204: Chapter 202 Bargaining

The transaction between the Second Prince and the Third Prince was not going smoothly.

Although the two were the top leaders, there were many things they couldn't easily decide on their own.

Behind them stood their respective allies, supporters, and financial backers; these people had contributed money and effort, and it wasn't so the two princes could do as they pleased.

Xue Ji's value sparked intense debate within both camps.

On the Third Prince's side, Shen Yizhi did the math.

Xue Ji was the Second Prince's favorite concubine, but ultimately she was just a woman. It was worth it to exchange her for a batch of supplies and a few months of peace. However, if the Second Prince wasn't willing to pay a high price, there was no rush. They could keep her detained and negotiate slowly; after all, they weren't the ones who were anxious.

Qin Zhao's opinion was more direct. She said Xue Ji was a fox demon, and that identity alone was worth a fortune. If the Second Prince didn't agree, they would leak the news of her being a demon. When his backyard caught fire, he would be even more miserable than he was now.

The Third Prince felt both arguments made sense, so he set the price very high.

On the Second Prince's side, things exploded.

His advisors were split into two factions.

One faction argued that Xue Ji wasn't worth such a heavy price—she was just a woman, and if she was gone, he could find another.

The other faction argued that Xue Ji was no ordinary woman; she was a Nascent Soul Great Demon and the Second Prince's right-hand woman, so she couldn't be lost.

The two factions argued for days and nights, giving the Second Prince a massive headache.

He hadn't expected that he couldn't even make the decision to save his own woman.

Irritated to the extreme, he finally donned his armor one night and personally charged into the front lines. He took several cities in succession with unstoppable momentum. He vented all his rage onto the battlefield, onto the armies of the Third Prince and the Imperial Court, and onto the soldiers defending the cities. He exposed himself to arrows and Spells, ignoring his subordinates' pleas to stop as he charged at the very front. He needed to kill, he needed to vent, and he needed to use the enemies' blood to extinguish the nameless fire burning in his chest.

For several days straight, he didn't return to the rear, didn't handle government affairs, and didn't even say a word to his advisors, his eyes completely bloodshot from the slaughter.

Compared to the Second Prince's frantic state, Yun Ming's small courtyard was as pleasant as another world.

Every morning,

when Yun Ming emerged from the Quiet Room, breakfast was already laid out on the stone table.

The porridge was warm, the dishes were hot, and the chopsticks were neatly arranged.

Xue Ji, wearing a pale pink dress with her hair held up by a jade hairpin, stood to the side, looking at him with a beaming smile.

Her cultivation was sealed, so she couldn't do anything major, but she was very quick at serving tea, pouring water, washing clothes, folding blankets, and cleaning the yard. It wasn't because she was diligent, but because she wanted to know exactly why Yun Ming was immune to her charm and how he had made her get lost in that 'Yellow Millet Dream'.

She tried every way possible to please Yun Ming.

Today she would change into new clothes, tomorrow she'd try a new hairstyle, and the day after that, a new style of makeup.

She would intentionally lean down while serving tea to reveal more of her neckline; she would sway her hips while sweeping to let her dress trace seductive curves against her body; she would lean in very close when speaking, her warm breath hitting Yun Ming's face, her voice as soft as if it were coated in honey.

She believed in her own charm.

No man could escape her palm; this was her firmest conviction after living for hundreds of years.

She refused to believe in bad luck.

Yet Yun Ming acted as if he were blind. When she changed into new clothes, he didn't even spare a glance. When she changed her hairstyle, he just looked down and drank his tea. When she leaned in to speak, he would move back with his teacup. When her fingers brushed the back of his hand, he would calmly pull his hand into his sleeve. When her toes touched his leg under the table, he would cross his legs, blocking her foot.

Xue Ji began to doubt her very existence.

As the days passed, her testing became more and more excessive, and her disappointment grew.

She even deliberately wore only a thin veil after bathing, walking around the courtyard as water droplets fell from the tips of her hair, wetting her shoulders and chest.

Yun Ming came out of the house, took one look, threw an outer robe to her, and said, "You have no spiritual power right now, don't catch a cold," before heading back inside with his teacup.

Xue Ji stood there, clutching the outer robe, stunned for a long time.

Finally, one day, she couldn't take it anymore.

That afternoon, Yun Ming was sitting on a bamboo chair in the courtyard drinking tea, with a small plate of mystic pattern jade seed sunflowers on the stone table.

Xue Ji brought over a small stool and sat beside him, her chin resting on her hands, tilting her head to look at him.

She watched him for a long time, so long that Yun Ming couldn't help but turn his head and glance at her.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Yun Ming cracked a seed, chewed it, and swallowed.

Xue Ji bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.

"Yun Ming, do you... not like women?"

Yun Ming was just bringing the teacup to his mouth when his hand jerked at her words, splashing tea all over his hand.

