At Su Nian’s home.
Su Zhentian carefully rolled up the old map that carried the family’s 100-year-old secrets, he tucked it solemnly into his robes, his expression grave.
“Let’s go.”
Su Nian nodded, then turned her gaze toward her mother.
A hint of worry touched her brow.
“Dad, Mom isn’t very strong. A place like Dragon Lock Abyss is too dangerous; we can’t let her take that risk with us.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Yue waved her hands hurriedly with a gentle smile on her face.
“I’ll be fine, Niannian. I’ll just wait at home for you to return.”
“No.” Su Nian’s tone left no room for argument.
“Home isn’t safe either.” She paused, her voice radiating a powerful confidence, “I have a place that is absolutely safe.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Nian’s thoughts shifted.
Deep within her right pupil, the brilliant Starry Sky Vortex suddenly flared to life before vanishing in a flash.
The air beside her rippled, and a small spatial rift, only half as tall as a person, was torn open by an invisible force.
Deep purple light shimmered along its edges.
An elegant cat covered in purple fur stepped out of the rift with proud strides.
It was one of her three contract beasts—Little Violet, who was a master of Space Magic.
“Little Violet, take my mom over to Big Mountain,” Su Nian instructed softly.
She then turned, took Liu Yue’s hand, and explained gently, “Mom, ‘Big Mountain’ is a solitary island I found overseas. No one can find it except for me. That cabin is stocked with plenty of supplies. Most importantly…”
The Horned Demon Chu Tian stood to the side, quietly watching this scene.
His handsome face remained impassive, but a flicker of imperceptible surprise crossed his eyes.
‘An overseas island, a teleportation array… This disobedient little wildcat has more hidden trump cards than I imagined.’
However, his sharp mind quickly caught a possibility.
It was possible that Su Nian had possessed these means of teleportation and escape for a long time, just like back in the Monster Forest.
‘The reason the little wildcat hadn’t run… Did it mean that after spending all this time with him day and night, she actually didn’t want to escape anymore?’
‘Perhaps… Feelings had developed over time!’
Had she started to like staying by his side?
This thought quietly sprouted from the depths of Chu Tian’s heart, causing an indescribable sense of conquest and satisfaction to well up within him.
He liked this feeling.
He liked watching this proud, thorny little wildcat slowly have her sharp edges worn down until, ultimately, she could only rely on him and obey him.
At that moment.
If Su Nian could hear Chu Tian’s inner thoughts, she would likely have retorted immediately.
‘Who fell in love over time? Who likes you!’
‘If it weren’t for that 100 million Humiliation Value points, I would have vanished ages ago!’
Soon, Liu Yue waved to her daughter and husband amidst the soft teleportation light released by Little Violet.
She gave Chu Tian a small smile as well, and then her figure vanished into the rippling spatial fluctuations.
Only after confirming that her mother had arrived safely did Su Nian completely breathe a sigh of relief.
The three of them left White Emperor Village.
With Su Zhentian leading the way, they headed deep into the mountains behind Hidden Dragon Town.
The mountain path grew increasingly rugged, and the forest became deeper and gloomier, cutting the daylight into fragmented shards.
They reached a narrow mountain pass with steep stone walls on both sides.
The walls were covered in slippery green moss, and the ground was thick with millennia-old rotting leaves.
Every step resulted in sinking into a deep pit.
“Careful, the path is slippery here.”
A deep voice sounded near her ear.
Immediately after, a large, warm hand naturally took hold of her own.
Su Nian’s body stiffened.
That familiar, scorching temperature belonging to the Horned Demon traveled from her palm up her arm, instantly spreading through her entire body.
But that hand held hers very tightly, filled with an undeniable strength that wrapped around and pulled her slender fingers in one by one.
In her mind, that damned system quest notification hovered coldly—
“[Passionate Couple].”
In the end, she suppressed all her impulses to resist.
She allowed him to lead her, her fingertips curling slightly within his palm.
“[Ding! While playing the role of a “Passionate Couple,” the Host passively accepted the Master’s intimate contact. You have gained 20,000 Humiliation Value points!]”
The system’s notification chime was her only comfort at this moment.
Walking in front, Su Zhentian looked back and saw this.
“Haha, Chu Tian is quite thoughtful.”
“Niannian is a difficult child; it’s all thanks to your usual care for her.” Su Zhentian’s face showed a gratified and satisfied smile.
Hearing her father’s praise for the Horned Demon bastard, Su Nian’s internal fury flared.
‘Thanks to that bastard Horned Demon’s care?’
‘As if!’
However, she had no way to argue.
She could only glare petulantly as the Horned Demon held her hand and accepted her father’s praise.
“Once we pass through this mountain trail, we will reach the outer perimeter of the Dragon Lock Abyss. Legend has it that an Ancient Evil Dragon is locked beneath that abyss. Its breath forms a permanent miasma that can confuse one’s mind, so we must not let our guard down.”
***
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in Academy City.
Inside a luxurious palace, the polished marble floor coldly reflected the crystal chandeliers on the ceiling.
Su Changhai was kneeling on a gold-threaded carpet, his entire body trembling into a ball as he sobbed with snot and tears running down his face.
“Your Highness! You must take charge for me, for our family!”
His wailing echoed through the empty hall, sounding particularly shrill and ear-piercing.
“That lunatic named Chu Tian didn’t respect you or the Royal Family at all! He clearly knew Su Nian was the woman you had your eye on, yet he still dared to snatch her away in public!”
“This isn’t just slapping the face of my Su family anymore; it’s ruthlessly trampling your dignity into the dirt!”
Prince Elvin, dressed in a perfectly tailored formal suit, paced back and forth across the soft wool carpet, his steps silent.
The palace was dead silent.
Only Su Changhai’s suppressed sobbing remained.
Su Nian.
By now, that name was no longer just the name of a young girl.
She was the genius mage of the Magic Academy, the Great Hero who had repelled the monster tide, the “Star-Moon Saintess” revered by the masses, and the hope and savior in the eyes of countless people.
As long as he could marry Su Nian, he could stand out among his many brothers and take that supreme throne.
Now, a “Chu Tian” who had appeared out of nowhere dared to publicly ruin his entire arrangement.
This wasn’t a simple case of stealing a woman.
This was a public challenge to his authority and an attempt to shake the foundation of his future.
A moment later.
A black-clad figure arrived to report.
Prior to this, he had been sent out to investigate Chu Tian’s background.
“What?”
“He’s nothing more than a guard for a small dance troupe, and yet he dares to compete with me for a woman… This man must die.”
Prince Elvin stopped walking.
His back was turned to Su Changhai.
The killing intent in his eyes had practically solidified, and his voice carried no emotion.
“Someone, come here.”
As the words fell, a dark shadow glided silently from the darkness of a palace pillar.
The shadow knelt on one knee, head bowed deeply.
“Send people to Hidden Dragon Town.”
“First, we’ll deal with that reckless Chu Tian!”
After listening to Su Changhai’s tearful complaints, the Third Prince ordered him to take a team of men…