Perfect Cycle

At these words, Xue Lingxue found herself looking at the young marquis with newfound respect.

She had thought him nothing more than a frivolous, lecherous wastrel, but after these two encounters, regardless of other faults, at least his temper seemed remarkably good—a rare trait among the imperial nobility.

Chu Liang, of course, knew why this was the case. He also knew that after a little while, the young marquis's temper would not remain so amiable. So, seizing the opportunity while his anger was suppressed, he quickly asked another question.

"Young Marquis, I happen to have something I'd like to ask," Chu Liang said.

"What is it?" Xia An was, at this moment, quite agreeable.

"Earlier, I ran into a young lady who said her elder sister went missing near Lijia Manor. The attendants at the manor mentioned they might have seen you speaking with the missing woman during your last visit. Do you recall anything of the sort?" Chu Liang inquired.

He was unaware of the dirty dealings of the Marquis of Dingshan's household; he simply assumed Xia An had a chance encounter with Liu Xiaoyu's sister and therefore asked directly, without reservation.

Originally, he had sent Lin Bei to inquire last night. However, Lin Bei returned saying he had stumbled upon the young marquis in the pavilion engaged in some unspeakable affairs, and it was inconvenient to approach.

Thus, Chu Liang was left to ask himself.

Although the young marquis was under the Banish Evil Curse, it only suppressed his anger, not his rationality. Upon hearing Chu Liang's question, his heart tightened.

Previously, he would have simply handed over Liu Xiaoyu, letting her reunite with her sister and go home—it was of no consequence, since his current goal was Xue Lingxue.

But now, that fish demon's fate was unknown, and she held important secrets about the Marquis of Dingshan's household. How could Xia An reveal her whereabouts?

His expression remained unchanged, and after feigning a moment's thought, he replied, "I've entertained so many people in the manor that it's hard to remember. I'll ask my attendants when I return to see if there's any news."

"Very well," Chu Liang said. "Sorry to trouble you, Young Marquis."

Xia An then bade farewell to Xue Lingxue and left calmly.

Xue Lingxue watched his retreating figure with a hint of surprise, laughing softly, "I thought he would stir up trouble, but he was rather easy to talk to."

"Indeed," Chu Liang nodded.

...

Turning back, he looked at Xue Lingxue and said, "About the matter I asked of you yesterday, Miss Xue—might that be possible?"

He had come to see her today for a reason.

Yesterday, when he went on stage to assist, Xue Lingxue had played the "Canglang Accompaniment," which had activated his Nine Heavens Mysterious Heart Technique to perfection, triggering an extraordinary celestial phenomenon that astonished everyone.

That alone would have been noteworthy, but the key was that the big-headed doll within his White Tower was also affected by the accompaniment. Its cultivation speed increased severalfold, reaching perfection.

After the performance abruptly ended, Chu Liang’s own circulation naturally returned to normal. Without the accompaniment, he could no longer achieve perfect circulation on his own.

However—

He soon discovered, to his astonishment, that the big-headed doll within him maintained the state of perfect circulation! In other words, its cultivation speed remained several times faster than before!

This delighted him beyond measure.

After a moment's thought, Chu Liang deduced the cause. The speed and path of the puppet's technique were originally copied from his own, like imprinting a template. Thus, previously, its cultivation speed matched his normal pace.

But last night, he achieved perfect operation—even though the path was the same, the speed far surpassed his previous level. The puppet must have a mechanism that, upon detecting a faster template, overwrites the old one and adopts the optimal template.

So, though he himself only briefly achieved perfection, and couldn’t replicate it, the puppet remembered!

It would now maintain this pace forever!

This tireless big-headed doll could now cultivate four or five times faster than before! If previously, Chu Liang’s limited talents meant that even with the doll’s ceaseless work he lagged behind top prodigies, now—thanks to this upgrade—he might rival any genius in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths in pure cultivation speed.

It was truly like winning the lottery.

Yet, there was a minor flaw.

Last night, his great celestial circulation had not fully completed before the music was interrupted. Thus, the puppet's perfect state was only half-recorded. When the circulation reached the midpoint, it would revert to its previous speed.

In the past, the puppet was like an old man pushing a cart—slow but steady. Now, the first half was like eight fine steeds pulling the cart, only for the second half to return to the old man’s pace—somewhat disappointing.

So Chu Liang sought out Xue Lingxue, explaining that he had gained some insight during yesterday’s celestial phenomenon and hoped she could play "Canglang Accompaniment" for him again to help recapture that state.

Xue Lingxue told him to come find her the next day.

Thus, they met today.

Upon hearing his request, Xue Lingxue smiled gently. "It’s only a song—hardly any trouble. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have practiced more before the tour."

"Thank you so much, Miss Xue," Chu Liang said sincerely. "But I can’t ask you for this favor without giving something in return. If you need anything, please feel free to tell me."

He intended to follow the rules of the martial world—a fair exchange.

After all, though Xue Lingxue spoke lightly of it, having an inner disciple of the Southern Music House play for someone was not an everyday privilege. Moreover, the help it gave him was far greater than she knew, so he could hardly accept the favor for nothing.

But Xue Lingxue only shook her head lightly. "I used your name today to decline bothersome invitations. That’s already an exchange, isn’t it?"

She was clear-sighted; earlier, she had used her meeting with Chu Liang as an excuse to turn down the young marquis's invitation, which would certainly make Chu Liang the focus of some resentment. Fulfilling his small request now was a fair trade.

Chu Liang smiled slightly.

Xue Lingxue was, indeed, admirable.

They both belonged to the martial world; one must always act with principle.

Without further ado, Xue Lingxue laid out her zither case and took out her own treasured yaoqin.

Her favored instrument was as renowned as yesterday’s sandalwood guqin in terms of value, and being more familiar with it, her performance would be even better.

The urgent sound of plucked strings instantly filled the room.

Chu Liang sat upright, activating the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Heart Technique: Divine Will Chapter" with all his might, his great celestial circulation at full strength. The big-headed doll within him glowed with golden light.

Boom—

Clouds of radiance surged forth.

He focused part of his consciousness within the White Tower, watching the big-headed doll, wreathed in waves of gold, recording the perfect execution of the technique alongside his own great celestial circulation—a sight that filled him with satisfaction.

Once it had finished recording, his cultivation speed would soar to new heights—an unexpected delight.

This scene reminded him of stories he’d heard about farms playing music for cows to get more milk.

Today, having a disciple of the Southern Music House play for his big-headed doll was much the same.

It truly was necessary to improve employee happiness to boost productivity.

Reward and pressure must go hand in hand—one must grasp both firmly.