Li Yundong and Su Chan left the apartment, two figures carrying armloads of bags, standing by the roadside, appearing utterly alone together. Su Chan looked up at Li Yundong with a pitiful expression: "Where are we sleeping tonight?"

Li Yundong paused to consider. "Let's stay at a hotel near the school for one night, and look for a place tomorrow."

Su Chan murmured an "Oh," dropped her gaze, and followed a few steps behind Li Yundong, before looking up again. "Aren't you supposed to have class tomorrow?"

Li Yundong sighed heavily. "Class? Tomorrow is just self-study and a small seminar anyway. I'm skipping it; we need to sort out the housing situation first!"

Su Chan uttered another soft "Oh" and fell silent behind him.

The two, laden with bags, arrived at the hotel. Li Yundong produced his ID card and handed it to the clerk at the front desk.

The female clerk shot an astonished look at Li Yundong, then another shocked glance at Su Chan, murmuring inwardly with amazement: What a handsome couple, but that girl is just too stunning, isn't she? Could she be some movie star?

The clerk glanced at Li Yundong’s ID, then back at the man himself, and hesitated. "Sir, we require identification matching the person checking in."

Li Yundong offered a slight smile. "This is my ID. I’ve just lost some weight."

The clerk’s eyes widened. She looked back at the old ID, then at the present Li Yundong. The man in the previous identification was a doughy, unremarkable youth with listless eyes—nothing like the person standing before her now, whose gaze was sharp as lightning and whose entire being radiated vital energy.

After scrutinizing it several times, the clerk finally processed the registration. "How many nights will you be staying?"

Li Yundong replied, "Just one night."

The clerk asked again, "Single room or double?"

Li Yundong turned to glance at Su Chan. The young girl had no clue about the unspoken implications; she just blinked her wide eyes at him. Her look almost made Li Yundong wonder if he could sell her and she would still help him count the money.

Li Yundong desperately wanted to book a single room and share the large bed with the girl, but on second thought, he decided against it. There would be plenty of time later; he couldn't let her think he was taking advantage of her misfortune. That would be a huge loss of face.

"A double room, please," Li Yundong stated honestly.

The clerk rolled her eyes internally: You’re getting a room together, why pretend? Couldn't you just get a single?

She handed Li Yundong the documents and the room key. "Two-oh-five. Insert the card for the electricity and water."

Li Yundong ushered the little fox into the room, tossed the luggage on the floor, and promptly collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. "Well, tonight, we are officially homeless."

Su Chan also tumbled onto the soft bedding, sniffed it, and pouted. "It doesn't smell as nice as before!"

Seeing her charmingly foolish demeanor, Li Yundong burst into laughter and crawled over to pinch the little fox’s nose. "Idiot, they change these covers every day. What smell would there be?"

Su Chan giggled, dodged him, and swung a pillow at Li Yundong. "Stop it! You always pull my nose; it’s annoying!"

Li Yundong grinned. "So, no nose-pulling, huh? Fine, I’ll tickle you then!"

With that, he reached out to poke at the little fox’s waist and underarms.

But the little fox wasn't truly scared; she just squirmed and kicked her limbs, laughing all the while.

These two—one a boy shy of twenty, the other a girl innocent of the world—both possessed the high spirits of youth. Even if they had been filled with resentment moments before, the playful wrestling match made them instantly forget their previous grievances.

Li Yundong and Su Chan wrestled on the bed for quite a while until they both collapsed, breathless, staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Alright, now we're truly dependent on each other," Li Yundong said with a smile, reaching over to brush the dark strands of hair away from Su Chan’s forehead.

Though Li Yundong’s words sounded bleak, Su Chan felt an indescribable sweetness and warmth listening to them. She tightly wrapped her arms around his arm and said, sweetly and innocently, "Mhm. Starting today, I promise I won't cause you any more trouble. If you tell me not to speak, I won't; if you tell me not to do something, I won't. I’ll be perfectly obedient! But you can’t despise me, you can’t let me starve, and you can’t just dump me alone like that!"

Li Yundong recalled how the little fox had sobbed hysterically when he’d left her before. He realized he must have terrified her when he abandoned her.

