Plot Point Changes

Passing through several side chambers, he arrived at the window on the top floor overlooking the river.

Xu Yuan stood by the window on the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, draped in a white mink cloak, looking down at the nocturnal bustle of this vital southwestern hub.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was considered the tallest building in the northern part of the city, and from its top floor, one could overlook a good portion of the lights of Jingjiang City.

The city's nightlife was quite prosperous. While this world lacked streetlights, the government had engraved small, glowing inscription lamps along both sides of the streets.

Looking downward, the Drunken Immortal Pavilion stood right beside the Jinhuai River.

The winter in this water town still carried a hint of damp chill. Commoners bustled about, hawking their wares, while flower boats moored for the night drifted gently upon the Jinhuai River. Below the pavilion, women dressed in flamboyant, colorful attire constantly vied for the attention of the men passing by.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion and the Xiaoxiang Pavilion in the south of the city were pleasure houses that could rival the government-run Imperial Music Bureau, and they naturally had their own unique charms—after all, most of the people at the Imperial Music Bureau had the backing of official status.

Beyond their looks, their clothing and attire were all perfectly calculated to be alluring.

Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and turned back to sit cross-legged on the bed.

If the body is failing, one must be disciplined; one must abstain from alcohol and lust.

Thanks to over half a week of cultivation and recuperation in the Mystic Eagle pavilion, the body that had been hollowed out by the original owner's debauchery had become much healthier, though some things still required slow, steady care.

It was one thing for the original owner to pop pills and mess around in brothels every day, but he had been taking third-rate little pills bought by those sycophants.

Xu Yuan wasn't sure how potent the medicinal effects were, but the side effects were truly severe; taking them daily had directly caused underlying damage to his internal organs.

Every time Xu Yuan recalled this, he felt the original owner's brain really hadn't been working right—no wonder he ended up being humiliated and slapped in the face by the plot protagonist controlled by the players.

If you wanted pills, you could have just asked your big brother for them; even if it meant getting a beating, he wouldn't have refused.

His organs had long been overloaded. If not for the family's deep pockets and the supply of highly nourishing medicinal meals, Xu Yuan estimated he would already be lying in a coffin waiting to be buried.

However, those sycophants were all mostly dead now.

Ever since he was kidnapped by that "big block of ice," Xu Changge had personally come to Jingjiang City, and almost all the sycophants surrounding the original owner had been killed by him.

He couldn't kill his own younger brother, but Xu Changge had shown no hesitation in dealing with the mediocre sycophants around him.

Xu Yuan offered no judgment on Xu Changge's methods; after all, these people had swindled the original owner into stealing many antiques, calligraphy, and paintings from home to sell at low prices, and most of those had likely ended up in the hands of these very sycophants.

But regardless, Xu Changge's actions had indeed created a problem for him now.

According to the plot timeline, that protagonist should have already left the "Burial Village" on the border of Great Yan and would soon be arriving in Jingjiang City.

Yet, while he wanted to do something in advance, he didn't have a single usable person at his disposal.

At the very least, he couldn't even find the protagonist in this vast city of Jingjiang.

Those sycophants were sycophants, yes, but when it came to the affairs of the underworld and the streets, they could handle anything he ordered perfectly.

After all, no matter how much of a wastrel the original owner was, as the third son of the Prime Minister, there would always be people flocking to fawn over him—not to mention that the original owner was quite generous.

High-ranking members of gangs in Jingjiang City, scions of merchant guilds, and even some people from the City Defense Bureau were the original owner's "close friends."

If these people hadn't met their end, finding someone in this massive city would have been no problem at all, but now they had all been slaughtered by Xu Changge in one go.

And with these people as a cautionary tale, who would dare risk being chopped up by his brother just to fawn over him?

Let Ying'er or that Zhou Chen do it?

Those two great Buddhas.

Heh, Xu Yuan felt he might as well wash up and go to sleep early; he'd find everything he needed in his dreams.

Moreover, ever since he left the Mystic Eagle pavilion, Xu Yuan hadn't seen hide nor hair of Ying'er; she was probably lurking in some dark corner spying on him right now.

With a thoughtful look, he tapped his fingers lightly against the edge of the wooden window, then let out a long sigh.

With no one to use, it seemed he could only have the newly hired guards of the estate do it, though he didn't know if this new batch would listen to the orders of the third young master.

After arranging the task, for the next twenty days, Xu Yuan had someone set up a Spirit Locking Array and remained inside the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion without stepping out.

Whenever he had problems with his cultivation, he would go find that master expert Zhou, who was growing thinner by the day due to wine and women.

Zhou Chen's talkative nature meant he taught much better than that "big block of ice" with the surname Ran, and many of the problems Xu Yuan encountered were basically solved with ease.

Under the guidance of a master and the support of various medicinal pills, after less than a month of total cultivation, Xu Yuan's cultivation level logically stepped into the Ninth Realm.

