Enthralling Charm Zhou Chen hummed a tune and didn't turn back, heading straight towards the top floor of the Zuixian Pavilion at a leisurely pace.
Upon leaving the bamboo garden and just as he turned his head, he saw a man with a soft and ominous countenance leaning against the blue-tiled wall with his arms folded across his chest.
Sizi Yu.
Seeing the other party, Zhou Chen was not surprised and asked cheerfully,
"Yo, what brought you out here?"
Similar to Ying'er's style, Sizi Yu had been hiding in the shadows and hadn't come out these past days, to the point that Xu Yuan thought the only people protecting him were Zhou Chen and Ying'er.
Sizi Yu glanced at Zhou Chen, a smile playing on his lips,
"I saw you acting strangely and came out to ask, are you…
planning to always follow the Third Young Master now?"
The Third Young Master's recent behavior, as well as the previous 'knocking' he had done to Zhou Chen, had all been observed by him.
Indeed, it involved some tactics, but that's just it.
These tactics were surprising coming from the Third Young Master, but if they were on other sect heirs, they would just be the most basic ways to control people.
The transformation of the Third Young Master was enough to make him, an old friend, rein in, but to be as obedient as he now appeared was a bit too much.
Zhou Chen laughed and patted Sizi Yu on the shoulder, gesturing to talk while walking,
"I never said I would always be following the Third Young Master.
Helping him with these things is to make up for the crappy things I did before, and doing these things…
I'm not losing anything substantial, and I can satisfy the Third Young Master's pride, why not?"
Pausing,
Zhou Chen pointed to the top floor of Zuixian Pavilion and grinned,
"Making the Third Young Master happy comes with its rewards."
Sizi Yu knew he was referring to those two sisters, with a look of contempt in his eyes.
Seeing this, Zhou Chen immediately wrapped an arm around Sizi Yu's shoulder, laughing hehe and said,
"People like you take reputation too seriously; losing face can even affect one's mindset in cultivation.
Sizi Yu, broaden your view.
Right now, the Third Young Master has the Innate Taoist Body.
If he truly turns over a new leaf, with my current performance, I'll be his number one confidant.
If he doesn't, then naturally, I won't miss out on the pleasures of daily life~"
The alley was quiet, their conversation confined to a radius of half a yard around them.
Sizi Yu shook his head helplessly and spat out two words,
"Philistine."
Zhou Chen didn't get angry and nodded in agreement,
"Indeed, philistine.
I'm not like you sect scions; I'm quite poor."
Sizi Yu gave Zhou Chen a sidelong glance, seeming to have more to say but ultimately didn't speak.
Sighing, Sizi Yu paused and then suddenly asked,
"By the way, what do you think about the Third Young Master's change?"
"…"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen turned his gaze towards Sizi Yu as well.
The two looked at each other for a few moments.
"What do you mean by that?" The laughter in Zhou Chen's voice was gone.
"Before the Eldest Young Master left, he asked us to pay attention to the Third Young Master," Sizi Yu replied.
"You practice Cultivating Energy, so you should understand better than I do that possession tactics won't have any memories."
"…."
After a moment of silence, Sizi Yu narrowed his eyes,
"Indeed, there won't be any memories, but Zhou Chen, do you think the previous Third Young Master would have conducted the previous 'knocking'?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen shook his head with a smile and countered,
"Sizi Yu, do you think if the previous Third Young Master had attempted the previous 'knocking', anyone would have taken him seriously?"
"…." Sizi Yu fell silent.
Zhou Chen took a deep breath, patting Sizi Yu on the back,
"Don't think too much, let's just faithfully report back.
Let the Eldest Young Master and the Prime Minister make the judgments themselves."
"Alright, fine."
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"Ah, speaking of which, do you want to join me for fun at that top floor?"
"What?"
"There are twin sisters there~"
"…Scram."
"Hahaha…."
...
An elegant bamboo house, the side room silent.
Every sound from the outside world was isolated,
At times, Xu Yuan felt that transmigration was a wonderful thing.
At least, this identity he transmigrated into was a wonderful thing.
It allowed him to see up close just how beautiful these women who looked like heavenly immortals were, and even to kiss their fragrant cheeks.
Old LSP indeed.
Without much conversation with the enchantingly born female lead after his words, Xu Yuan quietly enjoyed the changes in Su Jinxuan's expression.
He tried to infer from Su Jinxuan's next move which storyline the main character of this world would take.
In Cang Yuan, there were several routes; Su Jinxuan had already met the protagonist in some, even harbouring secret feelings for him during their interactions.
The silence in the side room persisted.
With her lips lightly pursed, Su Jinxuan remained silent for a long time.
Seeing that she did not move, Xu Yuan lifted his teacup for a sip and stared at her alluring peach blossom eyes,
"Why don't you move?"
Finally, Su Jinxuan slowly began to speak,
"Young Master, please do not make things difficult for me…"
"Heh…
it seems Miss Jin Xuan needs a bit of help from this Young Master."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan stood up and walked towards Su Jinxuan.
The original body wouldn't be as direct as him.
It wasn't due to cherishing fragrance and valuing jade, but rather because having had his fill of lavish feasts, he enjoyed the fun of flirting with these beauties.
अगर आप भी डायबिटीज से जूझ रहें है, तो यह देखना न भूलें
79 साल की उम्र में भी मर्दाना ताकत 10 गुना कैसे बढ़ाएं?
Life should have a sense of ceremony.
The more elaborate the foreplay, the tastier the meal in the end.
However, this was probably one of the reasons why the original body ended up being led around by the nose by Su Jinxuan.
Xu Yuan was not prepared to give Su Jinxuan any chance for recourse.
Approaching her, Xu Yuan directly bent down and reached towards her low-cut red robe under her watchful eyes.
Not hurried, not slow, yet fast enough for her to react.
Like a delicate flower without bones, Su Jinxuan subtly leaned back to avoid him, and with a smooth motion, she drew the jade hairpin from her hair, placing it against her throat, lips parted slightly,
"Third Young Master, please don't do this…"
With the hairpin drawn, three thousand strands of black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, the charming woman's eyes carried a hint of stubbornness just right.
"….."
Following her words and seeing her expression, Xu Yuan inexplicably felt a hint of imperceptible pity.
But the next moment,
Seeing the woman with the hairpin against her neck evoked a strong déjà vu in him, causing him to laugh softly.
What era was it, still pulling this act?
"Pfft~"
Seeing this, Su Jinxuan bit the corner of her lip and pressed the hairpin inwards.
The hairpin immediately pricked the fair skin, and strands of fresh blood flowed along her collarbone into the abyss.
"…"
The smile on his face stiffened, and Xu Yuan took a step back, raising his hand in a gesture,
"Jin Xuan, I was just joking, why did you take it seriously?"
Su Jinxuan remained silent, her gaze fixed on Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan smiled and stepped back again.
It was only then that Su Jinxuan slowly put down the hairpin in her hand, her chest rising and falling gently as if she had breathed a sigh of relief,
"Third Young Master…
please cut back on such jokes…"
"Whoosh—"
A strand of blood-colored essence energy erupted from Xu Yuan's fingertip, shooting through the air and heading straight for the wrist holding the hairpin.
"Ah…"
With a cry of alarm, Su Jinxuan lost any ability to resist, and the hairpin fell out of her hand.
But Xu Yuan, upon seeing this, did not continue to advance; instead, he cautiously stepped back.
He realized he had become affected.
The Innate Soul Body's will-spirit was resilient and sensitive, and the strong alienation power of the Blood Essence Meteoring Art meant that as soon as he started the cultivation technique, Xu Yuan immediately sensed that every move of this woman was stirring his thoughts...
///45///
Forty-two chapters Incomprehensibly Arrogant Question:
Would Xu Yuan intervene if this enchantingly beautiful courtesan really intended to commit suicide before his eyes?
Three,
Two,
One.
The answer is no.
