Past Events in the Imperial Capital

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The wooden door of the chamber was rapped from the outside. Hearing the sound, Xu Yuan turned his head.

"What is it?"

"Third Young Master, your medicinal meal is ready." A slightly hoarse female voice drifted into the room.

"Come in."

"Creeeak—"

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and a slender woman dressed in the attire of a Shadow Guard walked in, carrying a food tray.

It was none other than Ying'er, the one who had always been by Xu Changge's side.

A mask covered her face, and she wore tight black clothing with a red sash, a crisp, clean ponytail swaying gently behind her head.

Watching her, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

In his memories, As a standard playboy villain, As a lecherous glutton who had once achieved the glorious feat of forcing himself upon five women while under the influence of aphrodisiacs, Xu Yuan naturally had designs on this slender Ying'er who served his elder brother, and had even "subtly" asked Xu Changge for her back when they were in the Imperial Capital.

The original owner had viewed her as nothing more than a dog raised by his family—a dog with a higher cultivation base, but no different from any other.

And the result of that request was, quite naturally and logically, a sound beating from his elder brother.

The memories flashing through his mind left Xu Yuan speechless.

It was too absurd.

Visiting brothels, sleeping with maidservants, and snatching common women was one thing, but this second-generation ancestor had actually dared to set his sights on the family's own military defense system.

Ying'er was a high-level Shadow Guard cultivated by their family.

The nature of Xu Changge's request was akin to a prince asking a female general returning from the front lines to warm his bed.

Although he knew it was absurd, the act still had to be played out.

After verifying that he had not been possessed, Xu Changge had left without asking a single question.

Where did this mysterious cultivation technique come from?

How did he obtain the Innate Dao Body?

What happened on the journey while he was being held hostage by Ran Qingmo, and why did he risk his life at the end to let her go?

Xu Changge had not asked about any of these things.

Or perhaps, Xu Changge did not believe that this idiot of a younger brother, whom he had beaten since childhood, would honestly tell him about such matters.

If he hadn't sealed Xu Yuan's mouth before beating him, Xu Changge felt he might have even heard some treasonous nonsense from the brat's mouth.

Therefore, he had left Ying'er, who had always followed him, by Xu Yuan's side.

Xu Yuan judged this to be both protection and surveillance.

Every move he made would likely be relayed back to Xu Changge without omission.

His personality could change gradually, but it could not happen overnight.

Using his life to force the release of Ran Qingmo could barely be explained by developing feelings for her along the way; the conversation and expressions between him and Ran Qingmo at the cave entrance should have been clearly seen by Xu Changge using his soul sense from the mountaintop.

Moreover, such absurd behavior as threatening suicide was not the first time the original owner had done it.

Thinking this, Xu Yuan's gaze wandered openly over the slender figure of Ying'er, wrapped in tight black clothing.

This time, Xu Changge hadn't been too ruthless; although Xu Yuan had been knocked unconscious, two days were enough for him to be able to walk again.

Ying'er entered the room and silently leaned over to place the tray on the wooden table in the center of the chamber.

At this moment, Xu Yuan suddenly chuckled and spoke:

"Heh~ so, in the end, Xu Changge still gave you to me."

Ying'er seemed not to hear his words, continuing to methodically take the medicinal meal from the tray and set it on the table.

"..."

Seeing this, Xu Yuan got out of bed, a smile curling his lips, and slowly walked behind Ying'er's slender figure, raising his hand to strike at her base.

His palm descended.

Slap—

A crisp sound echoed through the silent chamber.

The room fell into instant stillness.

Ying'er lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

With such high cultivation, why didn't this woman dodge?

Hadn't she always evaded his previous attempts to take liberties with her?

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan kept his smile fixed and, steeling himself, prepared to apply more pressure, but in the next instant, his vision blurred.

"Thud—"

A severed hand fell to the floor.

The cut was clean, the flesh felt ice-cold, and a suffocating sensation made him feel as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.

"Hum—"

Back in reality.

Xu Yuan's hand was still resting lightly on the woman's hip, and Ying'er merely glanced back at him with a flat, indifferent expression.

This aura reminded him of the hallucination he had when he first met Ran Qingmo, where he had imagined his own head flying through the air.

In an instant, Xu Yuan understood that she intended to use this once-and-for-all method to put an end to his lecherous behavior.

His breathing grew rapid, and he cooperated by gritting his teeth and stepping back two paces:

"W-what is the meaning of this?"

"..."

Ying'er did not speak; she withdrew her gaze indifferently, turned, and left the room, not forgetting to gently pull the door shut behind her.

Inside the room, silence reigned for two seconds.

"Crash—"

Xu Yuan kicked the wooden table in front of him, sending the precious medicinal meal atop it crashing to the ground.

After catching his breath, Xu Yuan began to tear the room apart while putting on a show of roaring in fury:

"I'll kill you! How dare you treat me like this? I'll have my father execute you!!"

"Bastard!! Once my cultivation is high enough, I'll cripple your meridians and lock you in the dungeon!!"

Atop the eaves of the pavilion on the back of the giant Mystic Eagle, two figures sat leisurely, letting the wind blow past them.

The stubble-faced Zhou Chen lay on his side on the roof, his blade resting nearby, chugging from a wine gourd.

Sensing what had transpired in the main cabin, Zhou Chen shivered slightly.

This Third Young Master actually dared to touch that woman's backside.

The corners of his lips curled as Zhou Chen looked at Si Ziyu beside him, his voice tinged with respect:

"As expected of the Third Young Master, his courage is truly astonishing."

Si Ziyu sat cross-legged beside him, having also sensed the events below, and laughed softly:

"When it comes to such matters, the Third Young Master's courage has always been extraordinary; he even once kidnapped the granddaughter of the Marquis of Martial Achievement and brought her back to the Prime Minister's Estate."

"There's such a thing?"

Zhou Chen was somewhat surprised: "I recall that the Princess only arrived in the Imperial Capital to acknowledge her kin a year ago, didn't she?"

That was the granddaughter of the Northern War God in the imperial court, and he dared to kidnap her.

The Third Young Master certainly had a unique personality.

Si Ziyu glanced at Zhou Chen:

"Otherwise, why do you think the Third Young Master came to Jingjiang City from the Imperial Capital a year ago?"

Zhou Chen rubbed his stubble, his eyes flickering for a moment before he lowered his voice and asked in a whisper:

"Did that matter succeed?"

A hint of a smile appeared in Si Ziyu's eyes:

"You're interested in such things?"

Zhou Chen smacked his lips in boredom:

"Forget it if you can't say."

Si Ziyu looked into the distance and spoke slowly:

"It was close. I was responsible for the Third Young Master's safety at the time, but the eldest son of the Marquis of Martial Achievement led men to break into the Prime Minister's Estate and rescued her."

Zhou Chen shook his head and raised his gourd to drink:

"That Young Marquis? Are you no match for him?"

Si Ziyu shook his head: "I am not."

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow:

"I remember his temper isn't very good; how did the Third Young Master not get beaten to death?"

Si Ziyu said slowly:

"At the time, the Eldest Young Master was in the manor, but he did not know that the young girl was the granddaughter of the Marquis of Martial Achievement."

"."

Silence.

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes:

"You mean to say that the little princess was abducted by the Third Young Master the moment she entered the city, before she could even reunite with her family? Could it really be such a coincidence?"

Si Ziyu shook his head:

"Naturally, it could not be such a coincidence. The Third Young Master said he was incited to do it.

"But as for who incited him, he cannot remember."