Translator: CinderTL
"Should I say it's a coincidence, or pretend I don't see you?" Xu Sanyan asked, his voice cautious.
This woman's background was unknown, and her intentions for coming to the Wang Family remained unclear. But he was certain she was up to no good.
Zuoqiu Zhen scoffed. "Hmph, I have no grudge against you, nor any desire to steal your treasure. What harm is there in meeting?"
"Uh... you two know each other?" Wang Zixuan asked, her curiosity piqued.
Xu Sanyan nodded. "We've met once before."
"Once? Hahahaha..."
Zuoqiu Zhen's smile was mocking, the corners of her lips curling with amusement. He saw me completely naked, and he calls that "once"?
Xu Sanyan pretended not to notice. Since nothing substantial had happened, it was indeed just a brief encounter.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"The same as you."
"Hm?"
"Hiding."
Having seized Zuoqiu Zhen's body and murdered the Zuoqiu Clan's family elder, she likely had the entire clan searching for her.
"That's for the best..." Xu Sanyan muttered, unwilling to prolong the conversation. He knew Zuoqiu Zhen wasn't telling him the whole truth.
Zuoqiu Zhen shook her head. "It's best we stay out of each other's way. You take your Yangguan Road, and I'll cross my Single-Log Bridge. Let's not trouble each other, agreed?"
"Agreed," Xu Sanyan replied, finding the arrangement perfectly suited to his needs.
As they passed, Xu Sanyan whispered, "My name is Lin Fan."
Zuoqiu Zhen glanced back, her lips parting slightly. "Yu Shuchen."
Xu Sanyan mentally savored the name: Yu Shuchen...
Zuoqiu Yu, Zuoqiu Shu, Zuoqiu Chen?
Tsk...
Returning to Wang Zixuan's room, Xu Sanyan curiously surveyed his surroundings. The woman's boudoir was filled with a faint, intoxicating fragrance.
His gaze swept across the room until his brow furrowed, his eyes fixed on a painting hanging on the wall. He slowly approached and stood before it.
The painting was strikingly peculiar. Countless indistinct figures writhed and struggled within a gray mist, their withered arms reaching out from the swirling fog, their grotesque faces flickering in and out of view.
The painting's palette was starkly simple, limited to black, white, and gray, leaving viewers with a profound sense of oppression.
Xu Sanyan felt uneasy. He turned to ask, "Who painted this?"
Wang Zixuan approached the painting, her gaze fixed on it in silence. The color gradually drained from her pupils as if her entire being had been absorbed into the artwork.
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes slightly, refraining from further questions.
The scene before him was deeply unsettling. Wang Zixuan seemed to have lost consciousness upon seeing the painting, becoming a soulless husk.
He knew that the Demonic Seed planted in her sea of consciousness compelled her to answer his questions almost instinctively. Yet, despite clearly hearing him, she remained silent.
This painting could suppress the Demonic Seed!
Xu Sanyan didn't disturb her, standing quietly to the side and waiting.
After a long while, Wang Zixuan jolted back to awareness. As if nothing had happened, she took Xu Sanyan's arm and said, "Brother Lin, please be careful tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you to return and marry me..."
Boom!
Xu Sanyan's pupils dilated violently, as if struck by lightning. He froze in place, his scalp tingling with numbness.
He had never felt the girl beside him so utterly foreign.
"What... did you say?" Xu Sanyan asked, his voice hoarse.
"Hmm? I said you should be careful and not get hurt. I'm still waiting for you to come back and marry me," Wang Zixuan said, tilting her head and looking at Xu Sanyan as if she didn't understand why he was asking again.
"Mm..."
Wang Zixuan pressed her head against Xu Sanyan's chest. "Don't worry, Brother Lin. The great elder grew up with my father and they're very close. He'll take good care of you."
"Heh, okay."
Xu Sanyan didn't dare ask further. She had already said these words once, but Wang Zixuan seemed to have lost that memory and was repeating them.
Moreover...
The Demonic Seed's connection had weakened!
To Xu Sanyan, the Demonic Seed was like a brand seared into his heart. When he cast his spell, the Talisman Seal would materialize in the void, pierce the target's mind, and allow him to control them.
Upon the target's death, the Talisman Seal would return to Xu Sanyan's body.
But now, though the Demonic Seed remained within Wang Zixuan, its presence had clearly diminished.
This had a crucial consequence: the Demonic Seed couldn't completely corrupt her mind, preventing her from fully obeying Xu Sanyan's commands.
The painting truly possessed a restraining effect on the Demonic Seed!
Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed slightly as he circulated his spiritual power, conjuring another Demonic Seed in the void and slowly imprinting it onto her forehead.
He couldn't afford to lose control of her. If Wang Zixuan broke free, she would reveal the truth to her mother, putting Xu Sanyan in grave danger.
After all, his actions were far from honorable.
"Are there any other paintings like this in the other rooms?" Xu Sanyan asked, worried about Wang Qingyu and Wang Ruixin.
"What painting?" Wang Zixuan asked, confused. Her gaze shifted toward the wall, and Xu Sanyan saw in her reflected pupils only a blank wall—completely empty!
Xu Sanyan swallowed hard and stopped questioning her. This damned place was truly cursed!
He suspected it might be some secret art of the Wang Family, but why could outsiders see it while the Wang Family members couldn't?
Specially targeting their own people?
He couldn't tell if this painting was a blessing or a curse for the Wang Family, but the feeling it gave him was far from reassuring.
Xu Sanyan inwardly shook his head, forcefully withdrawing his arm from her embrace. "It's getting late. I should return to my room. You should rest early too."
Wang Zixuan seemed reluctant to part, her voice pleading, "Hmm... with Brother Lin's cultivation level, do you really need to rest?"
"Yes, it's just a habit."
"Alright then..."
Just as Xu Sanyan pushed open his door, he suddenly turned back to ask, "Do you remember what happened outside the city a few days ago?"
"Of course I do!" Wang Zixuan tilted her head, blinking innocently, her expression utterly charming.
"Tell me about it," Xu Sanyan said, closing the door behind him.
"Aiya, what's there to tell? I just slipped and fell into the water, and Brother Lin rescued me. To show my gratitude, I..." Wang Zixuan's cheeks flushed crimson. "I... let Brother Lin have some fun..."
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly, confirming his memory.
"Get some rest," he said, turning to leave. His gaze instinctively swept over the painting again, sensing a subtle shift in the figure within, though he couldn't quite articulate what had changed.
What a strange painting...
Back in his room, Xu Sanyan retrieved a soul crystal from his storage pouch and began absorbing it. Wisps of soul power, barely visible to the naked eye, flowed into his body, bringing profound relaxation to his mind.
With five soul crystals remaining, he estimated that after absorbing these, another seven or eight should be enough to break through to the Mid Stage of Soul Refinement.
This was a benefit brought by the Nether Phoenix. Under the constant burn of Nether Soulfire, impurities in his divine soul were being purged every moment, eliminating the need for separate refinement and saving him considerable effort.
Late at night,
The soul crystal in his hand had exhausted its power, crumbling into dust that scattered across the floor.
Xu Sanyan opened his eyes. A gentle breeze rose beneath him, lifting him into the air as he floated silently to the door.
He sensed someone outside, now separated by only a thin barrier.
(End of the Chapter)---
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