“You’re lying.”

Xia Shuiyun’s four words were spoken with very definite tone.

Su Xiaomo’s heart immediately hung suspended.

Could this cold woman have discovered something? That shouldn’t be—he had hidden it so well!

“When you were being chased by the wolf beasts, I could tell that wasn’t just running fast, but rather that you had cultivated some kind of movement technique.” Xia Shuiyun stared at him with suspicious eyes.

The more it was like this, the more uneasy Su Xiaomo became.

“Someone of humble origin like me—how could I possibly cultivate a movement technique? Senior Sister Xia, please don’t joke around.”

“Humble origin?”

Xia Shuiyun said indifferently: “Such ghost stories can only fool the recruiting elders.”

Damn!

This woman must have discovered something!

Could it be… she’s become suspicious of his identity?

What to do?

Silence her? Or destroy the evidence?

Xia Shuiyun said indifferently: “You use a lowly identity to make yourself appear humble, simply because you don’t want to attract fellow disciples’ attention, then rely on flattery and bootlicking to climb up step by step.”

Not wrong.

Infiltrating the Taixuan Holy Sect meant making himself seem insignificant, then using connections to gradually advance step by step.

Su Xiaomo, who had been hesitant, made a decision in his heart.

“Moreover.”

Xia Shuiyun said: “At the Yunling Mountains when attacked by spirit beasts, although they didn’t strike with full force, with your Wushi cultivation, you absolutely couldn’t have endured that long.”

Su Xiaomo furrowed his brows.

Originally wanted to get close to you to become my advancement tool, but now it seems I can only ruthlessly destroy this flower.

However, she and I came to do this task together—the sect knows about it. If we don’t return, how should I explain?

Su Xiaomo began thinking.

Xia Shuiyun said: “You are an ambitious person. Being an outer sect disciple can hardly satisfy you, but you must understand that becoming an inner sect disciple doesn’t rely on taking shortcuts, but on your own strength.”

Huh?

Su Xiaomo’s heart jolted.

Does she think I’m someone who, for the sake of ambition, deliberately lowered myself and deliberately became smooth with everyone?

“Sigh.”

Su Xiaomo shrugged his shoulders, helplessly saying: “Still got discovered.”

The corners of Xia Shuiyun’s mouth slightly lifted, revealing a barely perceptible smile, as if feeling proud of being able to see through the other’s ambition.

Su Xiaomo, who was skilled at reading people’s expressions, captured this and thought: “She probably hasn’t thought I might be an undercover agent. I might as well take advantage of this to deceive her.”

“Originally planned to interact with you as an ordinary person, but what I got in return was doubt.”

“I’m not pretending anymore. I’m laying it all out.”

Su Xiaomo sat down, the somewhat honest expression on his face disappearing: “I did cultivate a movement technique. I did deliberately flatter Senior Brother Sun and Senior Sister Xia.”

“Was the Yunling Mountains also deliberate?” Xia Shuiyun said.

“Correct.”

Su Xiaomo lowered his head, feigning dejection: “I, Su Jintang, have a poor background. Unlike Senior Sister Xia who has an ice-type constitution and also has a grandfather who’s an elder, it’s difficult as climbing to heaven to establish myself in the Taixuan Holy Sect, so I can only find noble people to support me.”

“You made the right choice for now.”

Xia Shuiyun said: “After the Yunling Mountains, the elder council was very satisfied with you.”

Su Xiaomo smiled bitterly: “Does Senior Sister Xia know that this satisfaction was exchanged with my life!”

“You’re very clever.”

Xia Shuiyun said: “In that situation, you were going to die either way. Might as well gamble—using your life to buy time. If successful, you’d be valued. If you failed, you still couldn’t escape death.”

This woman is really something!

However.

Seems like she guessed the wrong topic!

Su Xiaomo turned the tables with a grinning smile: “I bet correctly!”

He could now be certain this woman only thought he was single-mindedly climbing upward and hadn’t thought there was a deeper intention.

“This is merely luck. To establish yourself in the Taixuan Holy Sect, you still rely on strength.” Xia Shuiyun said.

Su Xiaomo said: “Strength must also be built on resources. If I, Su Jintang, could receive the higher-ups’ attention, even if I only had one-tenth of the martial path resource supply that Senior Sister Xia and Senior Brother Sun have, I wouldn’t necessarily be weaker than others!”