As a man with normal sensations, Xu Yuan would probably feel regret if such a stunning woman died in front of him, but he would definitely not intervene.
Before entering this bamboo garden, he had already learned the identity of Su Jinxuan, naturally setting his mental expectations accordingly.
If this courtesan who had come specifically for him wanted to commit suicide, he would most likely watch with a smile.
Watching her overacting over there, looking pitiful, showing helpless defiance, playing her part until she embarrassed herself.
As a person who had been intimately in touch with death numerous times, Xu Yuan did not believe that Su Jinxuan would end her life so decisively given a choice.
But now, the psychological expectations Xu Yuan had made all turned into a joke.
Seeing this woman, he couldn't walk the path he had intended.
Had he not set a clear strategy in his mind before entering this bamboo garden,
he might have followed her lead the moment she mentioned "musical notes."
Even though he had prior knowledge of what to do, Xu Yuan was still influenced by the emotions stirring in his heart when it came time to act.
Heartache, fear of loss, and finally intervention.
This was not normal, but Xu Yuan could not recognize it at the time.
It wasn't until Blood Essence Meteoring Art began to operate that Xu Yuan suddenly realized his aberration.
His emotions were being stirred by that woman.
Upon closer examination, Xu Yuan was shocked to find
that his Will-spirit's surface was coated with floaty particulate matter.
These particles did not trigger any discomfort upon appearing, were sparsely spread over the surface of the Will-spirit, and seemed to blend in seamlessly.
When he consciously sensed them, Xu Yuan noticed these floaty particles were actually moving.
They were desperately burrowing into his Will-spirit.
However, this burrowing did not cause Xu Yuan any discomfort.
On the contrary, the aura emanating from these floaty particles even gave Xu Yuan a sense of comfort.
It was just unfortunate that, even without any defenses, the concentration of his Innate Soul Body still prevented these invisible particles from penetrating for quite a while.
The Su Jinxuan in front of him obviously had no cultivation, just like in the original story, otherwise Zhou Chen wouldn't have wished him prosperity in martial fortune before leaving.
But it happened anyway.
This world had not only Origin Qi cultivation but also such strange methods of attack?
Realizing this, Xu Yuan opened his mouth wanting to alert someone.
A duel?
That's out of the question.
I have a bodyguard.
But just as he was about to speak out, Xu Yuan found he could not say a word.
"….." Xu Yuan.
He sensed that the particulate matter clinging to his Will-spirit's surface suddenly began to undulate rhythmically.
And with the fluctuations of these substances, Xu Yuan felt himself gradually losing control of his body.
He could see, hear, and all five senses were normal, but he couldn't speak or move; he could only stand there silently.
Su Jinxuan lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, a seductive light faintly glowing in her peach blossom eyes, as she gently pressed on her swollen wrist, her voice carrying a hint of grievance:
"Third Young Master, what is this…"
As soon as her voice fell, the undulations of the particulate matter became more intense.
The next moment, Xu Yuan's body moved on its own, slightly smiling and interrupting:
"Eh…
Jinxuan."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan's body walked towards Jinxuan:
"I didn't want to treat you like that just now, it's just that I was afraid Jinxuan might do something rash, I hope you won't blame me."
"…"
Su Jinxuan was silent for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes to look at Xu Yuan.
The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, illuminating half of Su Jinxuan's enchantingly beautiful face in shadow and half in light.
With their eyes locked, Xu Yuan faintly saw waves of peach blossoms well up in her eyes…
Amidst his bewitched state of mind, unaware of how much floaty particulate matter landed on the surface of his Will-spirit.
Her tone carried a slight plea:
"Third Young Master, with your esteemed status, Jinxuan wouldn't dare hold any blame towards you, I only ask that you don't force Jinxuan to do things she doesn't want to do."
"Force?"
Following the conversation, Xu Yuan's body sat back down on the cushion, chuckling:
"That depends on your performance.
If you can interest me, I might spend a little more time with you.
"Heh, this tea is too bland, someone, bring me wine."
"…."
"…."
The discussion between the two moved from Xu Yuan's direct requests to the usual playful banter between a young master and a courtesan.
Drinking together, listening to music, discussing musical rhythms, and some street anecdotes.
The bizarre scene of his body talking and moving on its own caused a flicker of panic in Xu Yuan's heart.
However, this panic was quickly replaced by the habitual calm he felt in such situations.
The situation before him couldn't have been clearer.
This Su Jinxuan was buying time.
She needed enough time for those eerie floaty particles to burrow into his Will-spirit.
As for the consequences of letting these substances in…
Xu Yuan thought of the original body's performance in the plot that seemed crazed.
Tch, playing a god, huh?
This kind of consciousness control was too bizarre, and lacking experience, Xu Yuan couldn't find any countermeasures for a while.
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As time ticked away, Xu Yuan felt the surface of his Will-spirit become densely covered with those strange floaty particles.
But, helplessly resistant to the toughness of the Innate Soul Body, these things had never been able to penetrate into his will-spirit.
A sense of powerlessness gradually surged in his heart.
The clueless feeling and the perception of those floating particles caused Xu Yuan's thoughts to start becoming chaotic.
Since crossing over to this time, Xu Yuan felt he had been cautious enough, but reality slapped him in the face.
He wasn't cautious; rather, he was arrogant.
Knowing there was something off with Su Jinxuan, he still chose to come alone.
The reason he did so was not only because Ying'er was there to protect him, but more so because having had a God's perspective in the past made him feel he could control this enchanting woman by himself.
How foolish.
Arrogance beyond redemption.
Regret was useless.
Gathering his scattered thoughts forcefully, Xu Yuan began to search through his memory for anything useful from the beginning to the end.
Ying'er had not yet intervened, clearly unable to sense the danger he was in.
Now, he had to save himself.
As his thoughts continued, Xu Yuan thought of the Blood Essence Meteoring Art.
The Blood Essence Meteoring Art was complex and profound, but it was all about methods of using Origin Qi; there was only a basic sensing and gathering of Origin Qi for the will-spirit.
Even though the efficiency of these methods was far beyond ordinary cultivation techniques, they were of no help in the current situation.
Some helplessness arose, but more of it was despair.
This Blood Essence Meteoring Art could create both an Innate Constitution and an Innate Soul Body, but was the latter merely serving the former's cultivation speed?
During cultivation, it seemed reasonable as he thought that Origin Qi cultivation determined everything.
But it seemed there were other forces in this world aside from Origin Qi cultivation.
Looking at it this way, this Blood Rank cultivation technique also seemed too narrow in scope…
Wait a second.
Technique?
Xu Yuan's thoughts paused briefly.
He suddenly remembered the Nameless Secret Technique that came with the Blood Essence Meteoring Art.
In those early days of studying in the cave dwelling, Xu Yuan didn't know how many times he had read these two secret techniques together.
But, because a person's energy is limited, Xu Yuan poured all his energy into cultivating Origin Qi and thus set it aside.
It was like finding a glimmer of light for someone drowning in darkness.
Xu Yuan's spirit was suddenly invigorated as he began to recall the contents of that Nameless Secret Technique.
As the recollections gradually surfaced, Xu Yuan realized that it truly was a secret technique for cultivating the will-spirit.
And it was of the offensive type.
The method of attack was simple and could be described in two words: Devouring.
Besides the conventional tempering of the will-spirit, it allowed the cultivator to grow stronger by directly devouring the will-spirit of others.
Ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare do this, as they would likely go insane from the repulsion between different will-spirits, but not those with an Innate Soul Body.
It perfectly matched the characteristics of the Innate Soul Body's will-spirit refinement.
मधुमेह हमेशा के लिए ख़त्म हो जाएगा! सोने से पहले करें ये काम
79 साल की उम्र में भी मर्दाना ताकत 10 गुना कैसे बढ़ाएं?
With this thought, Xu Yuan's spirit slightly relaxed.
Without any hesitation, he immediately began to immerse himself in studying the cultivation logic and methods of this technique.
