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Zeng Pu couldn’t manage any joy. When he saw how happy Chi Jiansu was off in the distance, he felt a bit stifled.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back. “Chi Jiansu, what’s so grand? What’s so wondrous?”
Chi Jiansu quivered, then whipped around.
When she saw Zeng Pu, her delighted smile froze in place, and her sharp eyes widened. “When did you get here?”
When he saw her bewilderment, Zeng Pu was inwardly exultant, and his earlier awkwardness turned into inexplicable delight. However, outwardly, he sighed. “My apologies for rudely awakening you from your dream of taking first place.”
“....” Chi Jiansu had nothing to say to that.
She ran her fingers through her close-cropped hair, her gaze gradually sharpening. Zeng Pu’s teasing had obviously irritated and displeased her.
Zeng Pu hurriedly added, “Don’t do anything reckless. We’re in the same boat; neither of us took first place.”
This caught Chi Jiansu off guard. “Then who beat us?”
Zeng Pu grimaced. “Who else? Who could have beaten us but Su Yi?”
Su Yi!
Chi Jiansu’s gaze focused, but then, she burst into wicked laughter. “So, you’re second fiddle!”
Zeng Pu’s eyes widened. “What’s that supposed to mean? You can’t just insult people like that!”
Chi Jiansu crossed her arms, and her knifelike gaze swept across Zeng Pu’s crotch. She laughed coldly, “I don’t limit myself to just insulting people. Would you believe me if I said I’d find an opportunity to remove your ‘little fiddle’ and feed it to the dogs?”
Zeng Pu felt a sudden chill down below, and he subconsciously clenched his legs. His forehead broke out in cold sweats. “Little princess, if you don’t do something about that aggression of yours, it won’t matter how beautiful you are or how impressive your figure is. Men will still wither at the sight of you.”
Chi Jiansu’s expression shifted, and Zeng Pu decided to quit while he was ahead. He hurriedly changed the subject. “Enough. I have something serious to discuss with you!”
“You’ve finished your nonsense?” Chi Jiansu said disdainfully.
Zeng Pu grimaced. “It really is important this time.”
“Say it,” said Chi Jiansu.
Zeng Pu took a deep breath, then said solemnly, “Just now, Su Yi requested my aid.”
As he said this, smug pride rose unbidden to his face.
Chi Jiansu was briefly dazed, but then, she laughed. “Trying to paint yourself in a good light, huh? A joke like that isn’t at all funny.”
How could someone capable of killing nine Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivators, including Huan Shaoyou, possibly need Zeng Pu’s help?
Zeng Pu was so mad that he almost lost it. “It’s true! Just now, he came looking for me out of nowhere. He said he wanted me to look after Wen Xinzhao and
”
He then proceeded to explain the whole situation.
Even after hearing the full story, Chi Jiansu only half believed him. “Is that true?”
Zeng Pu instantly felt aggrieved. Is it really that hard to accept that Su Yi asked me for help?
He took a deep breath, then gnashed his teeth. “I swear on my grandfather’s reputation!”
Only then did Chi Jiansu take him seriously. She laughed, “If you’d said that earlier, how could I have doubted you?”
“....” Zeng Pu’s grandfather was the Profound Bone Demon Emperor, and it seemed his reputation carried far more weight than his grandson’s

“So, do you plan to venture into the cave or not?” asked Zeng Pu.
Chi Jiansu decisively shook her head. “I won’t go. I trust Su Yi.”
The corners of Zeng Pu’s mouth twitched. “I seem to recall that you’ve never exchanged so much as a single sentence with Su Yi? Yet you still trust him to such an extent
”
Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.
“Some people are more trustworthy than others,” said Chi Jiansu.
It was then that Buddhist Son Chen Lu overcame the last step of the Staircase of Trials too.
Zeng Pu and Chi Jiansu promptly ceased their conversation and looked over.
“So, it turns out you both made it a long time ago
” Chen Lu’s eyes dimmed imperceptibly.
Chi Jiansu said directly, “Monk, no need to feel dejected. He’s number two, I’m number three, and you’re number four.”
Chen Lu was astonished. He laughed bitterly, “And here I thought I had to at least be third. Who’d have thought that I was just
 fourth?”
Zeng Pu almost couldn’t help but laugh. It seems this Buddhist Son of Maha Temple is actually quite competitive.
“So
 Who got here first?” Chen Lu looked around, a bit confused.
“Su Yi,” said Chi Jiansu.
“Ah, so that’s it
.” Chen Lu looked enlightened. “In that case, it’s not strange. Given Su Yi’s abilities, overcoming the one hundred and eight steps of the Staircase of Trials really wouldn’t be difficult.”
Zeng Pu pondered for a moment, then said, “Chen Lu, just now, Brother Su asked something of me
”
Chen Lu interrupted him here. He exclaimed, “Wait a moment. Are you saying Fellow Daoist Su asked something of you?”
Chi Jiansu couldn’t help but laugh. It was obvious that Chen Lu didn’t think Su Yi would need something from someone like Zeng Pu.
“Dammit, this is too great a shock
” Zeng Pu rubbed his nose and sighed. “And here I was patting myself on the back over this. I thought this was a matter of grave importance. Who’d have thought that you
 You’re really ruining my mood!”
Chi Jiansu didn’t make fun of Zeng Pu anymore. Instead, she directly shared Su Yi’s words with Chen Lu.
Then, she added, “You’re welcome to disregard his warning and proceed into that cave, but you can also choose to trust him and stop here.”
