precisely why I’m here."
Her tone softened slightly, though the warning remained.
"This matter is far graver than the steward’s death."
"The sect can dismiss a steward’s murder as personal vendetta, but this is a direct challenge to the Love-Longing Sect’s laws—a slap to every elder’s face!"
Su Jiu took a deep breath before delivering the final blow.
"The Enforcement Hall has issued an ultimatum: a full-scale investigation. To catch this brazen pervert, they’ve decided to… re-examine every outer male disciple recruited in the past year."
Re-examination.
The word struck Su Ji’s mind like thunder.
All traces of feigned innocence vanished from his face, replaced by grim realization.
The steward’s death was trivial.
This absurd, revolting scandal, however, was a blade poised to shred his disguise and plunge him into ruin.
If re-examined, his secret would be laid bare.
The charges—deceiving the sect, falsifying his spiritual root severance—would leave him no room for defense.
Su Jiu watched his expression darken, satisfied he finally grasped the severity.
"If you’re exposed, I—the one who ‘performed’ your severance—won’t escape punishment either."
A cold sweat had already drenched Su Ji’s back.
Su Jiu continued, "The Enforcement Hall’s re-examination begins in three days."
"When it does, I’ll return. From then on, you must stay by my side at all times."
"So I can cast an illusion the moment you’re examined, masking the truth."
Su Ji frowned. "Why not cast it now? Like the fake spiritual root I submitted."
Su Jiu shot him a look reserved for idiots. "Impossible. If they suspect deception, they’ll screen for illusions too."
"I’ll need to sustain the spell continuously to avoid detection."
Su Ji exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! What about that piece of wood I handed over? Won’t they figure it out if they inspect it closely?"
"It’s long been burned. Did you think the sect would keep it enshrined for you?"
Well, another day of missing the days when "a gentleman keeps his tools hidden within himself"...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
