How to Bring Common Sense to Xianxia World

Chapter 269: Consequences

Song Wan watched as the atmosphere turned ominous. Turbid air rose and began engulfing the inside of the tent. Alarmed and startled, she staggered backward until her body bumped against the tent flap, allowing some of the turbid air to leak outside.

Seeing this, Ximen Ren immediately increased the circulation of his cultivation, drawing all of the turbid air back into his dantian.

His groin still throbbed from the self-inflicted injury, but that was no longer his priority.

He needed to silence this foolish girl.

Ximen Ren dashed toward the tent entrance and swiftly sealed Song Wan’s speech and movement acupoints.

What!?

Song Wan panicked completely.

"You forced my hand, Song Wan! Blame your own luck that I have to do this to you!" Ximen Ren whispered before extending one hand.

He formed his fingers into a blade and sliced open his wrist.

Blood spurted out, alarming Song Wan even further.

A moment later, a centipede-like insect crawled out through the wound Ximen Ren had made.

Screeech!

It screeched at Song Wan as though greeting its prey.

Ximen Ren grabbed it, pinched off its head with his thumb, then tossed the head into his mouth and swallowed it.

After that, he brought the insect’s writhing body to Song Wan’s mouth and forced it open.

Her eyes widened in terror as the centipede-like creature crawled deep into her mouth.

She desperately tried to gag it back out, but the insect was far too fast.

A sudden sharp pain stabbed through her chest before quickly subsiding.

Only then did Ximen Ren release her acupoints, causing her to collapse onto the ground.

She slowly raised her head and looked at the man standing before her.

The familiar figure now felt like a complete stranger.

"Why... why are you doing this? You weren’t like this when we were children. Is it... is it because of your cultivation? Has it changed you? If so, then you must come with me! We’ll ask Young Master Wei and Lady Mo for..."

"Shut up!"

Slap!

Ximen Ren exploded with all of his suppressed anger and frustration.

The slap sent Song Wan crashing onto the floor.

"I’ve had enough of your nagging! Who do you think you are, you foolish bitch?"

Ptui!

He spat on her head.

Unable to believe what she was seeing, Song Wan desperately searched for a reason why Ximen Ren had become like this.

The only explanation she could think of was that, in his haste to gain power, Ximen Ren had chosen to cultivate a demonic cultivation method.

The side effects had changed his personality.

Wait...

Ximen Ren had to be at least in the Nascent Soul Realm.

That was why he had been able to seal her acupoints so effortlessly, leaving her completely unable to break free.

And reaching the Nascent Soul Realm required many years of cultivation.

Which meant...

This wasn’t simply a personality change caused by his cultivation.

No one could hide such changes or maintain an act for that long.

Then...

All of that righteousness.

All of that benevolence toward the common people.

Were they all just an act?

As she reached the most likely conclusion, fear and despair filled her face.

It felt as though a piece of her heart had been torn away.

Her trust in Ximen Ren had been immense.

She had believed he was a truly righteous and benevolent man.

Her thoughts drifted back to the day Ximen Ren had confessed to her.

Had that been an act as well?

"Ximen Ren... can you tell me... that confession... the confession you made to me... was that an act too?" Song Wan asked.

"What do you think?" Ximen Ren replied with a wicked smile. "It was very convincing, wasn’t it?"

"Heh. I have to thank you for your foolishness. Because of you, my life became much easier. I never thought the young miss of a great clan would still believe there were truly righteous people in this world. You and Bodyguard Zhao are exactly the same. Chasing smoke and dreams, never realizing that you yourselves had already fallen into the mud."

Hearing those words, despair settled deep within Song Wan’s heart.

It had all started with that confession.

Because of it, she had broken off her engagement with Ximen Hao.

She had left Ximen Hao’s camp and devoted herself to supporting Ximen Ren ever since.

Back then, Ximen Hao had truly been a good-for-nothing, arrogant young master.

He wasn’t nearly as mature as he was now.

He constantly caused trouble and committed countless atrocities.

He stole the maidenhood of mortal women and commoners, ruined countless lives, and even caused scandals involving the heirs and daughters of many noble clans.

Worst of all, he did those things and didn’t even have the courage to admit them.

She hated people like that the most.

But even so, back then, she hadn’t minded marrying him.

It had been her duty to seal the alliance between the Ximen Clan and the Song Clan.

"So... I ran away from one good-for-nothing bastard, only to end up with a heartless hypocrite?"

"Heh... what a fool I was," Song Wan said with bitter self-mockery.

"Of course. If you weren’t a fool, would you have believed my act?" Ximen Ren replied with a wicked grin.

The demon within his heart reveled in tormenting the woman before him.

"I’ll tell you something good. Even though Ximen Hao was an arrogant bastard, he was smart enough to see through my act."

"Unlike you."

Ximen Ren pushed Song Wan’s forehead with a finger as if mocking how foolish she was.

"Also..." he continued.

His features began to change.

His face slowly transformed into someone she knew well.

It was Ximen Hao.

Ximen Ren could easily disguise himself as someone else.

"Half of that bastard’s shameful deeds... they were me all along!"

"It was you!?" Song Wan blurted out in shock.

The revelation felt like the final blow.

Today, her heart felt as though it had been torn to shreds.

"That’s right!" Ximen Ren said with a smug smile. "I have to admit, that bastard’s usual behavior back then made it easy. No one ever believed the truth. Everyone thought Ximen Hao was a shameless coward who refused to admit his own misdeeds and always tried to shrug them off."