Aowu Shuang, realizing she had been tricked, immediately rushed out the door, only to charge back in moments later, her eyes suspiciously sweeping the surroundings. She shouted loudly, “Naughty disciple, if you don’t want to be expelled from the sect, get out here right now!”

But after shouting for a while, the surroundings remained deathly silent, not a single sound echoing back.

Seeing this, Aowu Shuang said hatefully, “You win! You actually ran off!” With that, her form instantly dissolved into a streak of azure light, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

A long moment passed before a figure slowly materialized in the room. Her eyes darted around ceaselessly, her face etched with vigilance—it was Su Chan.

Su Chan patted her chest, saying with lingering fear, “Good thing I kept one plan in reserve, or I would have walked right into it!”

Su Chan was merely a Three-Tailed Spirit Fox. The spells she knew were few compared to her Master, but when it came to concealment arts, she was truly proficient, especially Invisibility and Illusionary Techniques.

If her mastery of these spells hadn't been so profound, Aowu Shuang would never have dared entrust the Human Yuan Golden Elixir to her in the first place.

Yet, the very techniques Aowu Shuang had painstakingly taught her were now being turned against her. How could her heart not burn with anger?

Su Chan was acutely aware of this. She stuck out her tongue, pressed her palms together, and pleaded with the heavens, “Master, you are magnanimous; you won't hold this against me, will you? I was just going to take a quick peek and come right back!”

Saying this, she too transformed into a streak of azure light and bolted toward Tiannan City.

As soon as she ascended into the air, Su Chan felt as if an intensely solemn pair of eyes were fixed upon her from the sky. A tremendously powerful force began to gather directly above her head, as if celestial lightning could descend at any moment.

Su Chan’s heart hammered wildly. She knew this was the time when heavenly lightning was most frequent. Flying in the open was practically an open invitation to the heavens: I am a cultivator, come strike me down!

But Su Chan was penniless and couldn't possibly take a train back. She had no choice but to steel her resolve and fly onward. After flying for over an hour, a sudden, intensely terrifying premonition flashed through her mind. She shivered violently and rapidly dropped down to the ground.

Su Chan looked up and saw, just as she feared, the sky churning with dark clouds, piled heavily above her, lightning flashing amidst the dense gloom.

Shivering, Su Chan dared not fly again. She sprinted across the ground, only resuming flight after the heavy clouds overhead had somewhat dispersed. As soon as the clouds began to condense again, she immediately landed once more.

After struggling like this for over two hours, Su Chan finally reached Tiannan City.

The moment she stepped into the city, she felt a familiar aura wash over her as if carried on the air itself.

Su Chan stood amidst the twisting lanes and streets, watching the streams of people passing by on the sidewalks. Though their faces were strange and indifferent, the young girl suddenly felt that at any second, Li Yundong's face—the face she yearned for so much that she couldn't eat or sleep—would appear in the crowd.

The girl stood motionless on the street for a long time, her expression growing vacant, her gaze distant. After a while, she snapped back to reality, darted into a spot where no one could see her, transformed once more into a streak of azure light, and flew toward the home where she and Li Yundong lived.

It was nearly dusk. The young girl arrived at the balcony of their home in Hongsheng New District and was stunned to find that the previously shattered glass door had been replaced with a new one.

Su Chan reached out and gently pushed it; thankfully, the glass door wasn't locked.

Su Chan stepped inside, gazing raptly at the furnishings. Her fingertips greedily traced the leather of the sofa, as if trying to absorb Li Yundong’s lingering presence.

“Everything is exactly the same, nothing has changed!” Su Chan couldn't help but smile, though her eyes were slightly moist. She glanced around the living room and suddenly noticed a vase sitting on the coffee table, holding several freshly cut flowers with tender, vibrant petals—clearly arranged very recently.

Su Chan froze. “Is someone else staying here?”

The young girl abruptly remembered the last time she had called and an unfamiliar woman had answered Li Yundong’s phone. Her heart immediately tightened: “Could it be that same woman? Is she… is she living with Yundong?”

A knot of terrible anxiety tightened in Su Chan’s chest. It felt as if her heart had been squeezed hard, making it suddenly difficult to breathe.

Su Chan felt shock and fear warring within her. Although Li Yundong had explained things to her, she couldn't help but worry: Yundong is so outstanding; many women must like him. And he’s not someone who knows how to refuse people. Since I haven't been by his side for so many days, isn't it quite normal for another woman to be living here?

“Chan’er, it’s nothing. Yundong won't leave you. He likes you; he said personally he would never leave you!” The young girl stood in the living room, biting her lip as she stared at the vase, speaking these words to herself, part encouragement, part self-soothing.

After a while, tears began to brim in Su Chan’s eyes. She heard movement behind her, turned around, and saw Aowu Shuang standing right behind her.

Seeing her Master, Su Chan’s tears instantly couldn't be stopped. She burst out crying, rushing into her Master’s embrace, and wailed, “Master, Yundong has another woman.”

Aowu Shuang had been furious earlier over Su Chan's recklessness and intended to give her a severe scolding upon meeting her. But seeing the young girl weeping in torrents, her heart instantly softened. She comforted her, “You foolish girl, how could you jump to the conclusion that he has another woman?”

Su Chan looked up, her eyes blurred with tears, and said, “I saw a vase of flowers in the room, and they were cut today. Yundong never arranges things like that himself; it must have been another woman doing it for him.”

