“And who are you?”

Xu Qi An looked down coldly at the beautiful young woman and said slowly:

“If you don’t want to die, answer my questions honestly.”

As he spoke, he released several qi streams to seal her pressure points.

The young woman raised her watery eyes to look at him, neither nodding nor refusing.

“I’ll take that as agreement.”

Xu Qi An sat down opposite her, chewing on a straw, and asked: “Who are you people?”

Xu Yuan Shuang remained silent for a moment, her cheeks burning hot, legs curled up, and said quietly:

“We’re disciples of the Autumn Grass Hall in Qing Province. We came to Yong Province with our senior brother for training and to see the world. I… I’m called Chen Yuan Shuang.”

“Your jianghu experience is indeed at a novice level…”

Xu Qi An reached toward her slender waist. Xu Yuan Shuang’s expression changed slightly as she leaned back forcefully, trying to avoid his violation.

But she was wrong – this plain-looking man wasn’t trying to undo her sash, but instead removed the brocade pouch hanging at her waist.

Xu Yuan Shuang instinctively tried to snatch it back, but when she grabbed his wrist, she pulled back as if shocked, her breathing becoming heavier, the flush on her cheeks deepening.

She struggled to suppress the love poison, but the moment she touched the man’s body, her will nearly collapsed, unable to control the urge to throw herself at him, begging for pleasure.

Xu Qi An opened the fragrance pouch and looked inside…

Jackpot!

It was filled with magical weapons of all kinds – offensive, teleportation, defensive… a great variety.

If I had a teleportation magical weapon that day, I wouldn’t have been so embarrassed by Du Nan Jin Gang. Arcanists are loaded… Xu Qi An maintained his expression as he tucked the pouch into his robes.

Xu Yuan Shuang opened her mouth, her eyes flashing with grievance and distress, but she didn’t dare speak.

“As far as I know, only the Imperial Observatory’s Arcanists can mass-produce magical weapons. What is this Autumn Grass Hall?”

Xu Qi An narrowed his eyes: “If you won’t tell the truth, don’t blame me for being inhumane.”

Xu Yuan Shuang stubbornly pressed her lips together, her pretty face filled with hatred.

Playing stubborn with me… Xu Qi An’s finger gently poked her waist.

“Mmm~~”

Xu Yuan Shuang’s delicate body trembled, her beautiful eyes becoming misty and unfocused, her legs unconsciously rubbing together.

“If you don’t cooperate, I’ll have my way with you here first, then throw you to the nearby villagers. They probably haven’t seen such a fresh young lady in their lives,” Xu Qi An threatened.

“You…”

Xu Yuan Shuang’s pretty face twisted slightly, her eyes full of fear.

“If you behave and listen, I’ll cure your love poison,” Xu Qi An said. “How about it?”

Xu Yuan Shuang bit her lip, on the verge of tears: “Love poison has no cure.”

“It’s a heart insect, not love poison,” Xu Qi An corrected.

The young woman cautiously probed: “Cure the heart insect first.”

Without Xu Qi An making any visible movement, his lips parted slightly, and after a moment, a tiny worm crawled out from Xu Yuan Shuang’s ankle. Xu Qi An extended his finger, and it slowly crawled to his fingertip before disappearing.

After the worm left, Xu Yuan Shuang immediately felt the heat in her body disappear, the reason-destroying lust beginning to weaken.

Phew… The young woman let out a relieved breath and stared at Xu Qi An: “Are you from the Insect Tribe?”

“Answer my question – who are you people?” Xu Qi An asked expressionlessly, ignoring her attempt to change the subject.

“Who exactly are you, sir…”

Before Xu Yuan Shuang could finish speaking, her bodice suddenly split open, revealing her light green undershirt and fair neck.

She screamed and covered her chest.

Xu Qi An sneered: “Stalling for time, waiting for the Buddhist sect and your companions to search for you? My patience is limited. You have three breaths to answer each question. Play any more tricks, and you’ll experience something worse than death.”

Having her thoughts exposed, Xu Yuan Shuang dared not delay any longer. She didn’t dare stake her virtue on her enemy’s morals.

“We’re from Qian Long City in Yun Province.”

“What is Qian Long City?”

Xu Yuan Shuang’s expression showed struggle. After pausing for a few seconds, she slowly said: “It’s a major power.”

“From that royal lineage of Da Feng from five hundred years ago?”

Xu Qi An spoke this explosive intelligence in a calm tone.

Xu Yuan Shuang’s expression changed dramatically as she looked at him in disbelief.

“You…”

She seemed to understand this man’s identity and said word by word: “Are you Xu Qian?”

Quite sharp… Xu Qi An neither confirmed nor denied, saying instead: “Who is Ji Xuan, and what’s his cultivation level?”

