Chapter 31: Another One

“Damn it!”

Lei Xiao also cursed in frustration. Why did the fire talisman fail at this exact moment? He did indeed have another top-grade spiritual talisman hidden on him, but using it would mean an enormous cost—far too costly to bear!

In such a small-scale battle, having to use two top-grade spiritual talismans would surely be condemned by anyone as extreme wastefulness…

“Third Sister!”

In desperation, Lei Xiao could only shout for help from his cousin.

Lei Qingxue smiled as she fought against the female cultivator ‘Yinghong’. From her Qiankun bag, she took out a paper talisman, recited an incantation, and channeled her vital energy. With a flash, dazzling lightning streaked through the air. Immediately afterward, her speed soared by countless notches. With several lightning-fast sword strikes, she forced ‘Yinghong’ back more than ten feet.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lei Qingxue’s figure moved swiftly. She tapped the ground three times with her toes and in the blink of an eye, she had covered over twenty feet, arriving beside Lei Xiao.

Graceful and ethereal like a fairy.

“What terrifying speed!”

The man with the birthmark and the man surnamed He were stunned. Especially ‘Yinghong’, who was now filled with fear. She realized that this young girl had been holding back all along, never truly showing her true strength. If she had used such speed throughout their fight, she would have lost long ago.

Zap! Zap!

Lei Qingxue’s magic sword flashed with electric light, exuding an eerie intimidating aura. Clearly, this sword had been enhanced by some spiritual talisman and was far more than just a low-grade magic weapon.

“Is it necessary to continue this fight?” Lei Qingxue asked softly to the three men. “I’ve been holding back to train my brother and help him gain some combat experience. Now that the goal has been achieved, if you still refuse to back down, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Lei Xiao readily agreed, “Third Sister, if we have to kill, then kill. On the path of cultivation, you can’t always be so merciful.”

The man with the birthmark and the man surnamed He immediately stepped back, joining ‘Yinghong’. The three of them were terrified by Lei Qingxue’s astonishing speed.

That speed far exceeded what one should expect at the early stages of Qi cultivation. Generally, even cultivators at the fifth level of Qi cultivation might not be able to reach such lightning-fast speeds.

“It’s our fault for not recognizing your true strength and offending you. Thank you for holding back earlier.”

The female cultivator in red first gave a slight bow, then looked at Old Lu lying at Su Che’s feet and asked, “May we take our companion with us?”
“That’s impossible. Leave immediately!”
Lei Qingxue’s reply was firm, and once again, electric light flashed across her magic sword.
“Very well.” The female cultivator in red gave her husband a subtle signal, meaning it was time to retreat—losing their lives over Old Lu wasn’t worth it.
The man surnamed He nodded slightly, also devoid of any fighting spirit. Today had been unlucky; he had greatly underestimated his opponent. It was already extraordinary for the young Lei to possess top-quality spirit talismans, and his sister was even more impressive… They were lucky to have survived at all, as the opponent had shown mercy.
The man with the birthmark didn’t care about Old Lu’s life or death; he was concerned about someone else. So, he asked Su Che again, “Where’s my brother? The one who was chasing you just now?”
“Oh, that’s your brother…” Su Che replied feigningly, “He ran away! He was injured by me and fled deeper into the canyon.”
“He’s injured?”
The man with the birthmark was skeptical, finding it hard to believe that a kid at just the first level of Qi cultivation could injure and drive back his own brother…
Yet, this kid was standing right in front of him, while his brother had disappeared without a trace. With such undeniable facts before him, he could only admit that they had misjudged their opponent and suffered a huge setback.
“Never mind. As long as my brother isn’t dead, everything is fixable.” The man with the birthmark also considered retreating, planning to send a message to his brother once they reached safety to check on him.
Of course, he had no idea that although his brother wasn’t dead, he had already entered another world—a highly special, enclosed space—from which no further contact was possible. Unless, of course, he himself had the fortune to enter that special space in the future…
The man with the birthmark and the He couple left, leaving Old Lu, who was still unconscious, behind mercilessly. Such things were quite common in the cultivation world, where relationships were merely temporary, and no one was willing to risk their lives for others.
Lei Xiao whispered in Su Che’s ear, “Do you find it strange that my third sister, despite having such abilities, still let them go?”
“A little,” Su Che nodded gently.
Lei Xiao chuckled, “Actually, my third sister’s lightning-fast speed only lasts for just three breaths. It’s fine for scaring people, but it’s not enough for a direct fight.”
“Only three breaths…” Su Che finally understood that Lei Qingxue’s speed-enhancing ability was actually so brief.

