Parting

As a meticulous man, Xu Yuan had not forgotten his prior instructions to Zhou Chen. Yet as it turned out, he had somewhat overestimated himself. It did not take two quarters of an hour at all. The succubus Su had indeed become deeper than before—so deep in cultivation that he could not drain her dry. After cultivating the Great Joyous Union Yin-Yang Art, her Meishen spores had grown even more minute and imperceptible, and their numbers were worlds apart from back in Jingjiang Prefecture. What was more, Su Jinxuan could now even detonate and crush her own Meishen spores, feeding pure soul power directly into Xu Yuan's sea of consciousness. Full, one-stop service. Before he had even finished absorbing one batch, she had already fed in another pinch. In just a quarter of an hour, he was stuffed completely full by her. Inside the side chamber, only the rustling of clothing broke the quiet. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Su Jinxuan slipped a pair of white lace-trimmed silk stockings over jade feet as fair as mutton-fat jade, slowly pulling them up as she asked casually, "Young Master... are you satisfied already? Once we part this time, Jinxuan has no idea when she will see you next." Xu Yuan sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, eyes shut, his expression placid and his voice calm as still water. "Moderation in all things." Su Jinxuan pulled on her boots and let out a soft snort of amusement through her dainty, upturned nose. "Back in Jingjiang Prefecture, Young Master would always torment Jinxuan until she could take no more before finally stopping." Xu Yuan opened his eyes and shot her a glance. "If you'd like to try, we can do it right now." As he spoke, he reached out toward the slender, fair wrist beneath her plain robes. "In a different way." "Hmph." Su Jinxuan dodged him effortlessly, smiling radiantly. "Young Master, Princess Wuyuan is still fighting for her life in the south of the city. Isn't acting like this a bit unfair to her?" "Are you scared?" Seeing this, Xu Yuan's eyes twinkled with teasing amusement. Su Jinxuan pouted, her girlish demeanor making it difficult to maintain composure. "Of course I am. I heard that princess is a god of slaughter; even if she hasn't slain millions, it's at least hundreds of thousands. Jinxuan is just an ordinary woman, so of course she is terrified." Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle. "Actually, she's decent enough. She's just a bit too calculating." "Too calculating?" Su Jinxuan asked with curiosity. Xu Yuan reached over and patted her head. "Far more calculating than you, at least. With a personality like yours, how on earth haven't you blown your cover by now?" Su Jinxuan did not dodge this time, giving him a gentle, reproving glare. "Jinxuan has improved a great deal." Xu Yuan stood up and sat beside her at the edge of the bed, chuckling. "How come I haven't noticed any improvement? You're just like back in Jingjiang Prefecture—a few casual words and your temper flares right up." Su Jinxuan curled her lip, breathtakingly charming, every gesture exuding allure. "I don't know. In front of Young Master, Jinxuan feels like a fool. Whatever you say manages to rile me up." "..." Hearing her words, Xu Yuan felt his heart race slightly as a surge of heat flared within him. The hand resting against her silken hair slid down, wrapping around her soft, seemingly boneless shoulder. Lowering his voice, he said, "You'd better stop using your charm techniques, or I can't guarantee your safety." Su Jinxuan's delicate frame trembled faintly. Looking up at his handsome face from so close, her heart pounded and her dark eyes glistened, her breath growing shallow. "Young Master... Jinxuan didn't use anything. I... I was only telling the truth." "..." Xu Yuan licked his dry lips. The two were pressed so close that they could feel each other's warm breath. Embarrassing as it was to admit, there was simply no resisting an inborn demonic physique; even unintentionally, it could ensnare a person's soul. Before she had cultivated, it had been manageable, but now that she possessed cultivation, even that greater succubus Lou Ji could not compare. If this succubus Su ever developed a temperament like Lou Ji's in the future... Xu Yuan hardly dared to imagine. As their gazes locked, Xu Yuan suddenly noticed a watery mist welling in Su Jinxuan's peach-blossom eyes just inches away. Then, she pursed her