Peculiar

Surprise rippled through Xu Yuan's mind, yet the faint smile in his eyes remained undisturbed. Deflected. Reflecting carefully on the sensation just now, Xu Yuan was certain he had not used the wrong word. Compared to investigative methods relying on intent-soul and Source Qi, spiritual vision—an ability derived from aberrant ghost transformation—possessed an almost mechanistic elegance. Its penetrative power and stealth practically defied all reason. However, surrounded by so many heavyweight powerhouses, Xu Yuan had seen his spiritual vision fail or be detected on more than one occasion. The chest-binding princess, bolstered by a military array, could turn invisible within the reach of his spiritual vision; Lou Ji's normal Dao domain could seize it directly; and as for the Saints above them... During a family meal once, Xu Yuan had tried extending his spiritual vision toward his father seated at the head of the table. At first, all went smoothly. Xu Yinhe merely picked up morsels with calm, steady composure. But the moment the vision moved within an inch of the old man's body, Xu Yuan lost all control over it. He could feel his spiritual vision hovering around his father, yet the reins had been torn from his grasp. Before he could even process his confusion at the turn of events, the runaway spiritual vision traced its way back along its path, surging straight toward his body and reaching his vital point in a flash! "..." Upon realizing the culprit was his ever-filial son, Xu Yinhe merely lifted his eyes, shot Xu Yuan a glance, and resumed eating. Then, control of the spiritual vision returned to Xu Yuan's hands. For someone whose cultivation had reached the level of a Saint, retracting and releasing anything was as effortless as breathing. Though terrifyingly close, he had suffered no actual harm. That, however, applied only to his father. His maternal uncle, on the other hand... When Xu Yuan went to the Sword Pavilion to practice swordsmanship with Feng Jiuxuan, he hadn't been able to rein in his curiosity halfway through. Operating on the principle that the worst that could happen was a beating, he tested his spiritual vision on him. The result... The result was that he had slept quite soundly. The moment his spiritual vision reached within ten zhang of Feng Jiuxuan, Xu Yuan felt as though someone had cleaved his skull with a sword, and he instantly collapsed onto the drill grounds and passed out. Only later did he learn that Feng Jiuxuan hadn't done it on purpose; an invisible ring of sword astral qi had simply enveloped him at all times. To lock onto him with a qi dynamic, one had to push through that barrier of sword astral qi. Xu Yuan's probe had merely triggered Feng Jiuxuan's permanent passive skill. Although he had learned that lesson the hard way, looked at from another angle, it had also proven how stealthy spiritual vision was. Until it stepped within ten zhang of the sword astral qi, Feng Jiuxuan hadn't sensed it at all—even if he had been caught entirely off guard. Aside from those, there were other failed attempts, but having his spiritual vision deflected like today was a first. These tangled thoughts flashed by in an instant. Xu Yuan did not make another attempt, but immediately noticed Mu Zhiyun's small hand clenching Mu Hongli's slightly tighter. Seems I was noticed. Without hesitation, a golden gleam flashed across Xu Yuan's eyes as he activated his Heavenly Yan divine soul. Right away, Mu Zhiyun's timid secret transmission echoed in Xu Yuan's mind: "Brother Li... something feels odd." "What is it?" Mu Hongli did not turn back, transmitting his voice with gentle restraint. "Just now, it felt like an intent-soul was deflected by me..." Mu Hongli's tone carried a hint of surprise. "To probe you without me noticing—their technique must be rather unique. However..." Reaching this point in his transmission, Mu Hongli paused in his tracks. A mildly displeased voice rang out across the quiet second floor of Hongshang Clothing Workshop: "Is Your Excellency not being somewhat overly impolite by doing this?" As he spoke, he slowly turned his gaze, looking toward Bai Muxi beside Xu Yuan. "..." Bai Muxi. Seeing this, Xu Yuan turned as well, his tone equally laced with displeasure. "Changxi, what did you just do?" "..." Bai Muxi. After a momentary daze, Bai Muxi realized what was happening. She promptly