“I see.” Xu Yuan had more or less pieced it together, though his feelings were complicated.
From everything he had known, Su Jinxuan was simply an exceptionally beautiful courtesan with no cultivation. The reality, however, was that she was an exceptionally beautiful courtesan with a special constitution, and still no cultivation. So it did not contradict the original story. It was just that the original story had never mentioned it, either.
After a brief silence, Xu Yuan turned his eyes toward the unconscious Su Jinxuan beside him and asked softly, “Do either of you know what kind of innate constitution would let someone control another person’s body?”
Zhou Chen replied in a low voice, “There are several.”
Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then added at an unhurried pace, “Through some kind of tiny particles that attach themselves to the surface of the soul. They can be used to control a person’s body, and once those particles bore into the soul, the victim gets brainwashed.”
Zhou Chen fell silent for two seconds, glanced at Su Jinxuan, and then asked quietly, “Third Young Master, can she still affect your emotions without you noticing?”
“Yes.”
The moment that answer left his mouth, Zhou Chen and Si Ziyu exchanged a look over their shoulders, both wearing the same strange expression.
Ying’er still stood off by herself, eyes lowered, saying nothing.
Si Ziyu gave Zhou Chen a faint nod. Zhou Chen turned, cupped his fist in salute, and said in a low voice, “Third Young Master, this woman... this woman is most likely a Bewitching Soul Devil Body.”
“A Bewitching Soul Devil Body?” Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on the red bed and murmured the words under his breath. His own expression turned just as odd. Essentially, a succubus physique…
The name immediately reminded him of a certain cultivation art, one of only three Blood-tier ones in the game, the Grand Dual Cultivation Yin-Yang Art.
Back when Xu Yuan was playing the game, he had wanted to complain about that painfully cliche name too, but the fact was, the thing really was absurdly useful.
It was the art the story’s protagonist cultivated if he went down the demonic path. Compared to it, even the soul art attached to Xu Yuan’s Blood Origin Heartfall Art was barely worth mentioning in its devour-others build.
Xu Yuan had never cultivated the Grand Dual Cultivation Yin-Yang Art himself, so he did not know its finer details. But the fact that it could ignore differences in realm alone was enough to completely crush his own soul art.
Unfortunately, the manual was hidden in a mountain hollow near Burial Village, which meant he could not get it. And besides, the later recorded applications of the Blood Origin Heartfall Art were powerful in their own right, so there was no need for him to switch paths.
The guidebook had stated that the Bewitching Soul Devil Body was the ideal constitution for cultivating the Grand Dual Cultivation Yin-Yang Art. Back then, Xu Yuan had only thought that made perfect sense. Now that he had experienced it firsthand, he finally understood just how terrifying that combination really was.
Paired with the Bewitching Soul Devil Body’s bizarre spore-like particles, it could silently drain away another person’s cultivation. And if exposed, it could directly seize control of the target’s body. Worse, if those spore particles burrowed into someone’s soul, that person would become a cauldron for life. And if she felt like it, she could even take things slowly, build a relationship at leisure. The Bewitching Soul Devil Body could influence other people’s emotions too, so there was no need to worry that the other party would fail to fall in love with you.
A perfect match. Xu Yuan gathered his thoughts and quickly came up with a rough plan. Looking at Zhou Chen, he said, “Report this matter to Xu Changge.”
For the moment, he had no idea what Mister Qin was planning, and his own strength was lacking, so there was naturally no point in trying to handle this out of sheer stubborn pride. If he could call for backup, why wouldn’t he?
It was a time-honored villain tradition. Beat the small one, and the big one naturally came running.
“Yes.” Zhou Chen bowed with cupped fists.
Xu Yuan slowly rose to his feet and glanced at Madam Moon on the floor. His thoughts raced for a moment before he asked, “If we take Madam Moon back directly, it’ll only alert the enemy. When you knocked her out, did she see you?”
Zhou Chen’s gaze flickered. He shook his head. “She did not.”
Xu Yuan thought briefly, then instructed, “Good. Throw her onto the bed in my private room on the top floor. Before you leave, feed her a Heart Muddling Pill. You should know how to arrange the scene.”
