Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

When a storm was about to break, the wind filled the tower. Beneath the surging undercurrents lay the stillness before the tempest.

An hour ago, Zhou Chen, who had gone to deliver the message, returned. But Xu Changge did not rush straight to Stillwater. Instead, he issued the same order Xu Yuan had. Everything would continue as usual. He also ordered Su Jinxuan to test that strange young man and confirm his identity.

Half an hour ago, Si Ziyu, who had gone to the prefectural office to notify them to prepare the citywide grand array, returned.

A quarter of an hour ago, Su Jinxuan, who had gone to test the strange young man, also returned. She brought back a definite answer. The ordinary-looking youth who had struck Xu Yuan as so off was indeed Qin Mo in disguise.

And after that news was confirmed, Zhou Chen handed Xu Yuan a sheet of paper that had clearly been prepared in advance. He said the Eldest Young Master had given it to him earlier.

The side room was very quiet. Aside from the faint scent of sandalwood, the breathing of the people inside was barely audible.

A long while later, after reading the contents of the paper, Xu Yuan let out a long breath. He should have thought of it sooner. The contents of the note Xu Changge had given him were very simple. It explained a few things and gave him two choices.

The first choice was that Xu Changge would secretly rush to the residence, then kill Qin Mo with swift and thunderous force.

The second choice was that Xu Changge would stage a sting. He would rush to Stillwater as fast as possible, making absolutely no effort to conceal the fluctuations of his source qi, then kill Qin Mo with swift and thunderous force.

The difference was obvious, and the purpose was just as clear. With the first option, the goal was simply to kill Qin Mo and seize the soul ring. With the second option, Xu Changge wanted everything. Not only did he want to kill Qin Mo and seize the ring, he also wanted to cripple one or two second rank Origin Awakener Realm experts from the faction hiding in the shadows.

Judging from the messages Su Jinxuan had passed along several times, the force behind Qin Weijiu was clearly preparing to place a bet on Qin Mo. And after putting all the information together, the chips they were planning to stake likely were not small.

Since they wanted to make such a heavy bet on Qin Mo, then Xu Changge would use the chance of Qin Mo sneaking into his family’s residence to kill him openly and aboveboard.

Up until now, the Chancellor’s Manor had been investigating the force behind Qin Weijiu without alerting them. They could not take the initiative to send assassins after them.

But now, the person Qin Weijiu bet so heavily on was about to be killed. Would he come to stop it or not? If he didn’t come to stop it, Xu Changge would simply kill Qin Mo and take the soul ring. If he did come to stop it, then this was no longer the Chancellor’s Manor carrying out an investigation. This was Qin Weijiu jumping out on his own.

Besides, if the powers backing Qin Weijiu truly wanted to stop Xu Changge, sending a few third ranks to block a second rank would be a little disrespectful, wouldn’t it? At the very least, they would need to send another second rank like Qin Weijiu, right?

Xu Changge had truly mastered the art of baiting the hook.

But Xu Yuan did not make a decision right away. The reason his eldest brother had given him the right to choose between these two options was also very simple. If he chose the second option, his own life might be in danger.

In this world, anyone capable of cultivating their qi to second rank could already be counted among the finest under Heaven. Even if Xu Changge was invincible among his peers, killing someone at the same level would definitely not be simple.

And during that time, if the Sage’s remnant soul inside the soul ring sensed something was wrong, the three Grandmasters protecting Xu Yuan inside the residence would have to cooperate with the citywide grand array to hold Qin Mo back and stop him from leaving, at least until Xu Changge freed himself up and returned.

Most importantly, Xu Yuan could not leave Stillwater in advance. Outside the residence, and perhaps even inside it, there would be Qin Weijiu’s informants watching. If he left at this exact moment, it would look far too deliberate.

After bringing Su Jinxuan back to the residence, he had not gone outside for more than a month. And more importantly, there did not seem to be anywhere nearby safer than the Xu residence.

The storerooms for cultivation resources had been built here. The northwest courtyard of the residence was protected by formations.

But the shockwaves from a battle between third rank Grandmasters could sweep across a thousand feet, and the methods of a Sage’s remnant soul were impossible to fully guard against. There were too many uncertainties.

