Su Wan’er felt completely ill at ease.

That Senior had been staring at her this whole time. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but the feeling of being seen entirely through left her on pins and needles.

Biting her lip, she cautiously said, “Senior… please don’t keep staring at me.”

Lai Li’an snapped back to his senses. Though startled inwardly, his facial expression remained completely unmoving. He merely shifted his gaze away indifferently and said, “I was looking at your injuries.”

Su Wan’er blanked for a moment before a blush surfaced on her cheeks, accompanied by a wave of guilt.

So Senior was checking on her injuries, yet she had thought…

“So that’s how it is,” she lowered her head. “This junior was presumptuous.”

Lai Li’an waved his hand to indicate that it was fine. His mind was racing; that brief exchange had made him realize that he couldn’t simply rely on his “sense of mystery” to maintain his Fantasy Points. He needed to provide more concrete details to make her completely believe him.

And right now, the only “concrete detail” he had at his disposal was the pill given by the system.

The Ninth-Grade Essence Recovery Pill.

Through the system’s explanations, he learned that a Ninth-Grade Pill was a rare treasure in the Cultivation World. Just a single pill could allow a heavily injured cultivator to recover more than half of their strength. Pills of this tier were exceedingly rare.

Though his heart ached, he did not hesitate.

Lai Li’an took the pill from his robe, a completely translucent white pill that exuded a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Pinching it between two fingers, he casually tossed it to Su Wan’er.

“Take it.”

Su Wan’er subconsciously caught the pill. Looking down at it, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Nine pill veins! A Ninth-Grade Pill!

Her hands began to tremble.

She had only seen a high-grade pill once in the sect’s treasury, and even that was merely a seventh-grade pill! It was sealed by the Sect Leader with a Restriction and hailed as the Sect’s sacred treasure. Yet, the Senior before her had just casually tossed this one to her?

Although she did not understand the Dao of Alchemy, since a seventh-grade pill was already a Sect’s sacred treasure, what would this ninth-grade pill represent?

“Senior, this is too precious! This junior has her own pills.”

“Just take it when I tell you to.” Lai Li’an’s tone was somewhat impatient. “This Venerable has no interest in your Spiritual Root. It’s not poisoned, so there’s no need to be so on guard. Saving you was merely lifting a finger. Or could it be that you look down on the pill I gave you?”

Su Wan’er hurriedly waved her hands, “No, Senior.”

Thinking back to her days in the sect, a wave of bitterness washed over her heart.

At that time, when she was first tested to have a Supreme Water Spiritual Root, the Sect Leader personally took her in as a disciple. On the surface, her fellow senior brothers and sisters flattered her, but behind her back, they ostracized her at every turn.

Eldest Senior Brother Li Hanyuan would always smile and call her “Junior Sister” in front of everyone, but in private, he had intercepted her cultivation resources multiple times. He even deliberately made noise outside when she was in secluded cultivation attempting to break through to Late Qi Condensation, nearly causing her to suffer from qi deviation.

Third Senior Sister Zhou Ruoshui went even further by secretly slipping Muscle-Softening Powder into her tea the night before the sect tournament, causing her to collapse in the arena without executing a single move, reducing her to a laughingstock.

She went to her Master to seek justice, but her Master merely said indifferently, “Wan’er, the path of immortal cultivation is filled with hardships. If you cannot bear even this little grievance, how can you attain the Great Dao?”

At that moment, for the first time, she felt that the sect was not a home, but a cold, icy prison.

The final straw was when someone framed her for stealing a secret manual from the Scripture Pavilion. Without distinguishing right from wrong, her Master punished her in front of the entire sect, sending her to face the wall at the Cliff of Reflection for three months.

She knelt in the wind and snow, wanting to defend herself, only to be repelled by a palm strike from her Master: “Unrepentant! You deserve an even harsher punishment!”

The very night she was punished, people from the Blood Lotus Sect somehow learned of her Spiritual Root and Physique. Taking advantage of the fact that her spiritual power was sealed and she was left unguarded, they charged up the mountain and relentlessly pursued her all the way here.

