Chapter 1143: Chapter 717: Bringing Up the Past

Xu Yuan’s journey to the Beixuan Institute was far from quiet.

As he walked, a crowd of people surrounded him completely.

The moment Xu Yuan stepped down from the top floor of the Moyin Pavilion, these senior stewards and shopkeepers of the Prime Minister’s Mansion—who had been waiting for a long time—flocked to him like thirsty men encountering sweet rain. Feng Mingming, who had reached the Iron Body Realm, was directly pushed out of sight, trailing far behind the group.

These stewards were all here to report their work to Xu Yuan.

Various kinds of reports.

Once again, Xu Yuan confirmed just how distorted the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s system was.

Hua Hong hadn’t been exaggerating when he described the future to him.

To sit in this position, one must be prepared for year-round, 24/7 work.

The highest leader of the Prime Minister’s Mansion actually had to finalize decisions for a town-level merchant guild.

Not for a continent or a prefecture city, certainly not for a commandery, but a village or a town.

Of course, this was the kind of task his father handled.

Whether it was him or Xu Changge before him, they mostly remained in a learning state, with most of the documents presented already reviewed and approved for their reference.

Some were directly approved by his father, some by Hua Hong and the others, and some by lower-level stewards.

Over the past few decades, the authority of his father had become well-established, so he often relaxed control over the middle and lower tiers.

After all, overly clean waters breed no fish.

To have people work tirelessly, one must give them benefits.

After enduring the most difficult years, excessive pressure could instead provoke rebellion.

Especially with the sects as the great enemy.

The surrounding stewards were all Wen Fang officials, equivalent to the Ritual Supervision’s duties within the palace, responsible for summarizing and refining the information before presenting it as written entries.

Though there were many people, they operated in an orderly fashion.

However, from Feng Mingming’s viewpoint in the back, the movements of those circling the young master seemed inexplicably comical.

The group moved at a slow pace, yet their hands moved with astonishing speed, leaving afterimages.

One person handed over a document, the Third Young Master glanced at it, the Wen Fang official muttered for a few seconds, then bowed, left, and another person took their place.

Walking onward, a gentle breeze stirred along the path.

To avoid wasting the Prime Minister’s son’s time, these Wen Fang secretaries were all at least at the Grandmaster level in cultivation, using specialized techniques to report, their mouths moving like Gatling guns. To ordinary people, it might sound like playing a movie at thirty-two times the speed.

Arriving in front of Xiangqin Pavilion, one Wen Fang official intended to step forward to report but was immediately interrupted by Xu Yuan raising his hand to stop the spell. Looking at the seven or eight remaining individuals, he smiled and said:

“Gentlemen, are you planning to accompany me into the female Guest Elder’s quarters?”

As the Wen Fang officials all retreated, even the two female officials wisely refrained from following, despite any inclination to use their gender as an excuse.

When Xu Yuan entered the water pavilion where Su Jinxuan was, he discovered that Xiao Bai was also in the lady’s boudoir.

The two women looked delighted as Xu Yuan entered the room, and both rose from the table:

“Young Master, why have you come?”

“Young Master, you’re here.”

One was a question, the other a statement.

Though the meaning was nearly the same, comparisons are inevitable.

After paying their respects,

Su Jinxuan was still lamenting her earlier words, while Bai Muxi had already sashayed forward, her eyes curving with a smile:

“Muxi was just discussing you with Sister Su moments ago, Young Master, and here you arrive right after.”

Su Jinxuan cast a slightly displeased glance at the woman named Bai.

This woman really had a knack for making things up; they had clearly been discussing cultivation moments earlier.

But since the words had already been said, she couldn’t refute them. Pressing down her dissatisfaction, she noticed the young lady behind Xu Yuan and asked, somewhat surprised:

“Young Master, who is this?”

Xu Yuan instinctively glanced sideways at Feng Mingming, but all he found was an empty space.

This little girl was truly timid.

At the sight of strangers, she immediately hid behind the people she knew.

Feng Mingming peered out with just half an eye, secretly observing the two exceptionally beautiful women in the room.

She was mainly afraid of Bai Muxi.

During their brief encounter at Qifeng Mountain, the other woman had left a profound impression on her.

Because Bai Muxi had initially intended to kill her.