Aowu Shuang sighed and said, “I call you foolish, and you truly are! It’s just a vase; how can you determine he has another woman over something so trivial? Furthermore, if you truly want a lasting relationship with him, you must remember this: such mistrust is corrosive. If you truly love him, you must believe him. Otherwise, don't love him at all, to avoid endless sorrow later on.”

Su Chan sniffled, wiping a tear, and looked pleadingly at her Master: “I know what you’re saying, but my heart just hurts…”

Aowu Shuang feigned anger. “You are already weeping before even seeing him. If you actually met him, would you just collapse and die? Hurry up, come back with me, or I really will expel you from the sect!”

Su Chan nervously rubbed the corner of her robe and timidly asked, “Can I go into Yundong’s room for a moment? I just want to smell his scent.”

Foxes are naturally suspicious creatures. Once they suspect something, it becomes an intractable knot in their hearts.

Though Su Chan’s words sounded innocent, she actually intended to smell Li Yundong’s intimate scent; if he truly had another woman, she would recognize the difference instantly.

Aowu Shuang knew exactly what her beloved disciple was thinking. She laughed in exasperation and waved a dismissive hand: “Go on, hurry up!”

Su Chan murmured an “Oh,” wiped her tears again, and pushed open the door to Li Yundong’s room, her expression timid, as if dreading something.

Su Chan shut the door immediately after entering, seeming unwilling to let Aowu Shuang witness her actions.

Aowu Shuang shook her head, speechless at Su Chan’s childish behavior. She stood in the living room, looking around, and after waiting for about a minute, couldn't help but call out, “Hey, are you done yet?”

When she called, there was no sound from inside. Aowu Shuang instantly grew wary: Had this girl actually found evidence of another woman and was now having some kind of breakdown in there?

Aowu Shuang rushed over immediately, threw open the door, and shouted, “Chan’er!”

As she pushed the door open, she saw Su Chan sitting on the edge of the bed, her back turned, staring blankly into space.

Hearing Aowu Shuang’s shout, Su Chan finally turned her head. Her exquisitely beautiful face was covered in teardrops.

Aowu Shuang’s expression instantly turned icy. “What? Does that scoundrel really have another woman?”

Su Chan instantly switched from tears to laughter, holding up a pink Hello Kitty piggy bank with both hands, her eyes shining with pure delight. “Master, look!”

Aowu Shuang had no idea what her cherished disciple was up to and said, confused, “Look at what? It’s just a piggy bank.”

Su Chan shook her head. “No, this is the piggy bank Yundong bought me. I just noticed he always keeps it right next to his pillow.”

Aowu Shuang struggled to follow the workings of her young disciple’s mind and tentatively asked, “And?”

Su Chan’s gaze softened instantly, her eyes turning a hundred shades, capable of melting steel into pliable silk. She said gently, “This means that when he was here, he thought of me every day. Seeing this piggy bank was like seeing me. Moreover, when he went on this trip for Foundation Establishment, he didn’t smash this piggy bank or take the money out. He was nearly broke, yet he couldn’t bear to break it, which shows he has me in his heart…”

Aowu Shuang looked at Su Chan and couldn't help but sigh. “You silly, obsessed child. Are you finally reassured now? Can we leave?”

Su Chan carefully placed the piggy bank back in its spot. She looked up, her face etched with a plea, “Master, can I leave him a note? So he won’t worry about me. Chan’er promises to be obedient when we get back!”

Aowu Shuang sighed in resignation. “Fine, write it. If I stop you, I know you’ll still be thinking of him even when you’re with me.”

Su Chan beamed. “Master is the best!”

Saying that, she rummaged through the bedside drawer until she found a notebook and a pen. Biting the end of the pen, she thought for a moment, then scribbled on the paper: Big Master, your little miss has returned! This little miss misses you terribly. Does Big Master miss this little miss?

But after finishing, she felt it was inappropriate, tore off a page, and wrote again: Yundong, did you succeed in establishing your Foundation? I miss you terribly, so very, very much. After writing, she seemed afraid Li Yundong wouldn't know who wrote the note, so she added her name below: Su Chan.

The young girl tilted her head, looked at what she wrote, and then tore the page off again in dissatisfaction. Aowu Shuang, watching from the side, couldn’t help but grow impatient. “Are you ever going to finish?”

Pressed by the urgency, Su Chan decided against any lengthy message and simply wrote a few words on the paper, then tucked it under the piggy bank.

Aowu Shuang couldn't help but chuckle. “Aren’t you afraid he won’t see it?”

A unique, foxy cunning flashed in Su Chan’s eyes. She said, “If Yundong truly cares about this piggy bank, then he will definitely find it.”

Aowu Shuang countered, “And if he doesn’t care about this thing and misses it?”

Su Chan shook her head firmly. “No, I trust him!” Saying that, she took Aowu Shuang’s hand and said, “Master, let’s go back.” Aowu Shuang sighed, torn between annoyance and helplessness. “You troublesome girl, I truly don't know what to do with you!”

With that, the two transformed into a streak of azure light and departed.

Exactly twenty-four hours after they left, Li Yundong finally returned to the southern cities of China from the distant Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. After being shaken and exhausted by the grueling journey, Li Yundong staggered through the door of his home… C