Chapter 32: A Mad Dog on a Leash

Xie Jue kept his head down as he spoke, his shadow blocking the sunlight. His pale face took on a grim chill in the shadows, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile, but the warmth never reached his eyes—a twisted, eerie sense of terror.

Peng Guanfei looked up, unable to suppress a shudder. A chill ran down his spine, and the curses on the tip of his tongue died in his throat.

After all, he was just a low-ranking disciple fresh out of the sect, barely at the Foundation Establishment stage, with hardly any real experience. Xie Jue hadn’t even done anything yet, and his expression alone had already frightened Peng Guanfei, making him feel like he would be killed in the next instant.

Was this… even human?

Fear crept into Peng Guanfei’s face as the thought flashed through his mind.

What’s more, when he called Xie Jue Su Zhuozhi’s dog, Xie Jue didn’t get angry at all. No normal person would remain indifferent to such an insult. Even if he were a dog, he was undoubtedly a rabid, insane dog, devoid of reason and liable to go berserk at any moment.

Standing some distance behind, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t hear what Xie Jue said, but Peng Guanfei’s shouts were loud and clear.

Being fiercely protective of his own, Su Zhuozhi frowned. He couldn’t tolerate someone insulting his people. His expression cooled slightly as he tightened his grip on his spirit sword, intending to teach the man a harsh lesson.

But Chu Ge and Nie Kai couldn’t hold back. They moved almost right behind Xie Jue and struck first.

Nie Kai was quite skilled, and with the boost of his anger, he fought even harder than usual. In just a few moves, he had taken down all of Peng Guanfei’s teammates.

Even Chu Ge, who was usually timid and called himself useless, had grabbed someone by the collar and slammed their face into the ground. Clearly, he was genuinely enraged. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, and Chu Ge was no soft rabbit.

By the time Su Zhuozhi was about to step in, the outcome had already been decided. All he could do was silently retract his spirit sword, walk over, and stamp on Peng Guanfei a couple of times.

He couldn’t help but think of Jiang Yangyu and the others. Back in the capital, if anyone tried to bully him, they would have dealt with it just as quickly, never leaving him a chance to act.

A smile played on Su Zhuozhi’s lips.

Just as he was about to stomp down, Xie Jue stopped him, saying there was no need to dirty the young master’s feet. Then he himself landed several heavy kicks to vent his anger.

Su Zhuozhi clearly heard the crack of Peng Guanfei’s ribs and his screams. After this, the man would probably have to see a healer and consume quite a bit of spirit medicine.

Still, Su Zhuozhi felt no sympathy. This guy had come looking for trouble on his own—it served him right.

He smiled and said, “Search them all. Take their mustard seed bags. Freebies delivered right to our doorstep—why would we refuse?”

Inside the secret realm, plundering treasures was common. After all, a single location might be discovered by multiple teams, and conflict was inevitable. Even worse, some would rob others of their hard-earned gains.

Su Zhuozhi didn’t engage in such highway robbery, but he couldn’t help it if someone insisted on throwing things his way.

He, Xie Jue, Chu Ge, and Nie Kai ransacked the mustard seed bags of Peng Guanfei and his group, splitting the contents evenly.

It felt like a classic case of thieves stealing from thieves.

Su Zhuozhi looked down and flashed a brilliant smile at Peng Guanfei. “Much obliged.”

Peng Guanfei trembled. He felt that beneath that beautiful exterior lurked a malicious soul, and even the sweetest smile only made his scalp crawl. His eyes darted to Xie Jue standing behind Su Zhuozhi, and his whole body shook even harder.

Indeed, a master who could keep a mad dog on a leash was no ordinary person. The more beautiful they were, the more poisonous and terrifying. He had provoked the wrong people.

At that moment, Peng Guanfei was filled with deep regret. Clutching his ribs, sweat beading on his forehead from pain, he shivered uncontrollably. He vowed never to go near Su Zhuozhi again.

After the heist, Su Zhuozhi’s team turned and left without hesitation.

