With the keenness of his thunderous divine sense, Lei Dong immediately detected the arrival of the person, who was none other than Li Chuchu, the one who had stormed off earlier in anger. His brow furrowed slightly; he couldn't fathom the reason for her reappearance, nor why she was so timely. Had she arrived any later, perhaps missing Lei Dong's true form in his residence, she might have stirred up some trouble.

As if hesitant, Li Chuchu lingered outside Lei Dong's courtyard for a considerable time. Then, seemingly having steeled her resolve, she projected her voice toward the interior: "Brother Gongsun, are you free? Chuchu has something important to tell you."

Lei Dong sighed inwardly. This matter of the heart was perhaps the most tiresome. Firstly, Lei Dong worried that this issue might introduce unforeseen complications and trouble into his plans. Secondly, he wished to avoid delaying the young woman. After all, Li Chuchu was a spirited and promising young lady. Though Lei Dong was often ruthless in his actions, he was usually a man of principle.

"Miss Chuchu, the night is still and the area deserted. I am currently in deep meditation, focusing on cultivating my insights, and it is inconvenient to receive guests. Might Miss Chuchu convey her matter via voice transmission?" With these words, Lei Dong decisively rebuffed her, pushing her a thousand miles away. Often, one must act decisively; indecision only delays and harms both parties.

"Gongsun Dong." Lei Dong's words struck Li Chuchu like a sharp blow. Although she appeared outwardly approachable, respectful of talent, at her core, she was intensely proud. Truthfully, she held a significant fondness for Lei Dong, but it remained just that—fondness. Lei Dong's cold rejection instead ignited a competitive streak within her. Since childhood, she had never known defeat, let alone failure.

Li Chuchu bit down on her teeth, her figure flashing as she burst directly into Lei Dong's room. Her bright eyes were filled with unwillingness, indignation, and even mortified rage, as she immediately demanded, "Gongsun Dong, you treat me, Li Chuchu, with far too little regard. Admittedly, you, Gongsun Dong, possess extraordinary talent and remarkable comprehension. Where, exactly, have I offended you that you repeatedly humiliate me like this?"

Lei Dong fell into silence. After a long while, he finally sighed, "Miss Chuchu, I have never held you in the slightest contempt. On the contrary, I have always believed you to be an exceptionally remarkable young woman. Your beauty and talent are rarely seen in this world, and your demeanor is as refreshing as a spring breeze. To gain such a virtuous wife and fly wing to wing would truly be the greatest honor for any man."

As Lei Dong spoke, Li Chuchu’s icy composure gradually softened. As if recalling something, a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks. She pouted slightly, angrily retorting, "Who, who cares about marrying you?"

"It is merely that I have certain hidden circumstances, and I dare not cause any delay for Miss Chuchu." Lei Dong took a deep breath and sighed, "I beg Miss Chuchu's understanding; all of this is my fault."

"You..." Li Chuchu became annoyed again, but then sneered, "Gongsun Dong, I misjudged you. I thought you were a man of freedom, but who knew you were so pedantic? Are those past setbacks truly keeping you so mired in history? I know you had a wife you loved deeply, but that is already the past. Even purely as a close friend, I must advise you: you shouldn't be like this, though that blow must have been incredibly difficult for you to bear."

These words nearly caused Lei Dong to spit up a mouthful of blood. Past events? A blow too hard to bear? Hmph, just what kind of story had that old man Gongsun concocted about him? He had said he would handle all the true details himself, and Lei Dong had forgotten to inquire about them. What the devil had that old fool done? Had he molded himself into some tragic figure?

In truth, even if Lei Dong's guess wasn't entirely accurate, it was highly probable. Back then, in order to ensure Lei Dong succeeded, and more importantly, to safeguard the lives and fortunes of the Gongsun family, the old man had relied on his years of worldly experience, racking his brain to fabricate a past for Lei Dong that was utterly miserable and pitiable.

Perhaps this tragic backstory wouldn't sway those with strong wills, but there were certainly many soft-hearted individuals in the world. As long as the story held some weight, eliciting even a small degree of sympathy would suffice. Even if it could merely divert the scrutiny and attention of intelligence investigators and readers by a small margin, that would be enough.

Perhaps the old man Gongsun's painstaking efforts bore some fruit. Indeed, this fabricated history had successfully diverted a significant amount of skeptical scrutiny from various factions. However, it had also produced a negative side effect for Lei Dong, causing some people's compassion to overflow and leading to considerable trouble.

Lei Dong remained silent, frowning. His expression, captured in Li Chuchu's eyes, seemed to confirm her suspicions. Remembering some of the tragic hardships of his past, Li Chuchu's heart softened, and her voice grew gentler: "Gongsun Dong, I didn't mean to expose your scars or poke at your pain. But your life is still long. If you keep this sorrow bottled up, it may turn into a cultivation demon later on."

