Cultivation

"Mister Qin?" Xu Yuan's brow twitched slightly, a trace of amusement tugging at the corners of his lips. The last time he had heard Qin Weijiu's name was during a casual conversation with Lou Ji in Wanxiang City. Lou Ji had mentioned that the woman named Yulan had very tight lips, as stubborn as the remnants of Burial Village who had been captured alive. She wouldn't say a thing, and Lou Ji liked that very much. Back then, it had taken Xu Yuan quite a while to recall the head Xu Changge had once wrapped in a cloth sack. Previously, when the plot's protagonist, Qin Mo, came knocking to seize the succubus Su Jinxuan, Qin Weijiu had stepped in to run interference—a righteous two-on-one—only to be slaughtered like dogs by Xu Changge instead. One captured alive, one fled wounded. Thinking up to this point, Xu Yuan wore a slightly peculiar expression and asked with a smile, "Qin Weijiu still has the leisure to pull things like this? Has he recovered from his injuries back then?" Su Jinxuan's beautiful eyes flickered with a cold glint as she said softly, "Naturally, he has fully recovered." Hearing this reply, Xu Yuan looked slightly regretful. "Seems... he wasn't wounded badly enough back then." Then again, Xu Changge probably hadn't even used his ultimate skill back then, so it likely hadn't left behind any major permanent damage. Su Jinxuan shook her head gently and said in a languid tone, "Qin Weijiu was actually very badly wounded, though not physically." "What?" Xu Yuan was taken aback for an instant, then caught on quickly, his eyes amused. "Xu Changge traumatized him?" Su Jinxuan let out a soft breath. "Qin Weijiu is a proud man. At the Tianyuan Grand Tournament, your elder brother nearly killed him in three strikes, and then he suffered a crushing defeat at your brother's hands outside Jingjiang Prefecture. To grow stronger, he seems to have become somewhat obsessed—verging on madness..." Xu Yuan asked with interest, "Obsessed? In what way?" In Cangyuan, there were shortcuts to gaining great power, like the secret arts handed down from studying the aberrant ghosts. Among them were vile demonic arts as well as orthodox secret techniques. Yet one thing remained eternally true: the greater the power gained, the steeper the price paid. An inscrutable smile appeared in Su Jinxuan's bewitching peach-blossom eyes. "Before, he gave people the impression of a piece of fine jade, warm and gracious to everyone. Now, a single glance makes one feel an eerie, ghostly chill around him. He must have cultivated some kind of secret art." Hearing this, thoughts raced through Xu Yuan's mind. However, he couldn't recall any secret art from the game that caused such a ghostly chill; it was probably something that had never appeared in Cangyuan. Soon, however, Xu Yuan's expression turned playful. He could understand Qin Weijiu's mindset. Proud men could not bear being trampled underfoot. Yet this world never ran on the logic that giving it your all guaranteed success. There were always people beyond people, skies beyond skies. Qin Weijiu viewed Xu Changge as a mortal nemesis, but knowing his elder brother's utterly dreadful personality, to Xu Changge, this Mister Qin was likely just a passerby with a bit of strength. Pausing, Xu Yuan shook his head and laughed, "Qin Weijiu doesn't plan on mastering his secret art only to challenge Xu Changge to another match, does he?" Su Jinxuan pondered for a moment, her voice earnest. "When I chatted with Qin Weijiu before, we spoke of you brothers. He said that next time, he would personally slay your elder brother with his own hands." "Pfft—" Xu Yuan couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Though his eldest brother had an awkward, prickly personality, Xu Yuan deeply acknowledged the sheer might of his fists. To fight repeatedly, lose repeatedly, and yet still dream of slaying Xu Changge at the same cultivation realm—one could only praise his courage. As far as Xu Yuan knew, aside from Qin Mo, who was already dead and gone, virtually no one in this world could defeat Xu Changge within the same realm. Seeing Xu Yuan's nonchalant expression, Su Jinxuan looked solemn. "Young Master, the present Qin Weijiu is truly powerful. Within a year at the earliest, or three at most, his cultivation will definitely break through to the first rank." Looking at her serious little face, Xu Yuan rose from the bed and walked over to sit opposite her. "It seems what Qin Weijiu cultivated is some secret art that overdraws his life force?" With a wave of his hand, a tea set appeared on the table. As he unhurriedly poured tea, he gave a soft chuckle. "Still, Jinxuan, you probably know nothing about just how strong Xu Changge really is." When Xu Changge and Qin Weijiu clashed outside Jingjiang Prefecture, the commotion had sounded immense, but his elder brother hadn't even unleashed his full strength. As he spoke, Xu Yuan pushed a freshly poured cup of fragrant tea toward Su Jinxuan. "Besides, my elder brother stays in the Imperial Capital year-round. Even if Qin Weijiu wants revenge, it's virtually impossible unless he can lure him out to be ambushed." "..." Su Jinxuan pursed her lips, saying nothing more. Xu Yuan poured himself a cup as well and said with a smile, "Even Qin Weijiu has cultivated a life-overdrawing secret art. If you don't hurry your cultivation, you might miss your chance to avenge yourself with your own hands." At those words, Su Jinxuan bit her lip, her slender hands gripping the teacup tightening slightly. How could she not know this? But her cultivation had hit a bottleneck. Xu Yuan's eyes curved. "Hey, don't squeeze so hard. That cup is expensive." "If it breaks, I'll pay for it," Su Jinxuan shot him a reproachful glare, smiling with effortless charm. "I do have some pocket money now, you know." "Oh?