As Li Tianjue unbound the girl's acupoints, she saw Su Luo and hurried to say, "It's her! Senior Brother, it's this woman! She insisted on rushing forward, I told her she couldn't trespass, but she didn't listen and even sealed my acupoints. I was careless and fell into her trap..."
"I know," Li Tianjue interrupted her.
The girl then closed her mouth, not knowing what had just happened.
Su Luo walked over, waving at her with a grin, "Hi, little sister! Actually, you misunderstood. I didn't know your Senior Brother was bathing in the lake. I've already explained it to him. It's just a misunderstanding."
The girl blinked her bright eyes, half-believing, "Really? But my Senior Brother wasn't bathing, he was looking for the Golden Scale Fish. Because..."
"Xiao Guo!"
Li Tianjue's eyes sharpened, finally managing to stop the girl's words at a critical moment.
Su Luo seemed to understand and didn't press further, smiling and shaking the cleaned wild chicken in her hand, "By the way, little sister, you're so cute. What's your name? I'm Su Luo. Would you like me to treat you to roast chicken later? I'm a great cook."
"My name is Tang Xiao Guo, and my Senior Brother is Li Tian Jue."
The girl's small face was flushed red, and she turned to them with surprise and joy, "Senior Brother, this Sister Su says she'll treat us to roast chicken. How about..."
Li Tianjue said coldly, "Xiao Guo, if you say one more word, you'll be confined to your room when we get back."
Tang Xiao Guo immediately looked pitiful, "Senior Brother, don't...!"
"Don't be so fierce," Su Luo stepped forward, took Tang Xiao Guo's hand, made a face at Li Tianjue, and said, "Even though you're handsome, I wouldn't drug you. What are you afraid of? Don't worry, Xiao Guo, let's go roast chicken. I promise it'll be so fragrant it'll make your mouth water."
Without further ado, she pulled Tang Xiao Guo to a clearing. In just a few moves, she built a barbecue grill with branches, lit a fire with nearby deadwood and dry grass, and soon, a tempting aroma filled the air, making Tang Xiao Guo drool.
Su Luo blew on it, tore off half the roast chicken and handed it to her, "Eat!"
Tang Xiao Guo really wanted to eat it, but she glanced at Li Tianjue beside her and had to shake her head, her lips tightly shut.
Su Luo directly shoved it to her lips, "If you don't eat it now, your Senior Brother might snatch it, and then you won't have any."
Li Tianjue's face darkened. Would he snatch her roast chicken? What a joke!
After much persuasion, Tang Xiao Guo couldn't resist the temptation of the roast chicken anymore and took a bite. Her eyes immediately lit up, "Wow, this is delicious!" She completely forgot Li Tianjue's warning and ate it with relish.
Su Luo smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll roast more next time, okay?"
"Okay!" Tang Xiao Guo was bubbling with happiness and nodded repeatedly, then curiously asked, "By the way, Sister Su, why are you here in the Soul Severing Forest? Are you catching demonic beasts?"
Su Luo smiled, "I've already caught the demonic beast. I plan to go to the Northern Underworld Empire to handle a matter..."
Tang Xiao Guo said while eating, "Sister Su is also going to the Northern Underworld Empire? Senior Brother and I are from the Northern Underworld Empire."
Su Luo was surprised and delighted, "That's great, Xiao Guo. We can travel together. I heard that Qing Xu Tian, one of the six top powers on the continent, is in your Northern Underworld Empire, is that right?"
Tang Xiao Guo nodded vigorously, "Yes, Senior Brother and I are from Qing Xu Tian!"
Su Luo's heart skipped a beat. Could it be such a coincidence? It was truly a case of finding something without looking! No wonder Li Tianjue was so powerful; he was from Qing Xu Tian, and he was undoubtedly an important figure. If she could get close to him, joining Qing Xu Tian would be easy!
Su Luo was ecstatic and quickly asked, "Xiao Guo, I heard Qing Xu Tian is recruiting people. Do you know how many they're recruiting? What are the requirements? Who is in charge? If I join, won't we be fellow disciples!"
Tang Xiao Guo's eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded, "Yes, yes, Sister Su, our Qing Xu Tian is not only recruiting, but Senior Brother he is..."
Suddenly, Li Tianjue interrupted her, "Xiao Guo, shut up!" If he didn't stop her now, his naive and talkative junior sister might reveal their family secrets.
Tang Xiao Guo shuddered, almost dropping the roast chicken in her hand. Su Luo's heart stirred, she patted Tang Xiao Guo's shoulder to let her continue eating, and then walked over with the remaining half of the roast chicken, sitting on a stone next to Li Tianjue. The man's sharp gaze immediately shot over. If looks could kill, Su Luo would have been riddled with holes.
"Senior Brother~!" The sweet and melodious voice rang out. Li Tianjue sat upright on a stone, like a cold and abstinent immortal. His heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened as he said, "What are you calling me!"
Su Luo blinked, her eyes filled with sincerity, "We'll be family sooner or later, does it matter if I call you that early or late? Senior Brother, I'm treating you to delicious roast chicken, can you tell me how to join Qing Xu Tian? Or, you can just take me in..."
Seeing her shamelessly leaning in, Li Tianjue not only smelled the aroma of chicken but also a subtle fragrance. "How about it...!" Hearing her soft and sweet calls, like spilled honey, Li Tianjue's heart raced, and his years of composure seemed about to collapse. He collected his thoughts, quickly regaining his unmoving indifference, and said, "Stop calling me that, Qing Xu Tian won't accept you."
"Why? What requirement do I not meet?" Su Luo brought her pretty face close to Li Tianjue's nose, pointing at herself, "Look carefully, where can you find a genius like me who is beautiful, accomplished in both martial and literary arts, can cook, and is presentable in society—a true all-rounder? Not accepting me is Qing Xu Tian's loss."
Tang Xiao Guo nodded vigorously while eating, "Yes, yes, that's right!" Li Tianjue's brow furrowed.
"No!"
"Senior Brother, can you just agree?" Li Tianjue looked at her bright starry eyes, feeling tense all over from her breath on his face, his earlobes heating up. He erupted with a surge of energy, pushing Su Luo away and standing up. He dared not let her see his slightly flushed neck and said coldly, "Xiao Guo, let's go!" With that, he flicked his sleeve and left with resolute coldness.
Tang Xiao Guo was stunned. In the blink of an eye, Li Tianjue had already walked far away. Holding the half-eaten roast chicken, she jumped up anxiously, "Sister Su, I, I have to go... Oh, Senior Brother and I will go to the capital of the Northern Underworld Kingdom first, because... Oh, Senior Brother, wait for me!" Before she could finish, she shouted and chased after him, quickly disappearing from Su Luo's sight.
In the dense forest, Su Luo frowned. Was this man so vengeful? But thankfully, Xiao Guo had mentioned their destination, so she knew what to do.
...
The next day, as noon approached.
Su Luo traversed mountains and crossed ridges, finally returning to the capital. She had been away for a full three months. Although she knew that the Yun Cang Kingdom's royal family and the Su family might already know that she had killed Shangguan Haotian and Su Feiyan, and had sent people to arrest her, she had to enter the city to find the recruitment office set up in the capital as soon as possible.
Su Luo walked on the bustling and prosperous street, cross-referencing it with the memories left by the original owner while looking around. She asked several passers-by and soon learned that the recruitment point for Qing Xu Tian was located in the largest and most luxurious restaurant in the city, Yue Yue Tower. However, by the time she arrived, it was too late.