Jiang Zuo had been there for four or five days, and on three of them, there was either a fire or an explosion. He was certainly causing a lot of trouble for an ordinary person.

But Jiang Zuo himself was completely unfazed. He figured the occasional accident was no big deal—after all, it wasn’t his house.

’I can just pay with Spirit Stones.’

Afterward, Jiang Zuo gave Boss He a Fourth-Grade Spirit Stone.

This single Fourth-Grade Spirit Stone left Boss He completely stunned.

In truth, a house like this was very cheap in their area. The only real loss was the income from that period.

A Fourth-Grade Spirit Stone was simply overkill.

Yet Jiang Zuo just casually remarked, "There might be more incidents later on."

Leaving the stunned Boss He in his wake, Jiang Zuo departed.

At that moment, Chi Xue Child contacted him. "F-Fellow Daoist, i-is there still hope for me?"

Jiang Zuo was baffled. He had no idea what Chi Xue Child was talking about.

Then, Blade Master Hai Bian’s voice came through. "Fellow Daoist, your Spirit Stones have arrived. Did you know?"

Jiang Zuo paused. "The Spirit Stones were given to you?"

’I thought Su Qi would bring them to me, but she’s not free during the day, is she?’

’Oh well. If Su Qi isn’t free, someone else will be.’

Jiang Zuo then said, "I’m on my way."

The other end acknowledged and hung up.

Jiang Zuo then headed over to Chi Xue Child’s place. When he arrived at the residence...

...he was shocked to see Chi Xue Child wearing a Kasaya and tapping a Wooden Fish, chanting, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Beauty is but a Pink Skull, fleeting like smoke and clouds."

And then there was Mo Yan, foolishly mimicking Chi Xue Child, chanting her own little rhyme: "Daddy’s a Monk, Mommy’s a nun, Grandpa’s a Daoist, and poor Yanyan has nothing to eat."

Just then, Liuyue Xue and Blade Master Hai Bian came out.

Seeing Jiang Zuo’s surprise, Blade Master Hai Bian explained, "Chi Xue Child has suddenly seen through the vanity of the mortal world. He feels that all women are nothing but Pink Skulls."

"He’s planning to become a lay disciple now, though I don’t know if the Buddhist Sect will have him."

Jiang Zuo didn’t know what had set Chi Xue Child off, but he didn’t press the matter. Instead, he asked, "Where are the Spirit Stones?"

Liuyue Xue then handed three Eighth-Grade Spirit Stones to Jiang Zuo. After accepting them, he said to the group, "If you need anything, you can find me."

’I actually wanted to buy more herbs,’ Jiang Zuo thought, ’but I’d better not. What if what happened last time happens again?’

’I couldn’t take the embarrassment.’

Jiang Zuo was about to leave when Blade Master Hai Bian suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you still planning to go take a look at that place?"

He was talking about the place that had nearly killed him—the Immortal Spirit Cave Mansion.

Jiang Zuo thought for a moment. "Are you free now?"

Blade Master Hai Bian nodded. "I am. But Chi Xue Child and Liuyue Xue need to look after Mo Yan, so it’ll just be the two of us."

’It’s not a pleasant place anyway,’ Jiang Zuo thought. ’Fewer people is better.’

Jiang Zuo nodded, and the two of them headed out of town.

Along the way, Blade Master Hai Bian experienced the reality of Jiang Zuo being only a Tier One Cultivator for the first time.

’This speed... it’s so slow!’

As a Tier Three Cultivator with the physical strength of a Tier Four, he could leave Jiang Zuo in the dust with a single step.

’When you put it like that, Po Xiao isn’t so terrifying after all.’

’That’s right, when has a Tier One ever been considered terrifying?’

But the reality was that this particular Tier One was someone to be feared immensely.

His speed was no indicator of how dangerous he was.

If Blade Master Hai Bian hadn’t known him from the group chat, he truly wouldn’t believe Jiang Zuo was capable of much at all.

After a long time, they finally arrived outside of town. The world beyond was a landscape of ice and snow, and it was genuinely cold.