In cultivation, there is no sense of time.
Time passed without knowing how long, and Xu Yuan cast his spirit out from the Sea of Consciousness to the outside world once more.
The sky had changed, the sunlight gone, a full moon hung high, and its clear light scattered through the bamboo forest into the room, while his body was still conversing with Su Jinxuan.
The tense atmosphere between the two during the day was gone, and as they bantered with laughter, their gazes seemed to flirt.
The intoxicating scent of sandalwood wafted through the air as Su Jinxuan brought her self-directed conversation to an end.
With a slight blush from the wine adding to her allure, she said with a smile, glancing at the moonlight outside,
"Third Young Master, it's getting late."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's body chuckled, reaching out to grab her slender wrist,
"It is indeed late, Jin Xuan, a single moment of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
Su Jinxuan's expression stiffened just right, allowing him to pull her along with a soft tone,
"Third Young Master, you said earlier you wouldn't force Jin Xuan, didn't you?"
"…"
The body was silent for a moment, then he sighed softly,
"Alright…
as you wish, tonight I won't touch you, but you need to let me stay here."
"But…" Su Jinxuan seemed to want to say more.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan's body frowned immediately.
Seemingly helpless, Su Jinxuan nodded lightly,
"Mhm…
then Jin Xuan will trust the Third Young Master's character.
However, we should sleep with our clothes on…"
"…Alright~ I'll do as you say, Jin Xuan."
"….."
Listening to their conversation, Xu Yuan could hardly contain himself.
Self-directed and acted, it would be a pity if this woman didn't become a playwright.
But this dialogue let Xu Yuan know that his current state could not withstand detailed scrutiny, and most likely he couldn't stray too far from Su Jinxuan.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have let him stay the night.
After speaking, Su Jinxuan called for the maids to bring a copper basin for the two of them to wash up.
With the lamp extinguished amidst the bamboo, only the moonlight gently spilled into the room through the window lattices.
Pulling back the bed curtains, both lay on the bed fully clothed, feeling the softness of the bedding, Xu Yuan inhaled the light fragrance of the woman beside him, and his vision fell into darkness.
But a few breaths later, his body suddenly moved, turning to gently wrap around the boneless, delicate body next to him.
After a two-second silence,
Her voice trembled slightly,
"Thi..
Third Young Master."
Xu Yuan's body replied softly,
"Sleep."
"….."
As thoughts flashed by, Xu Yuan collected his spirit.
The Nameless Secret Technique began to circulate in the stillness of the dark…
///46////
Devouring As Xu Yuan immersed his mind, the state of his will-spirit once again emerged between his consciousness.
Those floating particles had already covered every corner of the will-spirit's surface, dense and layered, surging like waves of harvested wheat.
This secret technique, paired with the Blood Essence Heart Destruction Decision, also had a simple way of dealing with enemies.
Although much had been said, it all boiled down to two points.
Sever and swallow.
Transform the refined will-spirit into a blade, sever the enemy's detected will-spirit, and then use a special secret technique to absorb and refine it.
The former was difficult, unless one possessed a genius of extraordinary comprehension, it was not possible to learn it instantly.
However, the current situation did not require Xu Yuan to use the former technique, as those floating particles seemed to have already crushed themselves and delivered them to Xu Yuan's mouth for the sake of concealment.
What he needed to do now was to use these floating particles to practice.
Xu Yuan cautiously controlled his will-spirit to try to run the secret technique.
With the Innate Soul Body's sensitive and precise control over the will-spirit, once activated, a few floating particles quietly disappeared amidst the "waves of wheat," carefully enveloped by Xu Yuan and began to be refined and absorbed following the secret technique's pathway.
While absorbing, Xu Yuan observed the movements of the floating particles on the surface of his will-spirit.
The few particles seemed to not have alerted the woman beside him, as the rhythmic undulation of the wheat on the surface of the will-spirit remained unchanged.
After the absorption was complete, these few floating particles transformed into a strand of almost undetectable pure will-spirit and entered Xu Yuan's Sea of Consciousness, adding a bit of strength to the "defensive line" on the surface of his will-spirit.
After several repetitions, Xu Yuan became more familiar with the secret technique.
He roughly estimated the speed at which those floating particles eroded the surface of his will-spirit,
If he were to openly devour these floating particles, Su Jinxuan would have no way of dealing with his refined Innate Soul Body; however, Xu Yuan chose not to startle her.
Because the upper limit of Su Jinxuan's power was still an unknown.
Currently, Su Jinxuan indeed had no way of countering him, but Xu Yuan could not be certain whether Su Jinxuan possessed a means of mutual destruction.
If Su Jinxuan controlled these floating particles to self-detonate…
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Reining in his thoughts, the lesson of overconfidence was still fresh in his mind; it was better to remain cautious and subtle.
In each stealthy theft, Xu Yuan continually tested Su Jinxuan's perceptual abilities.
A few, a dozen, several dozen, over a hundred—until Xu Yuan absorbed over a thousand floating particles in one go, and those attached to his will-spirit's surface began to stir.
After roughly guessing the limitation, Xu Yuan no longer became greedy.
He evenly selected seven to eight hundred lucky particles from the surface of his will-spirit to devour and absorb each time.
And as time went by, in this cycle of repetition…
Su Jinxuan seemed to truly not be able to stay too far away from him; for several consecutive days, she controlled his body with the floating particles and made him stay in her room.
Whether going to the toilet or washing up, Su Jinxuan never left a ten-meter radius from him.
As time passed, the number of floating particles Xu Yuan devoured kept accumulating, and Su Jinxuan's complexion gradually turned from alluringly rosy to pale.
Another day at dawn,
Just as Xu Yuan was about to select a few hundred lucky ones for breakfast, Su Jinxuan's plaintive voice softly reached him from beside:
"Third Young Master, what..
did you do to Jin Xuan last night?"
///47////
Competing Sharpness Hearing this, Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised, but he didn't panic.
His body was only immobile, not disconnected from the five senses of his body.
He could see Su Jinxuan's face gradually paling, and naturally, he knew that Su Jinxuan had realized something was amiss.
However, each time a "lucky one" was selected for absorption and refinement, the free-floating spore particles on the surface of the will-spirit showed no anomalies, leading Xu Yuan to vaguely feel that although Su Jinxuan knew something was wrong, she had probably not yet discovered the reason.
It was like in a horror movie where the person walking last suddenly disappears, but the others don't know how they vanished.
But after all, there were only two people in the room, and Su Jinxuan surely knew that her growing weakness was caused by him, Xu Yuan.
It's just that Su Jinxuan had no way out.
Outside, guards who ensure the well-being of him, the Third Young Master, were on the lookout.
Now, if they were to have a falling out, no matter what, she would have to carry on brazenly.
Either she had to forcefully enter his Innate Soul Body and completely control him, or she would face a fate worse than death once caught.
Now that Su Jinxuan had chosen to converse with him was a bit beyond Xu Yuan's expectation.
Xu Yuan sensed that those ant-like spore particles had suddenly stopped their rhythm, and with that, control of his body returned to him once more.
Inside the bed curtains, Xu Yuan slowly shifted his body.
The red bed was small, and moving was somewhat difficult.
Sharing the same bed, gazing intimately at such a beauty.
The peach blossoms were unchanged, her eyes full of allure.
The breaths she exhaled evoked images of rose fields that covered valleys.
Looking at the stunning woman lying next to him, Xu Yuan narrowed his long, narrow eyes slightly, opened his mouth, but then closed it again.
He felt a burst of abrupt rhythm from the spore particles attached to the will-spirit.
She was warning him not to speak out of turn.
With a light chuckle, Xu Yuan reconsidered his words and said softly with a curved gaze,
"Jin Xuan, since I have promised to respect your wishes, in these past few days, I have naturally not made any inappropriate moves, you…
really wronged me."
