A Will Eternal

“I….” Zhao Tianjiao began nervously, but couldn’t even figure out what to say after that. After hearing everything that Bai Xiaochun had said so far, his heart was already filled with profound gratitude.

“Next,” Bai Xiaochun continued, “is the moon character, which represents timing and environment. We’re all on a ship right now, and the two of you are staying on the same deck. That means you have the advantage in terms of location. With me on your side, you’ll definitely succeed!” He emphasized his last words by clapping his hands together loudly, then raising his voice and continuing, “Next is the shell-money character, which I don’t think we even need to discuss. You surely have plenty of spirit stones. Last is the mortal character, which is very important, and is the antithesis of the death character. You see, despite embracing a sense of crisis within you, you must also have a calm heart. You must not let yourself get flustered; you have to keep control. And remember, as we proceed, I’ll take care of everything!”

His voice seemed to thrum with encouragement and power, causing Zhao Tianjiao’s blood to pump harder, and his mood to soar.

As for Master God-Diviner and the others present, when they heard Bai Xiaochun’s more detailed explanation, they started to get even more excited, and began to pay more close attention than ever. After all, they could tell that what Bai Xiaochun was saying could probably help them as well.

Only Song Que still felt a bit of derision, although even he couldn’t quite tear himself away from listening.

Coughing dryly, Bai Xiaochun said, “Don’t get excited yet, I haven’t finished speaking.”

Zhao Tianjiao personally refilled Bai Xiaochun’s drinking vessel, after which Bai Xiaochun took a sip of alcohol to wet his throat. Then he continued, “My explanation of the Win Charm was mostly so that you could understand why Love Saint Bai Xiaochun was able to dominate the field of love for decades. At this point, we need to start talking specifics.

“You see, on the field of love, you have to know yourself, and know your enemy. Furthermore, you have to be willing to adapt. If you want to get her to fall in love with you, you first have to get on the good side of her friends and family. If they think you’re a good person, then you’ll be a good person to her, even if you really aren’t!” Bai Xiaochun spoke with complete and utter confidence, making his words utterly convincing.

Master God-Diviner suddenly slapped his thigh, and his eyes sparkled with bright light. Sitting up straight and tall, he looked at Bai Xiaochun with an expression of reverence; clearly, he took Bai Xiaochun’s words to be like gospel at this point.

Bai Xiaochun, however, seemed a bit annoyed at the interruption. Looking askance at Master God-Diviner for a moment, he continued, “There is a fact of which you might not be aware. When it comes to female cultivators, many of them lack a sense of security, something which is compounded by the brutal nature of the cultivation world. If you can give a girl a sense of security, then you will be like a beam of light on a dark night. She will naturally be drawn to you. Once you succeed in that, then you will have taken your first step toward success….” In response to these words, Zhao Tianjiao’s eyebrows shot up with excitement.

Apparently, Master God-Diviner was worried he might forget what he was hearing, and had pulled out a jade slip to inscribe the information permanently. As for Zhao Tianjiao’s two followers, they were staring at Bai Xiaochun with looks of awe and reverence.

“There are two important techniques you must master. Put simply, they are both ways to get her attracted to you! After you acquire her attention, you need to do as the line from the ancient poem says: hold a lute in your arms and use it to cover your face. In other words, make yourself seem mysterious! When she approaches you, back off! When she backs away, get closer to her! After a number of such back-and-forth encounters, she will eventually be filled with unquenchable desire! And that, heh heh, is when you will finally have hooked her!” Even Bai Xiaochun was getting excited by this point, and was waving his arms in dramatic gestures as he spoke.

“That is how to conceal the fact that you are pursuing her, and actually make it seem like she’s the one pursuing you!

“Back in the Blood Stream Sect, I used this exact method to win the heart of Que’er’s aunt.”

Song Que’s expression grew even darker, and all of a sudden, it made complete sense why his aunt, who had never been one to be attracted to the immature type, fell head over heels for Bai Xiaochun….

Although Song Que felt like simply walking out of the room, he had to admit that much of what Bai Xiaochun was saying could be useful in the future. Therefore, he quickly came up with an excuse to stay behind. “I’m definitely going to make sure my aunt knows the truth about this Bai Xiaochun!” he thought.

Zhao Tianjiao was completely shaken. Given the expression on Song Que’s face, it was obvious that Bai Xiaochun wasn’t lying. Therefore, Zhao Tianjiao’s confidence only continued to grow.

“At that point, though, you will not have secured your win on the field of love. Your position will still be very precarious, and you will have to work hard to consolidate your standing.” Bai Xiaochun felt extremely proud of himself at how shaken everyone was by his words. The truth was that during the past three days, he had spent a lot of time discussing the matter with imposter Nightcrypt, and had himself been quite shaken by what he had heard.

“I understand!” Zhao Tianjiao said excitedly. “I get what you mean by consolidating my standing. It’s like cultivation. After you make a breakthrough, you have to stabilize your cultivation base. I get it!”

“No, you don’t get it!” Bai Xiaochun barked, glaring. “What you get is how to build upon existing feelings. That’s not what I’m talking about. The highest realm in this aspect of love is being able to keep your distance! You need to get her worked up emotionally, to give her the feeling that she could lose you at any moment. That’s when you finally make your move!

