Offense

Some people have hearts broad enough to hold the entire world, while others are so narrow-minded they can only fit themselves inside.

Xu Yuan never considered himself the former, nor did he think he was the latter; his heart was neither too big nor too small, just the right size to hold the people important to him.

He was merely an ordinary person.

To repay kindness with kindness and vengeance with vengeance, and to avoid returning evil for good—that was about enough.

If one were to discard the god-like perspective of knowing that the world was destined for chaos, Xu Yuan might have been able to understand Xu Xinyao's actions.

Her words were not merely empty talk; she had been living by them and striving for them.

But her final choice was, in truth, a case of returning evil for good.

If, at the end of the story, when her father and brothers had all perished, Xu Xinyao had decisively chosen to end her own life to repay the debt of her upbringing, then the indifference or even disgust Xu Yuan had accumulated for this character throughout the plot would likely have vanished.

Yet, she did not.

She lived on, caught between guilt and the happy ending she shared with the protagonist of the story.

Because of this, there was only indifference.

"Third Young Master? Third Young Master? Third Young Master!"

"."

The voice from beside him pulled Xu Yuan slowly back from his thoughts. He turned his gaze to the side, only to see Zhou Chen looking at him with a grin:

"Your complexion doesn't seem too good. Are you still thinking about what just happened?"

The Eldest Young Master had specifically instructed them to keep an eye on the Third Young Master before he left.

That the Third Young Master, usually so tyrannical in nature, would look so grim over killing someone who had offended him was a detail worth pondering.

"What just happened?"

Xu Yuan glanced at him, just in time to see several guards carrying a stretcher covered in a white cloth emerging from the private room he had just left, not forgetting to cast a fearful look in his direction as they walked.

It seemed Xue Yong was dead.

Although he hadn't given a direct order to kill, the man's death was within his expectations.

It was his first time ordering a killing, and his conscience did feel a bit heavy.

However, Xu Yuan merely shook his head dismissively:

"I suppose so. You mentioning that wretch reminded me of some things from the past."

Having said that, he offered no further explanation and turned his gaze toward the young ladies performing on the stage in the main hall.

While he had been lost in thought, the dancers had changed.

They were now a pair of beautiful twins with remarkably similar features.

Perhaps due to the art design of Cangyuan, the traditional costumes in this world carried a style reminiscent of his previous life.

Both women wore pink tube tops and long, slit skirts, revealing slender waists and jade-like legs, their long sleeves fluttering in the air.

It was a captivating sight, perfectly calculated to stir the heart.

Seeing where Xu Yuan's gaze had landed, Zhou Chen suddenly chuckled:

"Third Young Master, has your health recovered?"

"Mm." Xu Yuan did not deny it.

Given the extent of the internal organ ailments he had sensed earlier, Xu Yuan had originally expected it to take at least a year or half a year of slow recuperation, but the result had taken less than a month.

It might have been due to the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art, or perhaps it was simply this body he now inhabited.

Hearing this, Zhou Chen grinned, brought his wine gourd a little closer, and lowered his voice:

"Third Young Master, these two sisters, Zi Ye and Zi Hua, are quite skilled. I watch them dance every day—the sister's waist, the younger sister's legs, tsk tsk. Although they are a bit expensive, they are absolutely worth the price."

"Why don't you have them brought up, Third Young Master?"

"."

Xu Yuan frowned, staring at Zhou Chen with a look of speechlessness.

Familiarity was one thing, but this high-level expert was truly shameless.

Once the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was booked, it came with many beautiful and delicate maidservants, and one could indeed summon the courtesans from the private rooms below.

But summoning those courtesans required extra payment.

Moreover, just as described in those typical novels, these courtesans who occupied their own private rooms on the ninth through eleventh floors had a certain degree of autonomy, and the Drunken Immortal Pavilion would prioritize their own wishes.

However, due to Xu Yuan's status, their wishes were rendered somewhat irrelevant.