“He’s the illegitimate seventh son of the Qian Long City Lord,” Xu Yuan Shuang answered reluctantly, answering only what was asked without revealing anything extra.

“You came out this time to collect Dragon Qi?” Xu Qi An asked.

The young woman nodded slightly: “Da Feng’s dragon vein has dispersed, and the City Lord assigned this task to Ji Xuan.”

“Any success?”

“We found several Dragon Qi hosts, but they’re all scattered Dragon Qi, not worth much.”

That young man they asked Gong Sun Xiang Yang to look for must also be a Dragon Qi host… Xu Qi An pondered and said: “Tell me about your companions.”

Xu Yuan Shuang said: “Besides Ji Xuan and me, the youth who was challenging people in the arena is my brother. Of the remaining four people, the Daoist called Jiao Ye is a wandering cultivator who later joined Qian Long City and has always been a guest elder in Ji Xuan’s mansion, most loyal to him.”

“Qi Huan Dan Xiang from the Heart Insect branch of the Insect Tribe was wanted by officials in Yun Province for killing a corrupt official’s entire family and ended up at Qian Long City. The beast White Tiger is… is a monster that the Celestial Mechanics Palace Master tamed in his early years.”

“Liu Hong Mian, the disciple of Wan Hua Tower, left the tower because she was dissatisfied with her junior sister Xiao Yue Nu and now wanders jianghu.”

She briefly introduced her companions.

That little enchantress is a Wan Hua Tower disciple, no wonder her aura felt so familiar, with that bewitching charm… Xu Qi An said slowly:

“Does Qian Long City have any Transcendent Realm experts?”

Xu Yuan Shuang shook her head: “Transcendent Realm experts are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Besides the Celestial Mechanics Palace Master being a Second-Rank Arcanist, Qian Long City has no experts at that level. But the Palace Master can rely on magical weapons and formations to form battle arrays with power not inferior to the Transcendent Realm.”

Using Arcanists’ magical weapons and formations to enhance and combine multiple people’s power to reach Transcendent Realm battle power… Though the battle power reaches the Transcendent Realm, core aspects like immortality can’t possibly be achieved through numbers alone. The advantages and disadvantages are obvious…

Xu Qi An wasn’t surprised by this answer. That faction from five hundred years ago indeed lacked top experts, which was why Xu Ping Feng’s past schemes had very clear targets.

Eliminate the Northern Border King and Wei Yuan.

If they couldn’t cultivate Transcendent experts in the short term, then they would pull their opponents down to their level.

Next, Xu Qi An asked several more questions, such as when Qian Long City planned to make their move, and what the Celestial Mechanics Palace Master’s next plan was.

But he didn’t get the answers he wanted – this young woman seemed unable to access such high-level core secrets.

“Last two questions.”

Xu Qi An spat out the grass root, “What rank of Arcanist are you?”

Xu Yuan Shuang pressed her lips together: “Sixth-Rank, an Alchemy Master.”

“I remember Arcanists need to rely on the imperial court. How does your faction advance in rank?”

“For low-rank Arcanists, one Yun Province and one Qian Long City is enough. But to enter the Transcendent Realm, you need the imperial court’s support.”

After knowing he was Xu Qian, Xu Yuan Shuang became more forthright about these matters because given Xu Qian’s relationship with the Imperial Observatory, he probably already knew these secrets. He asked only to test whether she was being honest.

Xu Qi An nodded and asked the final question: “Your identity!”

“I’m the Palace Master’s disciple,” Xu Yuan Shuang said without emotion.

“A mere disciple with so many magical weapons?” Xu Qi An questioned.

Every magical weapon in the pouch was exquisite, especially that bracelet that broke earlier, which could easily block a Fourth-Rank warrior’s attack.

If Xu Qi An didn’t have a Third-Rank core, he would have had to retreat helplessly earlier.

Even Chu Cai Wei didn’t have such defensive magical weapons, though that was also related to the big-eyed cutie being well-protected in the capital and never traveling outside.

But it also indirectly proved that Chen Yuan Shuang was no ordinary disciple.

“The Palace Master appreciates me greatly, saying I’m talented.”

Under his smiling gaze, Xu Yuan Shuang struggled to maintain her composure, keeping a straight face and appearing innocent.

She couldn’t reveal her identity as Xu Ping Feng’s eldest daughter – that would bring even greater danger.

Fortunately, Xu Qian wasn’t an Arcanist, nor did he know Buddhist precepts or Confucian truth-compelling speech, so he had no way of knowing if she was lying.

For the previous answers, he might have been able to verify her honesty based on his understanding of Arcanists and that faction from five hundred years ago.

But regarding her background, Xu Qian absolutely couldn’t discover her secret.

At this moment, she saw that slender, crimson worm crawl out from his sleeve again.

