As Ziyuan saw Li Yundong's expression, anger instantly surged in her, and malice began to brew. She covered her nose, slid off Lu Hu, unceremoniously yanked open the driver's side door, and said in a muffled voice, "Move over, I'm driving!"

When Li Yundong saw her accusatory demeanor, he jumped in fright and weakly stammered, "Didn't you say you don't know how to drive?"

Ziyuan snapped back, "If you can drive, why can't I?"

Li Yundong wanted to retort, but looking at Ziyuan's expression, he couldn't find the words. He could only manage an awkward smile and shuffle over to the passenger seat.

Li Yundong watched with a hammering heart as Ziyuan settled into the driver's seat, his hands instinctively reaching out to grip the door handle. He nervously shouted, "Hey, don't get worked up! Don't do anything rash! Don't cause—ahem, don't cause two deaths in one car!"

Ziyuan had never encountered such an infuriating rogue as Li Yundong. She burst out laughing in anger, started the car, engaged the gear, and slammed the accelerator. The Lu Hu roared to life and shot forward.

Li Yundong finally understood what Ziyuan had felt earlier—it was a complete sense of powerlessness, of having no control over one's own fate!

What good was being a powerful cultivator if you died in a car crash just the same? Unless you jumped out!

The thought had barely crossed Li Yundong’s mind when he saw Ziyuan maneuver back onto the road, already hitting fifth gear. He instantly cried out in horror, "What the hell, is there any need to drive this fast? Are you in an F1 race?"

Ziyuan shouted back without missing a beat, "Weren't you driving this fast just now?"

Li Yundong yelled frantically, "Was I? Hey, hey, we're doing over a hundred miles an hour! Slow down, slow down! Damn it, Schumacher kid, I officially apologize right now, is that acceptable?"

Ziyuan turned her head, gave Li Yundong a stony glare, and then suddenly said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Too late!"

"Whoa whoa, watch the road, watch the road!" Li Yundong felt that as a Daoist cultivator, he was truly experiencing instant karma. It happened so fast! He shouted continuously in terror, "Damn it, you said you didn't know how to drive! How are you handling this so smoothly?"

Ziyuan offered no reply. As she approached a turn, she suddenly kept her foot on the gas while simultaneously hitting the brake, engaging the handbrake, and yanking the steering wheel hard with both hands. The Lu Hu’s body lifted slightly, the front tires gained sudden, immense friction, while the rear wheels lifted and spun wildly. The entire vehicle executed a violent, sharp turn!

Li Yundong was thrown against the door like a sticker. He screamed in exasperation, "Holy hell, you don't know how to drive, yet you’re drifting! You’re actually powersliding!!"

Ziyuan ignored him, continuing to drive, leaving Li Yundong to shout beside her, "Hey, say something! Please, just say something!"

"Hey, you don't have to torture me like this, do you? I haven't done anything to deserve this!"

"Hey hey, I know I was wrong! Can't we just walk back?"

"Damn it, you're hitting two hundred kilometers an hour! Good heavens!!"

"Heeeelp!!!" Li Yundong cried out, tears welling in his eyes.

The more Ziyuan drove the Lu Hu, the more energized she became, relishing a sense of justified revenge. Li Yundong, however, grew more terrified with every second. He thought with utter despair: Confucius said that in all ages, women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with! I always thought Ziyuan, a figure like a celestial fairy, wouldn't be like this, but it turns out, even a fairy is still a woman!!!

While Li Yundong was suffering in fear because of Ziyuan, far away in Dongwu City, the little fox Su Chan was diligently practicing cultivation under her master.

The young girl felt an unsettling restlessness lately. She couldn't pinpoint the reason, but even when meditating in seated concentration, she couldn't settle her mind or calm her spirit.

The girl kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed, showing clear impatience despite her formal posture. She cracked open one eyelid, cautiously glancing at Ao Wushuang, who was meditating and circulating qi in front of her not far away. She hesitated, wanting to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

Though Ao Wushuang's eyes were closed, she seemed to know every move her disciple made. Without moving, she asked with her eyes shut, "What is it you want to say? If it's the same question, don't bother asking again."

Su Chan was initially delighted, then disappointed. She let out an "Oh," puffed out her cheeks, and lowered her head. But after a moment, she looked up again and weakly asked, "Master, did Yundong finally succeed in Foundation Establishment?"

Ao Wushuang sighed and opened her eyes. "You've asked that question four thousand eight hundred and fifteen times!"

Su Chan completely abandoned her meditation and qi circulation. With a playful grin, she sprang over to Ao Wushuang, playfully wrapping her arm around her. "Master, don't you have the ability to calculate things just by a snap of your fingers? Just calculate it for me!"

Ao Wushuang was speechless from her precious disciple's antics. She sighed, "You've been relentlessly pestering me with this question for the past month. You haven't made any progress in meditation or qi circulation; in fact, you've regressed! Telling this to others would make them laugh their teeth out!"

Su Chan clearly felt stung by Ao Wushuang's rebuke, but instead of feeling ashamed, she just giggled and said, "Master, then just let me return to Yundong's side! I can only settle down and cultivate when I'm near him!"

Ao Wushuang cursed in anger, "You little brat! You sneaked out ten times this past month and I caught you every time, yet you still have the nerve to say that! Don't you know that if you go to him now, you’ll only cause trouble and implicate him, preventing him from facing his heavenly tribulation? Do you want to die with him, or endure this temporary heartache so you can be together forever?"

Su Chan pouted high, and she wasn't stupid; she understood these principles.

But sometimes, people know they shouldn't do something, yet their hearts itch uncontrollably to do it anyway.

