After closing the pressure cooker, Jiang Zuo began channeling the Array inscribed on the kitchen ceiling onto it. Then, he took out Defense Array Stones and sealed the kitchen layer by layer.

Finally, Jiang Zuo backed out.

At that moment, the pressure cooker began to vibrate relentlessly. The Array in the kitchen flickered without pause, and the Spirit Stones were being continuously drained.

The pressure cooker’s vibrations grew more and more frequent, its movements more and more violent.

DONG DONG DONG DONG

VMMMM VMMMM

The frequency of the pressure cooker’s vibrations reached its absolute limit, and then—BOOM!

The pressure cooker had exploded, blowing the entire kitchen into a complete mess.

If it weren’t for the Defense Array, a fire might have started again.

The pressure cooker’s explosion caused intense tremors throughout the kitchen, and its destructive force was immense.

The Arrays were almost completely destroyed. Even the Trapping Array Stone Jiang Zuo had placed inside shattered.

The losses were a bit steep.

But Jiang Zuo paid it no mind. He was waiting for things in the kitchen to settle down. For various reasons, he couldn’t guarantee a perfect success rate.

Before long, the kitchen fell silent. Nearly everything inside had been destroyed.

Only one or two Spirit Stones remained, and two Array Stones had been destroyed.

Jiang Zuo walked over to where the pressure cooker had been. The explosion had left only its base; the rest of the wreckage was gone.

On the pressure cooker’s base sat a pile of medicinal dregs. Jiang Zuo reached out and sifted through them, eventually finding a teardrop-sized granule inside.

It was a pill—a transparent pill.

Holding it, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but shake his head. "I’d call this a failure, but it should be enough."

For Jiang Zuo, this was a decent outcome. Though the item was easy to refine, its success rate was unstable. Even with all his experience, his current Cultivation was a major handicap.

After storing the transparent granule in a vial, Jiang Zuo left the villa.

He needed to find Boss He. The kitchen had been blown up; it had to be repaired.

"What? The kitchen exploded?" Boss He was stunned when he heard what Jiang Zuo said.

It just burned down two days ago, and now it’s exploded?

Jiang Zuo nodded. "Just clean it up. I don’t care about the missing cookware. I’ll replace it another day."

Then, Jiang Zuo left behind a Second-Grade Spirit Stone.

’That should be enough.’

Boss He was truly impressed with Jiang Zuo. He casually tossed out another Second-Grade stone, burning down or blowing up rooms as he pleased.

He understood now. This guy was definitely trouble.

"Daddy, Daddy, my hand! Look at my hand!" Just then, Xiaoye ran in, holding her hand up.

Boss He glanced at Xiaoye’s hand. "Is something wrong with it?"

He really couldn’t see anything and wondered if his daughter was playing another prank.

When Xiaoye saw that her dad couldn’t see it, she looked at her own hand and said, aggrieved, "Huh? It’s gone? It was just glowing a second ago."

Boss He looked at Xiaoye dotingly. "Alright, Daddy will take you out for a treat later."

"Yay!" Although she didn’t know what was up with her hand, Xiaoye was delighted to hear about getting a treat.

Jiang Zuo hadn’t left yet, so he naturally overheard Xiaoye’s words.

He couldn’t help but give Xiaoye a couple of extra glances.

After that, Jiang Zuo left.

’A Ghost Cultivation Mark? They’re targeting ordinary people now?’ Jiang Zuo wondered.

In truth, applying a Ghost Cultivation Mark wasn’t free. There was no benefit for Ghost Cultivators in placing one on an ordinary person.

Ordinary people couldn’t cultivate, so they would never transform into Ghost Cultivators. At most, the mark would just make them frail and sickly.

They might also occasionally see things they weren’t supposed to see.

Therefore, it wasn’t worth it for Ghost Cultivators to mark ordinary people.

Jiang Zuo really couldn’t figure out what the Ghost Cultivators were up to. There were still about ten days left before the sacrificial ritual began.

These people were getting active a bit too early.

While Jiang Zuo was thinking, others were taking action.

And at this very moment, some people were having a particularly good time.

