Chapter 42: Foolish Arrogance

Question:

Will Xu Yuan intervene to stop this alluring courtesan from taking her own life?

Three,

Two,

One.

Answer: No.

As a man with a fully functioning sense of perception, the thought of such a breathtaking woman dying right before his eyes would leave him with regret—but not enough to intervene.

Before entering the bamboo garden, he had already known who Su Jinxuan truly was, and thus had prepared himself mentally for what might unfold.

If this courtesan, who had come especially for him, chose to end her life, he would likely merely smile and watch the performance.

Watching her act out her vulnerability, watching her pitifulness, watching her stubbornness and helplessness, watching her stumble and embarrass herself in her own dramatic portrayal.

As someone who had touched death countless times, Xu Yuan did not believe that, given a choice, Su Jinxuan would simply end her life with such cold resolve.

But the reality now was that every psychological expectation he had formed had turned into a farce.

He found himself unable to move from her presence.

Had he not, before entering the bamboo grove, already mentally laid out a clear course of action—perhaps, at the very moment she mentioned "music and melody," he would have followed her lead?

Even with such a plan firmly in mind, Xu Yuan was still swept away by emotions surging within him—grief, hesitation, a final act of intervention.

It was unnatural, yet at the time, he could not see it.

Only when the Blood-Heart Decree began to stir did Xu Yuan suddenly realize his own strangeness.

His emotions were being stirred by that woman.

Upon close and deliberate perception, Xu Yuan's mind suddenly stirred with alarm.

On the surface of his intent soul, faint, drifting particles had begun to settle.

They had appeared without provoking any discomfort—sparse, scattered, yet seemingly woven into the very fabric of his soul.

When Xu Yuan consciously focused his awareness upon them, he realized these particles were in motion—driving inward, desperately seeking entry into his soul.

Yet this penetration caused him no distress.

In fact, the subtle aura emanating from these drifting particles stirred within him a faint, pleasant sensation.

Unfortunately, even though he was completely unprepared, the inherent refinement of his innate soul body made it impossible for these formless particles to penetrate deeply in the short term.

Su Jinxuan, as clearly portrayed in the original, possessed no cultivation at all—otherwise, Zhou Chen would not have wished him well in his martial endeavors.

Yet, the incident had still occurred.

In this world, besides the cultivation of Yuan Qi, could there be such a bizarre method of attack?

At the moment he sensed this, Xu Yuan opened his mouth to summon help.

A one-on-one battle?

Impossible.

I have bodyguards.

But just as he had begun to speak, Xu Yuan realized he could no longer utter a word.

"........" Xu Yuan.

He sensed the granular things clinging to the surface of his intent soul, suddenly beginning to rise and fall in a pattern.

As those things swayed, Xu Yuan realized his control over his body was slipping away.

He could see, he could hear, all his senses remained perfectly normal—yet he could not speak, could not move, and was left merely standing there, motionless.

Su Jinxuan lowered her eyes, gently pressing her lips together. The delicate glow in her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with an intoxicating radiance. She lightly pressed her swollen wrist, her voice laced with sorrow:

"Third Prince, what are you doing—?"

As soon as the words left her lips, the granular particles beneath her skin surged violently.

In the next instant, Xu Yuan's body moved without control, a faint smile playing on his lips as he raised a hand to interrupt:

"Ah... Jinxuan."

As he spoke, his body began to move toward hers:

"I don't really want to treat you like that earlier. It's not that I'm afraid you'll truly lose your mind and take your own life. I just hope you won't hold it against me."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Su Jinxuan slowly lifted her gaze to Xu Yuan.

Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a duality upon her captivating face—half shadow, half light.

As their gazes intertwined, Xu Yuan faintly saw waves of peach-blossom hues flicker within the woman's eyes.

Dazed and entranced, once again countless floating particles settled upon the surface of Xu Yuan's inner consciousness.

Her voice carried a whisper of desperate plea:

"Third Prince, you are of noble status, how could Jinxuan dare blame you? I only ask that you not force me to do things I do not wish to do."

"Force?"

With the exchange of words, Xu Yuan's body once more settled back onto the mat, a soft laugh escaping him:

"It all depends on how you perform. If you can capture my interest, I might just enjoy spending a little longer with you.

'Hmm, this tea is too weak. Bring me wine.'

'...'

'...'

The topics between them, once directly seized by Xu Yuan earlier, had now gradually shifted to the ordinary banter between a nobleman and a Qingguan woman.

Drinking together, listening to music, discussing melodies, and sharing tales from the streets.

The eerie scenes of bodies speaking for themselves, moving on their own, stirred a flicker of unease within Xu Yuan's heart.

Yet that unease vanished instantly, replaced by the habitual calm that came with facing danger.

The situation before him was now unmistakable.

Su Jinxuan was delaying.

She needed sufficient time to let those floating, ghostly particles seep into his intent soul.

As for the consequences of that infiltration...

Xu Yuan recalled the delusional, frenzied behavior of the original body within the plot.

Hmph. So you're claiming to be a celestial deity?

This attack on consciousness was too bizarre, and without experience, Xu Yuan found himself utterly at a loss for any countermeasure.

As time ticked by, Xu Yuan could feel the surface of his consciousness growing increasingly dense with those strange, floating particles.

Yet, powerless against the inherent resilience of his innate soul-body, these things had never penetrated his inner essence.

A growing sense of helplessness crept into his chest.

The confusion, the lack of direction, and the perception of those drifting particles began to unravel his thoughts.