After a two-second gaze,
Lying on her side on the bed, Su Jinxuan raised a slender finger and lightly touched his chest, her voice tinged with a hint of resentment,
"Third Young Master, then why…
why has Jin Xuan felt so limp and weak every day upon waking up these past few days?"
"Limp and weak?"
Xu Yuan murmured, nodding slightly, "Why is your face so pale, Jin Xuan?
Perhaps you are truly ill.
But if your body is really limp, how about I give you a massage?"
As he spoke, Xu Yuan's eyes twinkled as he reached out to the woman lying beside him.
Smack—
A soft snapping sound.
Su Jinxuan pushed his hand away and scolded, "Taking advantage of me as soon as you wake up, the Third Young Master is indeed naughty…"
Xu Yuan smiled slightly, not annoyed, retracting his hand and laughing,
"Ha ha…
if you really feel weak, Jin Xuan, I happen to have some Eliminating Essence Powder here."
If Zhou Chen was spying, he should have noticed something wrong by now.
But after several seconds, Zhou Chen hadn't shown himself, probably quite obediently not using his will-spirit to spy on them.
That was too obedient.
A bit helpless inside, Xu Yuan then grabbed her delicate hand and continued, "As long as you, Jin Xuan, are willing to bathe with me, I am willing to share this Eliminating Essence Powder with you~"
After a moment of flickering in her eyes, Su Jinxuan smiled softly,
"I am too weak to endure your rough play now, my lord.
Please be gentle."
"If that's the case, then another day."
"Giggle, giggle, giggle…"
With a girlish giggle, Su Jinxuan slowly sat up on the bed, gathering her soft long hair while casually saying,
"The Third Young Master has also seen that I have not been well recently.
The familiar physicians are not in Jingjiang City.
Could you possibly allow me to leave and seek medical treatment?"
Xu Yuan laughed upon hearing this.
Planning to run away now that things are impossible?
Where are such good things?
And just as Xu Yuan's smile appeared,
Hum—
The countless inconspicuous spore particles began to move suddenly.
Contrary to their earlier attempts to break through and infiltrate Xu Yuan's will-spirit, these thousands of spore particles began to reverse and draw from Xu Yuan's exterior will-spirit.
This scene made Xu Yuan suddenly feel a bit shocked and uncertain.
This woman's cultivation technique is also of the devouring kind?
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However, the acute sensory perception of the Innate Soul Body allowed Xu Yuan to quickly notice the difference.
After absorbing a certain amount of his will-spirit, those ant-like spore particles didn't assimilate it to grow stronger, but rather disintegrated directly.
The idea that will-spirits have repulsion between people is not just a saying.
Forced devouring results in this kind of outcome.
This was Su Jinxuan's warning, and also a tactic akin to mutual destruction.
Let her leave, or else perish together.
Xu Yuan slightly sensed the weak damage to his will-spirit and revealed a touch of contemplation before softly laughing and saying,
"We've been inseparable these past few days, does Jin Xuan truly have the heart to leave?"
When you're far away, will your trick still be useful?
He paused for a moment and, without waiting for Su Jinxuan to respond, Xu Yuan continued,
"Wouldn't it be better to let this young master accompany you?"
He wanted to see if Su Jinxuan had any other tricks up her sleeve.
If this was all she had, then he could dispense with politeness.
To know, those disintegrating Spore Particles containing will-spirit wouldn't just vanish into thin air, they would drift for a while before gradually dispersing into the atmosphere.
And these broken fragments made it even more convenient for Xu Yuan to absorb and refine.
Moreover, once the number of Spore Particles being simultaneously absorbed increases, the vibrations emanating from the will-spirit will become intense.
Xu Yuan was unsure if Zhou Chen would spy on him, but he knew that woman Ying'er certainly would.
As the vibrations were emitted, she would arrive in the blink of an eye.
Xu Yuan's words led to the simultaneous sucking of thousands of Spore Particles.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yuan smiled even more happily.
All right, still this trick.
Time to take action.
Xu Yuan suddenly cracked a smile, his internal Blood Essence Heart Demise Technique and its accompanying secret technique both began to operate.
Slowly rising to his feet, he suddenly extended his hand towards Su Jinxuan's neck.
But just like before, his control over his body became rigid halfway through the motion.
Exchanging silent glances, Su Jinxuan flipped over and straddled Xu Yuan, drawing circles on his chest with her finger, pushing him down onto the bed, and cooing with narrowed eyes,
"Third Young Master…
do you truly wish to accompany this servant?"
Amid her words, those floating Spore Particles began to oscillate again like waves of wheat, while Xu Yuan started to indulge himself greedily.
The past few days of "stealing" had made him quite adept with the devouring and refining aspect of the secret technique.The surface of Xu Yuan's will-spirit suddenly displayed countless holes, like numerous gaping mouths, endlessly devouring those ant-like Spore Particles clinging to the surface.
A thousand.
Several thousand.
Ten thousand.
Tens of thousands.
For a moment, the dense ant-clinging Spore Particles seemed like an inferno of the mortal world.
The moment the crisis occurred, Su Jinxuan's charming eyes constricted slightly.
She tried to contact those Spore Particles that had been absorbed into Xu Yuan's will-spirit.
If she could disperse those Spore Particles that Xu Yuan had actively swallowed, then she could directly and thoroughly control Xu Yuan's mind.
But those Spore Particles disappeared without a trace, as if sinking into the abyss.
Realizing this, Su Jinxuan's face turned pale, a tiger tooth biting hard on the corner of her lip.
She became aware of what had happened over these past few days.
The current situation had completely spiraled out of her control.
The rumored useless Third Young Master deviated completely from the intelligence she had received beforehand.
The supposed no-cultivation became Ninth Grade.
The supposed congenital wretched soul turned out to not only be an Innate Soul Body but also to be cultivating an extremely bizarre Soul Path secret technique.
But complaints were now useless.
Su Jinxuan's smile remained unchanged as she leaned forward, her jade hand slowly roaming over Xu Yuan's clothes while her seductive eyes narrowed,
"If the Third Young Master really wants to go, it's not impossible.
We still have time, let's sleep a bit more…"
The more the will-spirit is damaged, the more the person's consciousness becomes unclear.
As long as she could weaken Xu Changtian's will-spirit to a certain extent, the bizarre cultivation technique he operated would naturally stop, and at that point, she could cause him to fall unconscious.
Doing so came at a steep price, but at this point, she could no longer afford to care about that.
If she didn't alert Xu Changtian's guards, she still had a slim chance of escaping.
As Su Jinxuan's thoughts settled,
those dense Spore Particles began to extract Xu Yuan's will-spirit in batches.
One batch of Spore Particles disintegrated, the next batch took over and continued.
Wave after wave, surge after surge.
And Xu Yuan, who was focused on devouring and refining, immediately felt waves of dizziness surging up.
Steadying his mind, he knew that Su Jinxuan had begun to counteract.
But because he had previously practiced the Blood Essence Heart Demise Technique to the point of near-death countless times, he had already adapted to stabilizing his mind at the brink.
After a slight adjustment, Xu Yuan sensed what was happening on the surface of his will-spirit.
Seeing that the majority of the floating particles were still motionless, clinging to the surface of his will-spirit, a hint of curiosity rose in Xu Yuan's heart.
What does this mean?
He was already prepared to risk it all here,
and this Su Jinxuan, she still wanted to deal with him without alarming Ying'er?
//48///
Physical Talent After a brief moment of thought, Xu Yuan instantly understood Su Jinxuan's intentions.
This woman, she was actually still thinking of running away.
Xu Yuan realized he had somewhat overestimated Su Jinxuan's enlightenment.
Her warning was truly just a warning; she had never intended to play a life-and-death game with him.
As long as Su Jinxuan alerted Ying'er, who was on guard outside, she would have no chance of survival, so she chose to control her power and make him faint by drawing away his will-spirit.
Only in this way would she have a chance to leave alive.
It's just a pity that this woman was too arrogant.
Oh, no, it couldn't be considered arrogance, at most it was a misjudgment caused by the difference in information.