“You…”

Xu Yuan Shuang’s face showed terror as her delicate body convulsed violently, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move at all.

He isn’t going to let me go… The young woman flashed this thought, almost foreseeing what would happen to her next – being violated by this man in this desolate outskirts.

There might be even more terrible things to follow…

“Mmm~~”

She watched helplessly as the worm entered her body, and that familiar burning lust rose again.

Her gaze began to blur, her cheeks burning hot, her legs unconsciously beginning to rub together…

Just as she was becoming confused and her willpower was weakening, Xu Yuan Shuang saw Xu Qian’s eyes suddenly become profound, like whirlpools drawing one’s consciousness in.

Heart insect!

Without precepts, I can still make you tell the truth.

“Your true identity.”

The man’s deep voice sounded in her ear.

Xu Yuan Shuang’s face showed a brief struggle before she answered: “Xu Ping Feng is my father, my real name is Xu Yuan Shuang…”

This simple sentence made Xu Qi An lose control of the heart insect.

!!

His heart surged with shock as he stared wide-eyed at the seductive young woman in disbelief.

She’s that inhuman bastard’s daughter?!

My sister?!

Xu Yuan Shuang suddenly became clear-headed and remembered what she had just said. The flush drained from her cheeks, leaving them pale.

It’s over… This was the only thought in her mind.

She had revealed her identity.

Now, death would be the best outcome… Xu Yuan Shuang closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, and said sadly: “Just kill me.”

There was no movement for a long while.

She opened her eyes and carefully observed Xu Qian, only to find this man’s gaze incredibly complex.

Xu Ping Feng is inhuman, how good can his daughter be? Kill her… No, regardless of everything, she’s blood kin. Before she shows strong hostility toward me, I can’t bring myself to do it…

She doesn’t look anything like Xu Ping Feng, and neither does that spear-wielding boy. Did they take after their mother’s looks? In the end, I’m the one who looks more like Xu Ping Feng – isn’t this just cruel fate…

Take her away, keep her locked in the Pagoda Tower…

Various thoughts flashed through his mind before Xu Qi An took a deep breath, having made his decision.

Cold treatment!

He didn’t want any entanglement with Xu Ping Feng’s blood relatives. Killing one’s flesh and blood wasn’t something that brought him joy.

Xu Qi An wanted to eliminate Xu Ping Feng mainly for self-preservation, out of necessity.

If this girl was inhuman like Xu Ping Feng, killing her would only cause slight psychological discomfort, not too much guilt.

But Xu Qi An considered that mother he had never met.

The original Xu Qi An’s survival was due to his mother’s maternal love giving him a chance at life.

Just as Xu Yuan Shuang was despairing, there was an unexpected turn.

She saw Xu Qian lean down toward her, and her heart trembled. Before the emotions of grief and fear could ferment, she saw Xu Qian withdraw the worm once again.

? Xu Yuan Shuang’s face still showed traces of fear as she looked at him uncertainly.

Xu Qi An ignored her, releasing several qi streams to unlock the seals in Xu Yuan Shuang’s body, then took out a round jade pendant from the pouch, crushed it, and a clear light rose from below, enveloping him. The next second, he vanished.

He… he left?

Xu Yuan Shuang got up in confusion, cautiously looking around. After confirming that Xu Qian had left, she lifted her skirts and fled while crying.

…

She ran wildly across the wilderness for half an hour before finally finding the main road, then spent another hour following it back to Yong Province city.

Seeing the bustling crowds, she finally felt relieved and regained her sense of safety.

In the cold winter month, she had run until she was drenched in sweat, her slender legs numb and swollen.

Making her way back to the Great Corner Field and returning to their lodging courtyard, she found Liu Hong Mian sitting alone in the hall drinking tea, completely at ease.

“Oh, you’re back?”

Liu Hong Mian examined her with surprise and said with a smile: “Xu Yuan Qiai said you were taken away by some mysterious person – everyone was so worried.”

Her face showed schadenfreude as she stood up supporting herself on the armrest, moved close to Xu Yuan Shuang, and sniffed, becoming even more surprised.

“A full two hours, and you weren’t violated? Could it be that the person who took you was a gentleman?”

Xu Yuan Shuang coldly said: “What’s it to you?”

Liu Hong Mian clicked her tongue twice: “The pouch is gone, hmm, but they probably weren’t just after treasures. Did they ask you anything? I’ll go notify them first, we can talk about the rest later. Go take a bath first, tsk, you’re all sweaty.”

Xu Yuan Shuang turned and left, not giving her a chance to continue mocking.

She heated water for a bath, cleaned up, and shortly after, Xu Yuan Qiai, Ji Xuan, and the others returned successively. Seeing her safe and sound, they all breathed sighs of relief.

Killing intent radiated from Xu Yuan Qiai’s brow: “Sister, what happened? Who took you?”