Foolish Arrogance

Question: If this charming, alluring pure courtesan before his eyes truly intended to take her own life, would Xu Yuan step in to stop her? Three. Two. One. The answer was no. As a man of sound senses, having such a breathtakingly beautiful woman die before his very eyes would probably leave Xu Yuan feeling regretful, but he would definitely never step in to stop it. Before stepping into Bamboo Courtyard, he had already known Su Jinxuan's identity, so he had naturally prepared his expectations accordingly. If this pure courtesan who had targeted him specifically wanted to commit suicide, he would most likely have watched the show with a grin. He would watch her put on a dramatic performance, watch her look tender and pitiful, watch her act stubborn and helpless, watch her act until she embarrassed herself. As someone who had rubbed shoulders with death countless times, Xu Yuan did not believe that given a choice, Su Jinxuan would cleanly and decisively end her own life. Yet the reality now was that all of Xu Yuan's mental preparations had become a complete joke. The moment he laid eyes on this woman, he had been rooted to the spot. If not for having established a clear course of action in his mind before entering Bamboo Courtyard, he might have simply played along the very moment she brought up musical theory. Yet even with prior awareness of what he intended to do, when it came down to acting, Xu Yuan had still been swayed by the emotions surging within his heart. Heartache, anxiety over gains and losses, and ultimately stepping in to stop her. This was not normal, but at the time Xu Yuan had been unable to see it himself. Only when the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art began to circulate did Xu Yuan suddenly realize his abnormality. His emotions were being manipulated by that woman. Probing carefully, Xu Yuan felt a sudden jolt in his heart. The surface of his intent-soul had been coated in floating, plankton-like particles. The appearance of these particles caused no discomfort whatsoever. They were not dense, scattered sparsely across the surface of his intent-soul as if blending into one with it. Under deliberate, conscious perception, Xu Yuan realized that these floating particles were actually moving. They were desperately boring their way into his intent-soul. Yet this boring did not cause Xu Yuan the slightest discomfort. On the contrary, a certain aura radiating from these floating particles even brought Xu Yuan a trace of pleasure. Unfortunately for them, even if Xu Yuan was completely unguarded, the sheer density of his Innate Soul Body prevented these intangible particles from penetrating inside for the time being. The Su Jinxuan before him clearly possessed no cultivation, just like in the original story; otherwise, Zhou Chen wouldn't have wished him martial fortune before leaving. Yet it had still happened. Besides Source Qi cultivation, this world actually had such bizarre attack methods? The moment he realized this, Xu Yuan opened his mouth to call for backup. Fight one-on-one? Out of the question. I have bodyguards. Yet the instant he opened his mouth, Xu Yuan realized he couldn't speak. "..." Xu Yuan. He sensed the granular things attached to the surface of his intent-soul suddenly begin to undulate rhythmically according to a certain pattern. And with the undulation of these things, Xu Yuan found that control over his body was slipping away. He could see, he could hear, all five senses were completely normal, but he simply couldn't speak or move, capable only of standing quietly where he was. Su Jinxuan cast her eyes downward and pursed her lips, a seductive gleam faintly shimmering in her peach-blossom eyes. Lightly pressing her reddened, swollen wrist, she said with an aggrieved tone: "Third Young Master, what is the meaning of this..." The moment her voice rang out, the undulations of those granular things instantly grew violent. The next moment, Xu Yuan's body moved beyond his control. Flashing a faint smile, he raised a hand to cut her off: "Now, now, Jinxuan." As he spoke, Xu Yuan's body walked toward Jinxuan: "In truth, I didn't want to treat you like that just now either. I was only afraid you might truly do something rash and take your own life. I hope you won't blame me." "..." Su Jinxuan remained silent for a moment before slowly raising her eyes to look at Xu Yuan. Sunlight streamed through the window latticework onto Su Jinxuan's alluring face, half in shadow, half in light. As their gazes met, Xu Yuan could faintly see ripples of peach blossoms welling in the woman's eyes. In his dazed trance, who knew how many more floating particles drifted onto the surface of his intent-soul. Her tone carried a faint hint of humble pleading: "Third Young Master, your status is noble, so how could Jinxuan dare blame you? I only beg that you do not force Jinxuan to do anything she does not wish to do." "Force you?" Following the conversation, Xu Yuan's body sat back down on the prayer mat and chuckled softly: "That depends on your own performance. If you can keep me interested, spending a little more time playing with you isn't out of the question. "Heh, this tea is too bland. Someone bring me wine!" "..." "..." The conversation between them shifted from Xu Yuan's earlier blunt demands to the ordinary banter of a young master and a pure courtesan. Drinking together, listening to music, discussing musical theory, and trading amusing rumors from the streets. The eerie spectacle of his body speaking and acting on its own stirred a sliver of panic in Xu Yuan's heart. However, that trace of panic was instantly supplanted by his habitual calm when facing crises. The situation before him was already all too clear. This Su Jinxuan was stalling for time. She needed enough time for those bizarre floating particles to bore into his intent-soul. As for the consequences of letting these things bore inside... Xu Yuan recalled the original host's borderline-mad behavior in the storyline. Tsk, Kotoamatsukami, is that it? This sort of consciousness control was far too bizarre; lacking experience, Xu Yuan could not find any countermeasure for the moment. As time ticked by, Xu Yuan could feel that the surface of his intent-soul had become densely covered with those bizarre floating particles. Yet frustrated by the resilience of the Innate Soul Body, these things remained unable to drill inside his intent-soul. A sense of powerlessness gradually welled up in his