lips and closed her eyes. A beauty whose single glance could topple cities and realms lay ready for the taking, the softness veiled beneath her loose, plain robes trembling and heaving with her rapid breathing. "..." Xu Yuan felt a numbness wash over him. The atmosphere was certainly there, but was their relationship at that stage? What the hell was she doing closing her eyes right now? Xu Yuan knew very well what closing her eyes meant, but when it came to something like the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique, going deeper was no trivial matter. Amid his swirling thoughts, Xu Yuan suddenly clenched his fist. Damn it, who was she looking down on? Whatever, he had the Meishen Dao Charm anyway. In the silence, Xu Yuan deftly laid her delicate, boneless body flat upon the bed. He rose to his feet and was just about to unfasten his robes— BANG! The door was kicked open from the outside. "..." Zhou Chen. Xu Yuan slowly turned his eyes toward him, his gaze placid. "..." Zhou Chen suddenly felt tonight's weather was a bit chilly. Their gazes met for a single instant. SLAP! Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Chen slapped himself across the face, bowed his head, and cupped his hands. "Third Young Master, Zhou has urgent matters to report." "Get out first." Xu Yuan smiled faintly, his voice laced with an amused edge. "Report in a moment." "Understood. Just call if you need anything." Cursing inwardly a blue streak, Zhou Chen respectfully shut the door and returned outside to keep watch in the courtyard. The door closed, leaving the side chamber in brief silence. Su Jinxuan lay on her back, her loose, plain robes unable to conceal the swelling curves yielding to gravity. Her peach-blossom eyes looked up at Xu Yuan, wide and expectant. "..." Silently cycling his cultivation art for two circuits, the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art truly lived up to its bloody rank—in barely a dozen breaths, Xu Yuan regained his clarity. He recognized his own abnormality. The innate allure of the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique had practically let his lower brain hijack his upper one. Just how much resistance the Meishen Dao Charm offered against the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique remained undetermined; he had nearly made a catastrophic slip of passion. While there were plenty of ways to sleep together, indulging in pleasures under this city-under-siege situation ought to wait a little longer. It wasn't entirely his fault, nor was it Su Jinxuan's. The night was so tenderly and beautifully dark, and combined with the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique, who could hold back? Looking at Su Jinxuan still sprawled on the bed, Xu Yuan rubbed between his brows, lowered his hand, and chuckled softly. "What are you still lying there for? Up you get." "Mmh... okay." Su Jinxuan silently sat up from the bed. A flicker of relief passed through her peach-blossom eyes, along with a faint, indistinct warmth, but recalling her shameless behavior just now, her fair face blushed so red it seemed on the verge of dripping blood. She didn't know why she had done something so shameless just then... The more she thought about it, the faster her heart pounded. Without a word, she sat primly on the edge of the bed, her spine straight as a rod. After a long pause, Su Jinxuan flusteredly gathered her thoughts and whispered, "Young Master, I'm sorry..." "Hm?" Having returned to his normal state, Xu Yuan asked curiously, "What are you apologizing for?" Su Jinxuan's voice was soft as she took the blame upon herself. "Jinxuan's physique is peculiar; I almost caused Young Master to make a grave mistake." Xu Yuan shook his head with an unbothered smile. "'A single sweet glance amidst the crowd turns all earthly beauty into dust.' Who told you to be born so gorgeous, Jinxuan?" "..." Hearing this, Su Jinxuan's beautiful peach-blossom eyes curved into crystal crescents, an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Noticing her expression, Xu Yuan suddenly leaned in close, deliberately asking with curious wonder, "Jinxuan, could you tell me why you closed your eyes just now?" Su Jinxuan's eyes widened slightly, panic darting through them like a startled swan. "Cl-closed my eyes... Jinxuan... Jinxuan just now... just now..." Halfway through, her voice grew quieter and quieter until she simply hung her