NOVPUBChapter 117: Competing with Connections?
“This Vessel thing is great, but it’s completely useless to me,” Mu Zhi’an lay in bed, his arm wrapped around Bai Ruoxi’s slender waist, staring at the ceiling, his voice filled with mock disappointment.
“Mu Lang, is this really the time for this?” she asked, glancing at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of shyness and amusement.
She had disliked him for a long time. Firstly, because of his reputation as a womanizer, his frequent visits to pleasure houses, his relationships with courtesans. And secondly, because of his persistent and often annoying attempts to woo her. She had found his handsome face irritating. That was why, when she had pleaded with him in the carriage, she had felt such disdain. She would never have imagined that the boy she had once despised would become the man she genuinely loved.
He looked at her, her cheeks flushed, her hair slightly disheveled from their activities, her usually elegant composure disrupted. But it didn’t make her seem unkempt. It simply enhanced her beauty, giving her an air of vulnerability.
“If not now, then when?” he chuckled. “And besides, weren’t you saying something different just now?” he whispered in her ear, his voice teasing, making her blush even deeper, her eyes glistening with tears.
This shy and alluring side of her, it was a side she rarely showed in public. Even the disciples in Tianxuan City and the Two Polarities Sect wouldn’t believe that this cold and seemingly unattainable woman could be so clingy and affectionate.
Even though his desire had faded, he couldn’t resist kissing her blushing cheek, then gently stroking her fox ears.
“D-Don’t touch them,” she protested, her hand covering his.
He took her hand, chuckling. “I can’t believe you actually grew fox ears. It’s a shame you don’t have a tail.” He sighed dramatically. He had been curious about her full transformation.
She rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a joke, Mu Lang.” She stopped his other hand, which was wandering beneath the blankets, her voice laced with concern. “If someone sees me like this, it might affect my chances of becoming an inner disciple.”
“If that’s the case, it simply means those peak lords have poor judgment,” he replied calmly, pulling her closer. He paused, then asked, “Can you hide them?”
Bai Yuanfeng could conceal her aura. Surely Bai Ruoxi could do the same.
She nodded. “I can, but it will take at least a day.”
When she had broken through from the first to the second level of Core Formation, her Vessel had expanded, and her Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline had awakened slightly. The difference between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation was truly immense, not just in terms of strength, but also in the manifestation of one’s bloodline. While awakening her Nine-Tailed Fox powers would make her stronger, with the current tensions between humans and demonic cultivators, revealing them openly would be sensitive.
“Mu Lang, be honest. Do you dislike me now?” she asked, her voice filled with a sudden insecurity, her gaze meeting his.
He looked down at her, her cheeks still flushed from their cultivation, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears, their allure captivating. He gently wiped away a tear, his gaze meeting hers, his voice reassuring. “I told you, Ruoxi. It doesn’t bother me.”
Who could possibly dislike a fox girl? Especially a Nine-Tailed Fox! If she worked hard, she might even reach the Nine Tails. Then she would be on the same level as the World Devouring Python and even the sect master. With her talent, it wasn’t impossible. Then I can finally relax and be a kept man. He chuckled inwardly.
He didn’t have much pride. After all, being kept by a beautiful woman, it was a dream come true for many. It was a comfortable and enjoyable lifestyle. And he was simply working towards that goal.
Senior Sister Lan, Ye Lingxuan, they were both incredibly talented. I should find a way to give Qian’er a cheat as well. He had accepted his fate. He might be envied by the heavens, his talent supposedly so great that it jealous the gods. But the women around him, they were all exceptionally talented as well. And they had cheats. Something he lacked.
It wasn’t that he didn’t try to obtain cheats. It was just that the ones he found, he couldn’t use them himself. It was frustrating. In a game, he would be the support character, weak in combat, but capable of boosting his allies, giving them experience and equipment. And he himself was a cheat, designed to help the women around him improve their cultivation.
I wouldn’t be surprised if my status changed from “Supporting Role” to “Support” or even “Heroine.” He chuckled inwardly.
Seeing that he wasn’t disgusted, that his gaze was filled with desire, she blushed, lowering her eyes, her voice a soft murmur. “You have strange tastes, Mu Lang.”
He stroked her hair, his voice gentle. “Stay in your room for the next two days, Ruoxi. Suppress your demonic aura and hide your ears.”
He touched her ears, and she shivered, her body squirming slightly. He chuckled. “Actually, this incident, it’s quite timely.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. “What do you mean?”
“The Third Prince is investigating me. He’s trying to find my weaknesses,” he explained.
“But I don’t have any weaknesses. My only dark secret is my past womanizing.”
Her eyes darkened, her gaze filled with a mix of passion and something else.
Mu Lang used to frequent pleasure houses. He only stopped when he started pursuing me. But recently, he’s been close to the Ye sisters and Senior Sister Lan.
She remained silent, her arms wrapping around him, her face buried in his chest, her eyes closed.
Why does this feel strange? He looked down at her, then continued, “He won’t find anything on me, but he might investigate those around me.”
“He won’t be able to find anything on Mengrou. Her hometown is too far away. But you, he might be able to uncover something.” 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
“Ye Yu’s accusations about you being a demonic cultivator, it was a major incident in Tianxuan City. If he investigates, he’ll find out quickly.”
Her eyes filled with worry. “…What should we do?”
Back in Tianxuan City, the Mu family’s influence was absolute. He could control the narrative. But if the Third Prince used this against her within the Two Polarities Sect…
“The sect isn’t that rigid. With your talent, they’ll protect you. You’re innocent,” he said, smiling. “In fact, this is a rare opportunity.”
“…An opportunity?” she asked, her eyes meeting his.
He stroked her cheek, his voice soft. “Since someone wants to gather information on me, to find my weaknesses…”
“I’ll simply give him all the information he wants.”
“No,” he shook his head. “Not just my information, but yours as well. And the information about Ye Yu’s accusations.”
She stared at him, her mouth agape, her voice incredulous. “Mu Lang, what are you planning…?”
“You do have demonic aura within you. And since it seems to manifest whenever your cultivation increases, we’ll simply let everyone know that there’s demonic aura here.”
He paused, then added, “But it won’t be your demonic aura.”
“Whose will it be then?” she asked, confused.
“Someone who already possesses demonic aura,” he replied, smiling.
She blinked, her brow furrowing, then her eyes widened with realization. “You mean her…?”
He placed his finger on her lips, silencing her. “Shh.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Will she agree…?”
“She doesn’t care about such things,” he chuckled. “She only cares about what’s for dinner.”
The Third Prince? Or the people behind him? It didn’t matter if they were peak lords or elders. Their accusations would be meaningless.
She might not help actively, but she could help passively. Just like him, sometimes he was tired of being proactive, and he would passively accept Bai Ruoxi’s affection.
“How will you give him the information?” she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
“He’ll surely send someone he trusts to gather information, right?”
“Anyone with a brain would do that,” he agreed, nodding. “I can’t deliver it myself, and neither can anyone close to me. They would be suspicious.”
“But there’s someone perfect for this role.”
“We’re all from Tianxuan City. Helping each other out, it’s only natural. Isn’t that what her father said?”
Seeing her confusion, he didn’t explain further. He kissed her, then pulled the blankets over them.
He would sleep first. He would deal with everything else later.
