79: Chapter Seventy-Three: Choice 79: Chapter Seventy-Three: Choice “My opinion?”
Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised by the question, glanced at the other party, and couldn’t help but chuckle:
“My opinion is that you’d better not go.”
Su Jinxuan’s eyes flickered twice, asking, “..Why?”
“Because you’re too naive.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to insult you, I’m just stating a fact.”
“…” The rise and fall of Su Jinxuan’s chest sped up slightly.
Xu Yuan glanced at her and said softly with a laugh:
“See, you’re angry now, and you’re not trying to hide it at all.
How are you supposed to serve as an undercover agent with that kind of temper?”
Su Jinxuan opened her mouth wanting to retort, but Xu Yuan interrupted her first, saying:
“I bet you want to say now that getting angry when insulted is human nature, or that there’s simply no need to hide such things in front of me, right?”
“…” Su Jinxuan pursed her red lips shut.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head:
“It seems I’m right.”
Su Jinxuan gently pressed her lips together.
Making eye contact with her, Xu Yuan suddenly smiled and raised his hand to pat her fragrant shoulder.
Su Jinxuan was a bit uncomfortable with the other’s sudden display of intimacy.
Since coming out of that secret room, it had been a long time, and this was the first physical contact between the two in a month.
Xu Yuan treated it as if he was patting a subordinate from a past life project, continuing to speak casually:
“You don’t know how to hide your emotions, and your thoughts are too easy to guess.
I know you might be in a relaxed state right now, but if you were truly suitable for undercover work, you’d never have a moment of relaxation again.
“Your cultivation level dictates that even when you’re alone, you can’t be sure whether or not someone is spying on you.”
Xu Yuan glanced back at Zhou Chen hanging behind them by more than twenty meters away and suddenly said softly:
“Do you recognize him?”
Su Jinxuan looked in the direction of Xu Yuan’s gaze, somewhat hesitant:
“The guard that follows you every day, named Zhou Chen, should be an expert.”
“He’s not a guard, but a Guest Elder, a Third Grade Great Master, practicing martial arts.
“Did you know that Zhou Chen can hear your heartbeat from dozens of meters away?
If he uses his cultivation technique, he might even hear it from further away.
Qin Weijiu is no weaker than him, and if you say something critical during a conversation, he’ll be able to pick up on any slight acceleration in your heartbeat distinctly.
“Su Jinxuan, do you understand what that means?”
Although it isn’t mind-reading, talking about certain matters can easily cause suspicion when it makes your heartbeat quicken.
Su Jinxuan clenched her fists, her heartbeat gradually calming: “I…
I should be able to overcome that.”
Xu Yuan withdrew his hand and nodded slightly:
“Good, let’s assume for now that you can overcome it, then let’s continue.
“As an undercover agent, you would have to think carefully about everything you do, even every word you speak, to consider the potential consequences.
“Some information may seem inconsequential to you and might slip out easily, but that’s because you don’t have the full picture.
Something you say offhand can be taken by someone else as cause for suspicion.
“The speaker is mindless, but the listener is mindful.”
With that said, Xu Yuan looked deeply into Su Jinxuan’s eyes:
“Just like when you revealed to me on the carriage your relationship with Qin Weijiu.
If you hadn’t told me that, I would have been entirely unaware of your connection to Qin Weijiu and would never have had the Black Scale Guards investigate the matter.
“For you, that might have seemed like a natural thing to do, but for others, it could be seen as information worthy of suspicion.”
silence fell between them.
The coldest days of winter were now upon them, with a few ice flowers blossoming on the surface of the lake within the estate.
“So your opinion is..
you don’t want me to go?”
Her voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible probing tone.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to go,”
Xu Yuan, without hesitation, immediately corrected: “It’s that I don’t think you have the ability to properly serve as an undercover agent at present.
Not only would my investment be lost, but it might also be turned against us.”
The Mistress Enchantress’s eyes, drooping down, flashed with a streak of inexplicable loss.
After walking a distance, since she continued to hang her head in silence, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly, let out a long sigh, and suddenly said,
“Su Jinxuan, Ying’er came to see you before, didn’t she?”
Su Jinxuan’s pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately raised her eyes to look at him.
She realized that he was referring to Ying’er’s previous visit to recruit her as an informant.
If he already knew the decision she had made regarding this matter, why ask her again?
The loss hidden in the depths of her eyes vanished, instead replaced gradually with a trace of suspicion, “Was I just tricked by this guy?”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Xu Yuan sighed, rubbing his temples:
“I think Ying’er must have already told you about the specific situation.
Now, I can offer you two choices again.”
Su Jinxuan looked somewhat stunned.
“This is your only chance to reconsider.”
Xu Yuan stared intently at her peach blossom-like beautiful eyes and lifting a finger under her gaze, said,
“First, you can continue to stay by my side .
I will consider granting you a cultivation technique suitable for the Enchantress Divine Physique.
“Pay attention, I’m talking about a cultivation technique, not a secret technique.
With that cultivation technique and your Enchantress Divine Physique, your cultivation speed might not be slower than mine.
“Of course, you should understand what offering you the technique entails.
“This way at least, you would be safe, and once your cultivation level grows, there will be many opportunities for you to personally slay your enemies in the future.”
Su Jinxuan remained silent for two seconds, then spoke softly,
“And the second option…?”
Xu Yuan withdrew his hand, chuckling lightly,
“Everything stays the same, abide by the orders of the Black Scale Guards, but acting as an informant in your current state is likely to expose you.
Even with the training from the Black Scale Guards, I don’t think the chances of your survival are high.”
he looked up at the endless blue sky:
“The reasons, I’ve already discussed with you earlier—I trust you can judge for yourself.
As I’ve said before, it’s fine to deceive me, but never deceive yourself.”
It felt like a moment, yet eternal.
Two choices, two paths.
The first, to become his subordinate.
The second, still a collaboration.
In the tranquil manor, it seemed only their faint footsteps remained.
Drawing a deep breath,
then slowly exhaling it out,
Su Jinxuan looked towards the distant courtyard, clutching the corner of her cheongsam, her voice very light,
“I…I still choose the second option.”
The sky was a clear blue, the sunlight pouring down like a waterfall.
Observing her flawless profile, Xu Yuan gently shook his head, without saying more.
The gap between the two choices was visibly stark; he thought she would choose the first, but she still chose the second.
It was somewhat unexpected, yet understandable.
For him, it was a casual act of benevolence and investment.
But for her, it was a debt of gratitude too great to ever repay.
He sighed silently in his heart.
another female lead was about to meet her end.
Just as he had said earlier, he really didn’t have high hopes for Su Jinxuan to become an excellent undercover agent.
indeed still disliked such high-risk investments.
Without any more words,
the two silently entered Xu Yuan’s loft.
in today’s cultivation, the Mistress Enchantress was exceptionally zealous, only ending just before the deep of the night.