At Tier One, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the chill.

Blade Master Hai Bian, being a considerate person, was about to subtly help Jiang Zuo.

But before he could do anything, a ring of fire flared up around Jiang Zuo, warming him.

It was the honor of the Fire Elemental Minions to be able to warm their big bro.

Blade Master Hai Bian was surprised for a moment, but he quickly accepted it.

’If this were Mo Yan,’ he thought, ’she would probably complain that the technique wasn’t sophisticated enough.’

"This is the place," Blade Master Hai Bian said. "But now there’s no trace of it left."

Jiang Zuo nodded and began to inspect the area. There were signs of spatial distortion, but no actual fissures.

Then, Jiang Zuo frowned. Blade Master Hai Bian was also surprised. "The aura of Ghost Cultivators?"

"Mm, and quite a few of them," Jiang Zuo said, sensing their aura at the edge of the distortion.

It was faint, but it covered a wide area.

Blade Master Hai Bian asked, "Did they go inside?"

Jiang Zuo shook his head. ’If they went in, that would actually be for the best. It would’ve been a one-way trip for them.’

Jiang Zuo continued his inspection and finally spotted something else at the edge of the distortion.

"Traces of an Array being set up. It’s a spatial one."

Jiang Zuo’s brow furrowed. "We’re leaving," he said urgently. "Grab me and go. Your fastest speed."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Blade Master Hai Bian grabbed Jiang Zuo and bolted.

The instant they fled, a group of Ghost Cultivators materialized on the previously empty snowfield.

They quickly moved to intercept Jiang Zuo and his companion.

Jiang Zuo spoke. "Four Tier Fours, three at the peak of Tier Three. You should be at a 3.6 right now, yes?"

"Yeah, but it’ll be hard to shake them." In truth, he only had about a forty percent chance of escape on his own. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

With two people, escape was basically impossible.

"Just do as I say," Jiang Zuo said calmly. "Turn left. Now."

Blade Master Hai Bian veered left instantly. The moment he did, a powerful attack engulfed the spot where they had just been.

This maneuver left the seven Ghost Cultivators stunned for a second.

’Such a coincidence?’

They launched another wave of attacks, yet their targets "coincidentally" dodged it again.

"Everyone, attack at once! Cut off all their escape routes!"

Then, all of them unleashed a furious barrage in the direction of their targets’ advance.

To their astonishment, however, the man simply weaved left, then right, surged forward, and dodged every single attack as if he were a bolt of lightning.

’No coincidence could be this perfect, right?’

"Spread out! Intercept him from six directions!"

Jiang Zuo frowned; these pursuers were all slightly faster than Blade Master Hai Bian. He spoke up, "Follow the rhythm and pace I’m about to give you. Remember, do not break the tempo."

Then, Jiang Zuo began tapping a beat on Blade Master Hai Bian’s back.

At that moment, one of the Tier Four cultivators caught up to them.

Just as he was about to intercept them, the figures of the two men suddenly vanished.

He immediately extended his senses, but he couldn’t find a single trace of their auras.

Meanwhile, his five comrades had somehow been diverted in different directions.

The Ghost Cultivator’s face was grim. "What terrifying misdirection. That Tier Three Cultivator is no ordinary person. He needs to be designated a high-priority target."

"And that Tier One Cultivator... his understanding of Arrays is quite good. We need to keep an eye on him, too."

Having escaped, Blade Master Hai Bian’s heart was pounding with excitement. He had never experienced anything so thrilling.

A whole barrage of Skills had rained down on him, yet not a single one had connected. He had dodged them all with perfect timing.

And to shake off those pursuers so effortlessly... this was the true power of Po Xiao.

’Just how mysterious was this Mystic Study?’ he wondered.

Jiang Zuo had Blade Master Hai Bian set him down. "The first part was a form of visual misdirection," he explained. "You can try to comprehend it yourself. As for shaking them completely, that relied on your own Concealment technique."

"What seems extraordinary is often quite ordinary once you break it down."