After all, apart from Ran Qingmo, there was no one else under heaven who knew how many times he had come close to death.
With these thoughts, Xu Yuan's mind and spirit slightly relaxed.
If Su Jinxuan had gone all out from the start, had Ying'er not arrived in time, he might indeed have been in mortal danger.
As for now…
Heh heh.
Despite this, the absorption rate of those spores was obviously faster than Xu Yuan's absorption.
After all, Xu Yuan had to refine it after ingestion, while those spore particles simply need to suck violently and then burst.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Inside the bed curtain, the man and the woman embraced each other and slept as if they were newlywed husband and wife.
Su Jinxuan propped herself up on the chest of the man below her, her beautiful eyes half-closed, her pale and weak complexion hard to conceal.
In just a quarter of an hour, her exhaustion had already surpassed the total of the past several days.
However…
Su Jinxuan gazed at the sleeping eyes of the man below, lightly pursing her red lips.
…but thankfully, this Xu Changtian was finally about to pass out, and she could clearly sense that the fellow's absorption rate had become extremely slow.
Just a little more, just a tiny bit more…
As long as this guy completely fainted, she would have a chance to escape.
Waves of spore particles shattered and surged again and again.
But to Su Jinxuan's despair, the will-spirit in the man's Sea of Consciousness had been drawn out by more than half, yet the man below had still not fallen unconscious, and his absorption had not stopped either.
A quarter of an hour,
Two quarters of an hour,
The man below finally fell into a stagnation in his absorption rate.
This situation made Su Jinxuan's beautiful eyes light up slightly, and she immediately controlled the spore particles to stop, ready to check whether the other party was truly unconscious.
But at this moment,
she suddenly saw the man beneath her open his eyes.
"….." Su Jinxuan.
Their distance was very close,
his eyes were narrow, and the gaze staring at her was cold and sharp.
Su Jinxuan's breath hitched.
A ripple called panic spread like a droplet into a lake, gradually spilling out.
Why…
why could the man before her still stay awake until now?
A question arose, but no one was there to answer it for her now.
The woman before him had become visibly weak; Xu Yuan no longer pretended to be muzzy and started running the secret technique with full force again.
"No..
don't…"
Su Jinxuan's originally enchanting and beguiling voice carried a hint of panicked pleading, subconsciously trying to rise and leave.
Xu Yuan grabbed her wrist in one swoop.
"Let..
let me go."
"…."
Xu Yuan did indeed let go, because the mayfly-like spore particles clinging to the surface of his will-spirit once again began to rhythmically control his body.
But as he let go, Su Jinxuan, who had sat up, also ceased to move, just sitting blankly on top of him.
Where…
where could she run to now?
Xu Changtian had not fainted, there was a powerful guard outside; how could she run?
And where could she go?
No way up to heaven, no way down to earth.
Despair.
Time passed, minute by minute.
As his body was controlled once again, Xu Yuan no longer dealt with the outside world and focused on absorbing and refining.
And as he refines, Xu Yuan discovered that the mayfly-like spore particles surrounding his will-spirit were gradually beginning to fall off.
First, it was hundreds, then thousands, and finally in the tens of thousands, all of them fell off.
After a period as short as brewing a pot of tea, there were no longer any foreign objects on the surface of Xu Yuan's will-spirit.
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With control of his body returned, Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
The woman lying on him had her eyes closed, her cheeks showed a sickly flush, her lips stained with blood, enchanting as a demoness.
Su Jinxuan had passed out.
Xu Yuan rose to his feet calmly and pushed Su Jinxuan's body aside,
"Ying'er, come out."
"….." No response came.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath and yelled,
"Get out here!
Didn't you see that this woman had me completely under her control for five whole days?!"
"….."
The window was silently opened, and Ying'er quietly appeared inside Su Jinxuan's chamber.
Ying'er was still dressed in tight black clothes, standing in front of the bed, her eyes sweeping over Su Jinxuan lying beside Xu Yuan, silent for a moment, her voice indifferent and hoarse,
"Third Young Master, she has no cultivation."
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, intending to take this opportunity to thoroughly reprimand Ying'er, but before he could speak,
"…It's the will-spirit."
A gentle and soft male voice suddenly sounded at Xu Yuan's side.
Xu Yuan glanced sideward, only to see a man with a gentle appearance had appeared one meter beside him at an unknown time, currently sensing something with his eyes closed.
He subconsciously furrowed his brow.
In the images from his memory, this man had appeared in the chamber together with Ying'er.
But before he had spoken, Xu Yuan had not noticed the man's presence at all.
As if,
it was natural for the man to be here.
Altering someone else's perception…
Xu Yuan's gaze on the man grew more intense.
Sizi Yu slowly opened his eyes and bowed to Xu Yuan, saying,
"Sizi Yu, at your service, Third Young Master."
"Hmm." Xu Yuan nodded.
Sizi Yu glanced at Ying'er across from him,
"The Third Young Master indeed was attacked, there are traces of will-spirit energy left here."
Hearing this, Ying'er's eyes flickered momentarily, and she spoke with slight hesitation,
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"I have examined this woman, and she is not a practitioner of the Soul Path either."
Sizi Yu nodded,
"Yes, this woman is just an ordinary person."
Their conversation made Xu Yuan's brows knit tighter.
An ordinary person?
If he didn't possess an Innate Soul Body, he would have been brainwashed into Su Jinxuan's loyal dog by now.
Is that what one would call an ordinary person?
The room fell into a brief silence as his words ended.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Amidst the silence,
the door was gently knocked.
Zhou Chen's voice leisurely traveled from outside the door,
"Oh, if there's neither will-spirit nor Origin Qi, then it must be a talent of the physique, what's there to guess."
As he spoke, Zhou Chen pushed the door open.
Zhou Chen stood at the doorway, still holding an unconscious woman in his hands.
Entering the room, he casually threw her onto the floor.
Xu Yuan's gaze swept over her, recognizing her as Moon Madame, the matron of Zuixian Pavilion.
Noticing Xu Yuan's gaze, Zhou Chen chuckled and bowed to Xu Yuan,
"Third Young Master, thinking you would have me capture this woman afterward, I went ahead and caught her for you.
My apologies for being late."
After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan realized that Zhou Chen was already preparing to make a move against that Mr.
Qin and slightly nodded,
"I appreciate the thought."
"It is the Third Young Master's wisdom."
"…." Xu Yuan.
Clearing his throat softly, Xu Yuan spoke in a low voice,
"Ahem, that's enough, Mr.
Zhou, what did you mean by the talent of the physique just now?"
After pondering for a while, Zhou Chen became solemn and said,
"Third Young Master,
"Do you still remember the Sixth-turn Seventh-life Python you and Ran Qingmo killed together?"
Xu Yuan's eyelids twitched, "Hmm…
I remember."
"That python's seven cycles of shedding and rebirth are due to its talent of the physique."
Pausing for a moment, Zhou Chen glanced at the unconscious woman on the bed and spoke in a low voice, "This talent, when found in humans, works similarly, independent of cultivation levels.
Like your Innate Taoist Body, even before reaching Entry Level, your will-spirit was able to leave your body."
///49////
Let's go, Back to the Mansion "So that's how it is."
Xu Yuan's understanding was more or less clear, but his thoughts were somewhat complex.
In the information he possessed, Su Jinxuan was just a very pretty Qing courtesan with no cultivation.
Yet the reality was that Su Jinxuan was a Qing courtesan with a special physique, also without cultivation.
It did not contradict the original plot, but the original plot had never mentioned it either.
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the unconscious Su Jinxuan beside him and softly asked, "Then…
do you guys know what kind of talent for controlling other people's bodies corresponds to which special physique?"
Zhou Chen replied in a low voice, "Mm…
There are several."
Xu Yuan took a moment to ponder, then methodically added, "Through some sort of minute spore particles attaching to the surface of one's will-spirit, controlling a person's body, and once letting these particles enter and drill into the will-spirit, one would be brainwashed."