No one from the sect came to save her. Perhaps, no one had even noticed she was missing.

A tear slipped from the corner of Su Wan’er’s eye, which she quickly and quietly wiped away.

And now, a completely unknown Senior had not only saved her but also casually given her a Ninth-Grade Pill.

She took a deep breath and placed the pill into her mouth.

The moment the pill entered her stomach, a warm energy rose from her Dantian and quickly spread to all her limbs and bones.

The hideous wound on her chest healed at a visible rate, and her corroded Spiritual Root also gradually recovered under the pill’s medicinal efficacy. Then, her Cultivation Base began to rise, Mid Qi Condensation, Late Qi Condensation, Peak Qi Condensation!

The bottleneck of Foundation Establishment was still there, and the residual power of the Evil Curse still hindered her breakthrough. However, for a heavily injured person on the verge of death, being able to recover to Peak Qi Condensation in just a few breaths was already an unbelievable feat.

Su Wan’er opened her eyes, and the way she looked at Lai Li’an had completely changed.

Gratitude, awe, and a trace of unspeakable… worship.

Ding!

Looking at the numbers on the panel, Lai Li’an felt a burst of wild joy in his heart.

But he knew it was time to wrap things up.

Lai Li’an stood up, pretending to pat the dust off his robes, and said in an indifferent tone, “This Venerable has already done the utmost in kindness and duty by going this far. I am leaving.”

After saying that, he turned around and walked toward the outside of the ruined temple.

With steady steps and fluttering robes, he exuded the demeanor of a lofty expert.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Damn it! The script wasn’t written like this! Weren’t you supposed to be moved by my pill and kindness, and then cry and beg me to take you in?

Five steps.

Six steps.

It’s over, I messed up. Is the exp pack I finally got my hands on going to disappear just like that?

Seven steps—

Bang!

He violently dodged to the side as a shattered door panel flew past, grazing his shoulder, before slamming into the wall behind him and smashing to pieces.

Amidst the swirling dust, three figures landed in the courtyard of the ruined temple.

Dressed uniformly in tight black martial attire with a dark red lotus embroidered on their chests, the three emitted a suffocating spiritual pressure that made the surrounding air heavy.

Lai Li’an’s heartbeat instantly spiked to 200, but he didn’t move. He didn’t even turn his head to look at the door panel that had nearly taken his life, instead looking at the newcomers with a casual posture.

The system panel clearly displayed their Cultivation Base information:

Lai Li’an cursed all 18 generations of these three people’s ancestors in his heart.

The leading cultivator, who looked to be in his 30s, had a ruthless expression. His gaze swept over Lai Li’an, and he frowned slightly, sensing that the other party was at the Early Foundation Establishment stage.

“Fellow Daoist,” the man cupped his hands, his tone fairly polite. “We followed an aura here and sensed that our target is in the room behind you. That person has some grievances with our sect. I ask that you do us a favor and step aside, so as not to harm the innocent.”

Lai Li’an did not answer.

His mind was racing. Su Wan’er in the room behind him must have already noticed the commotion outside. In her current state, let alone three Foundation Establishment cultivators, she couldn’t even deal with one.

If he stepped aside now, Su Wan’er would undoubtedly die, his “Fantasy Points” would instantly drop to zero, and the little bit of cultivation base he had just obtained would vanish into thin air.

He couldn’t step aside.

But how could he fight?

He couldn’t even cast the lowest-level Fireball.

Lai Li’an took a deep breath, the corners of his mouth curling into a very faint arc.

“Heh.”

A soft chuckle.

Very light, very faint, carrying a condescending disdain.

The expressions of the three black-clad cultivators changed simultaneously.

Facing three Foundation Establishment cultivators, an ordinary Early Foundation Establishment cultivator should either show fear or put up a desperate fight. How could he possibly smile?

The leading cultivator secretly gripped the dharma artifact at his waist, his voice turning gloomy, “Fellow Daoist, we are members of the Blood Lotus Sect. This matter has nothing to do with you. I advise you—”

“Blood Lotus Sect?”

