Chapter 131 Plan

Deep in the night, everything was silent.

In the quiet room, Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes. A streak of deep, profound brilliance flashed from the depths of his pupils before receding into the deep pool of his eyes. He stood up fully and stretched his limbs. The spiritual power within him surged like a river (having now switched from Devilish Qi to spiritual power), and the thin membrane of the Late Nascent Soul Stage seemed to have thinned even further.

He paced to the window, his gaze piercing through the night, casting into the distance toward the more secluded area on the east side of the Mu Family mansion—where Mu Wanning's courtyard was located. His knuckles unconsciously rubbed against the window lattice, emitting a faint hissing sound.

"Calculating the time, the System indicated that Mu Wanning's 'Opportunity'... she should have obtained it by now." Xiao Ming muttered to himself, a calculating arc curling at the corner of his mouth. "That so-called 'Evil Cultivation Technique'... I wonder what choice my 'good sister' will make? How long can she withstand the temptation!"

He rubbed his fingers, his original plan surfacing in his mind. If he took advantage of her unpreparedness now, while she was Cultivating, and secretly took action to completely control her, it might be the most direct and effortless method. At that time, the Human Emperor Body, her cyan Luck, and even the secrets of the Upper Realm she might be involved with, would all be within his grasp. Bringing such a "good sister" along to the Wandao Sword Sect would surely make the journey less boring.

Thinking of this, the profound light in Xiao Ming's eyes grew more intense. He did not hesitate, his figure flickering like a ghost as he drifted out of the quiet room, merging into the heavy night. After a few leaps, he had silently arrived outside the courtyard where Mu Wanning lived. There seemed to be a simple alert Formation arranged around the courtyard, but to Xiao Ming, it was as good as non-existent.

"You Li." He called out softly in his heart.

The soul-containing jade on his chest turned slightly cold, and a wisp of purple, almost invisible, profound light flowed out like water, gently covering Xiao Ming's entire body. In an instant, his aura and even his sense of presence were perfectly concealed, as if he had merged with the surrounding shadows, the breeze, and the space itself. This was a method belonging to a top-tier expert, extremely difficult to detect.

Xiao Ming, like a falling leaf, drifted silently over the high wall and landed in the courtyard. The courtyard was elegantly arranged, dominated by cool tones, with many different spiritual plants planted. A small rockery had running water diverted to it, which trickled into a spiritual pond, the surface of which was misted with faint Spiritual Qi.

His target was clear. With a few flashes of his figure, he stuck close to the window lattice of the main room. The window paper revealed a dim, soft light, and a slender, graceful shadow was projected onto it, sitting cross-legged, seemingly in the midst of Cultivation.

Xiao Ming held his breath and focused, raising his perception to the extreme, while looking inside through a tiny slit in the window paper.

He saw Mu Wanning with her back to the window, wearing a plain white nightgown, her black hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, sitting quietly on a meditation cushion. She was enveloped in a layer of faint golden spiritual light, her breathing steady and long, clearly running her Cultivation Technique. The furnishings in the room were relatively simple, and apart from a faint fragrance, there was no abnormal aura.

'Hmm?' Xiao Ming's brows furrowed imperceptibly. 'There's nothing unusual? Could it be she hasn't started Cultivating yet?'

Xiao Ming's mind raced, a flash of realization crossing his eyes. He waited patiently, like the most excellent hunter, waiting for the best moment for the prey to reveal a flaw.

He observed that cold, aloof back, his internal spiritual power quietly circulating, preparing to launch a thunderous strike. However, just as his aura was slightly adjusted, and his killing intent was about to be unleashed—

Mu Wanning on the cushion suddenly had a tiny, extremely subtle fluctuation in her otherwise steady aura. Her closed eyelashes trembled slightly, and then, without warning, she suddenly opened her eyes! Her pale golden pupils refracted a divine light under the lamplight. She did not turn her head, yet she seemed to sense something. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, carrying a trace of doubt and vigilance, and she slowly turned her head, her gaze sweeping toward the window lattice where Xiao Ming was hiding!

Despite being separated by the window paper, and despite You Li's perfect concealment, Xiao Ming still felt that gaze pierce through the obstacles and land on the patch of space where his aura had just moved. He immediately restrained all energy fluctuations to the extreme, like a true inanimate object.

Mu Wanning stared at the pitch-black night outside the window for a moment, her doubt not yet dissipated, and she muttered to herself: "Eh, why does it feel like someone is watching me?" But in the end, she didn't discover anything unusual.

Xiao Ming felt a chill in his heart: 'Darn it, is this woman's sixth sense that accurate?' He became even more cautious, restraining his aura completely.

He saw Mu Wanning inside the room seemingly end her Cultivation and slowly rise. She walked straight to the backyard.

