Traces of Su Have Vanished Without a Trace

This...

Su Ji's heart skipped a beat as a rather ominous thought popped into his head.

Could it be... that she had developed some strange fetish?

Just as he was muttering to himself, he suddenly remembered his current identity.

Right, he was still in a controlled state.

A puppet whose mind was controlled by a charm spell should obediently execute the last command until its master issued a new one.

Su Jiu had told him to get lost.

Then he had to get lost, and he had to do it cleanly, neatly, like a man who pulls out and...

The expression on Su Ji's face instantly switched back to being wooden. Without lingering for another second, he turned around and left.

"Thud."

He gently closed the door behind him.

Behind the door, Su Jiu was still lying limply on the table, lacking even the strength to lift her head.

Listening to the fading footsteps, her tense body finally relaxed completely.

An indescribable sense of exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave.

She slowly turned her head and looked at the two incredibly solid tails behind her. Especially upon seeing the strange tinge of pink at the tip of the second tail, a highly complex look of embarrassment surfaced on her elegant and beautiful face.

...

Returning to his own wooden cabin, Su Ji let out a long sigh of relief.

He sat down cross-legged and looked inside his body.

That glazed Dao Foundation, which was originally covered in cracks and could crumble at any moment, was now completely restored. It was even more crystal clear than before, with a faint, precious light flowing over it.

Above the Dao Foundation, spiritual energy was abundant, and the liquefied spiritual power formed a small lake.

It was a bountiful harvest.

It seemed he had somewhat wrongly blamed the Hehuan Sect.

They truly were an authentic and orthodox sect.

He had achieved such a miraculous rejuvenation without even using a professional Grand Hehuan cultivation method.

Then again, shouldn't he try to get his hands on a manual?

Otherwise, how much cultivation progress would he be wasting for nothing?

However, just thinking about the pink tip of Su Jiu's tail made him feel a little creeped out.

This matter could be big or small.

On the small side, it added a bit of spice.

On the big side... the picture was too beautiful; he dared not imagine it.

Forget it, he wouldn't think about it anymore.

Su Ji shook his head, tossing these messy thoughts out of his mind.

The most urgent task was to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

His trip to Anyang City made him deeply realize that in front of true mighty figures, his meager cultivation was no different from an ant's.

...

In a flash, three days passed.

During these three days, the Xiangsi Sect remained in an eerie, dead silence. The disciples seemed to have evaporated into thin air, and even the Contribution Hall was deserted.

Su Ji was happy to enjoy the leisure.

Early this morning, he was sleeping.

An inexplicable sense of palpitation jolted him awake.

This feeling came out of nowhere.

It was like a mortal walking in a deep, old forest, being stared at intently by a fierce tiger lurking in the shadows.

It made every pore on his body ooze with a sense of unease.

Su Ji's brows twisted tightly together.

Was it an illusion?

He listened closely; it was completely silent outside the courtyard.

However, that prickly feeling like a thorn in his back did not dissipate; instead, it grew even stronger.

Su Ji's face darkened.

It seemed he had thought of things too simply.

It should be the aftermath of the Anyang City incident...

Thinking carefully about it, the sect master of the Xiangsi Sect hadn't responded for such a long time...

The promised rewards hadn't been distributed either.

This was not a good sign.

Su Ji paced a few steps in the courtyard, feeling increasingly irritated the more he thought about it.

No, he couldn't just sit here and wait for death anymore.

A thought popped into his mind.

That Golden Core bro.

Calculating the days, it was about time he came back.

At a critical moment, he might be of use.

Having made up his mind, Su Ji no longer hesitated. He turned around, left the courtyard, and headed straight for the market.

...

Inside the market, it was slightly livelier.

Su Ji familiarly arrived at that familiar corner, only to find that the person at the stall had changed.

A newly arrived stall owner was weakly hawking a few poor-quality magical artifacts.

Su Ji shook his head in slight disappointment. It seemed he had come too early.

Just as he turned around and was about to leave, someone happened to be walking in his direction.

Travel-worn, with a bit of dirt on the hem of his clothes, yet unable to conceal the joyful look on his face—if it wasn't that Golden Core stall owner, who else could it be?

"Senior?"

