Chapter 427: Wholesome Thoughts
A naked woman was standing right in front of Ye Guan. It seemed like she had just taken a shower. Her hair was still wet, and there were droplets of water on her skin. Her gorgeous figure was flawless, and she looked immaculate.
Ye Guan's mind went blank at the impactful sight.
The woman was none other than Cizhen.
Cizhen froze but quickly regained her composure and said, "Give me a moment."
Then, Cizhen turned around and left.
Left all alone, Ye Guan dared not to move. Soon, Cizhen walked out of the room wearing a loose bathrobe. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and it looked slick with water.
Cizhen stared at Ye Guan as if nothing had happened and asked, "Why are you here?"
Ye Guan hesitated briefly before saying, "I'm sorry. I had no idea you were taking a bath."
Cizhen smiled. "It's fine. Just sit down."
Ye Guan couldn't help but sigh at Cizhen's nonchalance. She was truly extraordinary.
Ye Guan decided not to dwell on the matter any further.
Then, he sat down across Cizhen and asked, "Are you still going to sell books tonight?"
Cizhen nodded. "Yes."
Curious, Ye Guan asked, "It's not because of money, right?"
Cizhen smiled. "Yes, it's just my hobby."
Ye Guan nodded slightly.
Just then, Cizhen beckoned, "Come here."
Ye Guan hesitated before walking over to Cizhen.
Cizhen then asked, "Apparently, my books have a ton of typos. Can you help me proofread my work?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Cizhen gestured and said, "Sit."
Ye Guan didn't think too much about it and sat next to Cizhen.
Cizhen placed two drafts in front of him and handed him a pen.
Ye Guan's scalp tingled upon examining the drafts. The scenes depicted within were pretty intense!
Cizhen saw Ye Guan's strange expression and asked, "How is it?"
Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "Can I suggest something?"
Cizhen nodded. "Go ahead."
"I don't think it has to be this intense," Ye Guan said, sounding serious.
Cizhen looked at Ye Guan, indicating for him to continue.
Ye Guan continued, "Your storytelling is excellent. I believe your readers are there for the plot rather than for explicit scenes..."
Ye Guan then stared at Cizhen, but the latter merely smiled.
Ye Guan asked, "What's wrong?"
Cizhen shook her head, smiling. "The plot is indeed important, but—well, I can't talk about certain topics to children like you. If I were to talk about this with you, you're just going to act all embarrassed again."
Ye Guan had no idea what to say. He briefly before saying, "W-why is it that you don't find it embarrassing at all."
"What's embarrassing?" Cizhen asked, "Are you talking about what happened earlier?"
Ye Guan nodded.
Cizhen chuckled. "Did you do it on purpose?"
Ye Guan quickly shook his head.
"How about me? Did I show it to you on purpose?" Cizhen asked.
Ye Guan thought for a moment and shook his head.
He didn't believe he had that he was that charismatic.
Cizhen laughed. "If that's the case, then who cares?"
Ye Guan didn't reply.
Cizhen's smile deepened as she asked, "Do you know why your father took thirty million years to achieve Divine Transcendence?"
Ye Guan looked at Cizhen, puzzled.
"It's because of an obsession," Cizhen answered her own question.
Ye Guan furrowed his brows. "An obsession?"
Cizhen nodded and explained, "There are many types of obsessions. Your father's obsessions were taking that certain step, avoiding the fate of becoming the king of relying on others, and making sure that people wouldn't look at him a certain way."
Cizhen paused for a moment before continuing with a smile. "The Dao is like sand; the stronger one's grip on the Dao, the faster it slips away from one's grip."
Ye Guan slowly curled his hands into fists as he pondered over Cizhen's words.
"Of course, obsessions are normal," Cizhen added, "It is an inevitable part of growth, which is always painful. Once you get through it, you'll realize that the hurdle you've been trying to overcome wasn't really that much of a hurdle."
Ye Guan looked at Cizhen and asked, "Do I have many obsessions?"
Cizhen nodded without saying anything.
"What are they?" Ye Guan asked.
"Give me a moment," Cizhen replied, smiling. Then, she went to the kitchen and soon came out carrying over a dozen bottles of white wine.