Take Witch Dan Xue, for example. Mo Yan had turned into an idiot. It didn’t matter if she was easy to fight or not; what was important was that she’d do whatever she was told.

Disobedient?

Just give her a lollipop.

Witch Dan Xue even recorded a video, especially when Mo Yan called Chi Xue Child "Daddy."

Then she posted it on her social media feed: "SHOCKING: A Demon Cultivator moving among the masses has to call another person Daddy!!!"

Then another post appeared: "The famous Demon Cultivator Mo Yan returns, only to have become a simple-minded child???"

Chi Xue Child looked utterly baffled at Witch Dan Xue, then turned to Liuyue Xue. "Am I about to become famous in the Demon Cultivation Realm?"

Liuyue Xue typed a line on her phone: Congrats, you’re finally in the spotlight. Hope you find love around the corner.

Chi Xue Child: "But I don’t like Demon Cultivators. You can’t force love."

Liuyue Xue: But they’re having fun.

"..."

Chi Xue Child frowned and said to Demon Cultivator Mo Yan, "Yanyan, go find your mom."

Liuyue Xue then ran off as if she’d seen a ghost.

She had no desire to become famous. She was still a minor, and if her sect found out, they’d mock her to death.

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator watching from the side was sweating bullets. ’Their methods are terrifying. These people are not to be trifled with.’

He had been planning to do business with these three, but now he’d have to postpone it.

’Lowering someone’s IQ... forget three days, even three minutes of that would be a death sentence.’

’Only a Demon Cultivator like Mo Yan, blessed with a fool’s luck, would have someone to protect her after being turned into an idiot.’

’If he were the one turned into an idiot, never mind strangers—his own junior sister would be the first one to make a move. She wouldn’t just take his property; she’d probably strip him naked.’

’And hang him up on the street.’

’The very thought sent a chill down his spine. He decided he needed to add several more layers of spiritual defense for himself.’

’Maybe I should buy a few more sets of clothes, too?’

’After all, it’s all ice and snow here.’

******

Night fell quickly. To Jiang Zuo’s relief, the kitchen had been restored.

And Su Qi came home early today.

As soon as she got back, she asked Jiang Zuo, "Did you deliver the item?"

Jiang Zuo nodded and handed the Ninth-Grade Spirit Stone to Su Qi.

Su Qi took the Spirit Stone and asked Jiang Zuo, "Was she pretty? I heard from my junior sister that you’d recognize her the moment you arrived—that she’s without a doubt the most beautiful person there."

"You don’t know her?" Jiang Zuo asked.

Theoretically, the probability that Su Qi knew Liuyue Xue was very high.

Su Qi went into the bedroom and began to change. "I don’t know. In any case, my junior sister didn’t give me any information about the other party. So they probably don’t know our names either.

At most, they just described our features.

Because my status within the Holy Land is special, and with the sacrificial ritual coming up, I can’t reveal my identity. It would be bad if I were ambushed.

And the other party’s reason seems to be because she’s too beautiful.

In any case, it’s not suitable for either of us to reveal information."

’There’s also another possibility: the Holy Land won’t reveal my identity, and the other side is unwilling to reveal theirs either. Revealing it would make them seem less prestigious—it’s purely a matter of face.’

Su Qi didn’t say this possibility out loud. Saying it would make her seem narcissistic.

Although she didn’t mind being narcissistic in front of Jiang Zuo, this time, she was up against a great beauty.

"Special status?" ’If it wasn’t appropriate for you to reveal your identity, then why did they have you deliver the medicine?’ Jiang Zuo actually wanted to ask.

’If Su Qi hadn’t been the one delivering the medicine, I wouldn’t have been in such an awkward position.’

But regarding this matter, Jiang Zuo was more concerned about Su Qi herself.

Su Qi, having changed into a short one-piece dress that doubled as a nightgown, walked over to Jiang Zuo. "That’s right. Your wife is a Candidacy Saintess. And she might become the actual Saintess in the future."

＊＊＊＊＊＊

Special thanks for their support go to Yonder Sky (Protector), Xiao Xia (Hall Master), and ’Zihang Always Likes You’ (Helmsman).