The Golden Core stall owner obviously hadn't expected to bump into Su Ji here either. He was taken aback for a moment, and then his face was immediately filled with a pleasantly surprised smile.

Without another word, he directly pulled a storage bag from his chest and shoved it into Su Ji's hand without giving him a chance to refuse.

"Senior, please count it."

The stall owner's tone was full of unconcealable excitement.

"Inside are four hundred and fifty-two top-grade spirit stones."

Su Ji weighed the storage bag in his hand and raised an eyebrow.

Not bad, this guy.

How long has it been, and he already managed to get so many spirit stones again.

As the Golden Core stall owner spoke, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Su Ji's waist.

When he saw that familiar personal sword, a trace of nostalgia and heartache flashed in his eyes.

But immediately after, his gaze was drawn to the remarkably ordinary, ancient azure sword next to the personal sword.

That sword had no spiritual energy fluctuations at all. Its blade was ancient and simple, and it didn't even have a decent scabbard. It was just casually tucked into his waist.

In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, this might just be a sword made of ordinary mortal iron.

But the Golden Core stall owner felt his breath suddenly hitch.

He couldn't see any clues.

But an intuition originating from the depths of his divine soul was frantically warning him.

This sword was dangerous!

Very dangerous!

The stall owner even had an absurd feeling that in this entire world of Great Xia, there seemed to be no scabbard capable of containing it, which was why it was revealed to the world in such an unadorned manner.

He hurriedly withdrew his gaze, not daring to take another look, and the expression on his face grew even more respectful.

"Senior, it's like this..."

The stall owner rubbed his hands together, an embarrassed look appearing on his face.

"This junior went out this time to seize an opportunity, as you know. I am only in the False Core realm, my foundation is unstable, and I don't have a handy magical artifact. I was even pestered by some blind juniors and almost perished there..."

As he spoke, he cautiously observed Su Ji's expression.

"So... this junior is emboldened to ask you, Senior, if you have no use for my personal sword... could you..."

"That way, I could earn spirit stones a bit faster, so I can repay Senior's kindness sooner."

Hearing these words, Su Ji merely shook his head.

Seeing this, the light in the Golden Core stall owner's eyes dimmed a bit, though he didn't feel surprised.

After all, he knew the value of this sword best.

If it were him, he wouldn't easily return it to someone else either.

"It was presumptuous of this junior."

The stall owner gave a bitter smile, cupped his hands at Su Ji, and prepared to walk past him.

But right at this moment, Su Ji's voice leisurely rang out again.

"It's not impossible to return it to you."

The Golden Core stall owner's footsteps abruptly halted.

He turned his head in disbelief, looking at Su Ji.

Su Ji spoke unhurriedly.

"Even the spirit stone debt between us can be completely written off."

The Golden Core stall owner's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

He knew very well that what Su Ji was about to say next was the real main point.

"Senior, please speak your mind!"

"As long as it is within my power, this junior will absolutely not decline!"

Su Ji nodded in satisfaction; those were the exact words he was waiting for.

A solemn expression settled on his face.

"I have a feeling that the Sect Master of the Xiangsi Sect might make a move against me."

Hearing this, the Golden Core stall owner's pupils violently contracted.

The Sect Master of the Xiangsi Sect!

A formidable expert at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm!

However, he figured that the senior before him was not afraid of her.

Rather, the senior was likely worried that if he fought the Sect Master, his techniques would be seen through by the Supreme Elder of the Xiangsi Sect, which would put him at a disadvantage later.

"I hope..."

Su Ji lowered his voice to a whisper.

"When the time comes, you will do your best to help me stall for a moment."

"I don't need you to put your life on the line. Just buying me a little time will be enough."

"Alright, then I will stay around the Xiangsi Sect for the time being."

"When the time comes, simply shatter my token."

"If it were in the past, I wouldn't fear her in the slightest, but right now, I can hold her off for five breaths of time at most!"

Five breaths?

Su Ji pondered for a moment.

It was better than nothing. Su Ji tossed the dharma sword back to him. "Then it is settled."

The Golden Core stall owner scrambled to catch his sword.

By the time he looked up, preparing to say something else, he realized that Su Ji had already vanished without a trace.