Chapter 372: I Have No Interest in Women
Qi Wangchuan slowly turned around, his slender limbs covered in pale, blood-filled blisters. The flesh on his torso resembled rotting meat, layered with dense clusters of pustules, a sight both nauseating and terrifying.
Qi Yuanzhu caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye, his stomach churning with disgust, yet he dared not show the slightest reaction.
He had asked himself countless times: Is this what a sage looks like?
Becoming an immortal and attaining enlightenment was supposed to be something to aspire to, so why did a sage appear so horrifying?
Is this the kind of sage people truly seek?
Is it just his father who looks like this, or do all sages share this grotesque appearance?
He was already starting to forget what his father used to look like. Though he visited often, he never dared to lift his gaze to meet his father’s eyes.
He was afraid, and even more terrified.
He feared that his father’s face, too, was covered in those pustules, just like the rest of his body.
He feared that if he saw it, he would never be able to remember his father’s former appearance again.
This tangled mix of emotions left his heart in utter chaos.
“Yuanzhu…”
Qi Wangchuan reached out to touch his son’s face, but as he raised his hand, he saw fragments of flesh falling from his palm. He lowered his hand again, his voice returning to its usual coldness.
“You may leave now.”
“Yes, Father.”
Qi Yuanzhu bowed his head and turned away, not daring to look back.
Boom!
The stone gate slammed shut, leaving only a long sigh echoing in the chamber.
“Ah, immortality…”
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Wishing Brother Lin a hundred years of marital bliss!”
“Please come in!”
Inside Thousand Autumns City, Xu Sanyan stood at the gate, welcoming and seeing off guests. This was his second marriage, so he was familiar with the process and felt no awkwardness.
Marriage is something you get used to as you keep doing it.
Most of the guests were members of the Wang Family and various small and medium-sized families under their jurisdiction. The crowd wasn’t huge, but the atmosphere was lively.
Xu Sanyan spotted a familiar face in the crowd—the young man who had previously pursued Wang Zixuan. He remembered his name was something like… Wang Wenjie.
Perhaps someone had instructed him, because despite being romantic rivals, he didn’t cause any trouble. He simply presented his congratulatory gift and left, which Xu Sanyan ignored.
After busying himself until midnight, Xu Sanyan finally saw off the last guests and returned to his room.
Creak~
He pushed open the wooden door to find the room decorated in festive colors. Xu Sanyan casually tore off Wang Zixuan’s bridal veil, climbed onto the bed, and gestured with his eyes.
“I’m tired. Come up and do the work yourself.”
“Oh.”
The next morning, Xu Sanyan rose early, brushing off the remaining powder from his hands. Several soul crystals, their soul power depleted, lay scattered across the floor.
Wang Zixuan, still in bed, woke up and glanced around the room. She stretched languidly, then cooed, “Husband~ Why are you up so early?”
Xu Sanyan turned to appraise Wang Zixuan’s naked form. A flicker of boredom crossed his mind; his interest in women had been waning.
Initially, he had favored voluptuous, mature women like Madam Wu, the chieftain’s wife, and the Empress.
Later, he had shifted his attention to younger, beautiful women like Yang Qizhu, Cui Wanying, and Mo Xianxian.
Then, he had developed a fondness for the sweet, girlish scent of the Wang Family’s daughters.
After that, he had experimented with various types—the Ghost Courtesan Lanlan, the Demoness Xun Ancai, and others—exhausting every style, only to find himself increasingly bored.
Perhaps…
I should try a man sometime…
No, never mind.
Xu Sanyan shook his head sharply, banishing the stray thought. Girls are fine.
“I’ll be in seclusion for a while. Don’t disturb me,” he instructed before turning and entering the meditation chamber, leaving Wang Zixuan alone in the empty room.
Xu Sanyan emptied his soul crystals, counting twenty-one in total. Five had been gifted by the First Madam, six were leftovers from before, and the remaining ten were a wedding gift from the great elder.
These crystals weren’t enough to break through to the Peak Stage of Soul Refinement, but that wasn’t his primary goal for this seclusion.
He intended to delve into the study of formations!
Xu Sanyan pulled out a pile of spirit stones and began absorbing their energy. His panel’s Vitality had been completely depleted and needed replenishing.
He planned to spend the coming days mastering the Detailed Explanation of the Soul-Gathering and Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation to prepare for future endeavors.
Outside, the moon rose and the sun set, the cycle of day and night continuing. Five days passed swiftly. The floor of the meditation chamber was now covered in a thick layer of powder, the remnants of spirit stones drained of their spiritual energy.
Xu Sanyan glanced at his panel. After his relentless absorption of spirit stones day and night, his Vitality had surged to over two thousand.
“That should be enough…”
Xu Sanyan murmured to himself. Without hesitation, he focused his Heart Thought and commanded, “Upgrade!”
Instantly, the Vitality on his panel rapidly drained away. Simultaneously, a torrent of insights about formations flooded his mind, overwhelming him with their complexity.
Fortunately, Xu Sanyan had previously enhanced his understanding of formations several times, giving him a basic foundation that allowed him to barely keep up with the influx of insights.
The Formation Dao was infinitely complex. Even with his previous enhancements, he remained merely an apprentice, far from being a great master.
Half a day later, Xu Sanyan opened his eyes, their whites bloodshot and looking disturbingly eerie.
“Stop!” he roared. The flow of Vitality ceased, and the influx of insights abruptly halted.
Huff… huff…
Heavy breaths filled the air as Xu Sanyan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He had reached his limit.
His mind was now a chaotic mess, countless formation insights surging through his consciousness like wild horses breaking free of their reins. He needed to tame them one by one, lasso them, and transform them into his own understanding.
Checking the panel, the Detailed Explanation of the Soul-Gathering and Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation remained at Mid Stage.
Xu Sanyan had anticipated this. He hadn’t expected to reach Peak Stage in a single enhancement.
Slow and steady wins the race, he thought. First, I need to absorb everything in my mind.
Half a month later.
Bang!
Xu Sanyan kicked open the meditation chamber door, squinting at the high-hanging sun.
“Damn it, finally out.”
For over twenty days, he hadn’t taken a single step outside, remaining in the chamber to cultivate. He first absorbed spirit stones, converting them into Vitality, then expended that Vitality to gain insights. Finally, he slowly digested these insights, making them his own.
Repeating these steps tirelessly, he had finally successfully advanced the Detailed Explanation of the Soul-Gathering and Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation to the Peak Stage.
Despite reaching the Peak Stage, he still couldn’t be considered a great master in the art of formations.
“Master,” Chunmei, who had been guarding outside, bowed respectfully.
Xu Sanyan reached out and lifted Chunmei’s chin, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. Leaning forward, he slowly approached her ear, narrowed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
“Hiss~”
“Huff~”
The girl’s delicate fragrance filled his nostrils, causing Xu Sanyan, who hadn’t been near a woman in ages, to tremble slightly, his heart pounding with excitement.
With a sudden surge of strength, he pulled her close, pressing her against his body. Chunmei’s cheeks flushed crimson.
“Master~ Madam is still waiting for you in her chambers.”
Though Chunmei longed to rise in status, after careful consideration, she realized it was unwise. She couldn’t afford to offend Wang Zixuan.
Xu Sanyan grinned and whispered in her ear, “Let’s do it together…”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his tongue leaving a wet trail on her skin.
His earlier boast had been premature. He was still very much interested in women, especially after having been deprived for so long.
(End of the Chapter)