Subjugation

Under the conflicted gazes of the three atop the altar, the most revered woman in the underground crypt knelt meekly at the feet of this young noble from the upper realm. The magnificent stone hall was as silent as the void. Xu Yuan did not answer. He merely watched Bai Muxi in silence, his eyes resting on the Blood God Stone held high above her head in both hands. He was somewhat surprised—even astonished—by her sudden gesture. Although he had memories of his past life and held a fairly deep impression of her, Xu Yuan did not actually understand the woman prostrated at his feet very well. This woman named Bai Muxi had very little story content in Cangyuan. She met the player atop a steep cliff by the sea, where she would gaze quietly at the receding tide and the rising sun. There were no dialogue options, but if the player visited that sea cliff every morning at the hour of the rabbit and chose to sit beside Bai Muxi to cultivate, persevering for seven days, she would initiate conversation. Choosing the right options would prompt her to offer guidance in the player's cultivation, granting experience points to level up. During those conversations, the serene expression on her face and her exquisitely delicate character portrait had once led Xu Yuan to believe she was another romanceable heroine. Yet upon delving deeper, he discovered that beneath her calm exterior, Bai Muxi was someone who revered absolute strength. Toward the weak, she was tranquil and aloof; toward the strong, she was passionate as fire. Unfortunately, the truly powerful rarely paid Bai Muxi any heed. And after that, Bai Muxi vanished without a trace. In Cangyuan, relationships between story characters shifted across different timelines. Depending on the player's choices, a character might belong to the Prime Minister's Manor in one timeline, only to join the sects in the next. Beyond changing factional allegiances, interpersonal relationships fluctuated just as much: characters who became husband and wife in one worldline might become bitter enemies in the next. Variations were manifold. Yet Bai Muxi—a female character with a unique portrait and a boss over level eighty—never changed. Always drawn to strength, she sought out the Prime Minister's Manor, sought out the sects, and even went looking for Guyuan. Yet no one ever paid her any heed. Until, in the end, she vanished entirely from the world map. *Phoo.* Exhaling softly, Xu Yuan—who had never understood back then why such a plotline existed—finally had a rough idea as he looked at her prostrated at his feet. Venerating strength was Bai Muxi's defining trait, and also the only bargaining chip she possessed. Her body, her cultivation, her very life—these were the only chips she held to trade with surface powers for a chance to save the people of the underground city. Unfortunately, even if she wagered every chip she possessed, it was nowhere near enough. In the silence, Xu Yuan slowly crouched down, his voice very quiet: "Bai Muxi, do you want to know how many experts it would take to purge this aberrant ghost Blood Nest?" Bai Muxi's kneeling form trembled slightly. She bit her lip and replied in a whisper, "Muxi... knows." Xu Yuan did not tell her to rise. Studying the scarlet gemstone held between her hands, he chuckled softly. "Tell me." The hands Bai Muxi held above her head quivered. "It would take one... one Transcendent expert." "A Transcendent expert..." Xu Yuan spoke in an unhurried drawl, then let out a low laugh. "It seems your underground city truly knows nothing of how powerful the aberrant ghosts in the Blood Demon Cave really are." Bai Muxi raised her eyes instinctively, looking up at Xu Yuan with confusion. Xu Yuan gave her a faint smile. "You have never explored the deepest depths of the Blood Demon Cave, have you?" Though her face was concealed beneath her veil, hesitation flickered in her beautiful eyes. "Yes." Crouching before her, Xu Yuan pointed casually toward the cavern passageway. "In there, there are four aberrant ghosts comparable to the Transcendent Realm. One of them is brutally fierce, and it possesses sentience." The moment the words fell, the pupils of the three underground Grandmasters on the altar constricted at once. Back then, when a single aberrant ghost comparable to the Origin Realm attacked, the four of them had rushed over and surrounded it with all their might, yet the beast had still slaughtered Diyang City, one of their seven cities, down to the last person. Yi Kui let out a bitter laugh, clenching her fists. She realized how laughable her earlier thoughts had been. Even if all four of them broke through to the Origin Realm, they would have no power to resist the next Blood Nest calamity. Four aberrant ghosts comparable to the Transcendent Realm... That was an apocalyptic catastrophe. Seeing Bai Muxi's dazed expression, Xu Yuan reached out and tore her veil straight off. Gazing upon her exquisitely carved, snow-pure features, he narrowed his eyes and asked, enunciating each word: "Muxi, tell this young master now: to save your underground city, how many experts would we have to deploy?" "..." Bai Muxi knelt on