A trace of hesitation appeared in Xu Yuan’s eyes. What should he choose? If he chose the first option, Xu Changge most likely would not say anything. However, he also knew that his eldest brother had offered the second option more out of helplessness than anything else.

The situation in the imperial capital was on a knife’s edge. And now they had discovered a hostile force hiding in the shadows and watching the Chancellor’s Manor.

The pressure had undoubtedly increased sharply.

If possible, then under the condition that they did not alert the other party, temporarily crippling or even killing one of an enemy faction’s second rank expert would greatly alleviate the burden.

After all, if even a second rank expert, someone among the finest under Heaven, could be casually treated as a disposable pawn, then why would the other side bother hiding in the shadows like rats?

After a long silence, Xu Yuan casually burned the sheet of paper, then shook his head with a smile.

“Qin Weijiu wanted to control me, so I have to teach him a lesson. Since Xu Changge is willing to stand up for me, that’s naturally for the best.”

The moment he said this, the side room fell silent for an instant.

Zhou Chen and Si Ziyu exchanged a glance.

Then Zhou Chen raised his hands in salute.

“Yes.”

With that, he turned and left the room to report back to Xu Changge.

Xu Yuan turned his gaze toward the three people still remaining in the room and sighed. “You should all head out too. I’m going to change.”

He was preparing to put on the Blood Jade Glazed Robe that had been sitting inside his Sumeru Ring all this time. Since the item had appeared alongside the Blood Origin Heartfall Art and those three supreme pills, it naturally could not be an ordinary. Now that they were about to fight the boss, of course he had to put on his best gear as a sign of respect.

Hearing that, Si Ziyu and Ying’er left the room one after another.

However, Su Jinxuan, dressed in plain white, was still standing there.

After two seconds of silence, Xu Yuan looked at her and asked softly, “Do you need something from me?”

Su Jinxuan gave a slight nod. “Mhm.”

Xu Yuan smiled faintly. “What is it?”

Su Jinxuan opened her mouth, then closed it again, as if whatever she wanted to say was terribly hard to bring up.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan looked a little puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Su Jinxuan’s chest rose and fell slightly. She took a deep breath, then said in a low, somewhat uneasy voice, “Um... just now, that person called Qin Mo confessed to me.”

Xu Yuan was stunned by that.

A few things from Azure Point flashed through his mind. Among the many branching choices, there really was a single-heroine, no-flirting route. If Qin Mo had developed feelings for her, that was not strange. But why was Su Jinxuan telling him about this?

As if noticing the surprise in Xu Yuan’s eyes, a tempting blush appeared on Su Jinxuan’s fair cheeks. Although Xu Yuan had not told her the details, she could faintly sense from the earlier atmosphere that a storm was coming.

Her fists clenched slightly. Su Jinxuan spoke faster now, her voice tense. “It’s just... it’s just that you’d better have someone send me away later. After all, Qin Mo can even block the perception of a third rank Grandmaster. If he comes looking for me while you and I are together, you might be in danger.”

After hearing this, Xu Yuan’s breath suddenly caught. He had only considered that Qin Mo might run. After all, staying behind would most likely mean death.

But the protagonist of the old-grandpa-mentor route was also half a traditional hot-blooded hero. With that kind of personality, there was a high chance he would not leave Su Jinxuan at Xu Yuan’s side, especially right after confessing to her.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan looked into her beautiful peach blossom eyes.

“Thank you.”

Su Jinxuan’s eyes curved into a smile, and she shook her head. “It’s nothing. I... I’ll go now.”

“Wait.” Xu Yuan called her back.

“What is it?” Su Jinxuan turned around.

Xu Yuan hesitated slightly, then said in a very serious tone, “If you ever get the chance to go to Burial Village, you can visit the Soul Bewildering Valley to the north of the village.”

“Mhm?” A trace of confusion appeared in Su Jinxuan’s eyes.

Xu Yuan shook his head and waved a hand. “Just remember what I said. You can go. I’m changing clothes.”

Su Jinxuan’s beautiful eyes flickered for a moment. “Do you need me to help you...”

“No.”