Just like the breakthrough when he first entered the realm, with a crisp "pop," the bottleneck in his body was broken through without any resistance.

Feeling the changes in the surging source qi within him, Xu Yuan opened his eyes with satisfaction and chuckled softly:

"Breaking through with an Innate Dao Body is truly as easy as eating and drinking."

For those with average talent, it usually took about a year to cultivate to the point of entering the Ninth Realm, yet he had done it in less than a month!

He lowered his eyes and clenched his hand into a fist; the wisps of blood-colored source qi that once existed could now completely envelop his entire fist.

He turned his fist into a palm, watching the bewitching blood-colored source qi change shape at will in his palm.

The fullness brought by the surging source qi made Xu Yuan grin involuntarily.

This, is this what power feels like?

As the thought flashed by, Xu Yuan shook his head in silence.

Heh... how chuunibyou.

Putting these miscellaneous thoughts aside, he extended his soul sense to retrieve the source crystal from the center of the Spirit Locking Array into his Sumeru Ring. Xu Yuan then sat cross-legged, breathing in and out until he had completely refined the liquid source qi in the room before letting out a long sigh.

He had been obsessed with cultivation, and it had already been over half a month since he arranged for those guards to scout for information; it was time to check on their progress.

Aside from scouting for information regarding the protagonist of the plot, he had also tasked these guards with finding out if any of the brothels in Jingjiang City had recently debuted a new top-tier courtesan.

With this in mind, Xu Yuan spoke loudly toward the door:

"Someone, go call Xue Yong here."

A quarter of an hour later, "Knock, knock, knock—"

The door to the top-floor suite of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was knocked upon.

"Enter."

Upon receiving permission, a young man in black martial attire walked into the room, his handsome face bearing a stern, humorless expression.

The young man scanned the room, his gaze landing on the long-haired man sitting leisurely before a tea tray.

The man's long, ink-black hair was scattered across the floor. He did not look at him, merely pouring and drinking tea to himself.

Seeing the Third Young Master in this pose, a flash of amusement flickered in the young man's eyes.

Rumor had it that this Third Young Master liked to imitate the style of the Eldest Young Master. Seeing it now, the rumors were true, though it was nothing more than a clumsy attempt to mimic a tiger that ended up looking like a dog.

Walking forward, he bowed slightly, cupped his hands in a salute, and said in a flat tone with his head lowered:

"Third Young Master, the person you secretly ordered us to investigate has been found."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow at these words, took a light sip of the fragrant tea, and spoke in a measured tone:

"Which one?"

The original guards of the Xu estate had been purged or reassigned by Xu Changge. These current guards were drawn from the side of the adopted daughter recognized by Xu Yuan's father—the one known to outsiders as the Fourth Young Lady.

They were responsible for his basic safety when traveling.

Although he had the two great experts, Zhou Chen and Ying'er, protecting him—one in the light and one in the shadows—he couldn't have them handle every little thing, so he naturally needed some capable guards to deal with the blind fools who got in his way.

And Xu Yuan had previously used these very people to scout for the whereabouts of that protagonist and a certain "courtesan."

The young man in martial attire replied in a low voice:

"It is the courtesan you were looking for earlier."

Not the protagonist of the plot, then.

Xu Yuan felt slightly disappointed, though he was quite satisfied to have found that woman. He chuckled and said:

"Is that woman at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion in the south of the city?"

The young man shook his head:

"No, she is right here in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Tomorrow is the day of her debut."

The fingers holding the porcelain cup paused slightly, and Xu Yuan sighed.

Very well, the plot he was familiar with had gone off the rails again.

In Cangyuan, there were many paths that led to the original body's death in the Wanxing Mountain Range, but there were also many paths where he was saved by Xu Changge.

After returning to Jingjiang City, several of the original body's death scenarios were caused by this very "courtesan" he was speaking of.

The reason was simple: jealousy over the protagonist.

The conflict would constantly escalate until, through a twist of fate, he would be killed by the protagonist controlled by the player.

However, in Cangyuan, the place where this woman appeared was clearly the Xiaoxiang Pavilion in the south of the city; now, it had changed to this Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the north.

Xu Yuan hadn't visited the Xiaoxiang Pavilion—the place the original body frequented most—for the past month, staying instead at this Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the north. Yet, this woman had followed him here.

It was as if she had come specifically to trigger a conflict between him and the protagonist.

Of course, Xu Yuan knew it couldn't be that simple.

It seemed likely that this "courtesan," much like Ji Qingyue, had set her sights on him, the Third Young Master.

However, that was not the point right now.

Draining the fragrant tea in his cup, Xu Yuan stared at the young man in martial attire, lost in thought, and suddenly asked:

"How long has she been here?"

"For over half a month," Xue Yong replied in a flat voice.

"Over half a month?" Xu Yuan chuckled.

Hearing this answer, a trace of anger gradually crept into his heart.