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and extended an open palm before her. "The cultivation method for the Meishen spores has a market value of fifty thousand taels. As for the Great Joyous Union Yin-Yang Art, having practiced it, you ought to know its worth, right? I'll give you a discount—let's call it eight million taels. Come on, pay up." Su Jinxuan stared helplessly at Xu Yuan's outstretched hand, her face flushing red and purple by turns. After quite a while, she squeezed out, "I... I don't have that much silver right now. I'll pay you back later, Young Master." Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. "At your fourth-rank cultivation, your monthly stipend in the Chancellor's Manor would be about eight hundred taels. Let's round it to ten thousand a year. Without eating or drinking, you'd have to pay me back for... hmm, about eight hundred years." Saying that, Xu Yuan fixed his gaze on her pink eyes. "Su Jinxuan, why don't you drop this whole 'cooperation' thing and just join my Chancellor's Manor directly? Then you won't have to pay it back at all." "..." Su Jinxuan pressed her legs tightly together, resting her hands on her thighs and clutching her simple robes, stammering in a tiny voice, "I... I'll be able to break through to the third rank soon..." Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and looked her up and down for a few breaths. "From what I see, aside from your raw cultivation, you don't even have a wisp of condensed Dao Charm on you." Su Jinxuan stared straight at Xu Yuan, retorting softly, "How do you know I don't have Dao Charm..." "Because I have Dao Charm." Xu Yuan opened his palm and circulated his Source Qi. A translucent, crystalline pink cherry blossom appeared in his hand. "And it's the Meishen Dao Charm, too." The pink cherry blossom emitted a soft glow in the quiet room. At a glance, it exuded a captivating sensation that tempted the mind to sink into intoxication. Su Jinxuan stared wistfully, saying nothing. Seeing this, Xu Yuan flipped his hand, causing the blossom to dissipate, replaced by a jade box resting in his palm. He asked with a smile, "By the way, take a look at this for me. How much is it worth?" Doubt surfaced in Su Jinxuan's eyes as she instinctively asked, "What is it?" Xu Yuan leisurely opened the jade box. Lying quietly inside was a cherry blossom vibrant with life. It was virtually identical to the blossom Xu Yuan had just conjured with his Dao Charm, except this one was a tangible physical object. Su Jinxuan's dark pupils seemed affected by some resonance, shifting to peach-pink in an instant. "Young Master, is this... a Meishen flower?" Her voice carried a note of uncertainty. "And... the veins are distinct, with hardly any vitality lost. Was it freshly harvested within the past year?" Xu Yuan smiled faintly and praised, "Good eye. So, Jinxuan, how much silver do you plan to buy it with?" "..." Su Jinxuan pressed her crimson lips together and lowered her head, her delicate frame trembling slightly. She wanted it, yet lacked the money to buy it. That helpless, flustered look of hers was utterly pitiable. Watching her expression, Xu Yuan chuckled inwardly. This little succubus was still the same as before—thin-skinned, unwilling to owe anyone anything. If it were Lou Ji, she probably wouldn't even bat an eye before pocketing his Meishen flower. After a long silence, Su Jinxuan finally spoke in a soft, fragile voice, "Usually, medicinal ingredients for Grade-A superior pills are sold at auction, and the price generally hovers around two hundred thousand taels." Xu Yuan grinned at her words. "You're not wrong, but even bargaining doesn't slash prices like this. If I recall correctly, Hehuan Powder is considered a transcendent-grade medicinal formula." A concoction capable of knocking out a Saint naturally counted as transcendent-grade. Having her bluff called, Su Jinxuan looked embarrassed, an inadvertent trace of allure slipping out that would tempt anyone to pin her down and ravish her. "I... I was only giving an example. The primary ingredient for transcendent-grade pills is generally around a million taels..." Transcendent-grade pills were generally of great benefit to first-rank Transcendent Realm experts, and even to Saints. The primary ingredients were exceedingly rare and impossible to cultivate artificially. To concoct them, one could only rely on pure luck—hoping some clueless fool stumbled upon one deep in the mountains and dug it up, or venturing into a secret realm to search for it, as Xu Yuan had done. Over the entire past year, the vast Chancellor's Manor had concocted merely five transcendent-grade pills. One went to Lou Ji, one to Feng Jiuxuan, one to Zong Qingsheng, and two to Xu Changge; their father hadn't taken a single one. There would probably be more this year, given all the secret realms Old Man Luo had provided. If any more pills were successfully refined, Xu Yuan estimated he could get his hands on one as well. "..." His thoughts drifted slightly before he returned to the matter at hand. Xu Yuan nodded and smiled, "That truly is the market price. But the problem