Su Chan listlessly lowered her head and mumbled, "I just want to see him for a moment and then leave... I wonder if he's gained or lost weight in these two months."

Seeing her petulant demeanor, Ao Wushuang, who might have felt some sympathy or pity a month ago, now felt only the frustration of disappointment. She spoke sharply, "It hasn't even been two months! As the inheritor of the Golden Core and a cultivator, if he managed to get fatter after two months of training, he shouldn't wait for the lightning tribulation; he should just find a rope and hang himself!"

Su Chan immediately looked up and made a face. "You're not allowed to talk about my Yundong like that!"

Ao Wushuang laughed in exasperation. "Didn't you just say it yourself?"

Su Chan lowered her head, sulking, nervously twisting the corner of her robe. After a moment, she looked up again and asked, "Master, please calculate it just one more time! See if he succeeded in Foundation Establishment! You said you would know if he succeeded."

Ao Wushuang was starting to lose her patience dealing with her beloved disciple. Just as she was about to erupt, she noticed a small paper crane flying in through the window.

This tiny crane was barely half the size of a pinky fingernail; if one didn't look closely, they might mistake it for a white fly.

Ao Wushuang opened her palm, and the little crane obediently landed in it. The moment it settled, it blinked and turned into a wisp of flame, which soon became a small pile of ash.

Ao Wushuang's expression shifted, her eyes flickering as she stood still, silent.

Su Chan, though intensely curious, dared not disturb her master and only watched her eagerly, waiting expectantly.

After a while, Ao Wushuang snapped back to reality. Seeing the young girl’s look, she couldn't help but smile. "Alright, now you can rest assured. Your Yundong has finally succeeded in Foundation Establishment! Can you focus on your cultivation now?"

Upon hearing this, Su Chan erupted in sheer joy, letting out a sharp scream. She pounced towards Ao Wushuang, grabbed her hand, and bounced up and down. "Is it true? Is it really true?"

Ao Wushuang looked at her precious disciple with affection, feigning annoyance. "When have I ever lied to you? Are you relieved now? Can you finally cultivate properly?"

Su Chan giggled, "Master is the best to me! Oh, Master, since Yundong has succeeded in Foundation Establishment, can I go back now? At least I won't affect his progress anymore!"

Ao Wushuang immediately became furious, her slender eyebrows shooting upward. "You incorrigible brat! How can you be so stubbornly unyielding? This is the prime time for him to advance his cultivation right after Foundation Establishment. The heavenly tribulation could strike at any moment! Are you going there to seek death?"

Su Chan was scolded into keeping her head down, unable to show her expression, but her eyes were darting around. She thought to herself: Hmph, I’ll just take a quick peek and come right back. She won't even let me do that—mean Master!

Ao Wushuang knew her disciple all too well. Seeing that Su Chan’s head was down but her eyes were rolling wildly in her sockets, she knew the little girl was definitely plotting something mischievous. Thus, she sternly warned her in a sharp voice, "I'm telling you, you are absolutely forbidden from going near him. Do you hear me? Otherwise, I will disown you and expel you from the sect!"

Su Chan was startled. She knew her Master never spoke to her like this, and a flicker of fear crept in. She timidly said, "Okay, okay, Chan'er understands!"

Seeing that her disciple, though reluctant, no longer had those mischievous glints in her eyes, Ao Wushuang felt slightly relieved. "I'll go buy dinner. You wait at home and don't wander off!"

As soon as Ao Wushuang turned to leave, Su Chan couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "She can't even cook, always eating takeout boxes! Yundong would never treat me like this..."

Ao Wushuang, who had just reached the door, stumbled. She spun around violently, erupting in rage. "Rebellious disciple, what did you just say!"

Su Chan jumped, quickly darting back into the inner room. Peeking her head out from the doorway, she stuck out her tongue and made a face. "I was just saying it!"

Ao Wushuang was left speechless by Su Chan's actions, shaking her head as she left the house, sighing continuously: Girls being outwardly focused—it’s completely true!

She went out, bought dinner, and returned home, setting the food on an antique square table. As she arranged the dishes, she called out loudly, "Chan'er, time to eat!"

But Ao Wushuang called for a while and heard no movement from the room. Normally, the little girl would have rushed out cheering.

Ao Wushuang’s heart tightened. She thought, Could this girl be so bold as to defy my direct order?

She walked to Su Chan's door and pushed it open. Indeed, the room was empty, not a trace of anyone. A piece of paper lay on the table, reading: Master, I’m going to take a look and will be right back!

Ao Wushuang flew into a rage. A cluster of flames instantly erupted from her hand, burning the note to ash. She roared, "Do you think you can outrun me?" With a flash of movement, she vanished out the door.

Not long after she left, a figure suddenly reappeared in the room—it was Su Chan.

The little girl stuck out her tongue and giggled, "Master, Master, this doesn't count as me sneaking back alone, does it? I’m going back with you, so it doesn't violate your order, right?"

But as soon as her words fell, she heard a cold, smug hum from behind her. "Little girl, not bad. You even know how to play the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain!"

Ao Wushuang triumphantly jabbed a finger toward the Shengtang acupoint on Su Chan's back. The little girl's form immediately distorted violently, then vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a talisman that drifted gently down.

Ao Wushuang was stunned. She picked up the talisman and saw that it not only contained spell markings but also a drawn grimace, and the inscription read: Master, I know how to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and I also know how to cross the river by stealth and substitute the plum for the peach!

Only after reading it did Ao Wushuang realize this was an illusion Su Chan had deliberately left behind. She instantly became enraged. "Rebellious disciple, daring to engage in a battle of wits with me!!"