curtsied, stepping up to take the blame. "This concubine was merely curious..." "Humph!" Xu Yuan snorted coldly. Turning toward Mu Hongli's back with a smile, he cupped his hands in apology. "Brother Mu, my deepest apologies. My humble wife spends all year shut away in cultivation and knows nothing of worldly manners. I beg your forgiveness." "Let this not happen again. Watch yourself, sir." With that, Mu Hongli led Mu Zhiyun away without looking back. Watching the two leave completely, Xu Yuan remained where he was. The apologetic expression gradually faded from his face, replaced by an even deeper sense of strangeness. The moment his spiritual vision was deflected, Xu Yuan had subconsciously suspected Mu Zhiyun, wondering if the abduction back then had been an act scripted and directed entirely by her. At the same time, the possibility of a shielding artifact had crossed his mind. With the Chancellor's Manor's current formation array technology, it was impossible to craft an artifact capable of shielding against spiritual vision, but there might be ancient treasures handed down from antiquity in this world that could achieve such an effect. Yet after using the cheat of his Heavenly Yan divine soul to eavesdrop on their secret exchange, Xu Yuan suddenly felt things were not quite so simple. Mu Zhiyun's words directly ruled out the possibility of an artifact. "Young Master..." If it were the former, Mu Zhiyun's best choice would undoubtedly have been to play dumb. He was wearing a human-skin mask, just a stranger encountered by chance; someone caught probing would know they were in the wrong and would most likely not dwell on the underlying mechanics. One had to remember that after the abduction took place, Xu Yinhe had personally visited Marquis Wucheng's Manor to see Mu Zhiyun as an expression of apology, and later, regarding the marriage contract, he had dropped by the Marquis's manor quite frequently. Even so, the old man had never noticed anything amiss. In other words, Mu Zhiyun had already been given "gold water" by the "Seer." So long as she feigned ignorance, she could have continued keeping her peculiarities completely under wraps. "Young Master." Yet Mu Zhiyun had reacted immediately, and Mu Hongli didn't seem surprised at all that Mu Zhiyun could sense and block someone else's probing. What did this mean? Could that incident have been orchestrated by Marquis Wucheng's Manor? That made no sense whatsoever, because Marquis Wucheng's Manor had zero motive. As the most powerful pillar of the imperial faction, the Marquis had harbored immense disdain for his father, but back when the incident took place, the Chancellor's Manor and the imperial clan were still in their honeymoon phase, jointly holding up the Great Yan court. Given the old Marquis's vision, he would hardly have actively stirred up trouble to cause court infighting... Even with the intelligence gathered through the twin cheats of spiritual vision and Heavenly Yan divine soul, the clues still could not form a coherent web; at best, they offered a fresh direction to investigate. This woman, Mu Zhiyun, definitely harbored secrets... "Young Master!" "..." Xu Yuan. Snapping out of his reverie, Xu Yuan found Xiao Bai standing prettily before him. "What's wrong?" Bai Muxi looked back toward the stairway and said softly, "The clothes... I've chosen." "Oh? Is that so?" The sudden encounter had already diverted whatever mood Xu Yuan had been in, but hearing this, he immediately reined in his thoughts and asked with a smile, "Which one?" Bai Muxi raised a slender jade finger, pointing toward a glass display cabinet in the corner. Xu Yuan looked over, his brows lifting slightly. It was a purple silk gauze dress with hollowed-out shoulders that left a fair amount of skin bare. The layered, voluminous skirt draped securely over her lower body, while the neckline in front extended only down to the collarbones. Though it didn't expose much flesh, it exuded a distinct sensuality at a glance. It didn't quite match Xiao Bai's pure, delicate temperament, but it certainly passed muster. With that in mind, Xu Yuan smiled and called out to the attendant nearby: "You heard her, right? Take it down and ring it up." At this point, Xu Yuan paused slightly, adding with a soft chuckle: "Oh, right—I'll also cover the tab for the custom-tailored Liuxian dresses those two ordered just now."