the ground, her slender waist held straight, her jade-like hands clutching the Blood God Stone pendant tightly. "Young Master, please..." "Heh." Xu Yuan chuckled, cutting her off. "To purge every aberrant ghost in this Silent Crypt would require at least three Transcendent experts. And you should know full well how dangerous aberrant ghosts are—they can turn any living creature into their own kind." With that, Xu Yuan stood up and looked down at her unveiled face. "Do you think your chips are enough?" Only a handful of factions in the entire world could command that many experts, and they naturally knew about aberrant ghosts. An Origin Realm cultivator renowned throughout the world was strong, but in the eyes of such colossal powers, they were merely high-grade muscle. Risking multiple Transcendent experts or even Semi-Saints in an uncharted aberrant ghost Blood Nest just to earn the loyalty of a single high-grade bruiser was simply not an equal trade. That was likely why no one had paid Bai Muxi any heed in his past life. Her eventual vanishing without a trace was perhaps because she had returned to the crypt that birthed and raised her, drowned alongside the underground city's four hundred thousand people in the Blood Nest calamity... Bai Muxi lowered her eyes in dejection, biting her lip in wordless silence. Xu Yuan looked down at her and repeated, his voice void of emotion: "I will give you one more chance to choose. I can take the four of you away." Bai Muxi's frail shoulders beneath her purple gossamer robe trembled. She slowly looked up, a trace of helplessness in her eyes. "Muxi... Muxi is willing to serve you as a maid and slave, Young Master. Please..." "Enough." Li Qingyan's cool, husky voice cut straight through Bai Muxi's pleading. "Changtian, teasing her like this is truly in poor taste." "..." Bai Muxi stared blankly at the red-robed woman who had suddenly spoken up, a glimmer of pleasant surprise surfacing in her eyes. Xu Yuan frowned, glancing back at the princess. "I am being serious." Aberrant ghosts were monsters capable of corrupting even Saints into their own kind. Li Qingyan snorted with amusement, the faint patterns on her red robe swirling with dark light. "If you truly had no intention of helping, you would have had this palace seize that scarlet pendant by force long ago." *Was this princess a roundworm in his belly?* Yet Xu Yuan immediately realized that the princess was playing along, backing him up. *Heh, having a high-IQ fiancée certainly makes things convenient.* Xu Yuan took a deep breath and insisted, "To save the people of this underground city, we must first eradicate every aberrant ghost in this crypt. Aside from my uncle, there are only Lou Ji and the others. My father would never let trusted aides like them take risks in an unnecessary place like this." As if seeing right through Xu Yuan's thoughts, Li Qingyan replied: "Duke Xu naturally would not agree to such a cost, but the gains from saving this underground city extend beyond just the four of them." With those words, neither of them spoke further, both turning their gazes toward Bai Muxi. "..." Under both of their stares, Bai Muxi thought for a brief moment and grasped the meaning behind their words. Her voice was serene and swift: "Young Master, the people of our underground city all believe in the Son of God. If you can bring them out from beneath the earth, Muxi can personally guarantee their loyalty." Dealing with smart people really saved effort. As for the loyalty Bai Muxi spoke of... People born and raised under a theocratic, brainwashing regime, if not all of them, would for the most part lack any strong sense of self. Touching his chin, Xu Yuan murmured with apparent hesitation, "Only seven thousand cultivators..." "More than that!" Bai Muxi hurried to speak, shuffling forward on her knees as her clear voice rose slightly. "Those with aptitude for cultivation already make up half the population in the underground city! It is only because Source Qi is scarce down here and resources are impoverished that we could provide for only the most gifted batch." "Half?" Xu Yuan stared at Bai Muxi. "Are you sure it's half?" Half was too exaggerated. He did not quite believe that figure. Bai Muxi caught her breath. After a long silence, she changed her tune: "Muxi... admits her fault. While not half, at least one-quarter of the mortals possess aptitude for cultivation." "I'll believe you for now. I hope you aren't lying to me." With that, Xu Yuan smiled, his eyes curving, and extended a hand toward Bai Muxi on the ground, saying softly: "Come, stand up..." "..." Looking at the extended hand, Bai Muxi felt her heart race slightly. Just as she was about to take his hand, another fair hand suddenly grasped her from the side and hoisted her straight up from the ground. "..." Looking into those cold, gorgeous phoenix eyes inches away, Bai Muxi instinctively shrank back. Calmly pulling Bai Muxi to her feet, Li Qingyan released her grip, turned her gaze back to Xu Yuan—who stood frozen with his hand still outstretched—and asked: "What should we do now?" "..." Xu Yuan silently withdrew his hand, straightened up, glared at the princess, and muttered irritably: "Head to the Blood Nest. Prepare to move out." "The Blood Nest?" Li Qingyan arched an eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan chuckled softly. "Where that sentient aberrant ghost sleeps. It's our only way out right now." Li Qingyan's willow-leaf brows knitted slightly. "With this fungal armor, this palace might be able to handle a mindless Transcendent aberrant ghost, but a sentient one..." "Who said anything about taking it head-on?