Zhou Chen pondered for two seconds, glanced at Su Jinxuan, and asked in a low voice,
"Third Young Master, can she still influence your emotions unconsciously?"
"Mm."
"….."
As soon as the words were spoken, Zhou Chen looked back and exchanged a glance with Sizi Yu, both faces showing a trace of strangeness.
Ying'er still stood alone, her eyes downcast, silent.
Sizi Yu gave Zhou Chen a slight nod, and Zhou Chen turned, cupping his fist, and said softly,
"Third Young Master, this woman…
she is likely to have the Enchantress Divine Physique."
"Enchantress Divine Physique?"
Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on the red bed, murmuring to himself, his expression turning equally strange.
This physique reminded him of a cultivation technique, one of the exclusive three Blood Rank cultivation techniques, the Great Harmony Yin-Yang Technique.
Don't laugh.
Xu Yuan himself had wanted to mock the cliché name when playing the game, but the technique was indeed very useful.
The technique adopted by the protagonist when taking the path of evil.
The secret technique of will-spirit that came with his Blood Essence Meteoring Art was but a little brother in the face of the Great Harmony Yin-Yang Technique's devouring ways.
Since he had not cultivated it, Xu Yuan did not know the details of the Great Harmony Yin-Yang Technique.
But just the fact that it could ignore the difference in levels was enough to utterly defeat his will-spirit secret technique.
However, it was a pity that this technique was in a hollow near a village where he was unable to fetch it, and besides, with the follow-up records of techniques that came with the Blood Essence Meteoring Art, there was no need to switch as they were very powerful in their own right.
The manual stated that the Enchantress Divine Physique was most suited for the Great Harmony Yin-Yang Technique, which Xu Yuan initially took for granted, but now he truly understood the horror of it firsthand.
Paired with the Enchantress Divine Physique's eerie spore particles, one could extract others' cultivation imperceptibly, and if exposed, could forcefully control the bodies of others.
If the spores burrowed into the will-spirit, one would become a lifelong cauldron.
If you felt like it, you could even slowly cultivate feelings; the Enchantress Divine Physique could also affect others' emotions, ensuring your love is not unrequited.
A perfect match.
Collecting his thoughts, ideas surging in his mind, Xu Yuan had roughly formulated a plan, and looking at Zhou Chen, he said,
"Mr.
Zhou, report this matter to Xu Changge."
Xu Yuan did not yet know what that Mr.
Qin intended to do, and because his own strength was insufficient, he naturally did not plan to deal with this matter himself just to show off.
Why do it yourself when you can get others to do it?
Old villain traditions.
Having dealt with the underlings, it was naturally time for the big guns to come out.
"Yes." Zhou Chen bowed with a fist.
Xu Yuan slowly stood up, looked at the Moon Mother on the ground, his thoughts flashing rapidly, and asked,
"This Moon Mother…
taking her back directly might scare the snake.
Mr.
Zhou, did she see you when you knocked her out?"
Zhou Chen's gaze flickered, shaking his head:
"She did not."
A moment's thought passed before Xu Yuan instructed,
"Good, throw her onto the bed in the attic room I use, and before leaving, feed her an Enthralling Pill.
You should know how to arrange the scene."
The Enthralling Pill, a little pill that incites passion.
"….."
Zhou Chen pondered briefly and realized that the Third Young Master was not planning to trouble Mr.
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Qin, his heart sinking slightly.
Taking Moon Mother back might indeed extract some information, but it would also make Mr.
Qin cautious.
The power of the Enchantress Divine Physique goes without saying, yet the other party was willing to use someone with the Enchantress Divine Physique as bait.
Had it not been for the Third Young Master's Innate Soul Body having some restraint against the Enchantress Divine Physique, he might already have been controlled by now.
To think of controlling the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Mansion….
This Mr.
Qin, it seems, is not as simple as he appears on the surface.
Looking at it this way, exchanging the information Yuanniang might know for Mr.
Qin's vigilance is clearly a losing proposition.
Xu Changtian is cleaning up the mess for his reckless actions.
Zhou Chen sighed slightly and bowed:
"Third Young Master, it was Zhou's oversight."
Xu Yuan glanced at him and waved his hand:
"It's alright, Mr.
Zhou, you did not know beforehand that this woman was an Enchantress Divine Physique, so making such a judgment is not to be blamed.
Go ahead, but remember to make it convincing, Yuanniang is quite the expert in the flower gardens."
Zhou Chen grinned at this, but immediately fell silent again and cautioned:
"Third Young Master…
though the situation is now clear, it would be best if you avoid any deep physical contact with the Enchantress Divine Physique."
Xu Yuan glanced at Su Jinxuan's curvaceous figure and frowned:
"Why?"
"The deeper your physical contact, the more likely your mind will be controlled."
Having said that,
Zhou Chen bowed and, as Xu Yuan stood there dumbfounded, picked up Yuanniang and left.
For a moment, the room fell back into silence.
Sizi Yu watched Xu Yuan inconspicuously, her eyes showing deep thought.
Ying'er still had her eyes downcast and said nothing.
अगर सोने से पहले 1 चम्मच पिएं, तो हफ्ते में 7 किलो वजन घटेगा।
पुरुष शक्ति दिन में 10 घंटे तक | इस ट्रिक को कम ही लोग जानते हैं
The incident where Xu Yuan had been in danger right before her seemed to have dealt her a heavy blow.
Xu Yuan collected himself, sighed, and after a moment of silence, suddenly looked at Ying'er:
"Ying'er, you come and wake Su Jinxuan."
"…." Ying'er.
After a slight silence,
perhaps because she felt she had failed to protect, Ying'er did not refuse Xu Yuan's command this time.
She slowly walked to the bed, took a small bottle from the pouch at her waist, opened it, and bent over to place it under Su Jinxuan's nose.
Xu Yuan slightly turned his gaze, looking at Ying'er's bent-over peach-shaped behind, the corner of his lips curving slightly.
Sizi Yu, with her soft and gentle face, saw this smile and realized what was about to happen, her eyelids suddenly twitched.
Afterward,
"Slap—"
A crisp sound.
The air became dead silent.
Sizi Yu's head started to hurt.
It was definitely the Third Young Master himself.
Having learned a lesson last time, he still dared to touch this woman's buttocks.
Ying'er remained in the same position, as if the person who had just been struck wasn't her.
Xu Yuan glanced over and silently withdrew his hand, which was now somewhat swollen and trembling.
Bearing the pain, he calmly turned his gaze towards Sizi Yu.
Their eyes met.
"...."
Sizi Yu held back the urge to laugh and looked away.
"…" Xu Yuan.
A tea time later, Su Jinxuan slowly woke up and, after seeing the scene before her, silently shrank back into the corner of the bed, biting her lips and not uttering a word.
Seeing the other party wake up, Ying'er put back the small bottle, silently returned to her previous position, and stood with downcast eyes.
Xu Yuan glanced at her.
The swelling and pain on his hand had subsided; Ying'er was merely giving him a lesson.
With a light chuckle,
Xu Yuan turned to look at Su Jinxuan on the bed.
Standing behind him were Ying'er and Sizi Yu, and he spoke unhurriedly and with a smile:
"Jin Xuan, I've already found a physician for you.
Let's go, come with me back to the mansion."
With that,
Xu Yuan's eyes carried a trace of cold intent as he slowly extended his hand towards her huddled in the corner of the bed.
///50///
Missed Opportunities Zuixian Pavilion swarmed with a crowd that surged like a tide, and patrons streamed in without pause.
Although night had not yet fallen, the dusk had set in, and the guests at Zuixian Pavilion's entrance were already coming and going incessantly.
A horse-drawn carriage by the street continually caught the attention of passersby.
The majestic horse was pitch black with a single horn on its head, and between its hooves, one could faintly see flames flickering.
