"You... you looked innocent and easy to deceive."
Su Xiaobai's face darkened. Him, easy to deceive? His eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light. A great villain such as himself, who had clawed his way through treachery and deceit, could see through her pitiful attempt with a mere glance.
She wasn't fooling anyone but herself.
Seeing his expression harden, Xiao Lu panicked. "N-No, I meant... You wore expensive robes, and you paid a fortune just to mask your presence. It was clear you came from an extraordinary background." Her voice quivered. "At first, I only wanted to secure enough wealth to escape. The longer I stayed with Fierce Tang, the more dangerous it became. Once I grew too old to attract customers, I'd end up discarded... like my mother."
Su Xiaobai sighed. Fierce Tang was no fool; he only kept her because she was valuable.
But jade loses its luster over time.
Xiao Lu had seen her chance and taken a gamble — She was bold, but she overestimated her cleverness.
"Did I really look so easy to deceive?" Su Xiaobai's voice turned sharp, as if questioning himself.
Xiao Lu glanced at him, then quickly averted her gaze, instinctively nodding before shaking her head. The awkward mix of guilt and fear on her face was almost amusing, how easily people tried to manipulate what they didn't understand.
"Ha-ha-ha..." Su Xiaobai laughed bitterly, but his mind was already elsewhere. So much for remaining in the shadows.
It seemed the higher-ups had already caught wind of his existence, their invisible eyes no longer blind to his movements.
He considered burning the city to the ground—one swift strike to erase all traces.
But Recklessness now could cost him dearly.
There would be time for flames later.
With a shrug, he stood. "Fine. You can follow me. But don't speak of secrets, and if there's anyone you need to say goodbye to, do it now. Once we leave, we won't be coming back."
"Mm..." Xiao Lu stood up, following Su Xiaobai as he stretched his body. He had been meditating for hours to break through and was already feeling tired.
"Can I meet with the inn owner?" she asked softly. Despite Fierce Tang's opportunistic nature, part of her didn't view him as entirely heartless—just a man driven by greed. He had, after all, paid her, kept her dressed well enough to attract customers. But trust? She knew better. Fierce Tang would wring her dry once she lost her value.
Her mother's last words echoed in her mind. The last time they spoke, her mother had told her to seize any chance to change her life. Now that Xiao Lu had made her decision, she wasn't going back for help—just to say a final goodbye. The bracelet Fierce Tang used to control her had been broken during Li Gong's attack.
She was free now.
Su Xiaobai raised a brow. "It's useless."
"Huh?" Xiao Lu blinked, her confusion evident.
"They've likely killed everyone at the inn, including Fierce Tang," Su Xiaobai said bluntly.
"Wh—!?"
Xiao Lu's eyes widened in shock. Her hands flew to her mouth as the cold truth settled in.
Su Xiaobai shook his head, a flicker of disdain crossing his features. "If I were them, I'd have done the same. By now, they've realized we stayed at the inn. Anyone who sheltered us would be considered a loose end, and loose ends aren't tolerated. They've likely started their search already."
He glanced toward the dense forest ahead. It was fortunate he had steered them toward the 'Silverwolf Territory'.
The 'nascent soul-realm' beast that ruled these lands was a terror few dared provoke. Its mere presence kept even the boldest hunters at bay.
Over the past thirty days, whenever Su Xiaobai had a moment of peace, he gathered information about Yue Country, the Tianlong Empire, and the broader Soaring Dragon Continent. Survival in this world required knowledge, and he had discovered the Silverwolf's domain by chance.
A perfect place to evade their pursuers.
With a single, fluid movement, Su Xiaobai leaped to the top of a towering tree, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the canopy.
Below, Xiao Lu stood, staring up in confusion. She glanced around, unsure of what to do. Unlike him, she couldn't scale treetops effortlessly. With a sigh, she moved toward a patch of grass beneath the tree, preparing to settle down for the night.
Swoosh!
But before she could rest, a soft movement landed in front of her.
"Practice this, and don't drag me down." Su Xiaobai's lazy voice drifted down from the treetops. A scroll, worn and ancient, lay before her, making Xiao Lu blink in surprise.
"This is..." Her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the scroll.
Su Xiaobai, despite his relaxed demeanor, was still as calculating as ever. He preferred followers he could control with material incentives—money, power, status.
But Xiao Lu was no longer motivated by those things — That made her a risk, and Su Xiaobai couldn't afford unpredictability.
Still, if she could strengthen herself, she would become less of a burden and more useful. It was a practical choice.
As Su Xiaobai drifted off to meditate, Xiao Lu cautiously unrolled the scroll. Its fragile edges crackled under her touch, the scent of ancient ink filling the air.
She had no idea that Su Xiaobai's storage ring had long been emptied of its immortal techniques—those had been stolen by the Evil Empress. What remained were lower-grade techniques, but even those carried immense value.
A 'mortal-grade technique' could easily fetch thousands of spirit stones, enough to buy a lifetime of luxury.
Profound-grade techniques, more specialized and tailored to combat or elemental mastery, could cost tens of thousands.
But mystic-grade techniques—ah, those were the treasures that drew power from heaven and earth itself, capable of shaping the very flow of the world.
Su Xiaobai's own 'Starslayer God Arts', which absorbed stellar energy, was worth a king's ransom in spirit stones.
The technique he gave her, however, was the 'Burning Lotus Charm', a mystic-grade art that cultivated solar energy, particularly effective for those with a yin constitution.
It wove the flames of the sun itself into one's soul, capable of bending wills with a mere glance. Its true strength lay not in brute force, but in the quiet domination of minds.
It wasn't a combat-focused technique, as Su Xiaobai doubted her talent for battle, and besides, he himself specialized more in formations and arrays than direct combat.
The 'Burning Lotus Charm' could influence the minds of others—a more fitting ability for someone like Xiao Lu.
Xiao Lu had no idea that she held a technique worth millions of spirit stones. If she knew, she might have fainted from shock.
But Su Xiaobai wasn't truly asleep—he kept one eye half-open, watching her closely.
If she tried to take the scroll and flee, he wouldn't hesitate to silence her.
Permanently.
But to his mild surprise, Xiao Lu didn't run. Instead, she sat down, her brows furrowed in concentration as she began to study the technique.
There was something almost endearing in the way her face softened, utterly absorbed in deciphering the complex cultivation method.
Su Xiaobai shook his head, mildly amused. For now, she wasn't a threat
Satisfied, he allowed himself to drift into a deeper sleep, knowing that tomorrow would bring new troubles.
_____
Next Day — In the morning!
Whoosh!
As Su Xiaobai descended gracefully, the golden morning light pierced through the dense trees, scattering like threads of silk across the forest clearing.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of smoldering embers, a small fire crackling nearby—undoubtedly Xiao Lu's doing.
Yet, where was she?
"Master, I have stirred some soup for you..."
Her voice, soothing as falling sunlight, came from behind. Su Xiaobai turned, and his body froze, 'No way...'
Xiao Lu stood in the morning light, holding a simple leaf-woven bowl. Her crimson lips curved slightly.
His eyes unconciously traced the smooth line of her bare waist, each curve as seductive as molten sunlight, stirring the hot desire with a single glance.
But Su Xiaobai wasn't confused by her beauty.
No, it was her ... Aura.