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes at her. "After such a massive commotion earlier, that fellow has in all likelihood already awakened and gone to hunt down that Barbarian Heterodox King." Hearing this, Bai Muxi asked from the side, a trace of confusion in her voice: "A Barbarian Heterodox King...?" "Ah, I was just about to tell you. That Barbarian Heterodox King is a Semi-Saint expert." Xu Yuan glanced back at Bai Muxi and instructed in a low voice, "If your underground city has an evacuation shelter, you'd best evacuate the people down there immediately." "..." Bai Muxi's red lips formed an 'O'. For this underground city of theirs, the Origin Realm was already the pinnacle of strength; the Transcendent Realm was beyond their wildest dreams, let alone a Saint one realm higher. Yet after a momentary pause, she reined in her stunned expression. From this brocade-robed young man's words, it seemed an enemy Semi-Saint expert had also entered the Blood Demon Cave. The tremors originating from the depths of the Blood Demon Cave earlier had likely been his doing. In that case... "Don't get any wild ideas." A light laugh interrupted Bai Muxi's thoughts. Looking at the unveiled Chief Arbiter, Xu Yuan knew what she was thinking without even guessing. Staring into her eyes, he said, "There is zero possibility of you cooperating with that Semi-Saint." No one was a fool, and no one would fall to their knees and swear fealty to Xu Yuan without good reason; even if they bowed, it was mostly on account of the father backing him. Bai Muxi's surrender was capitulation to superior power, a choice born of having no choice. Now, learning that a Semi-Saint was present, the situation immediately changed. There was simply no comparison between a Semi-Saint and the Origin Realm. Xu Yuan's promise was, in the end, merely a promise, whereas a Semi-Saint expert could directly help their underground city escape its plight. Bai Muxi lowered her eyes, a hint of trepidation in her voice. "Young Master, you misunderstand..." "I'm not blaming you. A fine bird chooses a sturdy tree to perch upon. It's only natural to hesitate when other options present themselves." Xu Yuan cut off her explanation. "What I want to say is simple: that Barbarian King isn't human." Bai Muxi pressed her lips together. "Not human?" In the records of the surviving ancient texts, there were precedents of humans cooperating with other races... "Right. And his race shares a blood feud of epic proportions with our Great Yan." Saying so, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment before suddenly flashing a grin. "The kind of blood feud where an entire race is wiped out, more or less. That Barbarian King's people have been slaughtered to near extinction in the war against our Great Yan, so don't even think about cooperating with him as humans." "Wiped out?" Bai Muxi's pupils constricted in disbelief. "That Barbarian King is a Semi-Saint..." "Muxi." Xu Yuan interrupted her. Smiling, he raised a hand and gently patted her fair, smooth cheek. "This young master already told you earlier: on the surface, humanity flourishes, and our Great Yan's national might is at its zenith. Non-human races crumble at a single touch." A clever person would make clever choices, but the Barbarian King was likewise a clever barbarian; he would certainly know how to exploit information asymmetry to deceive people. The people of the underground city would learn of the Barbarian King's presence sooner or later. Disclosing these facts in advance would prevent Bai Muxi from outsmarting herself and seeking an alliance with him. Bai Muxi remained silent for a moment, folding her wide sleeves together. "Young Master, may I ask what the four of us can do for you?" "The four of you..." Xu Yuan glanced at the three Grandmasters on the altar. "You come with me to the Blood Nest to find a way out. The other three will stay behind to evacuate the citizens and await the experts I send down to rescue you." "Understood." With the path of allying with the Barbarian King cut off, Bai Muxi's voice held no further hesitation. "May I ask what Muxi can do for you on the way, Young Master?" Xu Yuan cast an odd look at her. "Qingyan may need to clear the path up front. I only have Soul Condensation cultivation, so naturally you are to stick close and protect me." With that, Xu Yuan turned and walked toward the exit of the stone hall. "Um, Young Master." Bai Muxi suddenly tugged at the hem of Xu Yuan's robe. Xu Yuan looked back. Holding the Blood God Stone in her hands, Bai Muxi looked at Xu Yuan with longing eyes and said timidly: "The Blood God Stone... you forgot it..."