Ordinary young masters and heirs could do the same, but most would choose not to, as it would ruin their reputation.

But did he, Xu Yuan—Xu Changtian—have any reputation left to ruin?

Never mind the courtesans; even the refined entertainers living on the twelfth floor, or even having the aging but still charming procuress herself come up to serve him, was not out of the question.

It was nothing more than a matter of paying more.

He could just steal a few more paintings or antiques from home to sell; at the very worst, there was still that pile of manuscripts his cheap father had left behind from his calligraphy practice in the study.

The Prime Minister's handwritten manuscripts are hard currency in the calligraphy circles; those wealthy merchants and officials who pretend to be cultured all covet such things.

With a smile, Xu Yuan let out a soft scoff:

"Mr. Zhou, I have already said it: I do not wish to be a fellow traveler with you."

Zhou Chen was clearly somewhat disappointed; he smacked his lips and muttered in a low voice:

"If we can't be fellow travelers, can't I just take the back door?"

"..." Xu Yuan.

Seeing the slight twitch at the corner of Xu Yuan's eye, Zhou Chen gave a light cough, his gaze frivolous as he chuckled:

"Ahem, Third Young Master, you aren't planning to abstain from women and live like an ascetic from now on, are you? Surely not—that doesn't sound like you at all~"

"An ascetic?"

Xu Yuan murmured softly, then lowered his gaze to stare at his own palm. Instead of answering, he asked in a quiet voice:

"Mr. Zhou, may I ask about your cultivation talent?"

"Huh?"

Zhou Chen seemed not to have expected Xu Yuan to suddenly ask him this. He paused, then replied:

"Out of one hundred and twenty-seven meridians, I was born with ninety-six open, and my soul intent strength is also top-tier."

As he spoke, he stroked his stubble and grinned:

"I suppose that counts as a genius."

"In that case, Mr. Zhou is indeed a genius."

"Heh, it's alright," Zhou Chen said with a wave of his hand and a cheerful smile.

Xu Yuan did not smile. After offering that soft praise, he stared at Zhou Chen's smiling face and suddenly asked:

"Since you dare call yourself a genius, has your cultivation made any progress lately?"

"..." Zhou Chen.

Eye contact, silence.

If Zhou Chen were truly trapped in a bottleneck and unable to advance, then Xu Yuan's words would count as nothing short of blatant mockery.

"..."

And sure enough, Xu Yuan's words caused the smile on Zhou Chen's face to gradually stiffen, then vanish.

Clearly, Zhou Chen's cultivation was indeed stuck at a bottleneck, and he had been troubled by it for a long time.

Zhou Chen's originally lazy gaze grew somewhat meaningful due to the Third Young Master's mockery.

Xu Yuan's eyes turned cold bit by bit as he met his gaze.

After staring at each other for a long moment, Xu Yuan said:

"Zhou Chen, you needn't look at me like that. To have reached this stage, you are naturally not a person of idle nature, but since you are now indulging yourself so wantonly all day, it is not difficult to deduce that you have encountered a bottleneck you cannot overcome."

This was the first time Xu Yuan had addressed Zhou Chen by his full name.

And with those words, Xu Yuan's narrow eyes squinted slightly:

"I spent over two months with Ran Qingmo, and she was cultivating every single moment."

"Zhou Chen, I am curious."

A hint of mockery, perfectly disguised as curiosity, appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes:

"If you could cultivate without bottlenecks just like Ran Qingmo, would you still be indulging yourself as wantonly as you are now?"

As the words fell, Zhou Chen understood Xu Yuan's meaning and fell into silence.

The bustle and noise below, the cold and quiet at the top.

Xu Yuan stared into Zhou Chen's eyes, enunciating every word:

"Zhou Chen, answer me."

"..."

Zhou Chen's eyes flickered for a moment before he lowered his gaze, bowing slightly with his hands cupped:

"Third Young Master, it was this humble one who offended you just now."