An Opinion

Having read through it thoroughly, Xu Yuan exhaled a long breath. Over these past few days, he had read quite a few internal intelligence reports. Though they were all from the lowest tier, Grade Bing, he had developed a general idea of what a godawful mess the rest of Great Yan was in. Yet seeing the true state of the northern campaign still struck him as somewhat absurd. Putting down the intelligence report, Xu Yuan leaned back against his chair, firmly rubbed between his brows, and sighed. "It's just too rotten." The moment the words left his mouth, he gave a helpless smile. He realized he hardly had the right to make such a remark. The Chancellor's Manor had its own faction on the northern border as well. Among the fourth-rank Flesh Integration Realm vice-generals blasted into meat paste by the Ninth Princess, there had been one from his own family's camp. Yet in an environment like that, actually getting anything done was truly exceedingly difficult. While you bled and fought on the front lines, even if your allies wouldn't stab you in the back, having them swoop in to steal the credit was practically guaranteed. Apart from those who were truly selfless and devoted to the public good, who would be willing to play the fool? This was a world where everyone raced to the bottom. Thinking this, Xu Yuan still couldn't resist scoffing, "Still, it really is far too rotten." "What's too rotten?" Before his voice had even faded, a tone laced with a faint, alluring charm drifted up from the staircase of the Book Depository. He lifted his gaze. White silk stockings—an item that boosted attack speed. Reframing his thoughts... Xu Yuan shifted his gaze upward, watching Miss Succubus stroll over from between the antique bookshelves. She wore a silk gown reminiscent of a qipao, draped in a mink fur coat. As she glided forward in dainty lotus steps, glimpses of fair skin peeked through the side slit along her thigh. Xu Yuan gathered himself with a smile and pointed toward the intelligence document on the table by the bed. "Nothing. Just reading some information regarding the northern war." Su Jinxuan walked over to him with unhurried steps, a hint of surprise touching her flawless face. "Don't you noble young masters usually prefer romantic frivolities?" "Matters of state, home, and all under heaven—now that I can cultivate, I ought to pay a little attention to them." Xu Yuan picked up his teacup, took a gentle sip, and asked softly, "What brings you here?" A well-measured look of distress crossed Su Jinxuan's expression, and she pursed her lips into a smile. "I didn't want to come either, but someone previously told me to be more proactive. I had no choice but to come looking for that someone, didn't I?" As she spoke, her dark pupils rippled with hues of pink peach blossoms. A few bewitching soul seeds entered Xu Yuan's sea of consciousness and affixed themselves to his intent-soul. Xu Yuan glanced at her. Sensing them carefully, he could clearly feel that each individual bewitching soul seed had grown considerably stronger. He could somewhat understand why Qin Weijiu had deliberately excised the cultivation method for the bewitching soul seeds. It had only been three days since he gave her the secret technique. After a pause, Xu Yuan glanced out at the boundless blue sky outside. "It's still daytime. You should come back later." Su Jinxuan didn't leave. Instead, she sat down beside Xu Yuan and asked with a teasing smile, "Doing this isn't bedding each other. Does daytime or nighttime make any difference?" "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan picked up the Grade Bing intelligence reports, incinerated them with a burst of flame, stood up, and said, "Neither makes a difference. But since I have nothing else to do, let's go." His words stunned Su Jinxuan for a moment, but then her peach-blossom eyes curved into crescents as she said with a chuckle, "Very well~ But Jinxuan has only just recovered, so I hope Young Master will be gentle and tender today..." "..." Hearing her words behind him, Xu Yuan looked back at Miss Succubus, who was smiling like a fox. He suddenly felt that what Aunt Lou Ji had said made a lot of sense. Cultivation was important, but one really ought to visit the pleasure houses now and then to unwind. Tsk. A vixen corrupting my Dao heart. As they headed down the stairs, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "I haven't seen you at the martial training grounds these past two days. Have you been cultivating the entire time?" Su Jinxuan followed lightly behind him. "Not entirely. Condensing bewitching soul seeds for too long harms the sea of consciousness." Xu Yuan let out a quiet sigh. Lou Ji had already informed him how Su Jinxuan spent the rest of her time. She was undergoing Ying'er's "discipline" training. "If you run into trouble, you can ask the manor steward for a bottle of Soul Condensation Pills." The Soul Condensation Pill was a soul-type medicine refined from the souls of fifth-rank demon spirits, aiding in intent-soul cultivation. Its standard price was three hundred taels per pill, putting a whole bottle at several thousand taels. Having managed worldly enterprises, Su Jinxuan naturally understood its value. After a few moments of quiet, she gently shook her head. Several thousand taels might be nothing to him, but to her, it was far too precious. Although tens of thousands of taels of silver had often passed through her hands when managing those businesses, that money had all belonged to the Tianyu Sect. Between her monthly salary as manager and her allowance as the young miss, what she actually received each month was only around two hundred taels. Too many favors were hard to repay. "Thank you, but I'll pass..." Xu Yuan glanced at her and chuckled softly. Refusing meant she had dignity. Not bad. "If you think that's precious, the secret technique I gave you is actually far more valuable. Its market price is around fifty thousand taels. Just think of this as an additional investment from me." "..." Su Jinxuan remained silent. Seeing this, Xu Yuan dropped the subject and switched to a low voice: "By the way, there's something I need to discuss with you." "..." Hearing this, Su Jinxuan's heart unaccountably quickened. Pausing for a breath, she said softly, "Go ahead." The two reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped out of the Book Depository. Outside lay the serene, picturesque wetland lake. Looking toward the pavilion in the center of the lake in the distance, Xu Yuan spoke softly, "The Black Scale Guards from the Imperial Capital told me that there might be someone else behind Qin Weijiu." Su Jinxuan's voice remained steady. "Mm." "Your parents... mm, that incident back then... Tsk, whoever is behind Qin Weijiu... Tsk, never mind." Xu Yuan weighed his words for a moment before deciding to ask straightforwardly, "The Black Scale Guards suspect someone is backing Qin Weijiu, and they want you to return to his side as an inside agent. What do you think?" "Me?" On the surface, Su Jinxuan seemed startled. Her heart raced once more, yet she kept her voice calm, tinged with faint self-mockery. "Does my opinion even matter?" "Of course it matters." Xu Yuan glanced at her. "If you're unwilling, forcing you to go would only backfire." "..." Su Jinxuan's chest rose and fell slightly. She lowered her eyes, still unable to see the tips of her toes. "Mm... Then what is your opinion?"