heart. The cluelessness and the perception of those floating particles began to throw Xu Yuan's thoughts into disarray. Since transmigrating, Xu Yuan had considered himself cautious enough, but reality had dealt him a resounding slap in the face. He was not cautious; on the contrary, he was exceedingly arrogant. Knowing full well that something was off about Su Jinxuan, he had still chosen to come alone. And the reason he did so, aside from having Ying'er protecting him on the side, was mostly because the omniscient perspective he once possessed made him think he could handle this captivating, alluring woman on his own. Too foolish. Utterly foolish arrogance. Regret was useless. Forcibly gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan began to search his memory from start to finish, bit by bit, for anything he could use. Ying'er had not intervened yet, which clearly meant she hadn't sensed the danger he was facing. Right now, he had to save himself. As his thoughts drifted, Xu Yuan thought of the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. The Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art was intricate and profound, but it entirely documented methods for utilizing Source Qi; regarding the intent-soul, it contained only basic perception and techniques for gathering Source Qi. Even though the efficiency of this perception and gathering of Source Qi far exceeded ordinary cultivation techniques, it was of no help whatsoever in his current predicament. There was some helplessness, but even more despair. The Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art could simultaneously create an Innate Body and an Innate Soul Body, yet the latter merely served the cultivation speed of the former? When he had cultivated it before, he thought this was perfectly reasonable, believing that Source Qi cultivation determined everything. Yet in this world, there seemed to exist power systems outside of Source Qi cultivation. Looking at it this way, this scarlet-grade technique manual was a bit too unbalanced... Wait. Manual? Xu Yuan's thoughts paused slightly. He suddenly remembered the nameless secret technique that was paired with the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. During those days of study when he had first arrived at the cave abode, Xu Yuan couldn't remember how many times he had read the two manuals together. It was only because human energy was limited that Xu Yuan had poured all his focus into cultivating Source Qi and put the other aside. Like someone drowning in darkness catching sight of a ray of light, Xu Yuan's spirit jolted, and he began recalling the contents recorded in that nameless manual. As the memories surfaced bit by bit, Xu Yuan realized that it truly was a secret technique for cultivating the intent-soul. And an offensive one at that. Its method of attack was simple and could be described in a single word: devour. Apart from the conventional tempering of the intent-soul, it allowed the cultivator to strengthen themselves directly by devouring the intent-souls of others. Normal cultivators wouldn't dare do such a thing, as they would most likely suffer qi deviation from the incompatibility between intent-souls, but an Innate Soul Body had no such fear. It was a perfect match for the condensed nature of an Innate Soul Body's intent-soul. At this thought, Xu Yuan's mind eased slightly. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately immersed himself in studying the manual's cultivation logic and methods. Cultivation knows no time. After an unknown span of time, Xu Yuan projected his consciousness outward from his sea of consciousness once more. The stars had shifted, the sunlight was gone, and a full moon hung high in the sky. Pure white moonlight spilled through the bamboo grove into the room, while his body was still conversing with Su Jinxuan. The tense atmosphere of the day between them was gone. Amid light smiles and chatter, their gazes almost seemed to convey affection. Sandalwood incense drifted in the air as the topics Su Jinxuan had directed and acted out finally drew to a close. A touch of post-drinking flush made Su Jinxuan's face appear all the more alluring. With a smile at the corner of her lips, she cast a sidelong glance at the moonlight outside and said tactfully: "Third Young Master, the hour is late." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's body chuckled mischievously and reached out to grasp her fair wrist: "Indeed, it is getting late, Jinxuan. A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold pieces." Su Jinxuan's expression stiffened ever so slightly—just the right amount. Letting him hold her hand, she said in a hushed voice: "Third Young Master, didn't you... didn't you promise earlier that you wouldn't force Jinxuan?" "..." His body was silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh: "Fine, have it your way. I won't touch you tonight, but you must let me stay here." "B-but..." Su Jinxuan seemed to want to say more. Seeing this, Xu Yuan's body directly furrowed his brows. As if resigned, Su Jinxuan nodded gently: "Very well... Then Jinxuan will trust the Third Young Master's character, but we must sleep fully clothed..." "...Fine~ We'll do as my Jinxuan says." "..." Listening to their exchange, Xu Yuan could barely keep a straight face. Directing and acting the whole thing herself—it was truly a pity this woman hadn't become a playwright writing storybooks. However, this dialogue let Xu Yuan know that his current state couldn't withstand close scrutiny, and in all likelihood, he couldn't stray too far from Su Jinxuan. Otherwise, she would never have let him stay the night. With that, Su Jinxuan summoned a maid to bring a copper basin for them to wash up. The lone lamplight amid the bamboo grove was extinguished, leaving only moonlight filtering softly through the window lattice into the room. Drawing the bed curtains, the two climbed into bed fully clothed. Feeling the softness of the bedding, Xu Yuan caught the delicate fragrance emanating from the woman as his vision fell into darkness. Yet several breaths later, his body suddenly stirred, turning on its side to gently embrace the boneless, delicate form of the woman beside him. Two seconds of silence. Her voice trembled slightly: "Th-Third Young Master..." Xu Yuan's body replied softly: "Go to sleep." "..." Thoughts flashing by, Xu Yuan focused his mind. In the silent dark, the nameless secret technique gradually began to circulate...