Su Xinrou's scheme of feigning injury successfully drew everyone's attention to herself.
No one cared whether Su Jin lived or died, nor did anyone remember that "worthless" dead egg.
That was just as well. It made her escape easier.
Su Jin passed through the garden, circled around the rockery, and climbed over a low wall… Half a quarter of an hour later, the main gate of the Su Family appeared before her.
The gate stood three zhang high, surrounded by walls built of blue bricks. Two guards stood at the entrance, their cultivation levels imperceptible. The entire Su Family was enveloped in a complex Formation. If she wanted to leave, she could only go through this main gate.
"…"
But… according to the memories of the Original Host, every time she went out, she had to obtain permission from her blind father and mother to purchase anything.
Otherwise, the guards at the gate would stop the Original Host from leaving. What was even more ridiculous was that within the entire Su Family, only the Original Host received such treatment.
Thinking of this, it felt as though countless "grass mud horses" were galloping through Su Jin's mind.
"This is a bit tricky!"
Forcing her way out was impossible. The guards at the gate were at least at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, while she was merely at Qi Refining Fifth Layer, still severely injured and not yet recovered. Trying to force her way out would be nothing short of suicide!
Su Jin stared intently at the gate so close at hand and the two guards whose cultivation levels she couldn't discern, then glanced back at the brightly lit main courtyard.
"I can't hesitate any longer!"
"They're just two gate guards! What is there to fear!"
Su Jin took a deep breath and imitated the Original Host's walking posture, striding calmly toward the outside of the gate. "Come on, Su Jin! You're the best!" she silently cheered herself on.
"Clang—!" The two guards crossed their magical instruments in front of Su Jin! The sound of the instruments colliding echoed around them.
"Halt—! Young Miss, you cannot leave the estate without the family head's permission! Please return, Young Miss!"
The guard on the left, thin as a beanpole, spoke up. His tone held no respect, only utter contempt.
"Hah—! As expected, I was stopped!" Su Jin glared coldly at the beanpole who had spoken. Spiritual Power quickly flowed into her right hand as she raised her palm and struck the beanpole.
"Smack—!"
A sharp slap echoed through the air. Caught off guard, the beanpole staggered from the blow.
"You two blind dogs! Open your eyes wide and see clearly—I am the Su Family's legitimate eldest daughter! How dare you two mere gatekeepers block my way!" Su Jin scolded, forcing herself to appear composed.
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of the beanpole's mouth. His body stiffened, and the slapped cheek swelled high. Hearing Su Jin's insults, he looked up at her in disbelief.
He never imagined that the Su Family's good-for-nothing would not only strike someone today but also spew such caustic words without hesitation.
The other guard, who had an ordinary appearance, was also stunned by Su Jin's series of actions, his eyes wide with shock.
"Young Miss, I am only following orders. Please be merciful and do not make things difficult for me." The beanpole clasped his withered hands in front of him, bowing his head and bending at the waist to pay respects to Su Jin.
Only in that moment of bowing did a flicker of resentment and killing intent flash through his lowered eyelids.
"That's right! We are also acting on the family head's orders. Young Miss, such behavior may displease the family head and madam." The guard who had been frozen in place beside him also snapped back to reality, performing a similar bow as he spoke.
"Smack—!"
Another resounding slap landed. The face of the ordinary-looking guard jerked slightly to the side, his cheek swelling high just like the beanpole's, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Su Jin lifted her eyelids, casting a cold gaze at the plain-faced guard. "What do you think you are? How dare you use Father and Mother's status to pressure me?"
The plain-faced guard raised his head and gave Su Jin a strange look, thinking to himself, "Since when has this Su family waste become so sharp-tongued?"
Though puzzled, he showed no expression on his face. "I wouldn't dare! It's just—"
"Enough—! Two useless fools," Su Jin impatiently cut him off. "Father has already agreed that I can come and go from the Su residence freely without his permission."
With that, Su Jin strode outside.
The plain-faced guard rushed in front of Su Jin, clasping his hands and bowing his head. "Young Miss! But… but we haven't received—"
Slap—!
Another resounding slap echoed, instantly making both cheeks of the plain-faced guard symmetrical.
Su Jin looked down at him disdainfully. "What you haven't received is your problem. What does it have to do with me?"
"What! Are you repeatedly blocking my way because you intend to defy orders?"
"We wouldn't dare! We wouldn't dare!" The guard lowered his head, hiding the resentment and venom on his face.
"Hmph—!"
Su Jin snorted coldly, ignoring the two guards as she strode past them. Her figure soon vanished into the darkness of the night.
The two guards stared at the direction Su Jin had left with eyes like poisoned daggers, their gazes practically wishing they could devour her alive.
Nearby, Skinny calmly took out a mediocre-quality jade slip and infused it with spiritual power. The spiritual message of the words "Family Head" slowly appeared…
After walking a distance, Su Jin patted her still-pounding heart. Cultivators had sharp senses, and Su Jin could naturally detect the malice the two guards harbored toward her.
The reason she didn't take action was, first, to avoid alerting the Su family, and second—of course—because she couldn't defeat them.
Su Jin glanced back at the Su family estate, now completely swallowed by darkness, her expression complex.
Fifteen years.
The Original Host had lived here for fifteen years—humble, timid, yearning for familial affection but never attaining it, ultimately dying alone in the Myriad Beasts Abyss, not even a trace of her bones remaining.
"Goodbye," Su Jin whispered, her voice dissipating in the night breeze. "No! Never again."
Su Jin infused the Swift Movement Talisman in her hand with spiritual power, activating it, and dashed toward a nearby alley.
At the end of the alley was a street in Biluo City. It was already under curfew, and the street was empty. In the distance, the outline of the city gates flickered faintly in the night.
Su Jin didn't head toward the city gates. She had never intended to leave the city. Within Biluo City, there were still opportunities for the female lead to seize, and many matters remained unresolved. How could she willingly leave?
Moreover, there were likely guards there, and the Su family might have already notified the city gate guards not to let her leave.
She slipped into an even narrower alley, winding through twists and turns, before finally stopping in front of a deserted mansion.
This place was close to the city wall, abandoned for many years, and was famously known as a "haunted house" in Biluo City. Usually, no one was willing to come here and risk bad luck.
And this was exactly the place Su Jin was looking for.
In the book, this haunted house was briefly mentioned. On the fourth day after paying respects to her birth mother, the female lead Su Xinrou went out of the city for an excursion with her two older brothers, Su Chen and Su Ze.