“You absolutely, positively must not spend too much time with her during this phase. If you do, she’ll be too complacent regarding the growing feelings between the two of you. You must make her treasure such feelings! You must make her hell-bent on being with you. Remember, the easier something is to get, the less precious it will be in the end.” Suddenly, Bai Xiaochun lapsed into silence, an expression of reminiscence and longing appeared on his face, as though he were lost in his memories of love, and the bittersweet recollections of an immature youth.

The truth was that he was actually thinking back to what he and imposter Nightcrypt had discussed, reviewing what came next in the speech, and mentally rehearsing how to say it. After enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, his thoughts were in order.

Of course, during that time, Zhao Tianjiao was on the verge of prostrating himself in admiration, and was convinced that Bai Xiaochun must abound with countless stories regarding love and relationships.

In any other circumstance, there was no way that Zhao Tianjiao, with his level of experience in life, would be so easily swayed. But the truth was that his heart was completely wrapped up with thoughts of Chen Yueshan. Therefore, Bai Xiaochun’s words left him totally shaken, and the way Bai Xiaochun was explaining things left him utterly bereft of any powers of judgement….

Eyes still flickering with the gleam of reminiscence, Bai Xiaochun began to speak in a voice so soft it seemed that he had forgotten about Zhao Tianjiao’s presence. “You have to take your time. Make it seem like you are slowly coming to accept her….

“Then, when the moment is right, you give her the surprise of her life. Make her feel that the only reasonable decision is to become your Daoist partner. Up to that point, she will have been stewing in nervousness over the prospect of losing you, only to be suddenly overwhelmed with joy. When that happens for you, Elder Brother Zhao, I will finally be able to offer my congratulations to you for succeeding!”

At this point, he seemed to have fully emerged from his memories of the past, and looked over at Zhao Tianjiao. Raising his voice, he said, “However, I have to warn you, Elder Brother Zhao, relationships are not easy, and since you are going at it with a long and complicated plan, you must promise to never cast your loved one away. If you do, you will surely be punished by the heavens!” By this point, Bai Xiaochun’s words were spoken so loudly that they were almost deafening. Zhao Tianjiao was completely shaken, and immediately jumped to clasp hands and bow deeply.

Expression serious, and eyes shining with determination, he spoke in the most decisive of decisive voices, “I, Zhao Tianjiao, hereby solemnly swear that if I can tie the knot with Junior Sister Yueshan, then she will be my only Daoist partner for my entire life! If I break my oath, may the heavens destroy me and the earth bury me!”

“Good!” Bai Xiaochun said, nodding approvingly like a member of the Senior generation. “Since that’s the case, then it’s not in vain that I, Love Saint Bai Xiaochun, have explained my secrets to you!” Then he looked over at Master God-Diviner, Song Que, and Zhao Tianjiao’s two followers. “The same goes for the rest of you too!”

Master God-Diviner didn’t hesitate for a moment to swear a similar oath. As for Song Que, when Bai Xiaochun looked directly at him, he felt a bit guilty, and almost swore an oath, but finally just snorted and refused to speak.

As for Zhao Tianjiao’s two followers, they were completely shaken, and didn’t even think twice about swearing oaths.

Bai Xiaochun nodded in satisfaction. After taking another sip of alcohol, he looked at the fervent Zhao Tianjiao, then smiled and stuck his chin up.

“Very well, the formalities having been dispensed with, the time has come for you to go ingratiate yourself with Elder Sister Yueshan’s close friends and family.”

“Wait,” Zhao Tianjiao said miserably, “I can’t do that! Junior Sister Yueshan only has two good friends, and both of them left for the Wildlands years ago. Furthermore, in terms of her family, her father is my Master, and he’s very strict. How can I ingratiate myself with him?”

“Your master is old three-eyes?” Bai Xiaochun said, his jaw dropping.

Zhao Tianjiao cleared his throat, and was thinking of correcting the way Bai Xiaochun referred to his Master, but considering that he was here asking for help, he pretended that he hadn’t noticed.

Bai Xiaochun’s heart suddenly surged as he realized that if he could get Zhao Tianjiao and Chen Yueshan together, then it would essentially mean that he would have a deva on his side. He immediately began to consider more ways to handle Zhao Tianjiao’s situation.

After a moment, his eyes began to sparkle.

“Very well, let’s shift tactics. You need to get Elder Sister Yueshan’s attention. Therefore, we need to know what type of man she likes.”

“I’m not sure!” Zhao Tianjiao said, looking even more miserable than before.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. The easiest way to get an idea about someone’s personality is to look at the clothing they wear. How about this: you leave it to me to pick what clothes to wear over the next few days. It shouldn’t take long to figure out what she likes.” As Bai Xiaochun imagined all the different clothing he would have Zhao Tianjiao wear, he couldn’t help but muse that this was the perfect plan. With that, he pulled Zhao Tianjiao closer and began to whisper into his ear the details of which outfits he should get ready.

Zhao Tianjiao’s expression flickered. His eyes went wide, he hissed, he gasped, and soon, a bitter expression appeared on his face.

“Do we really have to do it that way?”

“Yes, absolutely! Pay attention to her reaction. If she frowns, or simply looks away, it means she doesn’t like that outfit. If she looks more closely, it means she’s interested. Either way, you need to keep me informed immediately of all developments.”

Zhao Tianjiao seemed to be vacillating, leading Master God-Diviner and the others to wonder exactly what outfits Bai Xiaochun wanted Zhao Tianjiao to wear.

But finally, Zhao Tianjiao decided to throw caution to the wind. Gritting his teeth, he nodded and said, “I’ll do whatever you say!”