head, struck dumb. What an embarrassing succubus, Xu Yuan thought with a faint smile. Still, it was fortunate she was so easily embarrassed. If this succubus Su ever turned into that old woman Lou Ji in the future... he hardly dared imagine. "If you can't answer, then forget it." Xu Yuan's voice was gentle and soft, chatting casually in a reassuring tone. "Jinxuan, do you know, back when we parted in Jingjiang Prefecture, I thought that next time we met, you'd show up as a demonic sect enchantress?" "Huh?" Su Jinxuan looked up, puzzled. "A demonic sect enchantress?" "Isn't that how storybooks always go?" As he spoke, Xu Yuan pointed at himself. "A noble scion falls on hard times, a demonic sect enchantress descends from the heavens to save him—beauty saves the beast." "Pfft—" Su Jinxuan broke into a giggle, radiant and charming, teasing him in a soft voice. "Young Master, you're actually so childish?" Xu Yuan smiled and replied softly, "Men are all like that. More or less, everyone imagines plots like that." Hearing his words, the ripples of embarrassment and tension in Su Jinxuan's heart gradually faded away. "Then Jinxuan will cultivate diligently and strive to play the beauty saving the beast for Young Master next time we meet, hehe~" Xu Yuan looked her up and down with great interest for a while, then shook his head. "Your cultivation might be enough, but when it comes to combat prowess, you're probably still lacking." "Young Master, Jinxuan isn't weak." Su Jinxuan blinked and murmured, "The Source Qi inside Jinxuan's body right now is fifty percent more than an ordinary Flesh Integration Realm cultivator's." "Ran Qingmo—ever heard of her?" Xu Yuan asked suddenly. "..." The smile on Su Jinxuan's face froze, a touch of gloom flashing across her peach-blossom eyes. News of the Sword Sect's head disciple traveling the world with the Chancellor's Manor's Third Young Master had naturally reached her ears. Xu Yuan noticed, but continued nonetheless: "Although your cultivation isn't unstable thanks to your physique and cultivation art, if you run into a true genius like Ran Qingmo, you won't stand a chance." Su Jinxuan tightened her fists slightly and said in a low voice, "Jinxuan will catch up to her." Xu Yuan voiced no objection to this. The succubus Su had cheats; the big block of ice didn't. Of course she could catch up. But that wasn't what he wanted to say. Pausing, Xu Yuan said, "That's not what I mean. Jinxuan, your physique and cultivation art are indeed formidable, but don't be too eager for quick results. You currently have no Dao Charm, no Intent, and not even any practical combat experience." This was likely the common affliction of those whose cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Before entering the Qionghua secret realm, even with the support of a blood-rank cultivation art, those musclebound meatheads of the same realm in Wuxuan Courtyard could still string him up and beat him senseless. Real combat experience was truly vital. And if one wanted to go further, one needed to comprehend Dao Charm and Intent. Su Jinxuan seemed to half-understand. "Young Master means that Jinxuan should take time to consolidate and settle?" "Pretty much." Xu Yuan nodded, glancing at the jade box holding the Meishen flower on the table. "You should be able to comprehend the Meishen Dao Charm with the Meishen flower, but my advice is not to break through immediately." Su Jinxuan smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Young Master, Jinxuan knows where to draw the line. The reason Qin Weijiu gives Jinxuan free rein right now is precisely because Jinxuan hasn't comprehended Dao Charm and poses no threat to him." The grudge of her family's massacre was a thorn in Qin Weijiu's heart. Although the extermination of the Su Clan Drapery had been executed in deep secrecy, and although nearly twenty years had passed, it remained a thorn lodged in Qin Weijiu's throat, preventing him from ever fully trusting Su Jinxuan. Xu Yuan praised, "You're quite clever after all." Su Jinxuan gave a soft humph and gazed straight at Xu Yuan. "I already told you, Jinxuan only acts like a fool in front of Young Master." "..." Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Seamlessly shifting his gaze, he changed the subject: "Qin Weijiu can't possibly trust you completely, can he? Hasn't he stationed someone to watch over you?" Hearing this, Su Jinxuan was silent for a moment, then nodded. "He assigned a third-rank Grandmaster, claiming it was to protect Jinxuan's safety, but in truth to surveil me." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Then in coming to find me, won't you get exposed?" "Young Master... are you worrying about Jinxuan?" Su Jinxuan smiled. Xu Yuan nodded without hesitation. "Of course I care. You currently owe this young master nearly ten million taels of silver; I can't afford to lose such a treasure." A tingling warmth spread through Su Jinxuan's heart, and she smiled alluringly. "Rest assured, Young Master, that person is already dead tonight." "Dead?" Surprise showed in Xu Yuan's eyes. "You can already control a third-rank Grandmaster?" Su Jinxuan shook her head. "That Grandmaster was a woman. Jinxuan's bewitching physique has limited effect on women." "Limited?" Xu Yuan asked with interest. "In other words, it still works?" "Naturally it does." Su Jinxuan shot Xu Yuan a roll of her eyes. "However, that woman was probably specially cautioned by Qin Weijiu. She was on guard against me, so it was hard for me to make a move directly; I could only borrow a knife to kill." "You killed her with the warehouse formations?" "Mmh. Qin Weijiu had arranged for her to fetch an item from Lingshui Palace's depot. Her errand happened to conflict with my orders, so I had that Flesh Integration cultivator blast her to pieces with the formation." A chill flashed through Su Jinxuan's eyes. "A third-rank Grandmaster ought to make Qin Weijiu ache for a while." Xu Yuan frowned. "Don't do that again next time." "Huh?" Su Jinxuan looked puzzled. Xu Yuan exhaled. "Just a third-rank Grandmaster. It's not worth it." "Even a third-rank Grandmaster isn't worth it?" Su Jinxuan blinked, uncomprehending. "..." Seeing her bewildered gaze, Xu Yuan felt wry amusement in his heart. Perspective. If it had been him before entering the Qionghua secret realm, he probably would have thought the risk was well worth taking. A third-rank Grandmaster was considered among the very pinnacle of Great Yan's pyramid; after all, across his long travels he had only ever encountered a single fourth-rank Flesh Integration cultivator. But after staying in the Imperial Capital for a long time... While a third-rank Grandmaster was indeed among the pinnacle, they were also nothing more than high-grade enforcers. Even right now, Grandmaster Zhou was outside in the snow watching the courtyard door. Weighing his words, Xu Yuan said with utter seriousness, "I hope you won't take such risks in the future. A third-rank Grandmaster simply isn't worth Jinxuan putting herself in danger." He placed extra emphasis on "Jinxuan putting herself in danger." Su Jinxuan's eyes sparkled. She pursed her lips into a smile. "Alright." Hearing her answer, Xu Yuan nodded gently. "Is there anything else important you need to mention?" Tilting her head in thought, Su Jinxuan said, "Everything I've uncovered has already been shared with Young Master. Qin Weijiu doesn't trust me, so there's a lot he hasn't let me handle yet." Hesitating slightly, Xu Yuan asked, "Since he doesn't trust you, why don't you just—" "Young Master." Su Jinxuan cut him off, chest held high, wearing an elegant smile. "We are in a partnership." Seeing the resolve in her gaze, Xu Yuan sighed and pressed no further. "If so, do you have a way out of the city, Jinxuan?" "Yes, Qin Weijiu has already arranged it for me." Su Jinxuan stood up gracefully and curtsied to Xu Yuan. "Young Master, once we part today, it may be a very long time before we meet again." "Go on. Hopefully next time we meet, you'll be a third-rank Grandmaster." Leaning back slightly with his arms braced against the bed, Xu Yuan smiled. "The Chancellor's Manor treats third-rank Grandmasters pretty well. By then, you'll probably only need to work for two hundred years or so to pay off your debt." Su Jinxuan chuckled coquettishly. "Alright. Next time we meet, Jinxuan will definitely become that demonic enchantress to rescue Young Master~" "Ha, I hope so." Xu Yuan waved his hand, signaling that she could go. Yet Su Jinxuan did not move. Her eyes stared straight at his smiling face. Xu Yuan found it a bit strange. In the next instant, he caught sight of a sudden flash of pink light in her eyes. A moment of daze, a gust of fragrant scent filling his nose, and then Xu Yuan felt an immense softness press against his chest as red lips as addictive as poppies lightly pressed against his own...