Zhou Chen hummed a little tune. Without looking back, he ambled leisurely toward the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
He had just left Bamboo Garden and turned around when he saw a feminine-looking man leaning against a blue-brick wall, arms folded across his chest.
Si Ziyu.
Zhou Chen wasn't surprised to see him. Grinning, he asked:
"Well, look who finally decided to come out."
Like Ying'er, Si Ziyu had stayed hidden in the shadows these past few days and hadn't shown himself once. Xu Yuan had even come to believe Zhou Chen and Ying'er were his only two protectors.
Si Ziyu glanced at Zhou Chen, the corners of his lips curling into a smile.
"I saw you acting strangely, so I came out to ask. Are you planning to follow Third Young Master around from now on?"
He had seen Third Young Master's conduct these past few days, as well as the dressing-down he had given Zhou Chen earlier.
He did have some tricks up his sleeve, but only a few.
Those methods were surprising in someone like Third Young Master, but they were the most basic ways to manage people for the sons of other Aristocratic Clans.
Third Young Master's change of heart might have been enough to make his old friend rein himself in, but it was a bit much to have him obey so readily.
Zhou Chen chuckled, patted Si Ziyu on the shoulder, and gestured for them to walk and talk.
"I never said I'd follow Third Young Master forever. Helping him with these things is a way to make up for the messes I caused before. Besides, I don't lose anything by doing it, and it lets Third Young Master save face. What's not to like?"
After a pause,
Zhou Chen pointed to the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and grinned.
"Make Third Young Master happy, and there's a reward in it for me, too."
Si Ziyu knew he meant the two sisters. His eyes filled with disdain.
Seeing this, Zhou Chen slung an arm around Si Ziyu's shoulders and laughed.
"You people care too much about your dignity. Losing face can even affect your state of mind while cultivating.
"Si Ziyu, think further ahead. Third Young Master has an Innate Dao Body now. If he really turns over a new leaf, then with the way I've been acting, I'll be his first confidant. And if he doesn't, there'll be no shortage of fun when it comes to food, clothes, housing, and travel."
The alley was quiet. Their voices stayed within a few feet of them.
Si Ziyu shook his head helplessly and uttered two words:
"Mercenary."
Zhou Chen wasn't offended. He nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I'm mercenary. I'm not like you Aristocratic Clan brats. I'm poor."
Si Ziyu glanced at Zhou Chen, looking as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he kept it to himself.
He sighed, paused, then suddenly asked:
"By the way, what do you make of Third Young Master's change?"
"..."
At that, Zhou Chen immediately turned his eyes toward Si Ziyu.
They stared at each other for several breaths.
"What do you mean by that?" The amusement vanished from Zhou Chen's voice.
"Before Eldest Young Master left, he told us to keep an eye on Third Young Master," Si Ziyu replied.
"You cultivate qi. You should know better than I do that possession doesn't come with memories."
"..."
Si Ziyu fell silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.
"Possession doesn't come with memories, true. But Zhou Chen, do you think the old Third Young Master would have given you that dressing-down?"
Zhou Chen shook his head and laughed, then shot back:
"Si Ziyu, do you think anyone would have listened if the old Third Young Master had given me that dressing-down?"
"..." Si Ziyu was silent.
Zhou Chen let out a long sigh and patted Si Ziyu on the back.
"Don't overthink it. We'll just report what we saw. Let Eldest Young Master and the chancellor make their own judgments."
"Mm. All right."
"Oh, right. Want to come with me and have some fun upstairs?"
"What?"
"There are twin sisters."
"...Get lost."
"Hahaha!"
The elegant bamboo building was quiet, its private room still.
Every sound from outside was shut out.
Sometimes, Xu Yuan thought transmigration was a wonderful thing.
At least, the identity he had transmigrated into was wonderful.
It let him see these heavenly beauties up close with his own eyes, and even get a taste of their charms.
What a lecher.
He didn't say much to this heroine, born with bewitching bones. After finishing his words, Xu Yuan quietly watched the changes in Su Jinxuan's expression.
He wanted to see what she did next and use it to guess which route the protagonist of this world would follow.
Cangyuan had several routes where Su Jinxuan had already met the protagonist by this point, and had even begun to fall for him as they spent time together.
The silence in the private room lingered.
Su Jinxuan pressed her red lips together, not saying a word for a long while.
When Xu Yuan saw that she hadn't moved, he lifted his teacup, took a small sip, and fixed his gaze on her enchanting, peach-blossom eyes.
"Why aren't you moving?"
Su Jinxuan finally spoke, her voice slow and soft.
"Please don't make things difficult for me, Young Master."
"Heh. Looks like Miss Jinxuan needs a little help from me."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan rose and walked toward Su Jinxuan.
The original owner wouldn't have been so direct.
Not because he was tenderhearted, but because after gorging himself on lavish feasts, he'd come to enjoy the teasing and flirtation with beauties like her.
Life needed a sense of ceremony.
The longer the foreplay, the more delicious the feast at the end.
But that was probably one of the reasons the original owner had been played by Su Jinxuan and turned into her lovesick lapdog.
Xu Yuan had no intention of giving Su Jinxuan any room to turn things around.
He came close and, under Su Jinxuan's watchful gaze, bent down and reached for the low neckline of her red robe.
He moved neither quickly nor slowly, giving her enough time to react.
Su Jinxuan's boneless, delicate body leaned back, dodging him. At the same time, she pulled the jade hairpin from her coiffure and held it against her neck, lips pressed together.
"Third Young Master, please don't do this..."
The hairpin slipped free, and her three thousand strands of black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. A touch of just-right defiance gleamed in the bewitching woman's eyes.
"..."
As he heard her words and saw her expression, Xu Yuan felt an almost imperceptible pang of reluctance.
But the next moment,
The sight of her holding the hairpin to her neck struck him with such a strong sense of déjà vu that he couldn't help laughing.
What era was this? And she was still pulling this trick?
"Pfft..."
Su Jinxuan bit her lip. Then she pressed the hairpin harder against her neck.
The hairpin pierced her fair skin in an instant. Thin streams of blood ran along her collarbone and disappeared into the deep valley between her breasts.
"..."
Xu Yuan's smile froze. He slowly took a step back and raised a hand.
"Jinxuan, I was only joking. Why did you take it seriously?"
Su Jinxuan stared at Xu Yuan in silence.
Xu Yuan smiled and took two more steps back.
Only then did Su Jinxuan slowly lower the hairpin in her hand. Her chest rose and fell slightly, as though she had let out a breath of relief.
"Third Young Master, you should make fewer jokes like that."
"Whoosh—"
A strand of blood-red source qi shot from Xu Yuan's fingertip, streaking through the air toward the wrist holding the hairpin.
"Ah!"
Su Jinxuan cried out. She had no way to resist, and the hairpin flew straight from her hand.
But Xu Yuan didn't approach after seeing this. Instead, he warily took two steps back.
He realized he'd already fallen into her trap.
His Innate Soul Body gave him a keen, sensitive Will Soul, and the Blood Origin Heart-Fall Technique had powerful resistance to outside influences. The moment the technique began to circulate, Xu Yuan immediately realized that every movement the woman made was stirring his thoughts.
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