Inconceivable Arrogance

The question:

Would Xu Yuan actually step in to stop this alluring courtesan before him if she were truly attempting suicide?

Three.

Two.

One.

The answer is no.

As a man with normal senses, Xu Yuan would likely feel a sense of regret to see such a devastatingly beautiful woman die right before his eyes, but he would never intervene.

Before entering this Bamboo Garden, he had already learned of Su Jinxuan's identity and naturally prepared himself with the appropriate psychological expectations.

If this courtesan, who had come specifically for him, wanted to commit suicide, he would most likely watch the show with a smile.

He would watch her put on a performance, watch her act pitiful, watch her act stubborn and helpless, and watch her make the situation awkward for herself.

As someone who had been in intimate contact with death countless times, Xu Yuan did not believe that Su Jinxuan would cleanly and decisively end her own life if she had any other choice.

But the reality now was that all the psychological expectations Xu Yuan had set had become a joke.

He found himself unable to walk away the moment he saw this woman.

If not for the clear course of action Xu Yuan had established in his mind before entering the Bamboo Garden, he might have followed her lead the moment she mentioned "music."

Yet, even with the prior knowledge of what he intended to do, Xu Yuan was still influenced by the emotions surging within him as he acted.

Heartache, anxiety, and the fear of loss—all leading him to finally intervene.

This was not normal, but at the time, Xu Yuan could no longer see it.

It was not until the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art began to circulate that Xu Yuan suddenly realized his own abnormality.

His emotions were being stirred by that woman.

Upon careful perception, Xu Yuan felt a jolt of shock in his heart.

The surface of his soul was covered in some floating, granular particles.

The appearance of these particles had not caused any discomfort; they were not dense, but scattered across the surface of his soul as if they had merged into one.

Under conscious, active perception, Xu Yuan realized that these floating particles were actually moving.

They were desperately trying to burrow into his soul.

However, this burrowing did not make Xu Yuan feel any discomfort.

On the contrary, the aura emitted by these floating particles even made Xu Yuan feel a hint of comfort.

It was just a pity that even though Xu Yuan had been completely off-guard, the refined density of his Innate Soul Body prevented these invisible particles from burrowing in for the time being.

The Su Jinxuan before him clearly had no cultivation, just as in the original work; otherwise, Zhou Chen would not have wished him good fortune in martial arts before leaving.

Yet, it had still happened.

Besides Origin Qi cultivation, did this world actually possess such bizarre methods of attack?

Upon realizing this, Xu Yuan opened his mouth to call for backup.

A one-on-one fight?

That didn't exist.

He had a bodyguard.

But just as he opened his mouth, Xu Yuan realized he could not speak.

"..." Xu Yuan.

He sensed that the granular things attached to the surface of his soul suddenly began to undulate according to a certain pattern.

And as these things undulated, Xu Yuan discovered that he was gradually losing control of his body.

He could see, he could hear, and all five senses were normal, but he could not speak or move; he could only stand quietly on the spot.

Su Jinxuan lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, a bewitching light faintly radiating from her peach-blossom eyes. She gently pressed her swollen wrists, her voice tinged with grievance:

"Third Young Master, what is this..."

As soon as her voice fell, the undulations of those granular things instantly became intense.

The next moment, Xu Yuan's body moved against his will, smiling slightly as he raised a hand to interrupt:

"Eh, Jinxuan."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan's body walked toward Jinxuan:

"Actually, I didn't want to treat you like that just now. It's just that I was afraid you might really be unable to let go and seek death. I hope you do not blame me."

"..."

Su Jinxuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes to look at Xu Yuan.

Sunlight shone through the window lattice onto Su Jinxuan's alluring face, half in shadow, half in light.

As their gazes intertwined, Xu Yuan faintly caught the ripples of peach blossoms rising within the woman's eyes.

In the midst of his dazed state, countless more plankton-like particles settled onto the surface of Xu Yuan's soul.

Her tone carried a hint of low, pleading supplication:

"Third Young Master, your status is noble; how would Jinxuan dare to blame you? I only ask that you do not force Jinxuan to do things she does not wish to do."

"Force?"

Following the dialogue, Xu Yuan's body sat back down upon the meditation cushion, and he let out a soft chuckle:

"That depends on your own performance. If you can make me interested, spending a bit more time playing with you is certainly possible."

"Heh, this tea is too bland. Someone, bring me wine."

"."

"."

The subject of their conversation shifted from Xu Yuan's direct demands to the typical banter between a young master and a courtesan.

They drank together, listened to music, and discussed melodies and various anecdotes from the streets.

The bizarre scene of his body speaking and acting on its own caused a flicker of panic to arise in Xu Yuan's heart.

However, this trace of panic was instantly replaced by the habitual calmness he felt when facing trouble.

The situation before him was already clear as day.

This Su Jinxuan was stalling for time.

She needed enough time for those eerie, plankton-like particles to burrow into his soul.

As for the consequences of letting these things inside...

Xu Yuan recalled the original character's behavior in the plot, which had been akin to madness.

Tsk, Kotoamatsukami, is it?

This type of targeted consciousness control was far too strange; without experience, Xu Yuan could not find any countermeasures for the time being.

As time ticked by, Xu Yuan could feel that the surface of his soul was already densely covered with those eerie, plankton-like particles.

Yet, due to the resilience of his Innate Soul Body, these things had been unable to burrow into his soul thus far.

A sense of powerlessness gradually welled up in his heart.

