Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

After that, Xu Yuan and Zhou Chen stopped talking.

Zhou Chen focused on driving the carriage while drinking.

Xu Yuan, meanwhile, turned his gaze inward, toward the carriage itself. He was not sure whether that was truly why Mister Qin had made a move on him, but as for why his old man had decided to target the Celeste Sword Sect, he was beginning to see a few clues.

The carriage interior was lavishly furnished. There was a soft couch smooth as jade, fluffy silk-woven cushions, and even a tea tray set aside specifically for brewing tea. A faint fragrance drifted through the air without end.

Where Xu Yuan’s eyes landed, a beautiful woman with seduction written into her very bones sat kneeling before that tea tray, pouring tea. Her eyes were lowered, and she wore a pitiful, tender look that could stir sympathy in anyone who saw her.

Xu Yuan lifted a finger slightly and activated the soundproof array inside the carriage. He glanced at her.

“You heard what we were saying just now?”

“You did not try to hide it from me. Naturally, I heard.” Su Jinxuan slowly raised her eyes. Her voice still carried that same faintly teasing, seductive softness, but the emotional sway that had made it so dangerously alluring before was gone now.

She’s behaving herself a lot more now, not completely, but more...

Thinking that, Xu Yuan gave her a long, meaningful look.

Su Jinxuan had changed clothes. She now wore a dress of pale blue and white silk, the fabric hugging every curve of her figure. Beneath the thin layers, her snowy skin showed through in tantalizing glimpses. A pair of white translucent stockings clung perfectly to her long, straight, jade-like legs.

This woman understood men very well. And she understood even better how to use her body to its fullest advantage. Ever since she had gotten into the carriage, she had been subtly tempting and provoking him the entire time. Even now, she was still trying to turn the tables.

If she had come at him with this act right from the beginning, Xu Yuan might really have lost everything to one moment of weakness. Unfortunately for her, she had not. Instead, she had chosen to use those strange spore-like particles to forcibly control him. And now her Bewitching Soul Devil Body had already been exposed.

Zhou Chen had warned him too. The deeper the physical contact, the easier it seemed for this woman’s succubus body to seize hold of a person’s mind. Testing that theory with his own body was probably best avoided.

Still, this world actually has white stockings. Well, well...

Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan asked casually, “Jinxuan, I heard from Yue Niang that Mister Qin brought you here personally. I’m curious how you came to know Mister Qin in the first place. Can you tell me?”

It was phrased as a question, but his tone left no room for refusal. He was keeping Su Jinxuan alive to mislead Mister Qin, to make him think the plan had already succeeded. Once the carriage reached the Xu residence, she would be handed over to Ying’er for interrogation.

Ying’er came from the Blackscale Guards of the Chancellor’s Manor, known to outsiders as the shadow guards. Interrogation and torture were very much in her line of work.

That said, there was no reason Xu Yuan could not learn a few things first.

Su Jinxuan’s beautiful eyes flickered. A moment later, she said softly, “More than ten years ago, my family fell into ruin, and our enemies came to our door. While we were fleeing, Mister Qin saved me. He has raised me ever since.”

Fleeing for their lives? Taken in and raised? And on top of that, a one-of-a-kind constitution. The sheer cliche of it instantly made Xu Yuan think of quite a few possibilities.

After a brief silence, he put on a thoughtful act and sighed. “My apologies. I seem to have brought up a painful memory for you, Jinxuan.”

Su Jinxuan lowered her eyes and let out a faint sigh. “Thank you for your pity. I was still very young back then. That matter is long in the past.”

Xu Yuan shook his head and asked casually, “Do you still remember who those enemies were? If any of them are still alive, I could help you avenge that blood debt.”

“You’re too kind. I’m overwhelmed by your compassion...”

“So you do not need that?”

“My vengeance has already been taken.”

“All of it?”

“Yes....”

Xu Yuan looked straight into Su Jinxuan’s eyes, then deliberately let understanding dawn across his face. With a light laugh, he said, “So that Mister Qin privately wiped out every last one of your enemies for you.”

Su Jinxuan froze slightly when she heard that. Then she caught the meaning behind his words, and the frail softness in her eyes was instantly replaced by a trace of anger.

“Third Young Master, please do not make such reckless accusations.”

The smile in Xu Yuan’s eyes deepened. He was very satisfied with her reaction. He had no idea what her actual circumstances were. He did not even know whether Su Jinxuan was lying or acting right now. But none of that stopped him from making things up on the spot.

If it failed, all he lost was a few minutes of breath. But if it worked, then even if he could not persuade Su Jinxuan outright, planting a seed of doubt in her heart would already be a huge win.

