This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 156: Chapter 90: Classic Routines Win Hearts, and the Heart-devouring Disease Is a Useful Scapegoat

Jiang Lan glanced at her and sighed softly. "The disciples from all the Immortal Sects who came to Purple Mist Mountain this time are all targets of the Blood Immortal Sect. Many of their members have already infiltrated this place. If your junior sisters get separated, they might have already been killed by the Blood Immortal Sect."

"The Blood Immortal Sect is growing more and more brazen and unscrupulous. Even I have been the target of their repeated assassination attempts."

"Saintess Zhu Yun, though you are powerful and your cultivation profound, you’d best be careful. The members of the Blood Immortal Sect are pervasive and impossible to guard against."

Ling Zhuyun looked at him, slightly stunned.

This was the first time she had seen such a serious expression on Jiang Lan, completely different from the casual, frivolous air he usually had.

"Thank you for the warning, Young Master Jiang. I will be careful," Ling Zhuyun replied softly.

Jiang Lan seemed to know she wasn’t taking it to heart, so he couldn’t be bothered to say more and stood up, intending to leave.

But Ling Zhuyun took a few steps forward and said, "Young Master Jiang..."

"What is it?"

"At the tea-brewing gathering the other day, what did you mean by what you said to me?"

"And ever since we came to Purple Mist Mountain, I’ve felt that every word you’ve said to me seems to hold a deeper meaning. But forgive my ignorance; I haven’t been able to figure it out," Ling Zhuyun asked, her brow furrowed.

Hearing this, Jiang Lan stopped and turned back to look at her, a strange and unreadable expression in his eyes.

After a moment, he chuckled and said, "At a time like this, Saintess Zhu Yun, there’s no need to hide things or play dumb."

"Do you really not know what I meant, or are you just pretending not to?"

"As for Ye, the man by your side... You know better than I do whether he was the one who tried to assassinate me at the Drunken Immortal Residence."

These words stunned Ling Zhuyun, her beautiful eyes widening slightly.

Beneath her veil, an unnatural expression crossed her face, and she subconsciously bit her lip.

She had never expected Jiang Lan to be so suddenly direct and say such a thing.

Once the realization hit, a strange sense of panic grew inside her—the shame and unease of having a lie exposed on the spot.

She was the holy and transcendent Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect, revered and admired by all, the very face of her sect. And yet, for the sake of a man, she had broken her principles and lied...

If word of this were to get out, who knew what a huge impact it would have on her and on the prestige of the Jasper Pool Sect.

Her actions might even bring shame upon the entire Jasper Pool Sect.

"Young... Young Master Jiang..."

Ling Zhuyun didn’t even realize that her state of mind had shifted. Her tone had become obviously unnatural.

"It seems, Saintess Zhu Yun, that you do know his identity. Yet you insisted on favoring him and covering for him at the tea-brewing gathering."

"And even now, you still want to play dumb in front of me, claiming you don’t understand what I’m saying."

"How interesting. Do you take me for a fool, or what?"

Jiang Lan smiled, as if he hadn’t noticed the forced composure on her face.

Ling Zhuyun took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She was just about to open her mouth and explain.

But Jiang Lan waved a hand, cutting her off. "Saintess Zhu Yun, though you are the esteemed Quasi-Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect, you are still human. It’s only normal to have the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. I understand youthful infatuation, the first stirrings of a young woman’s heart. But your sweetheart might not treat you with the same trust you show him."

"I have already given you plenty of well-intentioned advice. Whether you listen or not is no longer my concern."

"Sweetheart?"

Ling Zhuyun’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. She subconsciously wanted to explain that her relationship with Ye Ming was nothing like that at all.

Theirs was nothing more than a chaste friendship between equals; she only felt admiration for him.

She had covered for him at the tea-brewing gathering only because Ye Ming’s assassination attempt on Jiang Lan had been motivated by his desire to rescue Chu Chan, a disciple of the Jasper Pool Sect.

But there was no point in explaining all that now. The fact was, she had lied to Jiang Lan, and she had lied to everyone else that day.

"How did you find out his identity, Young Master Jiang?" she asked, which was as good as admitting she knew about Ye Ming’s attempt to assassinate him.

"It wasn’t me who figured it out. At the tea-brewing gathering, Mengning told me his aura was highly suspicious and seemed to match the person who tried to assassinate me at the Drunken Immortal Residence..."

Jiang Lan replied casually. Since Li Mengning wasn’t here, he figured there was no harm in saying she was the one who’d noticed.

"Mengning?"

Ling Zhuyun paused for a moment before it dawned on her.

’He must be talking about Li Mengning, the Quasi-Saintess of the Taiyi Sect.’

’She’s a terrifying woman; even I’m not confident I could win against her.’

"So she’s been by Young Master Jiang’s side all this time? No wonder I’ve had this strange feeling throughout the journey..."

Ling Zhuyun came to a realization. Li Mengning’s cultivation was profound, so it was entirely possible she possessed some special talent that allowed her to sense the abnormality about Ye Ming. That would make perfect sense.

Then, a sense of guilt washed over her.

At the tea-brewing gathering, Jiang Lan had clearly known she was lying, but he hadn’t exposed her directly, sparing her the embarrassment.

If he had insisted on sending his people after Ye Ming, his identity would have been exposed for sure. She would have been implicated, and the Jasper Pool Sect might have become a laughingstock among the other Immortal Sects.

As her thoughts swirled with complexity, Jiang Lan’s voice rang out again.

"Relax. For the sake of you saving me just now, Saintess Zhu Yun, I’ll keep the matter of you lying to me a secret. You don’t have to worry about me telling anyone else."

"But in the future, when I go to kill that man Ye, you are not to stand in my way."

"He’s not as simple as you think. The Lin Fan who tried to assassinate me back in Yu Yi City was from the Blood Immortal Sect. He was young, but his strength was immense. Even my subordinate Ying, a Sixth Realm master, couldn’t stop him."