The carriage behind it was even more luxurious, with lavish brocade, and a large Xu character emblazoned on the side.
A dark, coiling dragon wrapped around the body of the carriage appeared lifelike, especially its dragon eyes.
Surrounded by a throng of Protectors, a strikingly handsome young master in brocade robes emerged from Zuixian Pavilion, pulling a graceful lady wearing a bamboo hat into the carriage.
The appearance of the two sparked a flurry of side glances and chatter among the onlookers.
Within the crowd standing by the street, two men of exceptional bearing likewise gazed at the carriage.
One wore black, his face ruggedly handsome.
The other was clad in luxurious white robes, holding a folding fan despite the winter's chill.
The man in black looked at Xu Changtian who exuded an extraordinary air and curiously asked the one in white beside him,
"Brother Li, why do these passersby have so much to say about that young master?"
Li Muchen glanced at the carriage, lightly shaking his fan as he smiled and replied,
"Brother Qin, being new here, you might not know—that is the Third Young Master of the Xu Family, Xu Changtian."
Qin Mo murmured softly, "The Xu Family…
which Xu Family?"
Li Muchen shook his head with a smile, "Naturally, the largest one."
Qin Mo blinked in surprise, murmuring,
"Prime Minister's Mansion?"
The Xu Family, Prime Minister's Mansion—these he naturally knew.
But he did not know whether this Xu Family had any connection to the Miss Xu with a gentle demeanor he had encountered on his journey.
Her identity seemed shrouded in mystery.
"Let's go."
Amidst the silence, Li Muchen affectionately patted Qin Mo's shoulder, revealing a smile that men understand, "If Brother Qin is interested in making an acquaintance, I could introduce you sometime.
However, this time you saved me during our business trip, so tonight we shall drink to our hearts' content!"
Qin Mo nodded slightly, smiling faintly.
The offer of an introduction from Li Muchen was clearly just a pretense.
If Li Muchen were truly on good terms with the Third Young Master of the Xu Family, he would not be standing here just watching; he would have already gone forward to converse with the Third Young Master.
Though Li Muchen came from a wealthy family of merchants, his family's status was far below that of Xu Yuan's Xu Family.
However, Qin Mo considerately chose not to call out Li Muchen, accompanying him instead, all the while subconsciously touching the area over his chest.
Seeing Qin Mo's subtle movement, Li Muchen thought Qin Mo was worried about expenses and said with a smile,
"I'll host tonight, to welcome you properly."
"Ah, that's not it," Qin Mo said with a chuckle, shaking his head.
"I came to Zuixian Pavilion to look for someone."
"Looking for someone?" Li Muchen was taken aback, then smiled faintly, "Could it be for a lady you've taken a fancy to?"
His words became hesitant, "Though the young ladies in Zuixian Pavilion…"
Qin Mo said softly, "I'm here to find Miss Jin Xuan."
"Miss Jin Xuan?" Li Muchen's face showed recognition, but then he seemed to think of something and his expression turned odd.
Qin Mo explained, "Miss Jin Xuan and I had made a bet."
Li Muchen's face grew even stranger, "A bet?"
Qin Mo produced a Demon Core from within his robes, chuckling lightly, "If I could retrieve the Demon Core of a spirit beast from Fengya Forest within this month, she agreed to play a piece of music exclusively for me."
Observing the Demon Core, Li Muchen's pupils contracted slightly.
As the scion of a family of merchants, he had handled many Demon Cores.
At a single glance, he could tell that the demonic power contained within this particular core was roughly of Seventh Grade.
With the current unstable situation, demons roamed freely, and the various departments under the Monitoring Celestials had no control over the territories.
Local Sects and noble families would only clean up their own doorsteps, and the emergence of a single spirit beast often resulted in the blood debts of an entire village.
Currently, Qin Mo's aura was long and unbroken, but he should be just an Eighth Grade warrior.
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For an Eighth Grade warrior to slay a Seventh Grade spirit beast was not a simple feat.
Such talent was truly worth making a connection with.
However, upon recalling Jin Xuan, Li Muchen shook his head slightly, choosing his words with care and said softly,
"Brother Qin, you might not be able to see Miss Jin Xuan today… no, perhaps you won't be able to see her ever again."
Li Muchen finally decided to tell the truth.
Qin Mo's gaze fixated, and he frowned, "Brother Li, what do you mean by that?"
Li Muchen glanced at the black dragon carriage and hinted no more than necessary, "Because of Xu Changtian…"
Hearing this, a sense of loss and anxiety surfaced in Qin Mo's heart as he quietly asked, "Miss Jin Xuan holds a special status in Zuixian Pavilion, if she is unwilling, she can choose not to receive guests, right?"
Li Muchen looked around and whispered confidentially, "Indeed, Zuixian Pavilion would never force their Qing entertainers to sell themselves, but…"
With that, Li Muchen sighed slightly, "..but Brother Qin, that Xu Changtian is the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
He has forcefully canceled the arranged day for Miss Jin Xuan's departure that was set by sending out invitations a few days ago."
"…." Qin Mo was silent.
Through some coincidences, Qin Mo knew a bit about the forces behind Zuixian Pavilion, but clearly, they would not turn against the Prime Minister's Mansion over a single woman.
Li Muchen hesitated slightly, then pointed at the few guards who were running along behind the now-moving black carriage:
"Brother Qin, look at those guards beside the carriage."
Qin Mo focused his eyes on them, "What about them?"
"Each one is above Seventh Grade, and there are even several of Sixth Grade."
"Sixth Grade and above?" Surprise finally flashed through Qin Mo's eyes.
The oldest of those guards wasn't even thirty, and yet, such young cultivators of Sixth Grade were merely ordinary guards…
Li Muchen gave a rueful smile, somewhat enigmatically bitter, "I would guess that these are just the visible protectors; undoubtedly, there are high-level masters of protector-grade in the shadows."
"Fifth Grade in the Soul Condensation Realm?" Qin Mo furrowed his brows tightly, remembering the strength of the protectors in Li Muchen's family.
Qin Mo instinctively looked over.
But other than those ordinary guards, one could only see a large bearded man driving the carriage at the front.
The bearded man had an amiable smile, the longsword fastened behind him, nonchalantly holding the reins in his hands.
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Before Qin Mo could show his confusion,
the next moment,
the bearded man's gaze swept over towards Qin Mo!
An amiable gaze with a hint of a smile.
But even so, it still made the hairs on Qin Mo's neck stand on end.
That look made him realize that the whole conversation he'd just had with Li Muchen had been overheard by the big man.
However, the big man showed no intention of making a move and instead grinned at Qin Mo, mockingly pointing at the carriage behind him.
"…."
Seeing the big man's gesture, Qin Mo was first taken aback, then his pupils slightly narrowed.
Memories of what had just happened flashed through his mind.
The hooded lady that Xu Changtian was leading into the carriage…
was that Jin Xuan?
Qin Mo's fists clenched slightly.
And the big man simply turned his head away with a jovial laugh, paying no further attention to Qin Mo.
As if to him, toying with Qin Mo was like amusing himself with an ant when there was nothing better to do….
…..
…..
After Zhou Chen withdrew his gaze, he pulled the reins, prompting the black unicorn horse to take a step forward, and the carriage slowly set off towards the ahead.
Seemingly hearing the laughter outside, a gentle voice from inside asked:
"Mr.
Zhou, why are you laughing?"
Zhou Chen shrugged nonchalantly:
"Nothing much, I overheard two men discussing Miss Su and the Third Young Master.
They seemed to be admirers of Miss Su, and I found it amusing, so I played a little joke on them."
"Is that so?
Jin Xuan is really popular, isn't she?"
Xu Yuan listened and didn't seem to care, then softly ordered:
"Mr.
Zhou, if you're bored, please have someone buy me a few of the latest newspapers."
///51////
Chaos Given the existence of long-distance communication methods, the timeliness of court reports in this world was quite strong.