The Heart Muddling Pill was a little aphrodisiac.
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Chen understood that the Third Young Master had no intention of alerting Mister Qin, and his heart sank slightly.
Taking Madam Moon back might indeed allow them to torture some information out of her, but it would also put the mastermind on guard.
There was no need to say how formidable the Bewitching Soul Devil Body was, and yet the other side had been willing to use someone with that constitution as bait.
If not for the Third Young Master’s Innate Soul Physique having a certain restraining effect against the Bewitching Soul Devil Body, he might already have been under her control by now.
Trying to control the Third Young Master of the Chancellor’s Manor… Mister Qin seemed far less simple than he appeared on the surface.
Seen that way, trading the scraps of information Madam Moon might know for Mister Qin’s vigilance was obviously not worth it.
Xu Changtian was cleaning up the mess caused by his rash move.
Zhou Chen let out a faint sigh and bowed. “Third Young Master, I was too reckless.”
Xu Yuan glanced at him and waved a hand. “It’s fine. You didn’t know beforehand that this woman had a Bewitching Soul Devil Body. Your judgment was understandable. Go on. And make it convincing. Madam Moon is a seasoned veteran in these matters.”
Zhou Chen chuckled at that, but quickly stopped himself and added a warning. “Third Young Master, though the situation is clear now, it would still be best if you avoided overly intimate physical contact with someone who has a Bewitching Soul Devil Body.”
Xu Yuan glanced at Su Jinxuan’s shapely figure and frowned. “Why?”
“The deeper the physical contact, the easier it becomes for your mind to be controlled.” With that said, Zhou Chen cupped his fists, then in the middle of Xu Yuan’s brief daze, picked up Madam Moon and left.
For a time, the room fell silent once more.
Si Ziyu watched Xu Yuan without a trace, his eyes thoughtful.
Ying’er was still the same as ever, eyes lowered, not saying a word. What had happened to Xu Yuan right under her nose seemed to have hit her hard.
Xu Yuan came back to himself, let out a sigh, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at Ying’er. “Ying’er, go wake Su Jinxuan.”
After a brief silence, perhaps because she had failed in her duty to protect him, Ying’er did not refuse Xu Yuan’s order this time. She slowly walked to the bedside, took a small bottle from the pouch at her waist, uncorked it, then bent down and held it beneath Su Jinxuan’s nose.
Xu Yuan glanced sideways, his gaze drifting to Ying’er’s peach-like backside as she leaned over, and the corner of his lips curled upward.
The soft-featured Si Ziyu caught that smile and instantly realized what was about to happen. His eyelid twitched.
SMACK! A crisp smack rang out. The air went deathly still.
Yep, definitely the Third Young Master himself. Si Ziyu felt a headache coming on. The man had already been taught a lesson once, and he still dared to grab this woman’s butt.
Ying’er remained frozen in the same posture as before, utterly unmoving, as if the one who had just been struck was not her.
Xu Yuan cast her a glance, then silently withdrew the hand behind his back, now red, swollen, and faintly trembling. Suppressing the pain, he turned with a calm expression to look at Si Ziyu.
Their eyes met. Holding back the urge to laugh, Si Ziyu looked away.
Xu Yuan fell silent.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Su Jinxuan slowly woke. The moment she saw the scene before her, she quietly shrank into the corner of the bed, biting her lip and saying nothing.
Seeing that she was awake, Ying’er put away the little bottle and silently retreated to her original spot, standing there once more with lowered eyes.
Xu Yuan glanced at her. The redness and pain in his hand had already faded. Ying’er had only meant to teach him a lesson.
With a soft chuckle, he turned to Su Jinxuan on the bed. With Ying’er and Si Ziyu standing behind him like attendants, he smiled leisurely and said, “Jinxuan, I’ve already found a physician for you. Come. You’re returning to the estate with me.”
As he spoke, a trace of chill entered Xu Yuan’s eyes, and he slowly extended a hand toward her, where she sat curled up in the corner of the bed.