Zhou Kai, piqued by his wife’s enthusiasm, pulled Chen Ziyi outside to talk where the air was fresher.

They stood by the shore of Minshan Lake. The clear waves rippled under a gentle breeze, carrying the scent of damp earth and blooming lotus.

“Husband, Uncle Sun said that Brother Zhao Tieshan and Su Mingyuan used to have a life-and-death friendship,” Chen Ziyi recounted, her eyes shining with the thrill of discovery. “They explored dangers and sought treasures together. Later, when Young Master Su Mingyuan was severely injured, Zhao Tieshan moved to the Crouching Tiger Mountain market.”

Zhou Kai nodded slowly, piecing the puzzle together.

“If what Uncle Sun says is true and Su Mingyuan is also an Array Master, then the Su family is very likely a cultivation clan that built its foundation on arrays.”

He gazed toward the misty island in the center of the lake.

“The two siblings are living in seclusion here, and Su Mingyuan is on the verge of his soul scattering. They must have encountered a major disaster or provoked an enemy they couldn’t match, forcing them to hide like rats in a hole.”

At the thought of “enemy,” his vigilance spiked.

The cultivation world was a meat grinder where the strong preyed on the weak. For a prominent array family to fall to such a state, their enemy must be extraordinary.

He glanced at Chen Ziyi and smirked. “Ziyi, you know that old man Sun is as cunning as a monkey.”

“Back at Broken Wood Bay, the grand array he set up trapped and killed quite a few mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. That level of scheming isn’t simple.”

Zhou Kai chuckled lightly, leaning against a willow tree.

“Such important information, involving their past and the secret of their seclusion—would he so easily spill his guts to an outsider like you?”

He looked her in the eye. “Did he try to subtly inquire about the origin of the Truth-Seeking Jade?”

Chen Ziyi stuck out her tongue, looking sheepish. “Husband, you really can predict things! Uncle Sun did ask about it, and he asked very carefully, too.”

“I told him you found it by chance in an ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling. After hearing that, he didn’t ask any more questions and started chatting about everyday matters.”

“Found by chance?” Zhou Kai shook his head with a wry smile. “That old fox probably didn’t believe a single word.”

Su Qingzhu’s micro-expression when she first saw the jade, and now Uncle Sun’s deliberate probing… the origin of this item was far more complicated than he imagined.

These Su siblings were definitely a hot potato.

Chen Ziyi, however, didn’t think that deeply. She tugged at Zhou Kai’s sleeve, her expression softening.

“Husband, look at Miss Su. She’s delicate and lovely, her cultivation is high, and she’s an Array Master. Now her brother is critically ill, and she has no one to rely on. How pitiful. If we could…”

She trailed off, but her meaning was clear. She was scouting again.

Zhou Kai stopped walking. “Ziyi, you silly girl. We’d need to know who wants to kill them and how powerful their enemy is first.”

He sighed inwardly. This girl’s heart was too kind.

The idea had crossed his mind too—a powerful Array Master waifu would be incredibly useful—but getting entangled in a blood feud with some ancient sect or powerful clan? That was a recipe for an early grave.

Just as they were talking, a sharp sound tore through the air from the distant sky.

SWOOSH!

Zhou Kai’s expression changed instantly. He snapped his head up toward the horizon.

In the distance, a streak of light was tearing across the heavens at breakneck speed.

It wasn’t a flying sword or a generic artifact. It was… a massive, extravagantly luxurious Grand Master’s Chair!

On the chair sat a young man dressed in gold-threaded silks, his expression the epitome of arrogance.

In his arms, left and right, nestled two beautiful maidservants wearing revealing, gauzy robes that did little to hide their voluptuous figures. They giggled as they peeled spirit fruits and fed him by hand.

Flanking the flying chair were over ten cultivators in uniform attire—clearly the young master’s personal guard.

“What a grand display!” Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow. “Which family’s Second Generation Ancestor is out for a joyride?”

Up in the sky.

“Young Master, there seem to be two people down by the lakeside,” a guard reported respectfully.

The Young Master lazily glanced down. He waved his hand dismissively, pointing a finger with casual cruelty.

“Kill them. They’re an eyesore.”

He returned his attention to the beauty in his lap, burying his face in her cleavage without a second thought.

