Willing to Go Through Fire and Water for the Gate of Longing

As for Su Ji's claim that he wanted to live a carefree life for a hundred years and happily wait for death, Su Jiu didn't believe a single word of it.

If that guy could utter even half a sentence of truth, the sun would rise from the west.

Furthermore, although Su Ji claimed he wanted to slack off, his actions showed otherwise.

Ever since that day, he had vanished without a trace.

He called it "consolidating the Sect Master's prestige," but in reality, he had just gone into secluded cultivation to become a hands-off boss.

For three consecutive days, there was no sign of him at all, let alone him coming out to harass her.

This actually gave Su Jiu a rare few days of peace and quiet.

Of course, this peace only meant that Su Ji wasn't buzzing around her ears like a fly.

She, on the other hand, was incredibly busy.

The death of the previous Sect Master and the sect's main hall being razed to the ground were such massive events that they simply couldn't be covered up.

Right now, the Xiangsi Sect was in a state of panic, with all sorts of rumors spreading like wildfire.

As the "Vice Sect Master" personally appointed by Su Ji, Su Jiu naturally became the public figurehead in charge. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and handle those chaotic sect affairs.

As she walked along the sect's pathways, every single disciple she encountered along the way respectfully stopped in their tracks and bowed.

"Greetings, Vice Sect Master."

However, on each of those faces, while the respect was there, it was always accompanied by an indescribable sense of strangeness.

Especially the female disciples; when they bowed, their heads were lowered even further and their eyes darted away. Mixed within their awe was a hint of jealousy or disdain.

Su Jiu nodded to acknowledge them.

But not long after she walked past, unsuppressed whispers came from behind her.

With her current Golden Core realm cultivation, these voices entered her ears as clear as day, even from a distance.

"Did you see that? That's the newly appointed Vice Sect Master."

"Wasn't she just an inner court disciple before? How did she become the Vice Sect Master so quickly?"

"What do you know? Our new Sect Master is a man..."

"I heard that our Xiangsi Sect never even had the position of 'Vice Sect Master' before..."

A female disciple lowered her voice, her tone completely sour.

"Isn't it obvious? She must have ridden the Sect Master's 'staff of promotion' to rise so quickly..."

"Shh! Do you have a death wish?! She is the Vice Sect Master!"

"So what if she's the Vice Sect Master? Didn't she still use disgraceful methods..."

"If I had that kind of luck, I could be the Vice Sect Master too..."

Su Jiu didn't listen to the rest of the conversation.

Ultimately, she didn't turn around.

She lengthened her stride and continued walking forward.

It was just that the good mood she had enjoyed from three days of peace and quiet was now completely gone.

She knew that there was no way to stop these rumors.

That guy Su Ji, right in front of the five elders, had pulled her into his arms and hugged her, even spouting nonsense like "seeing her is like seeing me." It was hard for people not to get the wrong idea.

At the thought of this, Su Jiu's cheeks uncontrollably flushed with a hint of red, which was immediately replaced by annoyance.

Bastard!

When he comes out of seclusion, I'll definitely make him pay!

Just as she was fuming with these thoughts, a petite figure came skipping and bouncing over from ahead.

"Big Sister Vice Sect Master!"

The newcomer was none other than the Fifth Elder, the young girl with her hair tied in double buns.

She was the only one whose face didn't show the slightest bit of strangeness upon seeing Su Jiu. Instead, she smiled happily, exuding a natural sense of intimacy.

"What is it?"

Su Jiu gathered her thoughts, her tone returning to its usual coldness.

"A rogue cultivator arrived outside the mountain gate, saying he wants to pay his respects to the Sect Master." The Fifth Elder blinked her large eyes, curiously sizing up Su Jiu. "I told him the Sect Master is in secluded cultivation, but he refused to leave, insisting he has urgent matters to discuss."

"What's his cultivation level? What are his demands?" Su Jiu frowned.

"Golden Core, I think!" The Fifth Elder held up a finger and gestured. "But he's a bit strange, not like an ordinary Golden Core cultivator."

"I can't really explain what it is..."

"But it feels like his combat power is quite good. I can faintly sense some threat from him."

"He didn't make any demands either. He just said he wants to join our Xiangsi Sect and become an ordinary guest elder."

A Golden Core cultivator wanting to be an ordinary guest elder?

That was a rare occurrence.

To be able to make the Fifth Elder in front of her sense a threat, his level had to be at least at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

If he went to any other sect, becoming an elder wouldn't be difficult.

Su Jiu pondered for a moment. She couldn't count on that hands-off boss Su Ji; she had to handle this matter herself.

"I happen to be free right now."

"I'll go take a look."

...

Sect Guest Reception Hall.

When Su Jiu walked in, she saw a man dressed in gray cloth robes standing in the middle of the hall with his back to her, seemingly admiring a landscape painting hanging on the wall.

His back couldn't be considered particularly tall and straight, but it exuded an indescribable sense of steadiness.

It was as if he wasn't a person at all, but a sword sheathed in its scabbard—its sharp edge concealed, yet possessing its own unyielding character.

Su Jiu subconsciously lightened her footsteps.

She finally understood why the Fifth Elder had said this person was very strange.

The aura on his body was extremely unstable, seemingly only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

However, the imposing aura around him was even more condensed than that of an ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

He was an expert.

"Are you the fellow Daoist who wishes to join our Xiangsi Sect?" Su Jiu spoke slowly.

Hearing her voice, the man turned around.

When she clearly saw the other party's face, Su Jiu's clear pupils suddenly shrank.

It was him?

That Golden Core sword cultivator who had been bluffed by Su Ji until he was completely dazed, looking utterly decadent and down-and-out?

But the person standing in front of her was completely different from the image in her memory.

The stubble on his face was shaved completely clean, and his originally muddy eyes had now become clear and bright, with a sharp sword light flowing within them.

From head to toe, there was no longer the slightest hint of decadence; replacing it was a transcendent open-mindedness that had washed away all worldly impurities.

A considerable wave of shock surged in Su Jiu's heart.

She thought of Su Ji, and recalled the nonsense he had spouted to this stall owner back then—something about "original intentions" and "the summer that could never return."

At the time, she had only thought Su Ji was messing around.

But looking at it now...

He was actually guiding the other party's state of mind...

No...

He actually bluffed the man into an epiphany?!

Just as Su Jiu's mind was reeling in shock, the man had already bowed respectfully to her.

"I am Li Fan. Greetings, Vice Sect Master."

His voice was no longer as hoarse as before; instead, it carried the clear and sonorous resonance of metal and stone.

"Fellow Daoist Li, there is no need for such formalities." Su Jiu snapped back to reality and gave a slight nod. "May I ask why Fellow Daoist Li chose our Xiangsi Sect?"

Li Fan raised his head, a complex expression appearing on his face.

He didn't answer directly, but instead asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

"May I ask the Vice Sect Master... is the Lord Sect Master... doing well?"

Hearing this, the doubt in Su Jiu's heart deepened.

This person had come specifically for Su Ji.

"The Sect Master is currently in secluded cultivation. I am temporarily handling the sect's affairs in his stead." Su Jiu's tone was neutral. "If Fellow Daoist Li has urgent matters, telling me is the same."

"No."

Li Fan shook his head, his expression incredibly solemn.

"I was fortunate enough to receive Senior's help to forge a False Core. Later, he didn't disdain my low strength and even parted the clouds of confusion from my mind."

"Such immense grace can only be thanked in person."

"I am willing to go through fire and water for the Xiangsi Sect, and I will not hesitate to do so."