Chen Lu pondered for a moment, then said, “I have confidence in Fellow Daoist Su’s character. If he said that unpredictable peril lurks within the tunnel’s depths, he surely had his reasons.”
Zeng Pu was increasingly displeased. This is just too strange. Neither of them have ever interacted with Su Yi before, so why are they so quick to trust him?
And why do they only half believe everything I say? Why are they treating me as a joke?
Is the difference between us really that big?
As time slipped by, Li Handeng, Yu Wenshu, Jiang Li, Wen Xinzhao, Yue Shichan, and the others finished climbing the Staircase of Trials, one after another.
All of them learned Su Yi’s whereabouts from Chi Jiansu. She also shared Su Yi’s warning.
“How could His Excellency Su Yi venture into such a perilous place all by himself? That’s too risky!” Ge Qian was clearly worried.
“What’s there to worry about? He’ll be fine,” Wen Xinzhao said softly.
As she spoke, she glanced at Yue Shichan, who stood there calmly, showing no sign of emotion.
However, Wen Xinzhao’s woman’s intuition told her that Yue Shichan wasn’t as calm as she looked on the surface.
She
. She’s mostly worried about Brother Su’s safety, just like me
 When this occurred to her, Wen Xinzhao sighed inwardly, but out loud, she said, “Big Sister Shichan, let’s stay here and wait for Brother Su to come back, okay?”
Yue Shichan nodded.
“According to Su Yi, grave and terrifying danger lurks deep within the cave. But at the same time, it’s highly likely that good fortune lies within too,” Li Handeng suddenly interjected. “If we do as Su Yi says and wait here, we might avoid danger, but there’s no way we’ll receive any of the benefits.”
The group’s expressions shifted in response.
Wen Xinzhao furrowed his brow. “Fellow Daoist Li, do you suspect Su Yi has stopped us here to seize the good fortune for himself?”
Li Handeng smiled. “Miss Wen, don’t misunderstand. I’m just telling it as I see it. After all, we came to Sumeru Immortal Island in search of good fortune in the first place.”
He paused here, then continued, “It’s clear to all of us that the island’s true fortune lies within the cave. Given the circumstances, wouldn’t it be a waste to stop here?”
He swept his gaze around the group and said solemnly, “Everyone, the way I see it, so long as we join forces, we might well manage to find fortune within the cave!”
He paused here. At first, he assumed some of them would agree.
But against all expectations, the group’s expressions were cold. Not one person voiced their agreement!
The atmosphere was instantly a bit awkward.
Zeng Pu laughed gleefully and pointed to the cave’s entrance. “You’re welcome to go on your own. None of us will stop you. Brother Su said it earlier; it’s up to you whether you believe him or not. All of us can decide for ourselves.”
Li Handeng’s smile froze.
Chi Jiansu crossed her arms in front of her chest and said coldly, “Even if you really make it all the way down there, when it comes time to seize the good fortune within, how
 how do you plan to contend with Su Yi?”
Her tone was rife with mockery.
Li Handeng would never have guessed that two heaven-defying monsters of the ancient era would argue with him like this, and his expression turned a bit unsightly.
He took a moment to calm himself down, then said, “You’ve misunderstood. I never considered joining forces with the two of you. After all, we have different principles and aspirations.”
It was then that Jiang Li said, “Fellow Daoist Li, you and I are part of the same alliance, but I trust Su Yi. I don’t plan to proceed any further.”
Yu Wenshu nodded. “I feel the same.”
When they made their positions clear, Li Handeng felt stifled. He then glanced at the two monks, Chen Lu and Chen Xing.
Before he could say anything, Chen Lu clasped his palms, looking as dignified as a Buddhist statue. “Compassion won’t save people from themselves. Fellow Daoist Li, you’d best repent.”
When he heard this, Li Handeng was completely dumbstruck.
His complexion alternated green and white. He was inwardly ashamed and furious; he felt like a monkey making a fool of himself before a crowd, and he longed for nothing more than a hole to hide himself in.
He couldn’t even imagine why people as mighty and heaven-defying as Zeng Pu and Chi Jiansu would choose to trust Su Yi.
He found it even harder to comprehend why a peak genius of the present day like Buddhist Son Chen Lu would willingly stop here and give up on any further attempts to seek out good fortune.
Zeng Pu and Chi Jiansu’s contempt and mockery combined with Jiang Li, Yu Wenshu, and Chen Lu’s unhesitating refusals came as one explosive shock after another. This was an unprecedented affront to Li Handeng’s dignity, and it left him completely flabbergasted.
How could this have happened?
Has Su Yi pulled the wool over their eyes or something?
Li Handeng’s embarrassment turned to anger, and he glanced at Su Yi’s companions and had a sudden impulse.
He transmitted to Chen Lu, “I understand your concerns, but I just came up with a good idea. So long as we implement it, when Su Yi returns from the cave’s depths, we’ll be able to suppress him without lifting a finger!”
Chen Lu’s pupils silently constricted, and he looked at Li Handeng with pity. He transmitted, “Fellow Daoist Li, surely you don’t plan to use Wen Xinzhao and the others to threaten him? That would be despicable, and I urge you to give up on the idea. Otherwise, Zeng Pu will be the first to stand in your way.”
“Zeng Pu?!” Li Handeng’s expression shifted dramatically, and he subconsciously glanced at the nearby Zeng Pu.
Zeng Pu sat there, completely casual and grinning, his expression playful.
It wasn’t cold, but at that moment, Li Handeng shuddered, and he felt a chill in his hands and feet.