The lone copy of Crimson Baleful would be of great use to him. That fat bastard from Qingmi Mountain had told him that this lone copy might help him make use of his unique physique, so another breakthrough was possible.
Though Ye Chu greatly disliked that fatty, he had to admit the man truly had ability. What he said was ninety percent likely to be correct. In his previous life, Ye Chu had been dissolute and unrestrained. In this life, his nature was equally lazy and carefree. He took many things lightly. Yet on cultivation alone, Ye Chu was deadly serious. It was not that he dreamed of becoming a peerless expert. He had no choice. Years ago, he had stumbled into that circle by accident. If he was too weak, the only path was death.
In that circle, the weak died without sympathy. Though Ye Chu was carefree, he was not carefree with his own life. Life came only once. He had not yet enjoyed enough of this colourful world. How could he bear to die?
Precisely because of this, Ye Chu, usually nonchalant and idle, poured endless effort into cultivation. In just three short years, he had reached his current level.
“I wonder how miraculous this lone copy of Crimson Baleful truly is. It even earned praise from that dead fatty, who claimed it could help me break through to the third grade.” Ye Chu muttered, pulling his thoughts back. He looked at the mansion before him. At the gate, three gilded characters read Prime Minister’s Residence in grand style.
“Go announce to your young lady that Ye Chu requests an audience.” Ye Chu smiled at the guards by the gate. Since he had agreed to Pang Shao’s plan, the first step was to learn where the lone copy of Crimson Baleful was kept.
The guards did not know Ye Chu, but in Yao City, anyone using the name Ye Chu could only be one person. Disgust flashed in their eyes. They answered impatiently. “Wait here. I will inform the young lady.”
The guards of the Prime Minister’s Residence had bearing. Though they loathed Ye Chu to the extreme, one still went inside to announce him and soon returned to lead Ye Chu in.
Ignoring the leading servant’s disdain, Ye Chu was surprised that Su Rong had agreed to see him. He had come prepared for a closed door.
“What business do you have with me?” The servant brought Ye Chu into a hall where Zhang Su’er and Su Rong sat formally. The moment Ye Chu entered, he heard Su Rong’s clear, cool voice.
Su Rong wore a pale purple woollen garment that accentuated her slender figure. Her proud chest curved perfectly. Her waist was slim enough to span with one hand. The fluffy wool framed her cool, stunning face. Her legs pressed together, hips against the chair, forming a captivating arc that stirred the heart.
Zhang Su’er was a beauty too, yet beside Su Rong she seemed somewhat overshadowed.
“Two great beauties sitting formally here to welcome me. I am truly overwhelmed.” Ye Chu stopped not far from the pair, casually pulled over a chair, and sat down. He sat close enough that, with his eyesight, he could see Su Rong’s fair, smooth skin, tender and flawless. Ye Chu could not help looking a little longer.
His brazen gaze made Su Rong frown. She shifted slightly to avoid his eyes. “What exactly do you want with me?”
Su Rong had originally intended to refuse him, but thinking of Ye Chu’s recent changes, she decided to meet him after all. They wanted to see what he sought from them.
“Last night, deep into the hours, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Two graceful figures kept flashing in my mind. The torment was unbearable.” Ye Chu sighed. “So I could only come to ask the two of you to cure me.”
“If you are ill, seek an alchemist.” Zhang Su’er looked at Ye Chu and snorted. “Though even an alchemist probably could not help. You have simply gone mad from wanting women.”
Zhang Su’er disliked Ye Chu’s libertine air and could not resist the sarcasm. If not for the help he had once given her, that single remark would have made her call servants to beat him out with sticks.
“Miss Su’er is truly clever.” Ye Chu nodded in praise, but his face soon turned sorrowful again. “Yet you cannot blame me. One afflicted with lovesickness cannot control it. That is why I came to you for a cure.”
“We do not cure illnesses. Get out.” Zhang Su’er could no longer stand Ye Chu. Meeting this fellow had been a mistake. She had known he was no good man, only here to toy with them.
“This illness others cannot cure. Only you two can.” Ye Chu sighed. “The peerless beauties who appeared in my dreams were none other than you both.”
The words left not only Su Rong blushing scarlet, but Zhang Su’er too. The two women shot to their feet, pointing at Ye Chu, bodies trembling with anger. “You… you…”
“Cough. I know speaking my heart will make you both despise me. Yet if I do not say it, I will never find peace in this lifetime. Sometimes love is just such a tangled thing. Knowing it is impossible, yet one flies to the flame like a moth. I would rather be covered in wounds than live numb, for I cannot resist my own heart.” Ye Chu stared at the pair, blinking hard to squeeze out tears, but after many tries it was futile. Ye Chu regretted it. He should have dabbed water on his eyes before coming.
Zhang Su’er and Su Rong listened in stunned silence, faces flushed, unsure how to respond. No one had ever confessed to them so blatantly.
But Zhang Su’er soon recovered. “You think we are that easy to fool?”
Ye Chu shook his head. “I never meant to deceive you. Endless sleepless nights are something I am used to. I do not expect you to truly cure me, for I know your excellence is beyond my reach. Since that is so, I am willing to bear the sorrow alone, guarding your brilliant lives from afar in silence. I only wished to tell you this before I withdraw. From now on, I will continue as the libertine rat in the street. Since I cannot have you, I may as well live and die in drunken dreams.”
Ye Chu recycled lines from romance novels of his previous life, suppressing the nausea rising in his stomach. Only after speaking did he realise how painfully corny the words were.
Su Rong’s face burned red, yet from the corner of her eye she stole glances at Ye Chu. Seeing his downcast expression, she parted her tender red lips and spoke softly. “You have your own life. Why live and die drunk for others?”
“You do not understand.” Ye Chu shook his head. “Life has only one scenery. I am willing to enact my sole splendour.”
If Pang Shao were here, he would surely spit blood. Ye Chu daring to speak of “sole” or “only”. Back in the imperial capital, Ye Chu had flirted among countless noble ladies, ambiguous with one after another. How dared he utter such words?
“Ye Chu…” Su Rong felt she should say something.
But before she could finish, Ye Chu waved to interrupt. “Say no more. Since I love you, I will give you all the beauty of my life, then withdraw, letting kaleidoscopic brilliance fill your eyes. Only, on this final day before I leave, I wish to ask one last question. I hope you will answer truthfully. You will not refuse my final request, will you?”
Su Rong bit her lip, red lips parting slightly. She nodded seriously. “Speak.”
“I want to know where you keep the lone copy of Crimson Baleful. For I wish to share one secret with you. That way, I can have something to cling to and withdraw willingly.” Ye Chu stared earnestly at Su Rong.
At those words, the entire hall fell silent. Su Rong and Zhang Su’er, faces still grave, suddenly widened their eyes. Fury blazed within.
“Ye Chu!” Zhang Su’er nearly ground out the name through clenched teeth.