Chu Ge walked up to Su Zhuozhi and said gently, “That guy was talking nonsense. Don’t listen to him. You’re very strong, and it’s not because of the spirit stones. Besides, I genuinely see you as a friend.”

Nie Kai was not good with words, but he nodded solemnly in agreement. “Me too.”

He shared Chu Ge’s sentiment.

Su Zhuozhi waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. I won’t let a minor issue like that affect me. An insignificant passerby isn’t worth my attention.”

Seeing that he was truly unbothered, Chu Ge and Nie Kai felt relieved.

Suddenly, a disciple in pink robes appeared. His handsome face was full of shock and disbelief, as if he hadn’t expected his concealment technique to be discovered.

Xie Jue said coldly, “You’ve been following us?”

The pink-clothed disciple probably assumed they were bandits and wisely handed over his mustard seed bag. “Everything I have is in here. Take it.”

He offered it to Su Zhuozhi.

Su Zhuozhi was taken aback and said helplessly, “We don’t need it.”

The pink-clothed disciple didn’t understand, but seeing his insistence, he hesitantly withdrew the bag. Then he enthusiastically sidled up to Su Zhuozhi, winking and casting a flirtatious glance. His voice was soft and seductive, carrying an alluring, bone-melting charm.

“Hey, pretty boy, how about dual cultivation with me? It’s pleasurable and easily boosts your cultivation realm.” He winked enticingly, his tone unbearably sweet.

Chu Ge recognized the pink disciple robe. It was from the Union of Joy Sect.

Xie Jue’s face darkened. He threw the man to the ground with force, his voice icy with anger. “Get lost.”

The pink-clothed disciple fell, but even then, he tilted his head to show off his delicate profile, his eyes like silk threads, pitiful and tearful.

He looked at Su Zhuozhi and said softly, “I mean no harm—”

Su Zhuozhi rubbed his arms, feeling goosebumps rise. He said with a strange expression, “You can get up yourself, can’t you?”

The pink-clothed disciple glanced at the others. None of them showed any sympathy. What was wrong with this group? In his past experience, his targets would have been fawning over him by now.

Biting his lip, he reluctantly used his charm technique, staring straight into Su Zhuozhi’s eyes.

Finally, Su Zhuozhi’s clear gaze grew somewhat dazed. He stepped forward involuntarily and reached out to help the man up, a hint of pity on his face. “Are you alright?”

A sparkling light flickered in the pink-clothed disciple’s eyes as he reached out to take Su Zhuozhi’s hand.

But behind Su Zhuozhi, a strong arm yanked him back, pulling him against a solid chest, almost possessively holding him close.

Xie Jue’s face darkened as he fixed his gaze on the pink-clothed disciple. “Get lost if you don’t want to die.”

The sudden collision jolted Su Zhuozhi back to his senses, clarity returning to his eyes.

The pink-clothed disciple was bold, especially fond of good-looking cultivators. Reluctant to leave so easily, he licked his lips and appraised Xie Jue and Su Zhuozhi, then smiled seductively. “So you two are a couple? No problem, I’m fine with a threesome. It’s thrilling and delightful—why not give it a try?”

Xie Jue’s expression grew dark and heavy, like storm clouds pressing down. His pupils were pitch-black, deep and unfathomable, and when he stared unblinkingly, it was particularly eerie.

In an instant, the pink-clothed disciple sensed a killing intent, sharp as ice needles piercing his skin. A chill ran down his spine, a coldness shooting from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if plunged into an ice cavern.

He dared not flirt any longer. Hastily wiping off his seductive smile, he scrambled to his feet, his face pale with terror. He immediately conceded, “I was wrong, I shouldn’t have disturbed you. Take this as my apology!”

He threw a book in their direction and fled. Given his sect’s unique cultivation method, his attack power was weak, but his skills in hiding and escaping were exceptional. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Su Zhuozhi caught the book reflexively. On the cover were the words — Secret Arts of Dual Cultivation.

Probably a cultivation manual from the Union of Joy Sect?

Curious, Su Zhuozhi wanted to flip through it.

But a hand pressed down on the page, and a low voice came from above. “Young master.”

It was a tone of disapproval, a warning.

