Gou Dao Value +500!

In the early morning at Holy Soul Village, the thin mist had yet to fully dissipate.

Milky-white fog swirled between the cottages and the woods, casting a mysterious veil over the seemingly tranquil village.

The air carried the damp scent of soil and grass, and a light breeze brushed past, bringing a hint of chill.

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand, carrying that tattered gray bundle on his back, and stepped over the uneven dirt path until they reached the entrance of Holy Soul Village.

Ahead lay the wilderness trail leading to Nuoding City.

Once they stepped onto this road, they would be completely free of this dangerous novice village, a place crawling with cheaters.

However, when Su Yu's gaze pierced through the mist and landed on the weathered stone tablet at the village entrance inscribed with the words "Holy Soul," his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Old Jack was already standing there, though it was unclear when he had arrived.

He still leaned on that worn wooden cane, his back hunched, dressed in patched, coarse cloth clothes.

The morning breeze ruffled his graying hair, making him appear somewhat weathered.

Most striking of all were the two steaming buns held in Old Jack's rough, calloused hands.

The buns were still emitting wisps of heat, clearly fresh out of the steamer.

He stood there quietly, his gaze gentle as he watched Su Yu and Tang Wu approach.

Su Yu's heart instantly leaped into his throat.

Subconsciously, he activated the Eye of Truth.

A brilliant golden light flashed across his pupils, and the blue Dao of Cowardice Sign-in System panel above Old Jack's head became clearly visible.

The panel showed no flickering red warning lights, nor did it trigger any passive Erase Traces skills.

This allowed Su Yu to relax slightly, though he still dared not let his guard down in the slightest.

This old man was a ruthless character capable of turning a living person into dust in an instant; heaven only knew what his true intentions were for blocking their path here.

"Grandpa Jack, why are you here?"

Su Yu put on a well-behaved smile and pulled Tang Wu along as they walked over quickly.

Old Jack looked at the bundles on their backs, and his eyes gradually turned red.

He took two trembling steps forward, his voice hoarse and filled with deep reluctance and worry: "Xiao Yu, Xiao San, you two are leaving?"

"Yes, Grandpa Jack."

Su Yu nodded, his tone sincere. "We have awakened Innate Full Soul Power and want to report to the Junior Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City as soon as possible. There is... nothing left in the village worth lingering for."

Old Jack sighed, a glimmer of tears flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"The world outside is treacherous. You two little ones have no one to rely on; you must be very careful on this journey."

As Old Jack muttered, he trembled and held out the two steaming buns toward Su Yu.

"Take these; I just steamed them. Eat them if you get hungry on the road."

Su Yu hurriedly reached out both hands to take them.

The moment Old Jack's hand touched the back of Su Yu's hand, Su Yu's Eye of Truth caught a trace of extremely subtle energy fluctuation.

In Su Yu's vision, Old Jack's fingers brushed against the lower hems of Su Yu and Tang Wu's clothes at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

Survivalist System Notification: Host has used item Breath Concealment Talisman ×3.
Target: Su Yu, Tang Wu.
Item Effect: Completely masks the soul power fluctuations, destiny fluctuations, and system detection on the targets. Duration: Thirty days.

Su Yu's heart gave a violent jolt.

This old fox!

On the surface, he was just handing over buns, but in reality, he had secretly planted three *Breath Concealment Talisman*s on them without them even noticing!

If not for Su Yu's Eye of Truth, he would never have discovered this masterful, behind-the-scenes manipulation by Old Jack.

Was this old man worried about them encountering danger on the road, or was he afraid that their destiny was too strong, attracting the attention of other cheaters and implicating Holy Soul Village?

Su Yu understood clearly: this old man definitely thought they were too conspicuous and wanted to send them away quickly, while slapping an invisibility buff on them to prevent them from causing trouble outside and leading others back to Holy Soul Village.

He really had pushed the Dao of Cowardice to the absolute limit!

Although he was frantically complaining in his mind, Su Yu's acting on the surface was at an Oscar-winning level.

He held the two hot buns in his hands, his eyes instantly reddening, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you, Grandpa Jack... You are too good to us."

With that, Su Yu pulled Tang Wu along and bowed deeply to Old Jack.

"Grandpa Jack, please take care of your health. Once we are settled in Nuoding City, we will definitely come back to visit you."

Su Yu said with a solemn vow.

Deep down, however, Su Yu's guard against this old fox had reached its peak.

Come back to visit you?

That's never going to happen in this lifetime!

Who knows if you'll just happen to scatter our ashes too the next time you come back.

Old Jack nodded in gratification, reaching out to pat Su Yu's head before ruffling Tang Wu's hair.

"Good children, go on now, and may you have a smooth journey."

With that, Old Jack leaned on his cane, turned around tremblingly, and began to walk toward the village with a faltering gait.

Su Yu stood where he was, watching Old Jack depart.

Through the Eye of Truth, Su Yu clearly saw that the moment Old Jack turned away, a burst of brilliant golden light erupted from the blue system panel above his head.

A line of large, bold text drifted slowly across the panel:

[System Prompt: The host has successfully sent away high-risk unstable factors (Child of Destiny/Variable), perfectly eliminating potential hidden dangers.]

[Reward Settlement: Gou Dao Value +500!]

[Current Gou Dao Value: 10599.]

[Gou Dao realm has stabilized; the host is advised to remain low-key and avoid entangling with karma.]

Looking at this prompt, the corner of Su Yu's mouth couldn't help but twitch violently.

Good grief, sending the two of us away actually gave this old man five hundred points of Gou Dao Value!

Just how big of a ticking time bomb are we in his eyes!

It wasn't until Old Jack's back completely disappeared into the thin mist that Su Yu finally withdrew his gaze.

He looked down at the corn bun in his hand, which was still emitting a faint, savory aroma.

"Brother Yu, are we really leaving this place?"

Tang Wu gripped Su Yu's arm tightly, her large eyes flickering with a hint of trepidation toward the unknown world, though her reliance on Su Yu remained paramount.

"Yes, leaving here. To a place that belongs only to us."

Su Yu firmly broke the corn bun in his hand in half and handed the slightly larger piece to Tang Wu.

"Eat up; you need the strength to travel."

Tang Wu obediently took the bun and began to nibble on it in small bites.

Su Yu also took a bite of his own portion, the coarse texture spreading through his mouth.

He lifted his head, his gaze fixed firmly on the wild path ahead that led to Nuoding City.

The thin mist gradually dissipated, and the rising morning sun cast a golden glow over the dirt road, illuminating the journey ahead.

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand tightly, and the two walked side by side onto the path leading to Nuoding City.