The Objective

"......" After a moment of daze, Xu Yuan suddenly had a flash of realization. Under the world's self-completion, the plotlines he knew from his past life were no longer entirely reliable, but that did not mean certain pieces of information weren't still accurate. Many things in his memory clicked into place at this moment. For instance, in the original plot, the previous host of his body had gone to block the gates of Changhong Valley most likely because Qin Weijiu had been meddling behind the scenes. If that was the case, what was his objective in doing so? Su Jinxuan had said that Qin Weijiu sent her here to plant a hidden pawn within the Chancellor's Manor. The status of the manor's Third Young Master, combined with the dissolute character he had always displayed, ensured that nothing he did would ever arouse suspicion. Now that the "task was accomplished," Qin Weijiu's very first assignment was actually to have him kill Qin Mo. Xu Yuan narrowed his long, slender eyes. The original storyline flashed continuously through his mind as reference points, and his expression grew increasingly peculiar. In doing this, Qin Weijiu likely did not want Qin Mo dead, but rather wanted him—the Third Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor—to be killed in counterattack by Qin Mo. Following the logic of the plot, Qin Weijiu would find a way from the shadows to hold back the three Grandmasters guarding Xu Yuan, thereby creating an opportunity for Qin Mo to strike down the young master. Then the question arose: what benefit could Qin Weijiu possibly gain by having Qin Mo kill him? As a sleeper agent, the identity of the Third Young Master was practically flawless. He stood at the absolute core of the Chancellor's Manor, and he could even serve as a springboard to continuously funnel internal spies into the manor under the guise of recruiting retainers. Yet Qin Weijiu had discarded such a massive advantage without hesitation. What he sought had to be far greater. Thoughts racing, Xu Yuan continuously reassembled and pieced together various bits of information in his mind, trying to deduce Qin Weijiu's purpose. In the end, however, he arrived at only an improbable answer. If Qin Mo killed the Third Young Master, he would inevitably forge a mortal feud with the Chancellor's Manor. Judging from Qin Mo's current performance, emerging from Burial Village marked him as an immaculate prodigy. If he could be nurtured, he was bound to become a towering pillar in the future. Bound by an irreconcilable enmity, he would become an enormous asset for Qin Weijiu against the Chancellor's Manor. At this thought, Xu Yuan immediately dismissed the notion. Qin Weijiu, unlike him, had no idea that Qin Mo was the protagonist of this world. Throwing away a pawn already firmly in his grasp just in exchange for Qin Mo's uncertain future? Such an action would be both foolish and absurd. Moreover, Qin Mo already harbored a blood feud against the Chancellor's Manor for the slaughter of his village; going out of the way to orchestrate this was entirely superfluous. *Wait, superfluous...* The moment that thought flashed across his mind, Xu Yuan froze. After a few moments of silence, his heartbeat slowly quickening, Xu Yuan suddenly spoke up: "Su Jinxuan, while you were traveling with Qin Mo, did Qin Weijiu ever instruct you to pry into information about Qin Mo's village?" "Hm?" Su Jinxuan blinked her pretty eyes, somewhat caught off guard by the abrupt leap in Xu Yuan's words, but she still answered truthfully: "Yes, he did." Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, his suspicion confirmed. "What did you find?" "Qin Mo said the elders in that village all treated him as if he were their own." "Did he say anything more?" Su Jinxuan looked slightly puzzled. "Anything more?" Xu Yuan instinctively wanted to ask straight out, but when the words reached his lips, he adjusted his phrasing: "For instance, when he spoke of those elders, was there anything unnatural about him?" Su Jinxuan's confusion deepened, but she remained sensible enough not to pry, answering honestly, "Yes, there was." "What was it?" Xu Yuan pressed immediately. "When talking about those things, his spirits didn't seem very high. Even when he brought up something happy, his mood would instantly turn downcast right after." "Nothing else besides that?" "No." "And did you report this to Qin Weijiu?" "No, I only relayed Qin Mo's interpersonal relationships in the village," Su Jinxuan replied. Hearing this, Xu Yuan smiled. Everything suddenly became crystal clear. Burial Village. Su Jinxuan had mentioned that Qin Weijiu knew about Burial Village and knew Qin Mo hailed from it. However, Qin Weijiu had no idea that the great demons and master outlaws residing in Burial Village had already been slaughtered down to the last soul by Xu Yuan's father. All of Xu Yuan's prior deductions had presumed that Qin Weijiu already knew Burial Village had been wiped out. It turned out he didn't know at all. Now the situation was plain to see. Qin Weijiu wanted to pit Burial Village against the Chancellor's Manor. Those who retreated into Burial Village had done so to live out their old age in hiding, but that did not mean all their connections to the outside world were severed. In Cangyuan, the protagonist had more than once encountered old flames or sworn brothers of those village elders coming to his aid. Add in the top experts within Burial Village itself, and that amounted to an extraordinarily formidable power—one that far surpassed the benefits of planting a mole in the Chancellor's Manor. Therefore, Qin Weijiu wanted to pull Burial Village, which also operated in the shadows, into his own faction. Based on the information available to Qin Weijiu, this was undeniably a brilliant move. He wouldn't even need to step onto the stage himself. Whether Xu Yuan killed Qin Mo or Qin Mo killed Xu Yuan, Burial Village and the Chancellor's Manor would become locked in a blood feud of life and death. Unfortunately, Burial Village was already gone. Xu Yuan felt a wry amusement. Sometimes, assuming your enemy is too formidable really is nothing more than outsmarting thin air. With that thought, Xu Yuan smiled faintly and turned his gaze to Su Jinxuan beside him. With a flick of his wrist, a small booklet appeared in his palm. It was the precious secret art that Auntie Lou Ji from the Imperial Capital had personally transmitted to him. Su Jinxuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, unable to fathom his intention behind suddenly producing the booklet. "What is this?" Without a word, Xu Yuan waved the booklet in the air and held it out before her. Su Jinxuan's gaze was filled with confusion. Xu Yuan said offhandedly, "The cultivation method for the bewitching soul seed. Take it." "......" Su Jinxuan's pupils shrank slightly. His hand hovered in midair for several breaths. Seeing her make no move, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What, you don't want it?" Su Jinxuan was silent for two seconds, biting her lower lip before asking, "You're giving this to me?" Xu Yuan countered casually, "Why wouldn't I?" "......" Listening to his offhand tone, Su Jinxuan's slender hand quietly clenched the hem of her plain skirt. Her voice came out very soft: "Bu-but if you give me this, aren't you afraid of a backlash from me?" Qin Weijiu had feared her turning on him so much that he deliberately expunged the soul-refining techniques from the manual. Yet now, this Xu Changtian was willing to hand the complete secret art directly over to her? Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. "Over the past few nights, I've practically drained you dry. If you practice this art, your bewitching soul seeds will recover faster, which also benefits my cultivation. Just take it." Su Jinxuan fell silent, her eyes filled with mixed emotions, yet she still didn't reach for it. Seeing this, Xu Yuan let out a sigh. "Fine. To put it bluntly, you can consider this an investment in you. "The world is about to fall into chaos. I have high expectations for the future strength of your Bewitching Soul Fiend Physique, and I also trust your character. That's why I've judged that investing in you won't leave me at a loss. "Well, even if it does end in a loss, at least I won't have raised an ungrateful wolf." "......" After a long silence, Su Jinxuan gently took the booklet, gripping it tightly. She looked at Xu Yuan and said in a solemn tone: "I will repay this favor."