After a pause, Xu Yuan pressed on without letting up. “Jinxuan, just tell me whether I am right or not. That Mister Qin never let you see a single one of your enemies alive, did he?”

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yuan felt a flicker of surprise. Wait. Did the nonsense he had casually pulled from some melodramatic storybook actually turn out to be true?

Su Jinxuan stared at Xu Yuan, lightly biting the corner of her lip with one sharp little canine. “I know full well that I’m now your prisoner, but I still ask that you not slander Mister Qin’s character.”

“Not answering directly, huh? Then I guess I was right.” Leaning against the soft couch, Xu Yuan propped one hand against his cheek and continued stirring the pot with obvious interest. “If Mister Qin has been able to raise you all these years, then I am guessing your parents also died during that so-called flight from disaster, didn’t they?

“Have you ever thought about it, Jinxuan? After your parents died, you just so happened to be found by Mister Qin, a girl carrying a unique physique, and he just so happened to save you. Does that not seem a little too convenient?

“You know your own body better than anyone. A special constitution that can quietly seize control of other people’s minds is the kind of thing anyone would covet if they knew about it in advance. Especially for a so-called great figure like Mister Qin. Ordering the extermination of your whole family would be nothing more than moving his lips a little. And what he got in return... even I nearly ended up being controlled by you on his behalf.”

Su Jinxuan’s jade-white hand trembled slightly as she poured the tea, and the anger in her eyes was plain to see. “Not everyone in this world is as twisted in temperament as you. Mister Qin has always treated me like his own younger sister. This time, I came here of my own accord to help ease his burdens.”

Xu Yuan acted as though he saw nothing. Smiling lightly, he said, “You say he treats you like a real little sister?”

Then he suddenly burst out laughing and waved a hand. “Fine. I’ll send word out right now that I’ve captured you and plan to have you executed. Let’s see. Do you think your Mister Qin will vanish without a trace and run for his life, or will he come to my Xu estate to snatch back his dear little sister?”

After a long silence, Su Jinxuan drew a deep breath. The silk over her chest rose and fell, but she said nothing, only continued pouring tea in silence.

Xu Yuan could see her heart was unsettled. She was using the ritual of tea-making to steady herself. He did not disturb her. He simply sat there quietly, watching as she handled the tea set with practiced ease.

Warming the pot, measuring the leaves, rinsing the cups... A beauty making tea, each step of the process pleasing to the eye.

When it was all done, Su Jinxuan slowly rose and carried a cup of fresh tea over to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan took it casually, looked into her eyes, then casually pulled her down to sit beside him. Turning his gaze slightly, he asked, “There is something I’m curious about. Could you clear it up for me?”

By now, Su Jinxuan had already returned to normal, alluring and charming once more. Hearing that, she gave Xu Yuan a radiant smile.

“Anything the Third Young Master asks, naturally I’ll answer.”

Xu Yuan lightly wrapped an arm around her soft, supple body. As he breathed in the scent of the tea, he asked in a quiet voice, “Mister Qin made his name more than ten years ago. By now, his strength is probably unfathomable. So why would a man like that never teach you how to cultivate?”

Su Jinxuan covered her mouth and laughed softly. At this point, it was impossible to tell how much of what she said was true.

“Heh... I did not care for all that fighting and killing, so I never cultivated.”

Xu Yuan did not hesitate for even a moment before asking directly, “If you dislike fighting and killing so much, then why did you cultivate the secret arts of this devilish constitution?”

“To that... I cannot say. Those things simply seemed to come to me naturally.”

“Wow, how convenient!” Xu Yuan laughed. Even his Innate Dao Physique still needed a secret art before his soul could leave his body, and yet her Bewitching Soul Devil Body could supposedly just figure itself out on its own?

Never mind anything else. Without practicing a secret art, she would not even be able to achieve the most basic inner sight. And without inner sight, how could she control her soul, much less all those countless spore-like particles?

Sitting upright, Xu Yuan pinched Su Jinxuan’s pale chin and drew her closer. “Jinxuan, lying to me is one thing. Lying to yourself is another. That Mister Qin only gave you a skill for the Bewitching Soul Devil Body, didn’t he?”

Su Jinxuan said nothing.

They stared at each other, but Xu Yuan saw none of the reaction he had hoped for in her eyes. The confused, wavering stage had passed. She was hardening up again.

He gently shook his head, released her, and asked one last question. “One final question. I hope you will answer truthfully.”

“Please ask, Third Young Master.” Su Jinxuan smoothed out her skirt.

Xu Yuan asked casually, “Do you know someone named Qin Mo?”