is, my Meishen flower has been extinct for thousands of years, and you just happen to be in desperate need of it." "..." Su Jinxuan's gaze began to wander. She desperately wanted it, but she truly had no money. Let alone five million taels, even five hundred thousand taels was an astronomical sum to her. After a long silence, Su Jinxuan gritted her teeth and whispered, "Young Master, if there is something you want Jinxuan to do, you might as well say it plainly." "If I asked you to warm my bed, would you agree to that too?" Xu Yuan asked with keen interest. "..." Su Jinxuan blinked her beautiful eyes. A blush rapidly spread across her fair skin, eventually reaching the tips of her ears, her red lips trembling slightly. Silence promptly enveloped the bedchamber. After who knew how long, Su Jinxuan finally calmed down, looked up at Xu Yuan, and said clearly, "Of course I would—if you dare, Third Young Master." The deeper the physical contact, the more one would fall under the control of the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique. With zero distance between them, he would likely fall madly in love with her in an instant. Hearing this, Xu Yuan chuckled and tilted his head. "Do you really think you're worth ten million taels?" "..." The words fell like a blade. She had come to see him tonight to prove that his past judgment hadn't been wrong, that she was useful to him now. Thus, though she wanted to refute his words, she had no idea how. Ten million taels of silver was an unattainable sum. A sudden pang of sourness welled up in her heart. Su Jinxuan clenched the corner of her robes, lowered her gaze, and kept her voice down. "In... In that case, Jinxuan will not buy this Meishen flower. As for... as for the silver I owed you before, I will definitely repay it in this lifetime." "Pfft—" Seeing her on the verge of tears, Xu Yuan chuckled aloud. "..." Hearing his laughter, Su Jinxuan kept her eyes cast downward, though her body trembled slightly. Xu Yuan said no more, quietly pushing the jade box containing the Meishen flower in front of her. "All right, take it. Lou Ji wanted it before, but I kept saving it for you." "..." Su Jinxuan bit her lip and stayed silent. Xu Yuan stood up, walked over to sit beside her, rubbed the edge of the teacup with his fingertips, and said softly, "If you wanted to argue back, you could have, Jinxuan. Why sulk all by yourself?" Su Jinxuan replied in a faint voice, "The Young Master speaks the truth. How could Jinxuan argue?" Xu Yuan set down the teacup, reached out with an index finger, touched her fair chin, and gently tilted it up. Their gazes met. He saw that her peach-blossom eyes were slightly reddened. Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, looked at her, and shook his head, speaking in a gentle tone: "Jinxuan, someone who belittles herself truly isn't worth ten million taels—not even a thousand taels. "A youth should harbor soaring ambitions. What you accomplished tonight has already proven that my initial judgment was not mistaken. So, stop looking down on yourself like this, all right?" "..." The room was so quiet that only the faint fragrance of roses wafting from her filled the air. She stared at him, the hand clutching her robes loosening slightly. Xu Yuan withdrew his hand from her chin, stood up, and walked toward his bed. Turning his back to her gaze, Xu Yuan said softly, "Su Jinxuan, I, Xu Changtian, am a pragmatic man. In my mind, most people come with a price tag. But likewise, some people are priceless. I don't know how you view yourself, but I hope you become someone priceless to me." "..." Looking at his back, Su Jinxuan's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Just then, Xu Yuan glanced back with a grin. "Alright, put the thing away. You already owe me so much anyway; a little more won't hurt. As the old saying goes, 'When the debt is too heavy, one stops worrying.'" The inexplicable tender sentiment that had just surfaced vanished in an instant. Su Jinxuan took two sharp breaths, her naturally alluring voice still carrying a faint remnant of her earlier tremor as she gritted her teeth, "Young Master Xu's great benevolence, Jinxuan will keep carved into her heart." Xu Yuan grinned. "No need to thank me. Repay me with your actions from now on. Although your cultivation has reached the fourth rank, in terms of actual combat power, you're no match for ordinary fourth-rank experts. Taking the Meishen flower will also help you comprehend Dao Charm as soon as possible." Pausing by the window, Xu Yuan changed the subject. "By the way, after serving as an undercover agent for so long, have you discovered which faction Qin Weijiu actually belongs to?" "..." Su Jinxuan stood up in silence and walked toward the bed. Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. After sitting by the edge of the bed, Su Jinxuan began to take off the boots from her delicate feet. Silence fell over the room for a moment. Xu Yuan watched her actions in slight surprise. "What are you doing?" Silently slipping off her boots, Su Jinxuan slid straight into Li Qingyan's bed. Her beautiful eyes shifted, and her lips curved up. "Young Master, didn't you say I should repay you with action? Tonight is long, and Jinxuan will slowly tell you everything you wish to know..." Xu Yuan chuckled softly and climbed into bed as well. "If it's cultivation, just say cultivation. Why make it sound so suggestive? Let me see just how deep your cultivation really is..."