After a long and exhausting day, Su Luo returned home late at night.
What was supposed to be a leisurely day had been completely disrupted, reminding him of those grueling overtime days from the past.
It was incredibly frustrating.
Even though the cave dwelling was familiar to him, it still required a significant amount of energy for Su Luo, who was still in the Qi Refining stage.
As soon as he entered his room, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly. His body simply couldn’t handle the strain anymore.
It wasn’t until noon the next day that Su Luo finally woke up.
Of course, half of it was just him wanting to sleep in.
After all, these past few days had been uneventful for him, as the protagonist was busy leveling up his combat power.
Although Lin Xuan had missed the opportunity at the cliff, the system hadn’t indicated any deviation from the plot.
So, everything continued as usual.
After enjoying a hearty lunch, Su Luo began writing today’s diary entry.
**[September 3rd, Sunny]**
**[Originally, these past few days were supposed to be uneventful for me, but then something unexpected happened. How unlucky.]**
**[Yesterday, Li Siyi, for some inexplicable reason, ran off to the cliff. Does she not realize how much trouble she’s causing others?]**
**[If it weren’t for me bringing her back, we could’ve been attending her funeral by now.]**
**[She doesn’t even know her own limits. She’s not the protagonist, and she doesn’t get a second chance. She’s really playing with fire, looking for trouble where there isn’t any.]**
**[But then again, she’d never guess that the “big sister” she met yesterday was actually me.]**
**[I’m quite confident in my disguise skills. She’ll never find out.]**
**[Who would’ve thought that Li Siyi would start dancing when she got excited? Though, to be honest, it wasn’t exactly graceful. She looked like a wriggling worm.]**
**[And then she called me half-human, half-dog. You’re the dog! Your whole family are dogs! You’re just a dumb, clueless dog!]**
......
Su Luo continued to rant about Li Siyi in his diary, writing a long and detailed paragraph.
Although there was no word limit for the diary, writing all this made him feel much better.
**[But there’s definitely something wrong with Li Siyi.]**
**[Please, Li Siyi, stop being so reckless. Just live your life and let Lin Xuan take the spotlight. Can’t we all just be happy side characters?]**
**[No matter what, I’ll have to keep an eye on her from now on.]**
**[As for the plot, my next scene isn’t until the day after tomorrow, and it’s not a big one.]**
**[Originally, during this time, Lin Xuan would be digesting the opportunities he gained from the cave dwelling and then discover that I was the one who sent people to teach him a lesson.]**
**[Of course, he’d seek revenge. What kind of protagonist wouldn’t?]**
**[The day after tomorrow, while I’m having a meal at the Elegant Drunken Pavilion, he’ll ambush me, delivering a single strike that sends me flying from the second floor onto the street, completely incapacitated. Then he’ll make a clean escape.]**
**[This scene is mainly to show how much Lin Xuan’s strength has grown. Before, he struggled to fight me, but now he can take me down in one hit. Sure, it was a sneak attack, but it’s still impressive.]**
**[That’s just how protagonists are.]**
**[This part of the plot is pretty standard, nothing too special.]**
**[I’ll just have to be a bit more careful from now on. The plot can’t afford any more deviations. Stay steady, and I can continue to slack off in peace.]**
After skimming through the diary, Su Luo realized that the rewards were just some ordinary attribute points.
But what could he do? The story was still in its early stages, and as a villain, Su Luo didn’t have much screen time. The main focus was still on Lin Xuan’s leveling up.
......
Meanwhile, Li Siyi had been fully focused on digesting the opportunities she gained from the cave dwelling since returning yesterday.
She had acquired a sword technique called the Air Flow Sword Technique.
It had two main features: sword energy and sword control.
Using this technique, she could more easily gather spiritual energy, allowing her to release sword energy with ease.
Sword control was even more impressive—it allowed her to kill enemies from a thousand miles away.
While this might not be a big deal for high-level cultivators, for those in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, it was a game-changer.