Since his journey through time, Xu Yuan had believed himself to be cautious—yet reality had struck him with a sharp slap.

He hadn't been cautious at all. Instead, he had been arrogant.

Knowing that Su Jinxuan was somehow compromised, he still chose to come alone.

The reason? Aside from the presence of Ying'er offering protection, it was primarily because of the "god's perspective" he once possessed—believing that, with his own strength, he could control this exquisite, captivating woman.

Too foolish.

An arrogance beyond reason.

Regret was useless; he forced himself to still his thoughts, beginning from the very beginning, to sift through his memories, searching for any fragment that might serve him.

The shadow had not yet intervened—clearly, it had not sensed the danger he had encountered.

Now, he had to save himself.

As his thoughts flowed, Xu Yuan recalled the Blood-Heart Falling Technique.

The technique was intricate and profound, detailing methods of source qi manipulation, yet regarding the spirit soul, it offered only rudimentary awareness and the basic ability to gather source qi.

Even though this awareness and gathering were far more efficient than ordinary practices, they offered no aid in his current predicament.

A sense of helplessness crept in, but more pressing was a deep, suffocating despair.

This Blood-Heart Falling Technique was said to cultivate both a primordial body and a primordial spirit body—yet the latter served merely as a tool to accelerate the former's cultivation?

Once, when practicing it, he had found this arrangement logical, believing that source qi mastery defined everything.

But this world seems to harbor power systems beyond the cultivation of Yuan Qi.

So, looking at it this way, this blood-colored cultivation scripture must be terribly unbalanced...

Wait.

Scripture?

Xu Yuan's thoughts paused briefly.

Suddenly, he remembered the unnamed secret technique that accompanied Xue Yuan Xin Yin's decisive method.

Back when he first arrived at the cave sanctuary and began his studies, Xu Yuan had gone over those two scriptures countless times.

Yet, due to the finite limits of human energy, he had poured all his focus into mastering Yuan Qi cultivation and had since set the other aside.

Like a person drowning in darkness suddenly seeing a glimmer of light, Xu Yuan's spirit surged instantly, and he began to recall the contents recorded in that unnamed scripture.

As memories slowly surfaced, Xu Yuan realized this was indeed a secret method for cultivating intent souls.

And specifically, an offensive one.

The method was simple—two words could describe it perfectly: consume.

Beyond the standard refining of intent souls, it allowed cultivators to directly strengthen themselves by consuming the intent souls of others.

Ordinary cultivators would never dare do this, as the repulsion between intent souls would likely cause them to go mad. But innate soul bodies were immune.

It perfectly aligned with the natural characteristics of intent soul refinement in innate soul bodies.

At this thought, Xu Yuan's mind relaxed slightly.

With no pause, he immediately plunged into studying the logical structure and techniques of this secret text.

Cultivation knows no time.

It was unclear how long had passed when Xu Yuan once again shifted his awareness from the depths of his mind back to the outside world.

The seasons shifted and the sunlight faded, leaving a full moon hanging high in the sky, its pristine light filtering through the bamboo grove into the room where his body remained in conversation with Su Jinxuan.

The tension of the day had entirely dissolved between them, replaced by soft laughter and pleasant banter as their eyes seemed to trade tender glances.

The sandalwood incense drifted hazily through the air, and the conversation Su Jinxuan had carefully orchestrated finally drew to a close.

A faint, alcohol-induced flush lent an even greater charm to Su Jinxuan's face; with a soft smile on her lips, she glanced sideways at the moonlight outside and spoke with subtle implication:

"Third Young Master, it is already getting late."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan's body chuckled, reaching out to grasp her snow-white wrist:

"It is indeed late, Jinxuan, and a night of such romance is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Su Jinxuan's expression stiffened slightly with perfect timing, yet she allowed him to hold her, her voice dropping to a low murmur:

"Third Young Master, earlier you... did you not promise that you would not force me?"

"......"

The body remained silent for a moment, then exhaled softly,

"Alright... I'll go with it. Tonight I won't touch you, but you'll have to let me stay here."

"Wait..." Su Jinxuan still wanted to say something.

Xu Yuan, seeing this, immediately furrowed his brow.

Su Jinxuan seemed helpless, gently nodding,

"Alright... then Jinxuan will believe in the third prince's character. But I'll have to sleep in my clothes..."

"...Fine~ then I'll follow your words."

"........"

Hearing their conversation, Xu Yuan found himself slightly losing control.

Self-constructed, this woman—she truly wouldn't be missed as a scriptwriter or painter.

However, this conversation let Xu Yuan know that his current state would not withstand close scrutiny, and in all probability, he could not stray too far from Su Jinxuan.

Otherwise, she would never have allowed him to stay the night.

With those words spoken, Su Jinxuan summoned a maidservant bearing a bronze basin for them to wash.

The lone spark of lamplight nestled within the bamboo grove went out, leaving only the moonlight to spill softly through the latticed window into the room.

Drawing back the bed curtains, they lay down fully clothed, and as he sank into the suppleness of the bedding, Xu Yuan breathed in the faint, delicate fragrance of the woman beside him, his vision dissolving into darkness.

Yet after a few breaths, his body stirred suddenly, and he turned onto his side to gently fold his arms around her supple, seemingly boneless form.

A silence fell for two seconds,

and then her voice rose, trembling slightly:

"T-Third Master."

Xu Yuan replied softly in turn:

"Sleep."

"........"

A thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Yuan calmed his spirit.

The nameless secret technique began to stir, gradually unfolding in the stillness of the darkness...