Chapter 27: To Entrust My Heart to Yaoqin
Yaoqin did not answer at once. She carried her zither into the room and gently set it upon the table.
After taking her seat, she finally spoke slowly. "It has been a long time indeed. I thought you were dead."
Chu Xingchen picked up an unused cup beside him, poured tea, and placed it before her.
Just as he was about to explain, Yaoqin spoke first. "My mistake. To use your own words, a scourge like you is destined to linger for a thousand years—you wouldn't die so easily."
At that, Xiaoling, who stood obediently nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
But as soon as Yaoqin's quiet gaze swept toward her, she instantly stifled it.
Yaoqin waved her hand lightly. "You may leave for now."
Xiaoling froze, lifting her head to look at her mistress. Her lady always ended up deceived by this man. If she left, no one would be there to remind her, and this time, who knew how he might trick her again?
It was strange—her mistress was usually so intelligent, yet before this man, she became even more foolish than herself.
Unwillingly, Xiaoling murmured, "Miss…"
Yaoqin remained silent, her expression unchanging, only waving her hand again.
Sighing inwardly, Xiaoling realized that if she persisted, her mistress would grow angry. Though full of helpless concern, she could only step out and close the door behind her.
Once Xiaoling had gone, only the veiled Yaoqin and Chu Xingchen remained in the room.
Without lifting her gaze, Yaoqin looked down at the zither before her and gently plucked its strings. "Speak. What brings you to me this time?"
Chu Xingchen sighed, his tone faintly aggrieved. "Why does Miss Yaoqin sound so distant? You make it seem as if I only come to trouble you for favors."
Yaoqin did not lift her eyes, her voice growing colder. "When have you ever come to me for anything but a favor?"
Chu Xingchen paused. Thinking it over, he realized she wasn't wrong—every time he had come, it was to ask for her help. He had never once repaid her, and by now, he had probably taken advantage of her many times.
Even this visit was no different; he was here once again to ask for something.
Yaoqin waited quietly, but when Chu Xingchen said nothing, she finally spoke again. "Well? Have you nothing to say?"
Chu Xingchen thought carefully, realizing he could not be too blunt. If he offended her now, she might not let him in the next time.
He raised his gaze toward her and said slowly, "To entrust my heart to Yaoqin."
Yaoqin froze, her hands pressing hard against the strings. Her tone turned icy. "What do you mean by that?"
Faced with her coldness, Chu Xingchen sighed softly, his expression faintly pained. "To entrust my heart to Yaoqin—so few understand. When the strings break, who will still listen?"
The elegance of the Bamboo Jade Pavilion lay precisely in the fact that money alone could not win favor.
But talent and grace could. If one possessed refined artistry—or, perhaps, a handsome face—success was possible.
Chu Xingchen relied on his wit and humor, borrowing the verses of great poets from his previous life.
With just a few well-chosen lines, he could easily charm these proud courtesans.
At least, that had always been true for Yaoqin. Though he had yet to even touch her hand, his poetic words had often moved her before.
This time, his verse even carried her name, showing his utmost sincerity.
Chu Xingchen was certain that Yaoqin would be touched.
But—
Reality proved otherwise.
Instead of a shy or flustered reaction, what met him was a sudden, violent sound wave.
Yaoqin raised her hand, and a fierce burst of sonic force erupted from her zither.
Zheng!
The sharp sound wave brushed past his ears, leaving Chu Xingchen suddenly alert. He quickly raised a hand to rub the ringing from his ears.
Yaoqin glared at him in anger. "Shameless scoundrel! Do you think that just because you've seen me a few times, you can trifle with me?"
"Wait, hold on—how am I a scoundrel? I haven't even touched your hand! Isn't that accusation a bit unfair?"
At his words, Yaoqin immediately withdrew the hand resting on the table, casting him a disdainful look.
"…Fine, my mistake," Chu Xingchen sighed. He knew at once that he should have kept things purely business. Reaching into his spatial ring, he took out a Blood Qi Spirit Stone and placed it on the table.
Yaoqin's gaze immediately fixed upon the stone.
After a brief glance, her expression shifted. She raised her eyes sharply toward Chu Xingchen, extending her spiritual sense toward him—only to find that it could not penetrate his protective aura.
"You've reached the Mysterious Dan Realm?" she asked, frowning slightly.
Leaning back lazily in his chair, Chu Xingchen replied, "That's right. Surprised?"
Yaoqin knew his talent well. Though he was indeed gifted, she also remembered how much of her fine tea he had wasted—drinking it like plain water, completely failing to appreciate it.
Clearly, he had never been particularly bright.
The last time she saw him, he had only been at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet barely a year later, he now appeared to have reached at least the mid-stage of the Mysterious Dan Realm.
Lowering her gaze to the Blood Qi Spirit Stone, a troubling thought surfaced in Yaoqin's mind.
Her tone hardened. "You didn't turn to demonic cultivation, did you?"
Chu Xingchen immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Who in Yuzhou City doesn't know that Langli Bailong is the very picture of upright virtue?"
"Then how do you explain your sudden rise in cultivation—and this spirit stone?" Yaoqin pressed coldly.
So Chu Xingchen recounted his embellished tale of what had happened in the Qingfeng Sect's mining grounds, complete with vivid details of the evil cultivators he had encountered.
"This Blood Qi Spirit Stone came from that mine," he said, tapping the stone lightly.
Yaoqin picked it up, her spiritual sense sweeping through it. Indeed, she could feel the malignant energy within—undeniably the work of an extreme demonic cultivator.
"So," she asked, "you came here to ask me to deal with the Qingfeng Sect?"
Chu Xingchen shook his head. "Not quite. I just want to know if there's a way to purify this kind of spirit stone."
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Do you have many of these?"
"Only two," Chu Xingchen replied earnestly. "But if I ever encounter such evil cultivators again, I'd like to know some way to restrain them. It's safer that way."
Yaoqin nodded lightly. "It will take some time. I can't guarantee anything, but come back after a few days and ask."
"No need. I'll be staying in Yuzhou City for a while. Once you have results, just send someone with a letter to this address."
He picked up a brush and wrote down his current residence.
Yaoqin glanced down at the elegant calligraphy and the location written beneath it. For the first time, she knew exactly where to find Chu Xingchen.
She folded the paper and slipped it into her sleeve. "Anything else?"
Chu Xingchen stood and said, "Nothing more. I'll wait for your good news."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait." Yaoqin's voice stopped him. "Leave behind that poem you just recited before you go."
"What poem?" he asked.
"Chu Xingchen!"
"Alright, alright—I'll write it down right now!"
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