However, mastering this technique was no easy task, and Li Siyi was struggling to get the hang of it.
She had also found some pills in the cave dwelling that would help her cultivate faster.
To ensure her family’s survival, she needed to become stronger.
Even if she couldn’t directly confront the hidden families, showing enough potential might earn her the protection of a powerful faction.
For example, she could take part in this year’s entrance exam for the Seven Stars Sword Sect and aim to become a direct disciple.
The Seven Stars Sword Sect was one of the three major sects on the South Continent, so they should be capable of standing up to the hidden families.
At the very least, it gave her another option.
With this in mind, Li Siyi redoubled her efforts.
......
Even while cultivating, Li Siyi kept an eye on her diary.
Every now and then, she would pull it out and check for updates.
There’s an update!
Li Siyi immediately rushed back to her room to read it.
But as soon as she started reading, she was shocked.
What? The “big sister” from yesterday was actually Su Luo?
How is that possible?
The voice was completely different. Could someone really change their voice so perfectly?
For modern people, voice-changing might not be a big deal, but for someone like Li Siyi, who had spent her entire life focused on cultivation and had little exposure to the outside world, this was mind-blowing.
Eventually, she had no choice but to accept that the person from last night was indeed Su Luo.
No wonder the figure had seemed familiar.
But it was still hard to accept.
How could such a kind and caring “big sister” be him?
As she read further, Li Siyi’s face turned bright red.
Not only had Su Luo seen her dancing, but he had also called her moves ugly.
She felt both embarrassed and furious.
Eventually, the anger took over. No one likes being talked about behind their back.
“You’re the ugly one! Your whole family is ugly! You’re just an ugly, clueless dog!”
Not knowing how else to retaliate, Li Siyi copied Su Luo’s phrasing.
Surprisingly, after venting, she felt much better, and her cultivation speed seemed to increase slightly.
But still...
“How could it have been you?” Li Siyi murmured, lost in thought.
Her mind drifted back to last night...
The gentle voice, the reassuring presence, the confident and relaxed demeanor...
Even though it was only for a short time, Li Siyi had already developed a sense of dependency and admiration for that “big sister.”
How could it have been Su Luo?
How was she supposed to view him now?
For a moment, Li Siyi’s emotions were a tangled mess.
......
Three days passed quickly.
Su Luo gathered his friends and headed to the Elegant Drunken Pavilion for a meal.
The Elegant Drunken Pavilion wasn’t particularly special—it was just the most high-end restaurant in Autumn Wind City, serving top-notch food with a price tag to match.
This was fitting for someone of Su Luo’s status.
Being kicked off the top floor of the most expensive restaurant would be the ultimate humiliation.
As for the reason for the gathering, there wasn’t one—it was just a regular meetup for the wealthy young men of Autumn Wind City.
This made it easy for Lin Xuan to gather intel on the event.
Even without the opportunities from the cave dwelling, Lin Xuan would still seek revenge.
Besides, he had the old master in his mind, so his cultivation progress wouldn’t lag too far behind.
Of course, while his cultivation level might be similar, the lost opportunities meant fewer trump cards, making him slightly weaker than he would’ve been otherwise.
Su Luo and his friends arrived at the private room on the top floor, ordered their food, and began discussing recent events.
Most of the conversation revolved around the others flattering Su Luo.
Naturally, no one brought up the embarrassing incident of his broken engagement.
While the entire city might laugh at Su Luo behind his back, doing so in this private room would be suicidal.
Unless they wanted to experience what it felt like to be thrown off the top floor.
The Su family was, after all, on the verge of becoming the most powerful family in Autumn Wind City.
Su Luo didn’t pay much attention to their flattery. They were all just tools, playing their parts in the grand scheme of things.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan had disguised himself as a waiter, and everything was going according to his plan.
With a sinister smile, he began his move.
Just as Lin Xuan was about to enter the room with a tray of dishes, someone grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from moving.