Chapter 39: Was All My Intelligence Collected Wrong?

Cheng Guang paid no further heed to the commotion stirred by Wen Qing and the others below. Leaving his private seat, he walked alone to the center of the Jade Pavilion, towards the chamber where Bai Shuxuan resided.

“Your Highness, please follow me,” said the maidservant Red Candle softly, her eyes lowered in reverence, guiding Cheng Guang forward.

He nodded slightly, passed beyond the screen, and entered the room.

Only when Cheng Guang’s figure vanished from sight did the crowd slowly withdraw their gazes. Looking towards the loft where Bai Shuxuan was, envy for Cheng Guang flickered in their hearts.

“Bai Shuxuan’s reputation outside is so extraordinary, almost legendary, yet few have truly seen her,” someone murmured.

“I can’t even imagine how alluring she must be.”

“Forget it. Besides His Highness, no one is worthy of a woman like Bai Shuxuan,” came another hushed reply.

Fragments of whispered conversation drifted up from below, soon fading into inaudibility.

…

Under the watchful eyes of all, Cheng Guang stepped into Bai Shuxuan’s chamber.

As he entered, a faint fragrance greeted him—not the cloying scent of rouge, but the delicate aroma of a rare flower from the misty mountains of Caiyun. Cheng Guang glanced around. The room was not large, yet it brimmed with feminine grace: dignified, elegant, imbued with the ancient charm of quiet refinement.

A subtle sandalwood aroma lingered, and through the carved lattice windows, flecks of lamplight danced across the floor.

To one side stood a zither in the corner, a bronze mirror rested atop a wooden dressing table. The entire room exuded freshness and serenity.

Looking deeper within, he saw a graceful figure seated on a bed of horned wood.

“Shuxuan greets Your Highness,” Bai Shuxuan spoke softly, her voice gentle. Her face was veiled in white gauze, obscuring her features, yet the allure and beauty within her eyes were captivating.

“I did not expect Your Highness to possess such talent. What I said earlier now seems rather unnecessary,” she continued.

Cheng Guang listened without answering, merely observing her in silence.

He stood upright in the room, his posture naturally exuding a unique aura. He was nothing like Bai Shuxuan had imagined—a man who would rush in and throw her onto the bed in haste, ready to bully her.

Instead, he seemed…

Indifferent.

He did not appear to care about her at all.

A flicker of surprise passed through Bai Shuxuan’s beautiful eyes. She had never encountered someone who could maintain such calm and composure in her presence.

She wondered if perhaps Cheng Guang had not yet seen her face beneath the veil, and thus remained so unaffected.

—

After speaking several times, Bai Shuxuan noticed Cheng Guang’s silence. She studied his tranquil expression and those deep, dark eyes like ancient wells, hesitated a few moments, then spoke again.

“Your Highness, Shuxuan has already resolved to choose you. Why not stay here tonight in the Jade Pavilion?”

As she finished, Bai Shuxuan raised her jade-like hand and slowly removed the white veil from her face.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her brows and eyes tinged with desire—seductive yet not vulgar, alluring yet not common.

Cheng Guang remained upright, his gaze unwavering. He glanced over Bai Shuxuan’s face, then let his eyes fall upon her figure.

The purple silk dress hugged her slender, graceful body, accentuating her curves and striking silhouette. Her arms were as soft as snow lotus roots, her legs long and rounded, her calves delicate and smooth. Her skin was fine and tender, radiant like jade. Even without seeing her face, her figure alone was worthy of the title ‘Queen of Flowers.’

Cheng Guang watched for a while, then coughed lightly and declined her invitation.

“There’s no need to stay. I’m not accustomed to lodging outside,” he said.

Bai Shuxuan was stunned.

He actually refused?

Did he not understand her implication?

Did he really believe ‘stay’ meant simply staying the night?

Did he not grasp the art of subtlety?

Her smile faltered. Naturally, her words had not been meant to truly keep Cheng Guang overnight for intimacy, but to create an excuse for them to spend time alone.

The Fox Clan of Qingqiu were famed for their arts of enchantment. Their bloodline's divine power—the Eyes of Enchantment—could control the minds of others, bending them to their will.

As the clan’s Saintess, Bai Shuxuan was well versed in these ways.

She had risked much to break through the barriers between realms and come to the mortal world, her aim to seize control of someone wielding great power here.

To use them, to create value and secure resources for herself.

Upon arriving in the Great Zhou Dynasty, even before reaching the capital, Bai Shuxuan had already catalogued every noble of note.

She found that, aside from the imperial family, only the Duke’s household held the greatest influence.

And the Duke’s heir was the sole successor, his status unrivaled. He might not flaunt before the emperor, but certainly could before the princes and princesses.

This heir, it was rumored, suffered from a strange illness, unable to cultivate, possessing no spiritual power.

Was he not the perfect target?

Bai Shuxuan soon set her sights on Cheng Guang and began her schemes.

She first fashioned herself as a renowned courtesan in the capital, spreading her fame to lure Cheng Guang in, then planned to use her arts to ensnare him.

To enchant an ordinary mind that had never cultivated was simple for Bai Shuxuan, but if the target held high status and was surrounded by powerful guards, she could not act overtly—it must be done gradually.

As the Saintess of the Fox Clan, born with an enchanting constitution, anyone who spent time near her would inevitably grow attached.

—

For those already favorably disposed towards her, her innate allure was all the more potent.

To charm someone through her constitution was entirely different from using divine arts—the distinction was vast.

Firstly, the effects of her enchanting physique were subtle and imperceptible, seeping in unnoticed unless one took precautions.

Secondly, her allure required no deliberate activation, unlike divine arts which, once used, left traces upon the target.

Her innate enchantment left not the slightest mark, incredibly difficult to detect.

Because of this, Bai Shuxuan dared to set her sights on Cheng Guang.

Were she to use the Eyes of Enchantment directly, any trace left upon him would surely be discovered by the Duke’s household experts.

Her presence would be instantly exposed.

In that event, she would have no choice but to flee Zhou and return to the Eightfold Demon Realm.

For Bai Shuxuan, who had spent immense resources and endured much hardship to reach the mortal world, returning empty-handed was unthinkable.

After a period of careful plotting, Bai Shuxuan believed she had mastered all the information about Cheng Guang. She thought that as long as she remained patient, he would eventually take the bait.

Even if he did not, even if he was not drawn to her or came to the Flower Pavilion, she had backup plans to orchestrate meetings, acquaintance, and intimacy.

Bai Shuxuan believed her scheme flawless, with little room for error.

Yet, upon meeting the true heir, she suddenly realized how starkly reality differed from her intelligence.

The heir described in her reports would never compose poetry, never possessed such talent. Yet the one before her was eloquent and brilliant.

The reports claimed he frequented brothels, always choosing the queen of flowers as company, but rarely spent the night or acted with lust, quickly pushing her away, seeming uninterested.

Bai Shuxuan had guessed he might suffer from some secret ailment, hence his behavior—something few knew.

But the man before her…

Though his expression remained calm, his eyes nearly dropped to her chest, staring without blinking.

This…

Was this not lust?

The heir as described and the man before her were so different, it was as if they were not the same person at all.

Had all her intelligence been wrong?

…