Su Wen continued browsing the shelves and soon purchased three Peak Grade 2 herbs… one each for Spirit, Soul, and Body cultivation. He didn't buy anything more; they would be traveling soon, and he didn't want to run short on spirit stones at a critical moment.
'I'll head back first and refine pills from these herbs,' he thought.
'She's already reaching her limit in spirit cultivation. By the time I return, she might have finished refining the Brain. And with her speed, the Heart should only take a few more days.'
His gaze turned serious.
'Then comes the Tribulation again…' Su Wen thought quietly. 'I just hope her last confrontation didn't leave any hidden cracks in her Dao Heart.'
With that, Su Wen turned back to the attendant, gave a brief nod, and headed toward the exit of the Treasure Tower. He made his way calmly toward the town gates, looking every bit like someone finished with ordinary shopping.
When he reached the gates, however, he noticed a small commotion. Several cultivators were gathered together, whispering excitedly. Su Wen spotted Brother Zhang among them, walked over, and nodded in greeting.
"Brother Zhang, what's going on?" Su Wen asked casually.
Brother Zhang leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Brother Su, didn't you hear? Daoist Du Yufeng has gone missing. He invited everyone to the banquet, but he disappeared before the event even started."
At those words, quite a few people nearby perked up their ears, clearly trying to listen in. Sensing the attention shifting toward them, Su Wen didn't hesitate… he immediately decided to play along.
"Brother Zhang, what are you talking about?" Su Wen said loudly, his voice full of surprise. "Who would dare harm Daoist Du Yufeng with so many people around?"
He paused for a moment, then added, as if suddenly remembering something, "Actually, I was at the Green Pavilion earlier. I personally saw him telling everyone about his daughter's crimes. Later, he received a message on his jade slip and looked quite serious, like it was something confidential. After that, he went back into the inn."
The surrounding crowd leaned in even closer.
Su Wen lowered his voice slightly, sounding thoughtful. "After he went inside, I left to do some shopping. But now I'm hearing Daoist Du Yufeng is missing… if that's true, could it be related to that message? Maybe it contained news about his daughter's whereabouts, and he didn't want to inform anyone else. Or…"
He shrugged lightly. "Maybe he was truly harmed. Anything is possible. Just my speculation, of course."
The crowd immediately erupted into hushed discussions, theories spreading like wildfire.
While everyone's attention shifted away from him once more, Su Wen quietly slipped out of the town without drawing any notice. He summoned his flying sword and headed toward Five River Village, his figure quickly disappearing into the distance.
Halfway there, however, he suddenly changed direction, veering off toward a secluded stretch of forest where no one passed. After landing, he glanced around once, then calmly activated the mountain gate authority. Space rippled softly, and a hidden gate opened before him. Su Wen stepped through without hesitation.
In the next instant, he appeared at the mountain trail.
Du Yufeng was right where he had left him… his entire body buried in the ground, with only his head exposed, preventing even the slightest movement.
He had already woken up. Muffled screams burst from Du Yufeng's throat as his face twisted in terror, his instincts making him thrash wildly… only for him to realize, a heartbeat later, that his body wouldn't move at all. His hoarse cries sounded like a pig about to be slaughtered, but not a single noise escaped thanks to the formation sealing the area. The forest around him remained deathly still.
Su Wen walked up unhurriedly and crouched in front of him, resting his hands on his knees as if inspecting something mildly interesting. His gaze calmly swept over the man's dirt-streaked face, the snot and tears smeared together, the once-arrogant eyes now overflowing with naked fear.
Du Yufeng's pupils shrank the moment he saw him.
"Y-You… Who are you?" he croaked, his voice trembling. "Why did you capture me?! Do you know who my backer is? Let me go… I'll forget everything! I swear I won't say a word!"
His breathing grew erratic and desperate.
Su Wen chuckled softly. The sound was low and faintly amused. His dark eyes were calm, deep, and cold… like staring into a bottomless abyss.
"Oh?" he said lightly. "But you're already a cripple."
He tilted his head, tone casual, almost conversational.
"Where exactly do you think you'll go?" he continued. "No cultivation. No strength. No value."
A faint smile curved his lips.
"In this world…" Su Wen said quietly, "…you're not even worth a single spirit stone..."
Su Wen casually picked up a thin stick from the ground and lightly poked Du Yufeng's forehead with it, as if checking the firmness of some strange specimen.
"Don't think too hard about who I am," Su Wen said lazily. "Just treat me as a passerby…"
He paused, then added calmly,
"…who happens to be your blood daughter's husband."
For a brief second, Du Yufeng's mind went completely blank.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief, his breathing hitching as if someone had struck him in the chest.
"Impossible!" he blurted out hoarsely, panic and denial mixing together. "That's impossible! My daughter never had any companion! Her heart was only set on cultivation… nothing else! If she had someone, I would have known! I would have definitely known!"
"Oh, don't think too much about it," Su Wen said, tapping the stick lightly against Du Yufeng's forehead, teasing him like a cat playing with a mouse.
"After she escaped, she stumbled across this mountain. Naturally, I had to heal her injuries. But instead of repaying me, she… " He shook his head and let out a long, exaggerated sigh, "…used that destructive little charm of hers to wreck my defences and, somehow, make me her husband."
"Her adorable, cute face, shiny blue eyes, sweet smile… and that dumb brain of hers," he continued, shaking his head again, "do you think I can survive against her terrifying attacks?"
He paused, staring off into the distance shaking his head again, then muttered, "Now I'm doomed to work for her my entire life… and nobody… nobody… ever thinks about the poor husbands in this world."