“Yes! We obey Young Master’s order!”

Two guards responded in unison. With a leap, they peeled off from the formation and dove toward Zhou Kai and Chen Ziyi like hawks targeting rabbits.

To them, this was just taking out the trash.

Seeing the two men charging straight at them, Zhou Kai’s internal alarms blared.

With such a display—likely a direct descendant of a major powerhouse—these guards were bad news. Killing intent radiated from them before they even touched the ground.

Zhou Kai cursed his luck. This was truly an unwarranted disaster!

His mind raced, and he made a split-second decision.

“Ziyi, we can’t fight here! If we alert that troublesome Second Generation Ancestor, we’re dead meat.”

“Run! We’ll lead them away and circle back to the island’s grand array. Use the terrain against them!”

“I’ll listen to you!” Chen Ziyi nodded without hesitation.

“Go!”

Zhou Kai shouted, channeling both Mana and Vitality. He tapped his feet and shot off in the opposite direction of the lake island, moving like a phantom.

Chen Ziyi followed closely. Although her realm was lower, her [Dragon Roaming the Void] footwork had reached the entry level, allowing her to barely keep pace.

“Heh, trying to run?”

“Just two ants at the second layer of Qi Condensation! If Young Master wants you dead, can you defy heaven?”

The pursuing guards sneered. One was a burly man radiating the aura of Qi Condensation Fifth Layer. The other was a thinner man at the Fourth Layer.

“Big brother is right,” the thin guard laughed. “Young Master moves his mouth; we break our legs running. Let’s finish this quickly. After extracting their souls, we can go back for some reward wine.”

They accelerated, confident that the fleeing couple were already corpses.

Zhou Kai and Chen Ziyi flew over ten miles in one breath. Zhou Kai constantly monitored the movement behind them.

He noticed something odd. The pursuers were faster than average mid-stage cultivators, but compared to him and Ziyi… they seemed sluggish.

“Hmm?” Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow.

Logically, the guards of such an arrogant young master should be elites, right? Could they just be the small fry sent to do the dirty work?

His Divine Sense extended quietly, sweeping over the two men.

Zhou Kai almost laughed out loud.

One Qi Condensation Fifth Layer. One Fourth Layer.

Just this?!

Damn, they scared the hell out of me for nothing!

The tension in his chest evaporated instantly.

During this time, he hadn’t been idle. Thanks to his day-and-night “cultivation” sessions with Chen Ziyi, his Vitality had soared. His physical body cultivation had reached the Meridian Opening Sixth Layer.

Against a Fifth and Fourth Layer cultivator? This wasn’t a fight; it was a buffet.

Plus, he still had the Fiend Gold Sword Talisman in his sleeve.

Zhou Kai relaxed. The Second Generation Ancestor was terrifying, yes, but these two goons were insignificant. And since they were dispatched so casually, their master likely wouldn’t even notice if they didn’t come back immediately.

“Ziyi,” he transmitted his voice, his tone relaxed. “We can’t keep running forever. This dense forest is perfect cover. Wait until that flying chair gets far away. These two are just small fry—a perfect chance to practice our skills!”

Chen Ziyi was stunned for a moment, then an eager glint appeared in her eyes. Last time, facing Wu Yong and Xiong Gang, she had been helpless. She was itching to prove herself.

“I’ll listen to my husband! Let’s teach them a lesson!”

“Good!” Zhou Kai laughed heartily. “Then let’s give them a surprise!”

They flew a bit further until the ostentatious Grand Master’s Chair was a mere speck on the horizon, then vanished completely.

Only then did Zhou Kai slow down, descending into a dense patch of forest below.

Behind them, the guards saw them drop and assumed they had run out of spiritual power. Their spirits lifted, eyes flashing with cruel glee.

“Ants! Why aren’t you running anymore? Know you can’t escape?”

The burly guard landed first, blocking their path with a fierce grin. “Come obediently and accept death!”

The thin guard landed on the other side, forming a pincer attack.

“You two… why chase so tightly?”

Zhou Kai wore a harmless, terrified smile, panting heavily as if he were exhausted.

He was about to say something to stall for time, but suddenly, the figure beside him moved.

“Husband! I’ll take the thin one!”

Chen Ziyi leaped forward, her sword drawn, eyes blazing with battle intent.