This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 158: Chapter 90: Old Tropes Win Hearts, and the Heart-devouring Disease Is a Useful Scapegoat

"The Jasper Pool Sect doesn’t have a rule that says a man has to marry you just for taking off your veil, does it? You were unconscious, and I was worried you might die, so I took it off and fed you a few Elixir Pills."

Jiang Lan turned his head back to focus on roasting the fish and asked casually.

"No," Ling Zhuyun replied, gently shaking her head.

Jiang Lan seemed to sigh with a hint of regret.

Ling Zhuyun looked at him and said, "Young Master Jiang, don’t get your hopes up."

Jiang Lan, however, just smiled.

’This fail-proof protagonist cliché just doesn’t seem to work for me.’

’Looks like she won’t be getting any of this roasted fish, either.’

Seeing that Jiang Lan was ignoring her, Ling Zhuyun composed herself, sat down cross-legged, and began to tend to her injuries and recover.

After a while, a tempting aroma wafted over.

Ling Zhuyun’s eyes opened. She looked at Jiang Lan, only to see him absorbed in gnawing on the fish, seemingly oblivious to her gaze.

"Saintess Zhu Yun, don’t get your hopes up about eating this fish, either. I’ve already done more than enough by saving you, and I even let you use my robe as a cushion." Jiang Lan finished the fish in just a few bites, leaving not a single piece for her.

"Young Master Jiang, how could you be so childish..."

Ling Zhuyun reached up with her slender fingers and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

"This isn’t being childish. It’s called keeping things separate."

’Since the usual tropes don’t work for earning favor, I can’t expect a few roasted fish to do much. Wouldn’t it be better to just eat them myself?’

’If Plan A doesn’t work, then it’s time for Plan B.’

Ling Zhuyun looked at him, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement.

’The dignified Young Master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion is actually being this stingy right now? Isn’t he afraid of being laughed at if word gets out?’

"Young Master Jiang, there’s no need to be upset. The Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect in every generation is destined to become the next Sect Leader. They do not marry," she said.

Jiang Lan drawled, "Saintess Zhu Yun, by telling me that, are you hoping I’ll force the Jasper Pool Sect to make an exception and change its rules for you?"

Ling Zhuyun looked at him, knowing he was deliberately teasing her. The corners of her mouth curved up beneath her veil, and she didn’t reply.

’I feel like I’m starting to understand him a little.’

’The rumors about him are terrible, but he doesn’t actually seem to be some truly wicked person.’

"My injuries need time to heal. Once I’ve recovered, I will lead Young Master Jiang out of here to reunite with your men," Ling Zhuyun said.

Jiang Lan nodded. "No problem. Then I’ll act as your Guardian."

Ling Zhuyun gave a slight nod. She didn’t expect that Jiang Lan, who had no cultivation whatsoever, could do much to protect her, but right now, she had no one else to rely on.

Reassured, Ling Zhuyun immersed herself in meditation and began to focus on healing her injuries.

Wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi began to gather around her, forming a vortex of Spiritual Energy.

Jiang Lan, meanwhile, began to pace slowly nearby, all the while assessing Ling Zhuyun’s current condition.

’She had encountered several powerful enemies one after another, and just when she was barely holding on, she was hit by the Array I was controlling, piling injury upon injury.’

’It wouldn’t be easy for the Elixir Pills she took to suppress injuries that severe.’

’At her current rate of recovery, it would take a good ten minutes at least.’

’No rush. I’ll wait for a critical moment. Now is not the time.’

Jiang Lan immersed his consciousness into the earth veins, using them to sense the situation over at the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

...

As the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion emerged, the rift to the Secret Realm opened wide, and a flood of cultivators and other beings poured inside.

Zixia Daoist suppressed his cultivation and rushed toward the center of the Secret Realm at top speed. There, amid towering mountain ranges, a magnificent and ancient complex of buildings could be faintly seen.

It didn’t look like a so-called cave mansion, but rather a Dao field—a place where the Purple Mist True Monarch once preached his teachings. At that moment, streams of light were erupting from the building complex.

The cultivators who had arrived all rushed toward it. However, a faint, oppressive pressure permeated the towering mountains, growing stronger the closer one got.

Many people noticed it immediately and began to stimulate the Qi and Blood Power of their physical bodies to resist it.

"This is a trial left behind by the Purple Mist True Monarch..."

"Only those who pass the trial can proceed to his Dao field and receive his inheritance."

"The Purple Mist True Monarch’s Dao field is just ahead! I can already see lots of Magical Artifacts flying out of it."

Many of the younger generation grew excited. Since it was a trial, it would surely test aspects like talent and temperament, meaning that cultivation level might not be as important.

Meanwhile, the older-generation cultivators who had suppressed their cultivation to enter wore ugly expressions, understanding that this trial was very disadvantageous for them.

Ye Ming was mixed in with the crowd at the very front. He had known well in advance that there would be a trial here.

Therefore, he immediately stimulated his Qi and Blood Power to counter the oppressive pressure, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he shot forward.

The rest of the younger generation did the same. Streaks of light shot toward the towering Dao field ahead, and they began to rummage through the buildings and pavilions like a swarm of locusts.

Although a long time had passed, the place showed no signs of decay.

Some of the younger generation were soon overjoyed to find sealed Elixir Pills in a Pill Room. When the jade jars were opened, a fragrant aroma assaulted their senses, as if the pills had just been refined.

In the other pavilions and palaces, some found Jade Scroll Magical Artifacts, while others discovered ancient texts and inscriptions...

In an instant, battles and slaughter erupted once more. Among the various buildings and pavilions, cultivators began to fight to the death over a few Elixir Pills and Magical Artifacts.

Amidst the mountains, someone discovered a field of medicine filled with rare, ancient Spirit Medicine. They were about to start picking them when they were scared witless.

A Jade-Eyed Golden Lion King charged out from within. It let out a roar from its gaping maw that seemed powerful enough to shatter the mountains. This was, without a doubt, a formidable Demon King.