Knock, knock, knock—
Someone rapped on the wooden door of the side room from outside. Xu Yuan turned at the sound.
"What is it?"
"Third Young Master, your medicinal meal is ready." A slightly hoarse female voice came from outside.
"Come in."
Creak—
With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open from outside, and a slender woman dressed as a Shadow Guard walked in carrying a tray.
It was Ying'er, who had always followed Xu Changge.
A mask covered her face. She wore tight black clothes and a red sash, and a neat ponytail swayed gently behind her.
Looking at her, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
In his memories,
as a typical spoiled young villain,
and as a lustful lecher with the glorious record of forcing himself to take medicine just so he could bed five women in one night,
Xu Changtian had naturally set his sights on the slender Ying'er who served at his elder brother's side. He had even "politely" asked Xu Changge for her when they were in the Imperial Capital.
The original owner thought of her as nothing but a dog raised by his family—a dog with a slightly higher cultivation than the others, but no different from them.
And the result of asking for her was only natural: a sound beating from his elder brother.
The memories flashing through Xu Yuan's mind left him utterly speechless.
How absurd.
Frequenting brothels, sleeping with maids, abducting women from the streets—that was bad enough. But this spoiled young master had even set his sights on his own family's military forces.
Ying'er was a high-ranking Shadow Guard trained by their family.
Xu Changge's younger brother asking for her was like a prince demanding that a female general returning from the battlefield warm his bed.
Though he knew how absurd it was, he still had to play his part.
After confirming that Xu Yuan hadn't been possessed, Xu Changge had left without asking him about anything.
Where had he gotten this mysterious cultivation technique?
How had he acquired an Innate Dao Body?
What had happened along the way while Ran Qingmo held him hostage, and why had he threatened to take his own life at the end to make her leave?
Xu Changge hadn't asked about any of it.
Or rather,
Xu Changge didn't think his foolish younger brother, whom he'd beaten up since childhood, would honestly tell him.
If he hadn't sealed Xu Yuan's mouth before beating him, Xu Changge suspected he might have heard some treasonous nonsense from the little bastard.
So he had left Ying'er, who had always followed him, at Xu Yuan's side.
Xu Yuan figured it was both protection and surveillance.
Everything he did would probably be reported back to Xu Changge, word for word.
He could change his personality little by little, but he couldn't change overnight.
Threatening to kill himself to let Ran Qingmo go could just about be explained as having developed feelings for her along the way. Xu Changge, standing atop the mountain, should have seen his conversation and expressions with Ran Qingmo at the cave entrance clearly through his Will Soul.
Besides, this wasn't the first time the original owner had done something as absurd as threatening to kill himself.
As he thought this,
Xu Yuan let his gaze openly wander over Ying'er's slender figure, wrapped in tight black clothes.
Xu Changge hadn't hit him too hard this time. Xu Yuan had been knocked unconscious, but two days had been enough for him to get back on his feet.
Ying'er entered the room and silently bent down to set the tray on the wooden table in the middle of the side room.
Just then,
Xu Yuan let out a soft laugh and spoke.
"Heh. In the end, Xu Changge still sent you to me."
Ying'er acted as though she hadn't heard him and continued taking the medicinal dishes off the tray and setting them on the table.
"..."
Xu Yuan saw this, got out of bed, and, a smile curling his lips, slowly walked up behind Ying'er's slender figure. He raised a hand, intending to smack her bottom.
His palm came down.
Smack—
A sharp crack rang through the silent room.
The room fell quiet at once.
Ying'er lowered her eyes slightly. Not a trace of emotion stirred in them.
Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.
With cultivation that high, why hadn't she dodged?
Hadn't she always dodged his attempts to take liberties with her before?
After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan kept his smile in place and, steeling himself, prepared to press harder. But the next instant, his vision blurred.
Clatter—
A severed hand fell to the floor.
The cut was clean, the touch icy. A suffocating chill swept over him, as if he'd plunged into an ice pit.
Buzz—
Back in reality,
Xu Yuan's hand was still resting lightly on the woman's bottom, while Ying'er merely glanced back at him with a calm expression.
The sensation reminded him of the vision he'd had when he first met Ran Qingmo, of his head flying through the air.
In an instant, Xu Yuan understood: she'd used this once-and-for-all method to put an end to his leering.
Breathing a little heavily, Xu Yuan obligingly gritted his teeth and backed away two steps.
"What—what do you mean by this?"
"..."
Ying'er said nothing. She calmly looked away, turned, and left the room. Before she went, she still remembered to gently close the door behind her.
The room fell silent for two seconds.
Crash—
Xu Yuan kicked over the wooden table in front of him, sending the precious medicinal meal tumbling to the floor.
After taking a couple of breaths, Xu Yuan pretended to roar with rage as he began tearing the room apart.
"I'm going to kill you! How dare you treat me like this? I'll have Father kill you!"
"Bastard! Once my cultivation improves, I'll cripple your meridians and lock you in the dungeon!"
Atop the eaves of the loft on the back of the enormous Mystic Eagle, two figures sat leisurely in the breeze.
Zhou Chen, his face stubbled, lay on his side on the roof, his sword set beside him as he gulped wine from a gourd.
Sensing what was happening in the main cabin, Zhou Chen shivered slightly.
The Third Young Master had actually dared to touch that woman's bottom.
His lips curled. Zhou Chen looked at Si Ziyu beside him and spoke with a hint of respect.
"As expected of the Third Young Master. His courage is truly astonishing."
Si Ziyu sat cross-legged beside him. She had sensed what was happening below as well, and let out a soft laugh.
"When it comes to this sort of thing, the Third Young Master's courage has always been out of the ordinary. He even had Marquis of Martial Achievement's own granddaughter kidnapped and brought back to the Prime Minister's Estate."
"Something like that happened?"
Zhou Chen looked surprised. "I thought that young lady only came to the Imperial Capital to acknowledge her family a year ago?"
She was the granddaughter of the Northern War God, a figure at court. And he'd still dared to kidnap her.
The Third Young Master really had a personality all his own.
Si Ziyu shot Zhou Chen a glance.
"Otherwise, why do you think the Third Young Master came here to Jingjiang City from the Imperial Capital a year ago?"
Zhou Chen rubbed his stubble. His eyes flickered for a moment, then he suddenly lowered his voice and asked quietly,
"Did he succeed?"
A hint of amusement entered Si Ziyu's eyes.
"You're interested in that sort of thing?"
Zhou Chen clicked his tongue, disappointed.
"If you can't say, forget it."
Si Ziyu gazed into the distance and spoke slowly.
"Almost. I was responsible for the Third Young Master's safety then. Marquis of Martial Achievement's eldest son led people into the Prime Minister's Estate and rescued her."
Zhou Chen shook his head and raised his gourd to take a swig.
"That Young Marquis? Were you his match?"
Si Ziyu shook her head. "No."
Zhou Chen raised his brows.
"I remember he had a pretty bad temper. How did the Third Young Master avoid getting beaten to death?"
Si Ziyu spoke slowly.
"The Eldest Young Master was at the estate then, but he didn't know that girl was Marquis of Martial Achievement's granddaughter."
"..."
Silence.
Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes.
"You mean the Third Young Master kidnapped that young lady as soon as she entered the city, before she'd even acknowledged her family? What are the odds?"
Si Ziyu shook her head.
"Of course it wasn't a coincidence. The Third Young Master said someone had egged him on.
"But he couldn't remember who."
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