“So confident?” Xia Shuiyun said.

“Whoosh—”

Suddenly, Su Xiaomo released his cultivation to the Wuzong level, a stream of heavy and imposing momentum permeating the cave.

He said proudly: “When going down the mountain, my master often taught me that others can look down on you, but you must look up to yourself!”

This should be the only truth he’d spoken since becoming an undercover agent.

Because relationship-wise, he and Jun Changxiao were master and disciple, and the latter indeed often used these words to encourage his disciples.

“So you hid your cultivation level.”

Xia Shuiyun’s words and eyes showed no surprise whatsoever.

“Senior Sister Xia.”

Su Xiaomo smiled: “Let’s be frank—you deliberately called me to do the task, wasn’t it to test me?”

Xia Shuiyun looked at him: “What is your ambition?”

Su Xiaomo restrained his aura, his eyes sharp as he said: “To become an inner sect disciple, become a core disciple, even become an elder, or even… the sect master!”

Xia Shuiyun was shocked.

This guy’s ambition was quite big—he actually wanted to become the sect master!

He didn’t have this idea at first, but things had reached this point, so Su Xiaomo might as well say it big.

“Of course.”

“This isn’t my ambition, but my dream!”

“You can mock me, you can think I’m daydreaming, but my dream will never change, because my master once said—a cook who doesn’t want to be a general isn’t a good tailor!”

Jun Changxiao: Correct, I really said that!

“Pfft!”

Xia Shuiyun was amused by the last sentence.

However, realizing it went against her character, she quickly put on a stern face: “Dreams aren’t achieved by talking, but by action and effort.”

“I’ve always been working hard!”

“Working hard to flatter the unambitious Sun Yingquan, wasting your own time?”

“I’d like to flatter Senior Sister Xia, but wouldn’t I be afraid of delaying your cultivation?”

Since he’d already “confessed,” there was no need to deliberately hide some things.

“Rest for two days.”

Xia Shuiyun said: “Then we’ll go to Yinshan Ridge again.”

“That…” Before Su Xiaomo could finish speaking, he heard her say: “I’ll keep it secret for you.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister!”

“Is Su Jintang your real name?”

“Correct.”

“Who is this master you speak of?”

“My master is Old Man Juntian, who lives in seclusion in the mountains all year round.”

“Old Man Juntian?”

Xia Shuiyun thought: “I’ve never heard of such a figure. He’s probably a reclusive martial cultivator.”

“Whew!”

Su Xiaomo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this woman guessed the wrong topic and thought he was ambitious, rather than being an undercover agent. Otherwise, he’d be forced to silence her.

…

A few days later.

After Xia Shuiyun’s injuries recovered, the two went to Yinshan Ridge again.

“Senior Sister.”

Su Xiaomo stopped at the outer area, saying in a low voice: “I’ll first be responsible for luring the wolf pack, then after shaking them off, we’ll work together to eliminate the Shadowwind Wolf King.”

“Alright.”

Xia Shuiyun said.

“I’ll go first.”

Su Xiaomo flew into the area. Before long, he lured the wolf pack out.

This time the luring was quite thorough—even those Wuzong-level fierce beasts were in hot pursuit behind him.

“Swish!”

Before long, Su Xiaomo jumped out from the grass, saying: “There’s not much time. Quick battle, quick decision!”

Xia Shuiyun was shocked.

This guy ran way too fast!

There was no time for her to think carefully. She summoned her three-foot-long sword and rushed into the forest with Su Xiaomo.

The Shadowwind Wolf King’s strength was decent, but without helpers facing two Wuzong-level martial artists, it was destined to be a great tragedy.

“Slash!”

After fighting briefly, its head was severed.

“Awoo!”

“Awoo!”

Just at this moment, the wolf pack that had been kited away finally rushed back.

“Go!”

Su Xiaomo scooped up Xia Shuiyun, who had collected the Wolf King’s head into her spatial ring, and after several leaps, had completely disappeared into the dense mountain forest.

“Whoosh whoosh—”

Cold wind blew chaotically by her ears. Xia Shuiyun tried hard to maintain distance from his chest, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed as she thought: “This guy is taking advantage of me again!”