The feeling of having no leads, combined with the perception of those plankton-like particles, caused Xu Yuan's thoughts to gradually become chaotic.

Since transmigrating, Xu Yuan had felt he was cautious enough, but reality had dealt him a resounding slap in the face.

He was not cautious; on the contrary, he was arrogant.

Knowing full well that there was something wrong with Su Jinxuan, he had still chosen to come alone.

The reason for doing so, aside from having Ying'er nearby for protection, was largely because the "God's-eye view" he once possessed made him feel that he could control this alluring, city-toppling woman all by himself.

Too stupid.

Utterly foolish arrogance.

Regret was useless; forcing himself to collect his thoughts, Xu Yuan began to search his memory from beginning to end, bit by bit, for anything he could use.

Ying'er had not intervened yet, which clearly meant she had not perceived the danger he was in.

He had to save himself now.

As his thoughts stretched out, Xu Yuan thought of the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art.

The Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art was complex and profound, but it was entirely recorded with methods for utilizing Origin Qi; regarding the soul, it only contained basic perception and the application of gathering Origin Qi.

Even though the efficiency of this perception and gathering of Origin Qi far exceeded that of ordinary cultivation techniques, it was of no help in his current situation.

There was some helplessness, but even more, there was despair.

This Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art could simultaneously forge an Innate Body and an Innate Soul Body, yet the latter served merely to facilitate the cultivation speed of the former?

When he first practiced it, he felt this was reasonable, after all, he believed that one's Origin Qi cultivation level determined everything.

But in this world, it seemed there existed power systems other than Origin Qi cultivation.

Looking at it this way, this Blood-grade cultivation manual was far too lopsided.

Wait.

Manual?

Xu Yuan's thoughts paused slightly.

He suddenly remembered the nameless secret technique that accompanied the Blood Origin Heart-Meteor Art.

During those days of studying when he first arrived at the cave dwelling, Xu Yuan did not know how many times he had read both manuals together.

It was only because human energy was limited that Xu Yuan had poured all his effort into cultivating Origin Qi and had subsequently set it aside.

Like someone drowning in darkness seeing a glimmer of light.

Xu Yuan's spirit jolted, and he began to recall the contents recorded in that nameless manual.

As the memories surged forth bit by bit, Xu Yuan realized this was indeed a secret technique for cultivating the Soul of Will.

Furthermore, it was of the offensive variety.

The method of attack was simple, describable in two words: Devour.

Beyond the conventional tempering of the Soul of Will, it allowed the practitioner to strengthen themselves by directly devouring the souls of others.

Ordinary cultivators would never dare to act so recklessly, as they would likely suffer from qi deviation due to the incompatibility between different souls, but the Innate Soul Body had no such fear.

It was a perfect match for the condensed nature of the Innate Soul Body.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan's mind relaxed slightly.

Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately began to immerse himself in studying the logic and methods of this secret manual.

Cultivation knows no passage of time.

He did not know how much time had passed before Xu Yuan cast his consciousness from his sea of consciousness back to the outside world.

The stars had shifted and the sun was gone; a full moon hung high in the sky, casting its bright, clear light through the bamboo forest and into the room, while his body was still engaged in conversation with Su Jinxuan.

The tense atmosphere of the daytime had vanished between the two, and as they laughed and chatted, their eyes seemed to convey deep affection.

The sandalwood incense drifted hazily, and the topic Su Jinxuan had been self-directing and self-acting finally reached its conclusion.

A slight flush from the wine made Su Jinxuan's face appear even more enchanting. With a smile on her lips, she glanced sideways at the moonlight outside and said tactfully:

"Third Young Master, it is getting late."

Xu Yuan's body chuckled upon hearing this and reached out to grab her slender wrist:

"It is indeed late, Jinxuan. A moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Su Jinxuan's expression stiffened just enough, and she let him pull her, her voice low:

"Third Young Master, didn't you promise earlier that you would not force Jinxuan?"

"..."

The body was silent for a moment, then sighed slightly:

"Fine, as you wish. I won't touch you tonight, but you must let me stay here."

"But..." Su Jinxuan wanted to say something more.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan's body frowned directly.

Su Jinxuan seemed helpless as she nodded gently:

"Mm... then Jinxuan will trust in the Third Young Master's character. However, we must sleep in our clothes..."

"...Fine~ I will do as you say, Jinxuan."

"..."

Listening to the dialogue between the two, Xu Yuan could barely hold it together.

Self-directing and self-acting—it would truly be a pity if this woman didn't become a playwright and write scripts.

However, this conversation let Xu Yuan know that his current state could not withstand close scrutiny, and in all likelihood, he could not stray too far from Su Jinxuan.

Otherwise, she would never have let him stay the night.

As the words fell, Su Jinxuan called for a maid to bring a copper basin for them to wash up.

A flicker of light in the bamboo forest extinguished, leaving only the moonlight to spill gently into the room through the lattice windows.

Pulling back the bed curtains, the two climbed into bed fully clothed. Feeling the softness of the mattress and smelling the faint fragrance emanating from the woman, Xu Yuan's vision plunged into darkness.

But after a few breaths, his body suddenly stirred, turning on its side to gently wrap its arms around the boneless, delicate frame of the woman beside him.

After two seconds of silence, Her voice trembled slightly:

"Th-Third Young Master."

Xu Yuan's body replied softly:

"Go to sleep."

"..."

As these thoughts flashed by, Xu Yuan withdrew his focus.

The nameless secret technique began to circulate gradually within the silent darkness.