Feeling a pang of pity, Li Yundong stroked Su Chan’s hair. "Yes, I won't despise you, nor will I starve you, and I certainly won't leave you alone. Say whatever you want to say, do whatever you want to do. I won’t interfere either."

Su Chan’s eyes widened. "Why? I always get you into trouble when I speak, and when I tried to help..." The young girl lowered her head.

Li Yundong gently lifted her chin with his finger, meeting her gaze. "More than your looks, I prefer your directness and innocence, your exuberance and charm. So, I don't want you to turn into a meek echo because of what happened today. That wouldn't be cute at all..."

Li Yundong deliberately put on a stern face. "If you stop being cute, I might not like you anymore, you know!"

Listening, Su Chan felt the tears welling up in her eyes grow thicker, her heart warmer and softer. When he finished, she pouted and shot Li Yundong a suddenly aggrieved look. "Why are you being so good to me?"

Li Yundong laughed, pinching her nose lightly. "It’s just the two of us relying on each other now. If I’m not good to you, who else am I supposed to be good to?"

Su Chan's tears began to patter down. She buried her head in Li Yundong’s chest, pounding him lightly with both fists. "You’re terrible, you’re terrible! I hate you, I hate you! Why are you so good to me?"

Li Yundong gave a wry smile. "Is being nice to you a crime now? Cough, cough, go easier, you’re going to pound my lung out!"

What Li Yundong didn't know was that the little fox had previously, due to the sharp words from the landlord and others, resolved to cultivate Li Yundong into an unparalleled master. But as she calmed down slightly, she couldn't help but feel a surge of regret.

After all, if that happened, the Human Essence Golden Elixir would be completely out of her reach.

It wasn't as if the Human Essence Golden Elixir was a common, easily purchased Chinese patent medicine like Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. Within the Southern Daoist Outer Alchemy school, the Gexu Sect, this was truly a divine elixir forged from the essence of heaven and earth and the wonders of the sun and moon!

The Gexu Sect, primarily focused on refining Outer Elixirs, excelled at brewing various immortal pills, among which the Celestial Essence Elixir, the Terrestrial Spirit Elixir, and the Human Essence Golden Elixir were the most renowned.

A saying circulated among cultivation sects: Below the Three Elixirs, there are no more immortal aids!

This clearly attested to the marvel of these three elixirs!

The method for refining the Celestial Essence Elixir had been lost since the mid-Ming Dynasty. Neither the Gexu Mountain, Longhu Mountain, nor Maoshan had heard of anyone successfully refining it in the five centuries since Liu Bowen in the early Ming period.

Although there were faint rumors within immortal sects that a Terrestrial Spirit Elixir still existed at Gexu Mountain, in reality, no one had seen a Gexu Sect member from Gexu Mountain achieve the rank of Earth Immortal and ascend thereafter by relying on that elixir since Lü Chongyang during the Republic era.

Thus, among the Three Elixirs, only the Human Essence Golden Elixir remained a true, existing immortal aid; the others were vague, ethereal legends.

This single Golden Elixir, if consumed by any practitioner, no matter how mediocre their aptitude, would allow them to leap forward and become a Loose Immortal through subsequent cultivation!

To fight over this very elixir, the number of cultivators killed among all the True Cultivation sects was no less than a hundred!

The little fox had only managed to escape because her master had drawn away the terrifying major adversaries. Otherwise, with her current power level, she would have been utterly pulverized, facing endless destruction long ago.

To possess such an existing immortal aid, it would be a lie to say the little fox felt no regret, no hesitation. But just as she wavered, Li Yundong’s words melted her resolve.

She found she could no longer bring herself to be cruel to this young man.

After crying for a while, the little fox sniffled, and before long, she was nestled in Li Yundong’s embrace, snoring softly.

Li Yundong was momentarily stunned. He gently nudged her shoulder. "Hey, don't sleep like that, you’ll catch a chill. Lie properly!"

The little fox murmured faintly, shifted her body, and mumbled as if half-asleep, "This is more comfortable, warm."

With that, she curled up entirely, pressing close to Li Yundong’s chest.

Li Yundong felt both exasperated and amused. "Hey, what am I supposed to do with you like this?"

The