This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 172: Chapter 94: Don’t Bite Me, Four Saints Ancient Celestial Skill, How Could They Be So Close?

This Dao field was vast, filled with clusters of halls and pavilions. Rosy mist permeated the air, and array patterns flickered with light.

The pavilions and cave residences deeper inside had long since been ransacked by the cultivators who arrived earlier.

Great battles had erupted in some areas. The fighting and contention continued even now, with bodies lying strewn about and blood splattering in all directions.

Though the Blood Immortal Sect was terrifying, to many cultivators, it was still far less important than the opportunities right in front of them.

Thus, even though the Secret Realm was in a state of chaos and turmoil, forcing everyone to fend for themselves, fierce battles could still be seen in many areas.

Jiang Lan led the group along a deep and secluded corridor, making his way toward the depths of the Dao field.

As he walked, he recalled the location of the Dark Mansion from the original plot, all while paying attention to the changes in fortune within his Mud Ball Palace.

As he expected, his feigned words of anger had indeed worked wonders.

Ling Zhuyun was kind-hearted, stuck to her principles, abided by benevolence and righteousness, and would not indiscriminately harm the innocent. In every respect, she was, without a doubt, a good person.

In the original plot, she held every conceivable Innate advantage, yet in the end, Chu Chan still managed to take everything that was hers.

The biggest reason for this was that she trusted Chu Chan far too much. Her kindness became her greatest vulnerability and weakness.

’Befriending someone like her is naturally a good thing. She could never bring herself to harm you. In fact, she would offer you immense help and support at the most critical moments, not hesitating even if it meant paying the ultimate price with her life.’

Jiang Lan was in no position to call her wrong, but since he was now scheming for Ling Zhuyun’s fortune, he naturally had to exploit this part of her nature.

From the day of the tea-brewing assembly, when he first came into contact with Ling Zhuyun, he had intentionally cultivated an image of himself in her mind as someone who wanted to help her.

It didn’t matter whether Ling Zhuyun figured it out at the time, because Jiang Lan would later use other methods to make her associate him with that idea.

Therefore, on the journey from Anyang City into the Purple Mist Mountain Range, he had, intentionally or not, been using subtle details to perfect this persona.

At the same time, he had secretly used vague words and phrases to warn Ling Zhuyun to be wary of Ye Ming and the Blood Immortal Sect.

This would naturally leave Ling Zhuyun confused. After all, she and Jiang Lan were practically strangers. Why would he deliberately say things that seemed to carry a deeper, hidden meaning?

She would be filled with doubt and confusion, so she would surely find an opportunity later to seek out Jiang Lan and get a clear answer.

With this series of premises established, when the two were later alone in the grotto, the Human-Faced Banner attacked, Jiang Lan stepped up to protect her, and Ling Zhuyun accidentally discovered his "Heart-devouring Disease."

Then, all her previous conjectures and speculations would instantly connect.

And so, an image would form in Ling Zhuyun’s mind: that of a noble young master who, for various reasons, was tormented by a painful illness, yet deliberately sullied his own reputation to hide his talents, remaining steadfast and determined in his pursuits.

This stark contrast—compounded by the fact that Jiang Lan had known she was lying in public to shield Ye Ming and conceal his identity, yet chose to spare her the humiliation by not exposing her—instantly plunged Ling Zhuyun into a state of intense guilt and self-reproach.

Moreover, because her various preconceived biases had led her to hold a poor impression of Jiang Lan, this jarring contrast now evoked a deep sense of guilt, a feeling of, ’How could I have treated him that way before?’

Ling Zhuyun might appear saintly and ethereal, aloof and untouchable, but in reality, she was just a pure-hearted, albeit overly kind, person.

The philosophy instilled in her by the Jasper Pool Sect since childhood never taught her about the hardships of the secular world or the darkness of the human heart; her status meant she never had to encounter such things.

Conversely, Chu Chan, who had been battered and honed by the secular world, was the perfect embodiment of being "pure on the outside, dark on the inside." Beneath her elegant and charming appearance, her heart was already nearly as cold and hard as iron and stone.

Jiang Lan knew this about Ling Zhuyun’s character, which was why he had her wrapped so tightly around his finger.

Of course, he didn’t expect that after such a short period of interaction, he could make Ling Zhuyun quickly develop feelings for him, become hopelessly devoted, and be his to command.

That was why his earlier words were intended to strike a chord in her heart, to make her introspect and reflect. After all, without the anxiety of potential loss, without the push and pull of being close yet distant, how could the roots of love ever grow deep?

Jiang Lan was confident she would come after him soon.

After wandering around the Dao field for a bit, Jiang Lan noticed a storage room and had Li Daoyi and the others break the external Restriction.

Inside, aside from rows of various rare ores, Treasure Armor, and Magical Artifacts, there were some Cultivation Method Secret Manuals and other such things. He wasn’t particularly interested, so he let the others divide it all.

Then, feeling the fortune surge within his Mud Ball Palace, Jiang Lan was also able to observe what was happening on Chu Chan’s end through its fluctuations.

Every time Chu Chan obtained an opportunity rich in fortune, he would receive a massive feedback of that fortune.

Through this fortune feedback, he could faintly perceive what was happening on her end.

He had originally taken a hands-off approach toward Chu Chan, but she kept giving him one pleasant surprise after another.

After taking a look at the situation over there, Jiang Lan called to Li Daoyi and the others, intending to leave this Dao field and head toward the Ancient Medicine Garden.

Although there was indeed a cave residence deep within this Dao field, it was only the Ming Mansion left by the Purple Mist True Monarch. The Immortal Embryo Creation Dew he wanted wasn’t in there.

Since Chu Chan was here, he might as well leave it for her. After all, once she obtained it, the fortune would feed back to him anyway.

With her intelligence and docility, she would surely report everything she had obtained in detail after leaving the Secret Realm, and even hand a portion of it over.