Ye Guan's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly said, "I don't want to drink."
"Why?" Cizhen revealed a mischievous smile and teased. "Scared?"
Ye Guan chuckled bitterly and replied, "I just don't think that it's a good idea for me to get drunk."
"Are you afraid that you might end up behaving inappropriately?" Cizhen asked.
"I really just think that drunkenness isn't a good state," Ye Guan explained.
"I agree, but it's only applicable to ordinary people," Cizhen replied with a smile. "You are a swordsman, and swordsmen are supposed to cultivate their hearts. Those without ill will would never act inappropriately, regardless of how drunk they become.
"I think you just have a guilty conscience, which is why you're afraid of getting drunk."
Ye Guan went silent; he had no idea how to retort.
Cizhen asked, "Don't you think that getting drunk is a form of cultivation as well?"
It's a form of cultivation? Ye Guan fell into deep contemplation.
Cizhen glanced at Ye Guan and opened a bottle of wine for him.
Ye Guan asked solemnly, "Sister Zhen, are obsessions really a problem?"
Cizhen nodded. "Yes."
"But I don't think I have many obsessions," Ye Guan said.
"The issue is the fact that you have no wholesome thoughts at all," Cizhen retorted.
Ye Guan's expression froze.
"Cheers!" Cizhen exclaimed, smiling. Then, she took a big swig of the bottle of wine in her hand.
Ye Guan hesitated briefly before taking a tiny swig. It still tasted spicy, but it no longer tasted as vile as the first time he drank it.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Ye Guan asked, "Sister Zhen, can you explain what you meant when you said that I have no wholesome thoughts at all?"
"Sure." Cizhen nodded and said, "Do you know your swordsmanship's biggest flaw?"
"Is it my obsessions?" Ye Guan asked.
Cizhen shook her head. "No."
Ye Guan furrowed his brow, puzzled.
Cizhen lifted the bottle and said, "I'll tell you once we're done drinking."
Ye Guan hesitated before taking a massive swig of the bottle of wine in his hand. He drank everything in one go, and the burning sensation in his throat and stomach made him feel extremely uncomfortable and lightheaded. The wine was just too strong.
Cizhen smiled at how Ye Guan had downed a bottle of wine in one go. She was about to speak when Ye Guan said, "You should drink as well. Finish that bottle first, and then we'll talk."
Cizhen's smile deepened as she said, "Sure."
Cizhen took a big swig of her drink and shook the empty bottle.
"It's done," she said.
Ye Guan was a bit puzzled. "Do you not feel lightheaded at all?"
Cizhen blinked and replied, "No, I do feel lightheaded."
Ye Guan frowned, seemingly doubtful. "Really?"
Cizhen hurriedly nodded. "Really. I feel a little bit dizzy. Do you feel the same?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."
Cizhen suddenly sat on the floor and patted the space next to her.
Ye Guan hesitated before sitting cross-legged next to her. Then, the two of them looked out the window to see the bustling cityscape of Yanjing.
"Sister Zhen, are you saying that my biggest flaw isn't related to my obsessions?"
"Not exactly. Your biggest flaw is that you can't see your obsessions."
Ye Guan was confused.
Cizhen smiled and explained, "Your Sword Dao has become even more powerful, so I'm sure you can see some of your obsessions."
"Really?" Ye Guan asked but was stunned. "Wait, how did you know that my Sword Dao has become even more powerful?"
Ye Guan's Sword Dao had improved when he had made up his mind about his indecisiveness when it came to relationships. It happened recently, which was why he didn't expect Cizhen to know about it. Wasn't her cultivation under suppression?
Cizhen smiled, "Yes, my cultivation base is under suppression, but I'm not blind."
Ye Guan fell silent.
"Obsessions are not easily perceived by those who have them, but those who are innately good can suppress such evil thoughts born from their obsession. However, the majority of people cannot suppress them, and they'll ultimately become their inner demons, which will lead to their inevitable destruction," Cizhen added.
Ye Guan asked, "Do I have such evil thoughts?"
Cizhen chuckled and asked, "What do you think?"
Ye Guan thought for a moment before replying, "I don't know because the evil thoughts you mentioned might be different from my thoughts."