Su Zhuozhi said, “I’m just taking a look.”

Youthful curiosity was always so strong—they wanted to explore anything new and unfamiliar. But not everything was good or acceptable.

Su Zhuozhi pushed away Xie Jue’s hand and scanned the pages. There were both texts and illustrations, depicting various postures and movements in vivid detail that made one’s face flush.

Once, a friend had also given Su Zhuozhi a picture book, mysteriously claiming it was something good. When he opened it, he was stunned. And this technique manual was far more explicit and daring than that picture book.

Su Zhuozhi’s cheeks burned, but he didn’t want to show weakness or appear inexperienced. He closed the book with feigned calm, putting on an air of “So that’s it.”

Then, as if throwing away a hot potato, he stuffed it into his mustard seed bag.

“Young master intends to keep it?” Xie Jue’s eyes were unreadable.

Su Zhuozhi had done it on impulse, without much thought. He hesitated. “Maybe it’ll be useful later?”

He couldn’t just throw it away. What if someone else found it?

“Who does young master plan to use it with?” Xie Jue’s voice was eerie.

Nie Kai was thick-skinned and didn’t notice anything amiss, but Chu Ge caught on. He held his breath, more nervous than the parties involved, afraid they would argue and at a loss for how to mediate.

Su Zhuozhi’s mind was full of the illustrations he had just seen, and he didn’t pick up on Xie Jue’s displeasure. He actually pondered the question. Dual cultivation in the future? That would have to be done with a wife, right? But here in the cultivation world, he would need to marry a Dao partner. Yet he could cultivate alone, couldn’t he? And he wasn’t in a hurry—his demonic energy was still under control for now…

As he lowered his head in thought, he didn’t notice Xie Jue’s expression growing darker by the second. Just as Chu Ge feared an outburst, Su Zhuozhi tilted his head, his white fox ears twitching, and said with a slight blush, “We’ll see. I don’t have any plans to find a Dao partner for now.”

The dark anger around Xie Jue slowly dissipated.

Chu Ge let out a huge sigh of relief. Nie Kai looked at them in confusion, unable to understand why they weren’t continuing to explore the secret realm. Was there some hidden treasure here? He frowned and stared seriously at the ground, searching for treasure.

Finally, they set off again. Whenever they encountered spirit beasts, they worked together to defeat them.

After several battles, their teamwork became more coordinated.

They discovered a cave. It was pitch black, filled with jagged rocks, and exuded a chilling cold. A gust of eerie wind swept up dust, forcing them to squint.

When they opened their eyes again, they saw countless red dots gleaming in the darkness.

On closer inspection, they weren’t dots but eyes.

It was a giant spider. Its body was enormous, its eight slender legs covered in fine hairs. On its head were countless eyes, rotating slowly and locking onto different targets, glinting with sharp, cold light.

As its chelicerae swept down with a piercing wind, Su Zhuozhi drew his sword and slashed, severing the spider’s foreleg. It let out a high-pitched, piercing screech that made their ears ring and heads ache. Su Zhuozhi, with his fox ears, was especially sensitive.

Frowning, he covered his ears. Xie Jue wrapped an arm around his waist and dodged the spider’s attack. Its foot slammed into the cave wall, sending rubble crashing down.

Nie Kai seized the opportunity to strike. The spider’s body caved in, and it howled in fury.

Under their relentless assault, the giant spider finally collapsed, unwillingly defeated.

Then came the looting.

Every part of a spirit beast was valuable, especially high-level ones, which sold for a high price. Nie Kai climbed onto the spider’s body to collect some venom. But suddenly, the spider’s corpse twitched, and a cloud of dark purple mist drifted from its mouth, filling the cave.

Caught off guard, they all inhaled some. Dizzy and unable to control themselves, they lost consciousness and collapsed.

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Jue opened his eyes. His vision went from blurry to clear, and he gradually made out his surroundings. Even in the dark, he could see perfectly.

Nearby, Chu Ge and Nie Kai were still unconscious, but the one person he cared about most was missing.

Xie Jue’s heart tightened, and his eyes turned icy cold.

Su Zhuozhi was gone.

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