“That’s quite good too,” Su Che said sincerely. “It’s not just for showing off; a surprise attack works well too.”
“This is our Lei family’s unique ‘Lightning Acceleration Talisman’—a worthless trinket… But only those who have reached the third level of Qi Cultivation can use it,” Lei Xiao said. “When you reach that level, I’ll give you a few.”
Su Che nodded in thanks.
Lei Xiao then asked curiously, “Did you really injure that guy’s brother?”
“Yes,” Su Che had already prepared an excuse. Nodding, he said, “He underestimated me and was careless. I hit him with a mid-grade spirit talisman; he must be seriously injured.”
“Good job, young man!” Lei Xiao laughed. “Not only did they underestimate you, even my sister and I didn’t expect it… Also, your ‘Flowing Sand Talisman’ was used perfectly—you’re quite skilled at sneaking attacks from behind!”
Su Che shook his head modestly. Lei Qingxue smiled gently, her gaze filled with deep meaning. Lei Xiao’s words indeed reflected what she was thinking—yes, everyone had underestimated this ‘Junior Su’.
Su Che bent down, took Lu Da’s Qiankun Bag from his waist, and handed it to Lei Xiao. “This is our loot. You go and count it.”
“No need,” Lei Xiao shook his head. “You knocked him out; his stuff belongs to you.”
“That won’t do!” Su Che waved his hands repeatedly. “Since we fought together, no matter how much loot there is, it should be split evenly.”
“What good could there be in a casual cultivator’s Qiankun Bag? Keep it for yourself,” Lei Xiao shoved the bag into Su Che’s arms carelessly. “When we find something really valuable in the future, I won’t be polite with you.”
Lei Qingxue remained indifferent, not even glancing at the Qiankun Bag. Su Che knew that the Lei family’s descendants came from noble backgrounds and wouldn’t care about the meager assets of ordinary cultivators.
Well! Su Che wasn’t one to dawdle either. He tied the Qiankun Bag to his waist, planning to check its contents when he was alone.
“What about this guy? He’s not dead yet. What should we do with him?” Su Che looked down at the unconscious Lu Da.
“Let him fend for himself.”
The Lei siblings disdained killing such a lowly person, especially since he was already severely injured and had no strength to resist.
“I want to use him…” Su Che winked at Lei Xiao and tapped his Qiankun Bag.
“To refine a magic weapon?” Lei Xiao immediately understood and asked curiously, “Brother, isn’t that magic weapon a demon artifact? One that even eats people?”

“Are there any differences between humans, demons, and monsters?” Su Che pretended to be foolish and asked in a dazed tone, “All I know is that the more creatures used to refine magic artifacts, the better, right?”
“Damn! You’re really ruthless!” Lei Xiao waved his hand and said, “Go now. Don’t let my third sister see this; she really dislikes such things.”
Sure enough, Lei Qingxue, standing not far away, frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of this. After all, using human souls to refine magic artifacts was common practice among demonic cultivators; while the orthodox immortal path didn’t completely forbid it, it also didn’t encourage it. Treating mortal enemies in this way was acceptable, but killing innocents just to refine magic artifacts was absolutely unacceptable.
Fortunately, Lu Laobai could barely be considered a mortal enemy, so Lei Qingxue only expressed mild disapproval without intervening.
Su Che grinned and said, “Don’t worry. I only do this to enemies. I definitely won’t fall into the demonic path!”
Lei Qingxue nodded slightly and asked softly, “How long will it take?”
“It’ll be done soon.”
Su Che answered as he walked, dragging Lu Laobai into a pile of rocks.
Once they reached a hidden place, Su Che silently thought, “Capture this person,” and Lu Laobai disappeared, successfully entering the prison space on the first floor of the Black Tower.
“Haha, another one has arrived.”
Inside the prison, Lao He laughed heartily. There were already two prisoners lying at his feet. Zhao Feng’s ears hadn’t awakened yet, and now there was another Lu Laobai. However, the completely burned Lu Laobai was seriously injured. Even if he woke up, he would need some time to recover before he could withstand the so-called “treatment” methods used by Lao He.