Xiao Ming followed silently, like a shadow in the dark night.

The backyard was even quieter than the front courtyard, and the spiritual pond with the running water was located here. The pond water shimmered with ripples under the moonlight, and the mist of Spiritual Qi on the water surface was denser than in the front courtyard, like a fairyland. Mu Wanning walked to the edge of the pond, her figure appearing somewhat hazy in the mist.

He saw her standing by the pond, seemingly feeling the coolness of the night breeze and the pond water. A moment later, her slender hands lifted slightly, and the ties of her plain white dress were gently untied, sliding slowly down her smooth shoulders, revealing a patch of skin as white as jade that seemed to glow softly in the moonlight and mist. Her long hair hung down like a waterfall, half-covering the beautiful curves of her back. She did not fully undress, leaving only a close-fitting undergarment.

Just as she turned slightly, preparing to step into the pond, through the swaying mist and flickering light and shadows, Xiao Ming in the shadows in the distance, his gaze sharp, seemed to capture an extremely hidden mark—

On the inner side of her right thigh, extremely close to the root of her leg, there was faintly a tiny, dark red mole, slightly darker in color than the surrounding skin, shaped like a drop of cinnabar accidentally splashed, or like a natural, hidden brand, quietly adorned on that snow-white, smooth skin. A fleeting glance, instantly covered by her stepping forward and the rippling, rising mist, so fast it seemed like an illusion caused by the moonlight.

But that touch of hidden, vivid color formed an extreme contrast with the flawless snow-white skin around it, carrying an indescribable, forbidden impact, crashing fiercely into Xiao Ming's eyes.

Mu Wanning was completely unaware of this. She took a step, her posture still carrying that natural nobility and composure. The warm spiritual spring water washed over her exquisite ankles, her slender, well-proportioned calves, gradually moving upward...

The swirling mist rippled with her movements, further shrouding that peerless figure, leaving only a hazy, dreamlike silhouette. The sound of water was light, accompanied by the faint sounds of her occasionally splashing water while bathing, appearing exceptionally clear in the silent night. Moonlight, mist, ripples, a beauty... constituting a painting that was highly impactful yet incomparably hazy.

However, even while bathing, Mu Wanning did not seem to be fully relaxed. She would occasionally stop her movements, slightly turning her head to glance at the shadows on the bank, her cold, arrogant eyes exceptionally bright in the night, carrying a trace of lingering vigilance. Clearly, the fleeting feeling of being watched earlier was still subtly present.

This vigilance meant she did not stay in the pond for too long. About a quarter of an hour later, she rose from the bath, her spiritual power vibrating slightly to steam off the water vapor, and she quickly put her clothes back on, wrapping herself tightly, as if to completely cover up the momentary relaxation and inadvertently revealed charm. Subsequently, she walked quickly out of the backyard and returned to the brightly lit room.

In the shadows, Xiao Ming slowly exhaled a long and slightly hot breath. Even though his will was extraordinary and he had seen all kinds of stunning beauties, the hazy scene that had just made his face flush still cast a stone into the lake of his heart, sending ripples spreading out. It was not the usual softness or coldness of a woman, but a kind of... dignity and detachment that was ingrained in her bones and innate.

Even if it was just a side profile and silhouette of her bathing in a private spiritual pond, even with her edges softened by the swirling mist, every move of Mu Wanning still carried an indescribable sense of poise. It was not the deliberate elegance, but more like a habit flowing in her blood—her shoulders and back were naturally straight, the curve of her neck was as beautiful as a swan's, and even the subtle action of lifting the water carried a kind of unhurried, natural composure. That awe-inspiring, inviolable, noble bearing also shrouded her like an invisible halo.

This unintentionally revealed posture of a superior, different from the aloofness and coldness she deliberately displayed on weekdays, was more restrained and more real.

The profound light in Xiao Ming's eyes grew more intense. It was not the heat simply caused by being seduced by beauty, but a complex emotion mixed with amazement, exploration, and a stronger desire to conquer. He thought to himself: "Human Emperor Body... truly extraordinary, and it hasn't even been activated yet. This bearing is not something that an ordinary noble family could Cultivate. The more it is like this... the more it makes one want to see what it would be like when this 'Empress' face, which is always calm and seemingly in control of everything, is completely shattered."

The corner of Xiao Ming's mouth slowly curled into a cold and meaningful smile, appearing exceptionally evil in the night.

He slowly calmed down. Originally, he had planned to take action tonight, but upon careful thought, a more interesting plan emerged in his mind.

"Xiao Ming, oh Xiao Ming," he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with eager excitement, "You are becoming more and more wicked."

However, he enjoyed it.

Taking one last look at the courtyard that had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened, Xiao Ming's figure was like smoke, silently merging into the night, disappearing without a trace.