However, upon seeing these two elder sisters, Feng Mingming seemed to understand why the Third Young Master called her a stick figure, especially in comparison to the alluringly radiant elder sister with peach-blossom eyes.

Not even a loose long robe could hide her curves.

Xu Yuan didn’t intend to stay long in the room either. Standing at the door, he spoke concisely:

“This is Feng Mingming, a Yin-Yang Mysterious Pattern Body. I need your help in extracting some of her cultivation.”

“Yin-Yang Mysterious Pattern Body?”

Su Meimo, who had cultivated the Great Harmony Yin-Yang Technique, paused for a moment, her expression subtly changing. “Young Master, are you suggesting…”

“Sister Su, can’t you figure it out?”

Bai Muxi glanced at the foolishly oblivious enchantress, remembering that the little girl from the Feng Family Ancestral Land had been brought here. Smiling, she said, “Since the Young Master brought her here personally, it’s naturally to ensure her survival.”

After such a remark, Su Jinxuan didn’t get angry this time:

“Of course I am aware of that, but Sister Bai, you should refrain from speaking without understanding the matter.”

“…” Bai Muxi’s words faltered.

Su Jinxuan let out a faint chuckle and asked Xu Yuan, her crisp voice seductive and ethereal:

“Young Master, are you suggesting that Jinxuan should abandon the Enchantress Divine Taoist Charm?”

Hearing her speak, Xu Yuan instantly realized that this little enchantress was also preparing for Integration Path.

Her cultivation was advancing like it was on steroids.

After a brief pause, Xu Yuan abandoned his initial thought and shook his head, saying:

“I’m merely bringing her to you. The specifics are yours to decide. Just make sure you don’t harm this girl.”

To harmonize with the Yin-Yang Mysterious Pattern Body for comprehending Dao Charm, dual cultivation had to reach the lower Yin Aperture. However, Su Jinxuan’s Enchantress Divine Physique could bypass dual cultivation and directly extract the Dao Charm-infused Origin Qi using Charming God Spores.

Nevertheless, this presented Su Jinxuan with a tough choice.

The Enchantress Divine Taoist Charm was more compatible with her unique physique.

The Taiyin Dao Charm and Xuan Yang Dao Charm were better suited to her cultivation technique.

Considering this, Xu Yuan grasped the hand of the girl behind him and pulled her forward, speaking softly:

“Mingming, from now on you’ll follow the big-busted elder sister; she’ll help you resolve your physicial problems.”

“Oh… alright.”

Feng Mingming whispered faintly, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, clutching the edge of her combat attire like a frightened little bunny.

After finishing this task, Xu Yuan was ready to leave.

Bai Muxi noticed and quickly spoke up:

“Young Master, are you heading out of the mansion?”

Xu Yuan halted his steps and turned back:

“Why? Do you want to follow me?”

Bai Muxi’s bright eyes sparkled as she carefully chose her words:

“Muxi overheard from the neighboring female officials that recently many people have died in court.”

“Oh?” Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows.

“Young Master wasn’t aware?”

Bai Muxi let out a slight sigh of relief.

Compared to Su Jinxuan, who only stayed in her boudoir without a care, Bai Muxi had spent the past few days in Xiangqin Pavilion meeting female officials.

Using her status, she had cautiously inquired about the Moyin Pavilion’s responsibilities and the Prime Minister’s son’s duties.

The Moyin Pavilion didn’t deal with court affairs; it purely managed internal matters of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Understanding this, Bai Muxi went out of her way to collect major recent events from the court for her young master.

Even though Xu Yuan could access these details with a single sentence, Bai Muxi still took the initiative, knowing such efforts best demonstrated loyalty and devotion.

Over the past few days, Bai Muxi had come to understand clearly:

She could not compete in status with the iceblock saintess.

Nor could she stand against the female executioner, whose mere memory filled her with terror.

Even staying on par over time with Su Jinxuan’s fox-like charms seemed implausible.

She had to differentiate herself.

Reflecting on this, she realized besides Li Qingyan, most of the women around the Young Master lacked insight.

And the Princess Li Qingyan’s identity inherently prevented her from assisting the Young Master in practical matters, so “supportive wife” wasn’t a race others could compete with her in.

With this in mind, Bai Muxi continued:

“Someone has once again submitted a fold asking for sect taxation, Young Master.”