This Xue Yong and the guards under his command had completely disregarded the task he had assigned them.

Xu Yuan stayed on the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion every day to cultivate, and these guards were stationed at every key entrance and exit leading to the top floor.

Xue Yong and his men were inside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion; even if they had simply asked the madam of the house, given his status as a big spender, she would never have kept it a secret.

Help him, Xu Yuan, help Xu Changtian find someone?

Find my ass!

If he hadn't specifically asked about it today, he probably wouldn't have received the news until tomorrow, when that woman officially debuted and he saw her with his own eyes.

Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring at Xue Yong, and said softly:

"Xue Yong, I recall telling you to start investigating this woman two weeks ago. She entered the Drunken Immortal Pavilion half a month ago, and you only got this information now, as she is about to debut?"

Hearing this, the young man in tight-fitting attire glanced at Xu Yuan, bowed his body silently, and said:

"This subordinate is incompetent. Please punish me, Young Master."

Although he said this, his voice was flat, and his gaze met Xu Yuan's directly.

Xue Yong did not care at all about Xu Yuan's questioning.

The Prime Minister had three sons and one daughter: two dragons, one phoenix, and one rat.

He was the Fourth Miss's man, only temporarily assigned as a guard under the Third Young Master due to a previous kidnapping.

It was common knowledge in the Prime Minister's Estate that the Fourth Miss looked down on this third brother.

His mission was to protect the Third Young Master, not to serve him in chasing women.

If he didn't follow orders, the worst that would happen was getting beaten up.

Let him beat him if he wanted; this useless Third Young Master couldn't even hurt him with a sword.

"..."

For a moment, the private room fell into silence.

Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on a cushion, eyes lowered as he toyed with a precious porcelain cup, remaining silent for a long time.

The personal experience helped him understand why the original owner was so sensitive and so fond of impotent rage.

His status was indeed high, but it was merely an empty shell.

Whether those below listened to you depended entirely on their own moods.

The most critical part was that you could do nothing about these people.

Report them?

You're going to report them because they didn't help you find a woman? Heh.

Of course, You could beat them like a madman, and your subordinates would indeed not dare to fight back, but hitting them would only make your own hands hurt.

The gap in cultivation didn't care about your status.

After a moment of thought, Xu Yuan sighed and suddenly smiled:

"Xue Yong, twenty-two years old, peak of the Sixth Rank Iron Body, and stepping into the Fifth Rank is just around the corner. My little sister seems to value you highly. Very good; a young genius like you truly has the capital to be arrogant."

"..."

Xue Yong's eyes narrowed, somewhat surprised that the other party knew his cultivation level.

Under Xue Yong's gaze, the Third Young Master opposite him slowly stood up and said in a soft voice:

"But since you want to be punished, so be it."

Xu Yuan quietly circulated his cultivation technique, hands behind his back, and walked slowly toward Xue Yong.

Bewitching, blood-colored Origin Qi began to spread across his palms.

He didn't know if his entry-level Ninth Rank cultivation could break the defenses of Xue Yong, who had reached the peak of the Sixth Rank Iron Body, but since the other party likely still thought he was an ordinary person and probably wouldn't circulate his technique to defend, a surprise attack would likely cause him some injury.

He had to establish his authority.

Otherwise, these subordinates who listened to orders but didn't follow them—not being able to help was secondary; the days ahead would be even more difficult.

Walking up close, Xue Yong still looked at the Third Young Master before him with an indifferent expression; he wanted to see the ugly sight of the other party losing his temper.

Xu Yuan smiled at him slightly, and the palm wrapped in blood-colored Origin Qi suddenly struck out from behind his back!

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Xu Yuan's hand had only reached halfway, When Zhou Chen, carrying his wine gourd, suddenly appeared like a ghost at Xue Yong's side.

His appearance was as abrupt as ever.

"..." Xu Yuan.

Zhou Chen shook his head at him.

Then, He casually gave a light tap to the right arm that Xue Yong was using to bow.

The air went quiet for an instant.

Xu Yuan clearly saw the look in Xue Yong's eyes shift from disdain to astonishment, and finally to terror.

"AAAHHH!!!!!!"

A shrill, miserable scream echoed throughout the entire Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

A massive force pinned Xue Yong to the ground, and his entire right arm was already completely twisted and deformed.

Zhou Chen, who had done all this, kept the same smile on his face. He glanced at the blood-colored Source Qi on Xu Yuan's hand and bowed to him with a smile:

"Congratulations to the Third Young Master for stepping into the Ninth Grade."

Immediately, he glanced at Xue Yong, who was wailing like a dying dog on the ground, and shook his head leisurely:

"Even a mere guard dares to show disrespect to the Third Young Master. Tsk tsk, are the people under the Fourth Young Lady all so unruly? Heh."

After saying this, Zhou Chen looked at Xu Yuan, his eyes curving as he asked casually:

"Third Young Master, should this person be crippled, or should I kill him directly?"