Lei Dong shook his head and sighed, offering a bitter smile, "Miss Chuchu, I harbor no inner demon."

"Nonsense." Li Chuchu sounded utterly confident in her assessment, coldly sneering, "If you have no inner demon, then why do your eyes often reveal an expression of sorrow and anxiety? Even though you try so hard to conceal it, always striving to appear calm, I am certain you haven't forgotten those difficult past days."

"Enough," Lei Dong’s gaze sharpened, seemingly filled with anger. "Miss Chuchu, I require rest now. I ask that you leave quickly."

"Very well, I'll leave now. Rest well," To Lei Dong's surprise, Li Chuchu did not become angry but obediently departed immediately. This left Lei Dong momentarily stunned, wondering how unpredictable a woman's mind could be. Simultaneously, he inwardly cursed the old man Gongsun again: just what kind of past had that old scoundrel written for him that caused Li Chuchu such a profound misunderstanding?

Nevertheless, Lei Dong had successfully driven Li Chuchu away. After sitting quietly for another half hour, he set about his plan to infiltrate the Scripture Repository. Transforming into a wisp of black mist, he navigated the familiar route, re-entering the Repository. Lei Dong once again sensed Elder Xiao, who wished to take him as a disciple, guarding the secret chamber via the artifact spirit.

His mood today was vastly different from yesterday. Yesterday, he had already used subtle gadgets to record Elder Xiao's divine sense fluctuations. According to the Arena Artifact Spirit, this item was certain to unlock the Soul Lock.

Of course, Lei Dong wasn't foolish enough to attempt opening the Soul Lock immediately. Elder Xiao was a Nascent Soul cultivator; if Lei Dong dared to act, even the slightest sound would be impossible to hide from him. Thus, Lei Dong transformed into a faint, ethereal breeze and approached Elder Xiao's secret chamber step by step. Lei Dong had come fully prepared today.

He had previously employed the Bone Shrinking Technique, morphing into a short, stout man. At the same time, he silently summoned Ghost Thorn. Ghost Thorn manifested in stealth mode; its power, being that of a peak Ghost King, was equivalent to that of a peak Nascent Soul human cultivator.

Issuing silent commands via divine sense fluctuations, the master and servant moved stealthily toward the secret chamber. With all preparations complete, Lei Dong flicked a thread of finger wind, producing a soft snap. The meditating Elder Xiao instantly shot out of the chamber, roaring in anger, "Who goes there?"

"I command, the space is solidified," Lei Dong swiftly cast the True Word incantation in a low voice.

Before Elder Xiao could react, he felt the surrounding space horrifyingly freeze solid. Only one thought echoed in his mind: Terrifying. The enemy is too terrifying, far surpassing my own might. But with space locked down, he couldn't even utter a cry. Almost simultaneously, Ghost Thorn darted through the solidified space like a swimming fish. A sharp dagger pressed against the back of Elder Xiao’s head, threatening in a hoarse, low voice, "Elder Xiao, I trust you don't wish to die yet. Silence, please."

At almost the same instant, Lei Dong's Demon Emperor True Word lost its effect, and the frozen space snapped back to normal. However, Elder Xiao, just as Lei Dong anticipated, made no sudden moves, only speaking in an extremely soft voice, "Two Daoist friends, what brings you to the Scripture Repository of my Myriad Puppet Sect? If it is within my capabilities, I will endeavor to satisfy your request." In that split second, he had realized that any one of the intruders possessed power far exceeding his own.

"Elder Xiao, this Venerable knows you are loyal to the sect and do not wish to cause you trouble," Lei Dong's voice was sinister and grating. "Sleep well. When you wake, nothing will have happened."

"Ah?"

As Lei Dong spoke, Ghost Thorn transformed the soul power concentrated in its dagger into a long spike, driving straight through the back of Elder Xiao's skull and piercing deep into his Dantian, firmly pinning his Nascent Soul. An expression of extreme agony flashed across Elder Xiao's face, but with both his Nascent Soul and brain locked by the Soul Nailing Spike, movement was utterly impossible.

Lei Dong chose not to kill him for two reasons: first, he didn't want the matter to escalate into an irreconcilable feud with the Myriad Puppet Sect, perhaps leaving room for maneuvering in the future. Second, Elder Xiao was, to some extent, a man of integrity, having treated the guise of Gongsun Dong quite well.

Having dealt with Elder Xiao, Lei Dong took out the small gadget. Following the method transmitted by the artifact spirit, he activated the door to the second level. Simultaneously, Lei Dong scanned with his divine sense and breathed a subtle sigh of relief: the door to the third level, just as he hoped, had not yet been repaired. Victory seemed imminent.

……