He set the teacup down, coughed twice, and wiped the water off his hand with his sleeve.

"Why would you think that?"

Xue Ji counted off on her fingers, one by one.

"Look at the men outside—which one of them doesn't lose their ability to walk the moment they see me? Which one doesn't dream of playing the hero to save the beauty and then spending a night of passion with me? Even the Second Prince, at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, isn't he so infatuated with me that he's ignoring the court affairs? But what about you?"

She looked at Yun Ming, a hint of grievance in her eyes. "You are actually completely unmoved. I wear new clothes and you don't even look; I change my hair and you look down at your tea; I lean in and you back away; I touch your hand and you pull back; I come out from bathing and you throw me a robe. I even feel like even if I stood naked in front of you, your heart wouldn't skip a beat."

Yun Ming was silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.

He leaned back against the chair, looking up at the gray sky.

"Firstly," he began in a flat tone, "you rely too much on external things. Your charm, in my eyes, is too low-level."

Xue Ji was stunned for a moment, then she laughed.

She laughed wantonly, her whole body trembling, until tears almost came to her eyes.

She wiped the corners of her eyes and looked at Yun Ming as if she had heard the funniest joke of her life.

"What did you say?" Her voice was filled with disbelief. "My charm is too low-level? A man is telling a member of the fox tribe, whose very talent is charm, that her charm is too low-level? A Late Golden Core Stage cultivator is telling a Nascent Soul Great Demon that her charm is too low-level?" She laughed again, bending over. "Yun Ming, do you even know what you're saying?"

Yun Ming didn't laugh.

He just watched her, waiting for her to finish laughing.

When Xue Ji had laughed her fill, she straightened up, wiped away the tears, took a deep breath, and looked at Yun Ming.

Her gaze had changed—it was no longer that seductive, teasing look, but a serious, scrutinizing one.

"Why do you have that idea?" she asked.

Yun Ming shook his head and took a sip of tea. "Your Comprehension Ability is too low. How did you even Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul? Is this the attitude for asking someone a question?"

Seeing his calm and unhurried manner, Xue Ji's teeth itched with irritation.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her chest, and squeezed out a smile.

"Then what will it take for you to tell me?"

Yun Ming thought for a moment and held up one finger. "Lianxiang Cup, Qingluo Ruanyan, or Wangdao Chenghuan—give me any one of those three."

Xue Ji was taken aback. "What do you want those for? Do you have a woman you like?"

Yun Ming waved his hand. "One can never have too many skills."

Xue Ji huffed.

She lowered her head, thought for a bit, her eyes darted around, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

She looked up at Yun Ming, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"Fine, then I'll use Wangdao Chenghuan to trade with you."

She thought to herself that Yun Ming, being a grown man, certainly wouldn't know how to dance. Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to capture that extremely seductive essence. When the time came and she gave him the dance, if he couldn't learn it, that would be his own problem and she couldn't be blamed.

"Sure."

Yun Ming accepted without hesitation. Xue Ji was stunned; she hadn't expected him to agree so readily. She felt even more delighted, already imagining Yun Ming looking clumsy and making a fool of himself. The smile on her face grew even brighter.

"Alright, but you have to convince me first," she said. "You have to make me believe that my charm is indeed too low-level. Then I'll give you Wangdao Chenghuan."

Yun Ming looked at her without speaking. He reached out and beckoned her over. Xue Ji hesitated but still stood up and sat on the stone stool beside him, turning to face him. The two were very close—close enough for her to see the curve of his eyelashes, and close enough for him to smell the fragrance on her body.

Yun Ming spoke slowly. "Your charm is too superficial."

Xue Ji frowned but didn't interrupt.

Yun Ming continued, "The Lianxiang Cup, Qingluo Ruanyan, Wangdao Chenghuan, and even your beauty—these are all external things. They can indeed stimulate a man's blood and Qi, bringing a brief attraction, but it cannot last. Someone with even a slightly strong Divine Soul, like me, won't be affected by you at all."

Xue Ji's frown deepened. She wanted to retort, but she opened her mouth and then closed it again. Because she knew he was right. Her charm had no effect on him.

"Then... then what should I do?" Her voice lowered, no longer seductive or teasing, but serious, with a hint of seeking guidance.

Yun Ming looked at her and didn't answer.

Instead, he beckoned with his hand.

Xue Ji pursed her lips, took a Jade Slip from her sleeve, and slapped it onto the stone table with a sharp 'pah'.

As Yun Ming reached for it, Xue Ji grabbed his hand.

Her hand was very cool and soft.

"Tell me first." She looked at him, her eyes filled with expectation, curiosity, and a hint of defiance.

Yun Ming glanced down at the hand she was holding and didn't pull away. He sighed, looked up, and met her eyes.

"You need a story."