Cizhen nodded and replied, "Indeed, the majority of people cannot distinguish whether their thoughts are evil or wholesome."
"What does that—" Ye Guan started.
However, Cizhen interrupted him, saying, "Cheers!"
This time, Ye Guan didn't hesitate and took a few big swigs.
Of course, Cizhen did the same.
The two soon finished another bottle, eliciting a smile from Cizhen.
"Can you tell me how you made your recent breakthrough in your Sword Dao?"
Ye Guan hesitated, but he still explained his recent insights.
Cizhen smiled and remarked, "You did a great job facing your weaknesses and correcting them."
"Yes, but..." Ye Guan trailed off before continuing, "Sister Zhen, I already have Cijing and Ba Wan, but I still have a few more women..."
"Are you saying that you can't ignore them because you feel indebted to them?"
Ye Guan nodded.
Cizhen smiled and said, "That can be considered one of your obsessions. Of course, if you were a ruthless person, you would have cut and cleaved them off, but that is definitely not the case."
Ye Guan sighed.
"The feeling of gratefulness is a shackle on your sword," Cizhen added, "I can feel that there is more than one layer of shackles on your sword."
Ye Guan decided to take a good look at Cizhen.
She was wearing a bathrobe, and the way her long hair draped over her shoulders casually made her give off an air reminiscent of a lounging cat. The light smile on her lips emitted a warm, amicable air that made people want to stay close to her. Cizhen was beautiful, and her exquisite features were without flaws.
She was breathtaking, to say the least.
Cizhen suddenly stared at Ye Guan.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and Cizhen's gaze was clear with a hint of mirth.
Ye Guan felt a bit overwhelmed. He shifted his gaze and looked out the window. For some reason, he became a bit nervous; he felt like a child who had just gotten caught in the middle of doing something wrong.
Cizhen chided, "You have too many evil thoughts."
Ye Guan was a bit unconvinced. "I wasn't thinking of anything evil."
"Is that so?" Cizhen laughed. "Why not be more straightforward with me, then?"
Ye Guan was stunned. Cizhen was right. Since he had no evil thoughts, there was nothing preventing him from being more straightforward with her.
With that thought in mind, Ye Guan smiled bitterly and muttered, "I don't know..."
Cizhen shook her head and smiled. "The fact that you've come this far despite your young age is impressive enough. I don't think you should be too worried, as you're still too young. It would also be unfair of me to compare you to myself."
After a moment of silence, Ye Guan opened a wine bottle and clinked Cizhen's wine bottle with his, saying, "Cheers, Sister Zhen."
Ye Guan then threw his head back and took a massive swig, downing the entire thing in one go.
Cizhen smiled and did the same.
Ye Guan suddenly laughed. "Sister Zhen, you're really beautiful."
It was unknown whether it was because of Cizhen's words or because of the alcohol, but Ye Guan was completely relaxed.
Cizhen smiled and asked, "Really?"
Ye Guan nodded. "You're also very kind. You're unlike what I initially thought of you."
"Does that mean you've been thinking of me as some kind of villain?" Cizhen asked while staring at Ye Guan.
Ye Guan smiled sheepishly and replied, "Not really; I thought you were some kind of god whom mere mortals cannot possibly interact with."
Cizhen smiled softly and replied, "It's boring to be a god, you know? I think it's more interesting to be a mortal."
"Indeed." Ye Guan nodded. The majority of the people on this blue planet were mortals, but they led a more interesting life than the majority of the cultivators of the Guanxuan Universe.
"All right, let's keep drinking!" Cizhen suggested.
Ye Guan frowned and asked, "Sister Zhen, are you going to ask those kind of questions again?"
Cizhen blinked innocently. "Yes..."
Ye Guan sprawled out on the ground and muttered, "Ask away, then..."
However, Cizhen shook her head and said, "No, you have to drink. You won't open your heart to me while sober."
Ye Guan said, "I'm already drunk."
Cizhen shook her head once more and stared with a serious gaze at Ye Guan, "No, you need to be a bit more drunk. I'm going to need even the tiniest details."
Ye Guan's expression froze. Just how detailed you want it to be?!
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com