35: Chapter 33 Changes in Plot Points (4k two-in-one) 35: Chapter 33 Changes in Plot Points (4k two-in-one) He passed through several inner rooms and arrived at the top floor by the riverside window.
Draped in a white mink fur robe, Xu Yuan stood by the window on the top floor of Zuixian Pavilion, gazing down at the night-time bustle of the southwestern stronghold.
Zuixian Pavilion was considered the tallest building in the northern part of the city, from where one could overlook the fireworks and festivities over a good half of Jingjiang City.
The city’s nightlife was vibrant, and although this world had no street lights, both sides of the streets were lined with small Bright Pattern Lamps carved by the official government.
Looking down, Zuixian Pavilion towered by the banks of the Jinhuai River.
The winter days in this land of waterways still carried a damp, chilly air; commoners bustled about, hawkers shouted their wares, and elaborately decorated pleasure boats drifted gently along the Jinhuai River at night.
Underneath Zuixian Pavilion, dolled-up parlor attendants continued to draw the gazes of men passing by.
Zuixian Pavilion, along with Xiao Xiang Pavilion in the south of the city, could rival the official Jiaofang Division in terms of prestigious pleasure grounds; naturally, they each had their unique appeal, considering most people involved with the Jiaofang Division held status.
Beyond their looks, their clothing and manner were perfectly designed to be enticing.
Suppressing some restlessness in his heart, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and turned around to return to his bed and sit cross-legged.
If his body was not in good shape, he had to discipline himself, abstain from alcohol and lust.
Thanks to over half a week of cultivation and conditioning at Xuanying Attic, Xu Yuan’s once profligate body had become much healthier, though some things still required gradual nursing back to health.
The original owner would pop pills in the Hook Bar without a second thought, consuming third-rate little pellets bought by his lackeys.
Xu Yuan wasn’t sure about the potency of the drugs, but their side effects were seriously bad; taking them daily had given his organs a slew of hidden illnesses.
Every time he recalled this, Xu Yuan felt that the previous owner’s brain didn’t function well—it’s no wonder that he was manipulated by those who controlled the plot and became a target for the protagonists’ scorn.
If he wanted to pop pills, he could’ve just asked his elder brother for them, even if it meant getting beaten, right?
He wouldn’t refuse to give them.
His organs were already overloaded, and if it weren’t for his family’s solid foundation and the supply of rich Elixir Medicines, Xu Yuan reckoned he’d be lying in a coffin, waiting to be buried.
But now most of those lackeys were pretty much dead.
Ever since he was abducted by that Big Ice Lump, Xu Changge personally came to Jingjiang City, and almost all of the lackeys around the original owner were killed by him.
One couldn’t kill a younger brother, but there was no hesitation in Xu Changge’s slaughter of the incompetent lackeys surrounding him.
Xu Yuan offered no comment on Xu Changge’s methods, especially since they had swindled the original person into stealing many antiques and paintings from the family at low prices, most of which likely ended up in the lackeys’ hands.
Regardless, Xu Changge’s actions indeed created a problem for Xu Yuan now.
According to the timeline of the plot,
the protagonist should have already left the “Burial Village” on the outskirts of Dayan and was close to arriving in Jingjiang City.
Yet now, when he wanted to take preemptive action, he didn’t even have a single person he could use.
Most fundamentally, he couldn’t even find the protagonist amidst the vastness of Jingjiang City.
The lackeys were lackeys, but they could take care of all kinds of dirty work efficiently just on his command.
No matter how debauched the original owner was, the identity of the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister would always bring people fawning over him, not to mention the original fool was quite generous.
High-ranking members of gangs in Jingjiang, young members of trade guilds, and even some from the City Defense Office were “close friends” of the original owner.
If those people hadn’t run into trouble, finding someone in the vast Jingjiang City wouldn’t have been an issue, but now they had all been slaughtered by Xu Changge.
And with those as a warning, who would dare to risk getting chopped by your brother just to fawn over you?
To have Ying’er or that Zhou Chen do it?
These two venerable figures…
Ha, Xu Yuan thought he might as well just wash up and go to sleep early—there’s everything one could want in dreams.
Moreover, since leaving Xuanying Attic, Xu Yuan hadn’t seen Ying’er again and now suspected she might be hiding somewhere spying on him.
With a thoughtful look in his eyes, he lightly tapped the edge of the wooden window and then let out a long sigh.
With no one around to help, it seemed he would have to rely on the newly replaced Protectors of the house to do the job; he just didn’t know whether these new Protectors would listen to him, the Third Young Master….
After assigning the task, for the next twenty days, Xu Yuan had people set up a Spirit Locking Formation and then confined himself to the top floor of Zuixian Pavilion.
If he encountered a problem with his cultivation, he would seek out the great master Zhou, who was becoming increasingly emaciated due to alcohol and lust on that very top floor.
Zhou Chen’s talkative nature made him a much better teacher than that Big Ice Lump Xing Ran, and Xu Yuan was able to resolve most of the problems he encountered.
Under the guidance of a renowned master and the aid of various elixirs, in less than a month, Xu Yuan’s cultivation level naturally progressed into the ranks of Ninth Grade.
Just like his last breakthrough into the Entry Level, there was a “pop” sound, and the bottleneck within him was breached without any resistance.
Feeling the changes in the Origin Qi surging within his body, Xu Yuan opened his eyes with satisfaction and chuckled,
“This Innate Taoist Body breaks through as easily as eating and drinking….”
For those with decent natural talent, moving from never having cultivated to stepping into Ninth Grade averagely takes about a year, whereas he had entered Ninth Grade in less than a month!
He looked down at his hand, clenched into a fist; what used to be mere wisps of blood-colored Origin Qi could now envelop his entire fist.
Then, turning his fist into a palm, he watched the enchanting blood-colored Origin Qi whimsically alter its shape in the palm of his hand.
The fullness brought by the surging Qi made Xu Yuan involuntarily split into a grin.
is this the feeling of power?