Xu Chang'an was reluctant to meet his wife's calm gaze. He expined softly, "This time, the sect is welcoming guests from all directions. As the inner steward of the Three-peak Rock, I can't leave right away. Three months. I'll be back in three months."

  "......"

  Yun Qian didn’t speak, quietly savoring the bowl of pin noodles in front of her.

  Xu Chang'an felt guilty and fell silent.

  The days of homecoming were fleeting, and soon it was time to part. Xu Chang'an didn't need to pack any luggage; he simply donned a bck-and-white robe.

  Though the courtyard of their home was spacious, it cked any pnts, giving it a cold, desote feel.

  "I have to go," Xu Chang'an said reluctantly, gazing at his wife.

  Yun Qian nodded. After a moment, she asked, "Do you really want to practice immortality?"

  Xu Chang'an was taken aback, then nodded, replying earnestly, "I must become an inner disciple of the Chaoyun Sect."

  Once he successfully dealt with the demon and obtained the Kaixuan Pill, he was confident he would triumph in the next martial arts competition and enter the inner sect.

  "Mm."

  Yun Qian walked over, straightening his robes before saying, "Be careful. Don't get hurt."

  Xu Chang'an took a deep breath, nodded, and then pushed open the cquered red door.

  He turned back and said, "The house is empty. If you like, you can pnt something."

  "Got it." Yun Qian nodded, watching him disappear down the street.

  Just as she was about to turn back, the door next door suddenly opened. A young girl, no older than ten, peeked out with a look of infatuation in her eyes.

  The girl was a cultivator.

  Because of the Chaoyun Sect's welcoming of guests from all directions, she had been stationed to wait for the sect's opening. During this time, she happened to notice this exceptionally beautiful sister, and instantly became infatuated with her.

  So she used some tricks to move next door and, after investigating, learned that this couple was well-known in Beisang City as the "Older Wife, Younger Husband."

  The girl jumped out and said to Yun Qian, "Sister, he just came back, and now he's leaving again?"

  Yun Qian gnced at the newly moved-in neighbor girl and nodded.

  "Did you make him breakfast like I said?" the girl asked eagerly.

  Yun Qian looked at her own slender fingers and shook her head. "Next time. I can't use a knife."

  "That's why you can't keep a man. He doesn't care about you." The girl thought to herself. She had grown up in the Hehuan Sect, understanding men's hearts better than anyone.

  Yun Qian's delicate fingers clenched slightly as she stared at the girl. She suddenly asked, "Is practicing immortality... really that good?"

  The girl was stunned, then replied, "Everyone in the city knows that your husband is an outer sect elder of the Chaoyun Sect. Many people are envious. Cultivating immortality must be a good thing."

  "I see."

  Yun Qian's gaze shifted to the direction Xu Chang'an had left, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  She returned to the room, inhaling the lingering scent of youth, her fingers drawing a straight line across the bed.

  If her husband liked it, she couldn’t always hold him back.

  "......"

  After leaving home, Xu Chang'an used his Qi and transformed into a shadow, swiftly exiting the city and flying up the mountain along the winding path.

  The soil on the mountain was soft, and every step Xu Chang'an took left a deep impression in the ground. However, after flying dozens of meters, the footprints slowly disappeared, as if no one had ever been there.

  "The jade slip says the tiger demon is in this area."

  Xu Chang'an took out the jade slip and once again confirmed the tiger demon’s location.

  At this moment, a faint white light enveloped his body, concealing most of his aura.

  Holding his breath, Xu Chang'an walked deeper into the forest, holding a standard long sword.

  According to the information his senior sister provided, the tiger demon, which even an outer sect disciple at the Qi Refining stage could deal with, shouldn’t be too deeply hidden. And indeed, Xu Chang'an didn’t walk long before he discovered a cave in the forest.

  The two-meter-high cave emitted a sinister aura, with vines hanging from the entrance.

  Hmm?

  Xu Chang'an suddenly stopped. Trees grew densely on both sides, and the mottled sunlight, torn apart, fell on his handsome face, reflecting a trace of confusion in his eyes.

  "Something’s wrong."

  Xu Chang'an had taken demon-sying tasks before, but most of the demons he faced had only a bit of demonic energy. Even after being corrupted by demonic energy, their survival instincts were no better than wild animals, leaving behind destruction and a strong stench.

  But in this case, aside from the ominous cave, the surrounding environment hadn’t been disturbed at all. Along the way, he hadn’t detected any demonic energy.

  Either there were no demons here, or the information his senior sister gave him was wrong. Perhaps the demon he was dealing with had surpassed the level of Qi Refining cultivators, or, more likely, the creature in the cave wasn’t a wild demon at all.

  Since the Chaoyun Sect was welcoming guests from all directions, it was possible that a disciple’s mount or pet had been pced here.

  Xu Chang'an, being an outer sect steward, wasn’t reckless. So, he decided to return to the sect to report the situation to his senior sister.

  Once he detected something unusual, he wasted no time and was about to leave.

  However, just as he was about to take two steps, a cold, emotionless voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

  [Warning: Seal loosening, absorbing energy, energy absorption successful, system initiation underway.]

  The cold mechanical voice froze his expression.

  This was the first time he had heard a sound from his system other than a warning or the arrival of heavenly points.

  Seal loosening? Absorbing energy?

  What did this mean?

  [Initiation successful. Binding host: Xu Chang'an.]

  [Task "Kill the Green-Eyed Tiger" issued. Please check your task list.]

  Xu Chang'an was stunned.

  Green-eyed tiger?

  Was this... his current task?

  His heart trembled. He stopped and took a deep breath.

  This was the first time since awakening his system a year ago that he had received a task.

  Xu Chang'an turned back to look at the cave and then awkwardly opened his task panel. It clearly dispyed the current mission objectives and rewards.

  Green-Eyed Tiger: Qi Refining Stage 3.

  Task Deadline: 15 minutes, failure if overdue.

  Task Reward: Heavenly Dao Mall updated, three random items added.

  "......"

  The sunlight broke through the ancient forest, nding on Xu Chang'an’s rigid face. He stared at the task rewards with a fixed gaze.

  "Heavenly Dao... mall update, three random items?"

  Xu Chang'an’s eyes shifted slightly as he looked at the vast amount of heavenly points he had accumuted.

  With his current funds, once it updated, he should be able to buy everything, right?

  No one with a system would turn down the opportunity, and Xu Chang'an was no different.

  So, he decided to give his useless system one more chance.

  "What a coincidence. The Green-Eyed Tiger is the very target of my mission. One target, two rewards." Xu Chang'an smiled slightly. "A huge win."