Strangers

Madame Wan's four-courtyard mansion was not particularly large, lacking the extra space to build separate annexes for guests. Its mere six guest rooms were all clustered together in this side courtyard. A slender woman in plain robes, her tranquil brows and eyes pure yet laced with charm—alluring without being demonic—walked through the side courtyard's arched gateway. She stepped across the stone-paved path, every step seemingly blossoming with lotuses. Xu Yuan pushed his door open and stepped out, just happening to meet her upward gaze. The instant his eyes locked with those watery, peach-blossom eyes, Xu Yuan felt as if he were standing amidst a vast sea of trees, beholding a sky full of fluttering blossoms. The daze abruptly cleared. Remembering the hallucination just now, Xu Yuan mentally drew a breath of cold air. What ferocious allure. As the wielder of the Charm God Dao domain, he was well aware that he had not fallen into an illusion. The vision of falling blossoms that had appeared was more of a subjective lens filter. Just like when an ordinary person encountered someone they loved, their brain would automatically and boundlessly beautify that person's appearance. A very curious feeling. Yet having an innate beauty filter effect was likely still just a passive skill for her at present. The woman in plain clothes seemed already accustomed to how others looked at her. After a slight nod of acknowledgment, she paid Xu Yuan no further heed, walking off toward her own guest room. Seeing Su Jinxuan's behavior, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then called out to stop her: "Miss, greetings." "..." Her brows knit slightly. Pausing in her tracks, she glanced back. Su Jinxuan's expression was quite cold, yet it still could not conceal the natural allure in her eyes. Staring at Xu Yuan, she asked: "Is something the matter, sir?" Having braced himself for eye contact this time, Xu Yuan didn't experience that filter illusion again. Smiling, he quipped: "An allure that seems natural, a single glance that feels like ten thousand years, where the slightest lapse draws one into sweet oblivion... Miss, your skills are truly impressive." "..." Su Jinxuan remained silent, staring at him indifferently. "..." Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised. His words were both a compliment and a subtle accusation; she should have reacted in some way. Yet on second thought, he understood. During her time undercover, many people had likely tried striking up a conversation with similar lines. Having seen it so often, she had naturally become immune. The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Yuan shifted his tone slightly, saying solemnly: "Miss, you must possess the Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique, yes?" Su Jinxuan's brows furrowed, but this time she replied. She dipped her head slightly, her tone still distant: "I do. The offense just now was unintentional. Is there anything else?" Seeing her frigid reaction, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow in spite of himself. Puzzled, he cupped his hands and said: "I heard from Madame Wan that there was another guest staying here whom I hadn't yet seen, so I was curious. Meeting you today, you turn out to be such a beauty." "Now you have seen me." The little succubus, whom he had not seen in a long time, was like a hedgehog. After replying flatly, she gave a polite curtsy: "Sir, I am feeling slightly unwell, so I shall take my leave." With that, without waiting for Xu Yuan's response, she turned around in silence, pushed open her room's door, and slammed it shut behind her with a thud. "..." Sunlight poured down like a waterfall. With the beauty gone, Xu Yuan stood frozen in the courtyard for a moment, his calm eyes gradually growing dark. Something was off. Something was wrong with Su Jinxuan's state. Xu Yuan did not find it strange that this succubus wore a cold front around others; given her physique, being too warm would easily invite needless trouble. The problem was... When speaking with her just now, he had used his original voice. As the rising sun cast warm red light across the entire estate, the back hall of the inner chambers remained as dim as an overcast, rainy day. An eight-immortals table stood in the center of the hall, flanked by several square chairs showing signs of age and wear. A slender young woman dressed in coarse hemp sat upon one of them. Strands of blood-red patterns crept outward from beneath her feet, crawling across the entire inner room like a spiderweb, flickering between bright and dim, twisting and profound. Everything around was quiet. The young woman gently stroked her slightly swollen abdomen. Her face was shrouded in darkness, obscured from sight, but her eyes at this moment surely held a touch of maternal affection. It seemed like a fleeting instant, yet also an eternity. Without warning, a young boy's childish voice shattered the room's silence, carrying a faint hint of excitement, crisp and clear: "Mama, Sister Su is back." The young woman's hands did not stop caressing her abdomen as she spoke, her voice gentle and melodious: "Mama knows. What is it?" The childish voice carried a hint of grievance: "I thought Sister Su wouldn't come back." The young woman lightly tapped her abdomen with a slender fingertip, her voice tinged with a smile: "How could Sister Su not come back? She said before that she likes you very much, remember?" Hearing this, the child seemed rather pleased, his tender laughter echoing softly: "I thought I made her angry last time... Sister Su really is nice." The young woman's tone sounded completely matter-of-fact, mixed with a bit of affectionate scolding: "Who told you to be so impatient last time, you silly boy? Sister Su was bound to be frightened. Still, that strange woman is also to blame. Who could have known she would be entirely unaffected by us, and even bewitch Nuonuo's Sister Su?" "Oh... I understand." The boy responded softly, his voice full of anticipation: "Mama, if... if I can hold back, can I eat Sister Su this time?" "Of course you can." As if holding the most ordinary conversation, the young woman replied as a matter of course, "Sister Su likes our Nuonuo so much, she will surely be willing." The boy's voice took on a trace of eager, restless excitement: "Then today—" "Not today." "Tomorrow..." "Not tomorrow either," the young woman interrupted, her voice unhurried. The boy sounded a bit disappointed, a bit resentful: "Mama, haven't you prepared everything?" As he spoke, the boy seemed to recall something, his childish voice dripping with intense disgust: "Is it because of that wretched woman who almost hurt you, Mama?" The young woman gently shook her head, her voice very soft: "Of course not. That woman has already fled; she shouldn't dare to return." The boy fell silent for a moment, then his voice grew excited again: "So, Mama, you want to let me eat those two new older sisters and that older brother together, right?" "Nuonuo!" At the mention of those three, the young woman's voice turned stern: "Mama remembers telling you not to say such things again!" The sudden sternness silenced the boy. Only after a moment did he murmur in a deeply aggrieved tone: "Why? Being eaten by me should make the big brothers and big sisters happy, shouldn't it? Weren't all those uncles and aunts from before like that..." The young woman sighed softly, stroking her abdomen with earnest concern: "Nuonuo, that gentleman seems to be of the same kind as Mama." "Huh?" the boy asked. The young woman asked softly: "When we met last time, Nuonuo, could you see that gentleman's face clearly?" "His face... I... I don't remember." "It was the same for Mama. I couldn't see that gentleman's face clearly either, so I had no way of making him like you, Nuonuo." "..." Hearing this, the child lost his earlier nonchalance, his voice tinged with fearful panic: "Then... then what should we do? Mama, you are so weak right now, and that older brother is so dangerous. Wouldn't it have been fine if you just let him leave that day?" "One must always try." The young woman's eyes, hidden in the darkness, held a faint glimmer of greed and tenderness: "If that gentleman comes to like you, Nuonuo, you can eat him together with those older sisters... "When that time comes, Nuonuo will finally be able to be born."