Lai Li’an interrupted him.

“Never heard of it.”

The expressions of the three completely darkened.

The Blood Lotus Sect had a massive influence in the Cangwu Realm. With three Golden Core Masters and over a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the sect, even those prestigious, orthodox sects had to give them some face.

For this gray-robed man to say he hadn’t heard of them meant he was either truly ignorant, or…

He simply didn’t take them seriously at all.

Lai Li’an knew he couldn’t drag this out any longer.

He had to resolve these three as soon as possible. Otherwise, once Su Wan’er came out of the room and saw him confronting them, his lie about having dealt with the enemy would immediately fall apart.

But what could he use to resolve this?

He subconsciously glanced at his System Inventory, his gaze landing on a certain item.

Lai Li’an almost couldn’t hold back a laugh.

He reached into his robe and pulled out a pale golden talisman.

The moment the talisman appeared, the air seemed to freeze. The faces of the three black-clad cultivators instantly turned deathly pale.

They couldn’t sense the exact grade of the talisman, but the oppressive aura that made their very souls tremble definitely wasn’t deceiving them.

“A High-Grade Thunder Talisman?!” one of the younger cultivators cried out involuntarily.

The leading cultivator’s pupils shrank violently. “Fellow Daoist, we can talk about this—”

But Lai Li’an didn’t wait for him to finish; he tore the talisman.

Boom—!

Heaven and earth changed colors.

A bolt of purple lightning struck down from the highest heavens, illuminating the entire courtyard of the ruined temple as brightly as day. The lightning cast a harsh glow on the terrified, twisted faces of the three black-clad cultivators.

In the final moment, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators desperately channeled their protective spiritual light and summoned their respective defensive artifacts.

Like the wrath of a deity, the purple lightning tore through their barriers with destructive force. Piercing through all their defenses, it ruthlessly struck the three men.

Boom—!

The earth trembled as dust flew into the air.

When the lightning dissipated and the dust finally settled, only three piles of scorched ash remained in the courtyard.

Under the might of the Heaven-Grade Talisman, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators were directly blasted into flying ash before they could even let out a scream.

Lai Li’an stood where he was, still pinching the burnt remnants of the talisman in his hand.

His hand was shaking, but not out of fear. It was because… it felt so good.

That felt so fucking good.

“Senior!”

Su Wan’er’s voice came from behind him.

Lai Li’an quickly collected his thoughts, calmly letting the remaining talisman ash fall from his hand. He turned around and saw Su Wan’er leaning against the doorframe of the ruined temple, her face pale, her eyes filled with shock and worry.

“Senior, are you alright?”

Lai Li’an shook his head, his tone indifferent. “Just a few ants.”

He glanced at the three piles of scorched ash on the ground and added, “You should leave quickly. The pursuers seem endless.”

Su Wan’er’s body visibly trembled, a flash of fear in her eyes. “The Blood Lotus Sect… they want my Spiritual Root, to make me a cauldron for their Young Master…”

Lai Li’an did not press for details.

Su Wan’er watched Lai Li’an sit back down by the fire, an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart.

Three Foundation Establishment Cultivators whose presences she had just sensed were casually annihilated just like that. Just how strong was this person?

Lai Li’an closed his eyes and pretended to rest.

Ding!

Lai Li’an rolled his eyes inwardly.

However… 95 points.

Just 5 points short.

Having a realm without actual strength, he didn’t want to live this kind of life for a single day longer. Moreover, he didn’t know if the enemy had more pursuers, and he only had one of this talisman.

The campfire crackled, and the night wind poured in through the shattered courtyard door, blowing the flames so they swayed from side to side.

Su Wan’er secretly glanced at Lai Li’an, who was resting with his eyes closed, and silently made a decision in her heart.

She couldn’t return to the sect; there was nothing but jealousy and betrayal there.

But the person in front of her, although cold and aloof, had reached out a hand when she was at her most desperate.

Even if she just stayed by his side as a servant serving tea and pouring water, it would be better than returning to that cold place.