Each evening, before the hour of the watch, various counties would summarize the major events of the day and send them to the Imperial Capital, where the editorial department of Hanlin Academy's Morning News Office would select the important parts to compile overnight.
By the next day, before the hour of the rabbit, the Morning News Office would send the compiled court report content back to the various counties, where the local government office would post them at the gates promptly at the hour of the dragon and also print copies for sale at bookshops throughout the city.
It served as a kind of alternative morning news report and was the only way for the vast majority of the people to learn about national affairs.
The thickness of a court report was somewhat greater than that of a newspaper from my past life, but the layout was similar.
Big headlines, smaller headings, followed by written narrative, and some even came with illustrations.
As Xu Yuan read on, his expression grew increasingly strange.
Apart from some prefectures in the north suffering from the annual winter cold disaster that resulted in some deaths, the rest of the Dayan Empire could be summarized in four words: peace and prosperity.
It wasn't completely inconsistent with the background he knew of Cang Yuan, but it was utterly irrelevant.
After a long silence, Xu Yuan pulled apart the curtains of the carriage and glanced at the bustling streets outside.
The common folk bustled about, vendors weaved through the crowd hawking their wares, young nobles and beauties walked among them chatting and laughing, and as dusk fell, the Bright Pattern Lamps began to light up.
With his own eyes, he saw the prosperity.
He withdrew his gaze and continued to peruse the report.
Soon,
Xu Yuan found the information he was looking for.
The northern part of the Dayan Empire was at war.
However, it was only mentioned in the last part of the court report, allocated only a few lines of space.
"The Ninth Princess led the army northward, achieving a major victory over the barbarian forces at Hanbei City, slaying over ten thousand of the enemy."
This description was passed over briefly as if it were a trivial matter.
Xu Yuan put down the report, his eyes filled with confusion.
He did not remember such a war in Cang Yuan, but from this brief description, the scale of the war must have been significant.
Because he had a vague memory of Hanbei City.
He had visited it once as a child with Xu Changge.
It was a military megacity on the Northern Frontier of Dayan, with hundred-zhang tall city walls that seemed boundless, emanating a cold aura.
Looking down, there was a vast expanse of snow and fog, resembling an end-of-the-world wall.
There were also many satellite military towns around it, corresponding to the main city of Hanbei, forming strategic points of defense.
Xu Yuan vaguely remembered Xu Changge telling him, who was still young at the time:
"Hanbei City is the gateway to the northern provinces.
Once breached, the plains behind it will have no defense, and the Barbarian Tribes could spread out like locusts causing immeasurable harm.
"This place, must not be lost."
And yet, a decade later, this critical stronghold was under siege by barbarian forces.
"….."
Xu Yuan rubbed his temples and collected his thoughts, deciding not to dwell on it and simply spoke aloud:
"Mr.
Zhou, are you aware of this northern war?"
"Hm?"
Zhou Chen, who was driving the carriage, heard Xu Yuan's sudden question, uttered a light sound of doubt, pondered a bit, and then shook his head saying:
"Not very clear.
Zhou has never been to the Northern Frontier…
Master, did you read about the war between Great Yan and those barbarians in the court report?"
Xu Yuan nodded slightly:
"Yes, I've never understood before.
Now that I've seen it, I'm curious, so I asked you."
"Master is concerned for the country and the people."
Zhou Chen gestured a fist salute toward the back and then smiling, said, "I really don't know the specifics, but if Master you are truly interested, after we return to the mansion, you can have the steward prepare a copy of the inside reference from the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The reports we have inside the Prime Minister's Mansion are much more detailed than what's written in this newspaper."
"Inside reference?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Chen said nonchalantly:
"The official court report is always selected by the Morning News Office; many things are omitted."
"…."
Understanding the hint, Xu Yuan did not say more.
Zhou Chen, driving the carriage, appeared to have been struck by the topic and suddenly let out a long sigh.
He took a swig from his wine gourd and mumbled:
"Those guys at the Morning News Office always deliver good news and not the bad.
What's happening outside, don't they have any idea?"
Hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyebrows immediately furrowed.
What's happening outside, that it's so chaotic?
With Jingjiang City this prosperous, could the situation outside be in turmoil?
But if that were true, it would align with the storyline.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Yuan then asked:
"Mr.
Zhou, what do you mean by 'chaos'?"
"…."
Zhou Chen looked back at the small window on the carriage with some surprise.
Isn't it common knowledge that demonic beasts and bandits are rampant nowadays?
Why wouldn't the Third Young Master know?
After a moment's thought, Zhou Chen came to a realization and smiled with a touch of helplessness.
This Third Young Master, if he's not in the Imperial Capital, he's in the vast Jingjiang Prefecture; he has hardly ever left the city.
It's normal for someone who grew up in a "honey pot" to be unaware of the outside world.
Zhou Chen carefully chose his words and spoke softly,
"Third Young Master, you have always been in the city and might not know that in recent years, natural and man-made disasters have been unceasing."
As he spoke, Zhou Chen sighed, his tone slightly complex,
"I was previously ordered to rush to Jingjiang City from the Imperial Capital.
Along the way, I encountered demonic beast attacks countless times; passing many villages from the air, all I could see were ruins and some skeletons."
Xu Yuan felt a sinking feeling in his heart:
"Demonic beasts attacking people?"
Zhou Chen clarified, "I'm not referring to the tamed demonic beasts hurting people, but those remaining in the wild."
"I know.
What I mean is, what about the people from the Celestial Watch?
Isn't it within their duty to deal with demonic beasts harming the populace?"
"….."
Zhou Chen did not reply to that.
After a pause,
Seeing that Zhou Chen remained silent, Xu Yuan took the initiative to speak:
"Mr.
Zhou, you can speak frankly.
There's no need to be reserved."
Seeing this, Zhou Chen no longer kept his silence, he smiled:
"Because the Imperial Court has no money."
His laughter carried traces of indistinct irony.
Because there's no money, the Celestial Watch is understaffed; they couldn't manage everything.
As for why there's no money?
Heh.
The carriage remained quiet for a few moments before a voice sounded again:
"Mr.
Zhou, could you tell me the reason for this?
Is it official corruption?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen had no more reservations and said softly,
"That's only one of the reasons."
"What are the others?" Xu Yuan asked.
Zhou Chen did not answer directly but instead asked,
"Does the Third Young Master know how many Sects' properties are inside Jingjiang City?"
Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he shook his head,
"I do not."
Zhou Chen sipped his wine and rambled on,
"Zuixian Pavilion, Xiao Xiang Tower, the Demonic Beast Market to the east of the city, the vast fertile fields outside the city…
All of these are the properties of the Sects.
"Heh, the silver required to support those Sect members who produce nothing is several times more than the annual military expenses of the Border Army."
Zhou Chen spoke at a slow pace, yet his voice was deep,
"But these Sects do not pay taxes.
They talk about tribute.
As for how much they offer each year, heh…
they decide for themselves."
Xu Yuan felt a tingling in his scalp, roughly understanding the situation.
The reason was right before his eyes.
Zuixian Pavilion is owned by that Mr.
Qin.
And the fact that Xu Changge went as far as to harm Mr.
Qin during the Tiandao conference indicates that he too belongs to the local Sects.
At least, that's the official story.
Zuixian Pavilion, as a den of extravagance, its nightly profits are immeasurable.
And that is just one corner of the countless properties of the Sects, none of which the imperial treasury receives a fraction of.
The ancient scholars of past eras weren't this outrageous.
No matter how it was actually implemented, at least officially, these people's taxes were just reduced or exempted.
But here, these Sects straight up don't pay.
Seeing Xu Yuan speechless for a long while,
Zhou Chen made a gesture towards the sky,
"Third Young Master, the Prime Minister has submitted numerous petitions to the Crown Prince, trying to address this issue, but they are always rebuffed by the Crown Prince with the reason that ancestral systems should not be lightly altered.
"I guess, the reason Mr.
Qin took action against you is mostly because of this."