This Is What a Villain Is Like

Li Mengning hadn’t gotten lost, but because they had run out of Domain-breaking Talismans on their journey, the two had no choice but to stop at a nearby city to rest for the night.

The next day, the local City Lord personally saw them off, dispatching a tower ship, and they finally returned to Yu Yi City by evening.

As for what Jiang Lan had left to do, no one dared to ask.

News of the shocking events on the Blood Red Plateau spread throughout Danzhou County that same day. It then circulated wildly in the neighboring major counties, sparking endless discussion and speculation.

That very day, numerous Sects and factions dispatched their experts to investigate.

Even the Observatory and the Immortal Suppression Bureau sent a large number of people, immediately locking down the perimeter of the Blood Red Plateau.

The Demon Beast stampede was also quickly quelled and did not spread to the surrounding towns and cities.

The Great Xia imperial dynasty possessed formidable national strength. Its rule was strict, and its lands were well-ordered.

Not even the Immortal Sect Lineages dared to act recklessly, so a mere Demon Beast stampede naturally couldn’t cause any significant impact.

However, the Blood Red Plateau was a special case, as it was connected to the Blood Immortal Sect, which had once brought chaos to the Nine Provinces Land.

Therefore, every cultivator who had traveled to the Blood Red Plateau that day was, without exception, taken in for questioning and investigation.

Even the disciples from the major sects who had gone there for training were no exception.

Of course, some people were bound to have slipped through the cracks.

But the Immortal Suppression Bureau had never been a mere decoration since its founding. It possessed its own methods to trace events and reconstruct what had happened.

After all, the Blood Red Plateau was within the territory of Great Xia. The sudden appearance of such a shocking phenomenon naturally drew alarm and attention from all quarters.

The cultivators who had personally witnessed the pillars of blood-red smoke piercing the Celestial Universe that day were all left in absolute shock.

When they later spoke of it, their voices were filled with awe and disbelief. They suspected that either an astonishing Exotic Treasure had emerged from the Blood Red Plateau, or that a supremely powerful expert had been undergoing a Realm-Breaking cultivation there.

After the vast, blood-red mists of the Blood Red Plateau dissipated, a large swathe of ruins within was completely revealed to the world.

The Immortal Suppression Bureau’s investigation quickly concluded that the phenomenon on the Blood Red Plateau was likely related to remnants of the former Blood Immortal Sect.

In the follow-up investigation, the Immortal Suppression Bureau gradually narrowed its focus, ultimately targeting the Ten Thousand Laws Sect in Danzhou County.

That very day, numerous Knights clad in golden armor and wielding Dao Artifacts and Celestial Blades descended upon the Ten Thousand Laws Sect, riding Fierce Beasts through clouds and mist to conduct a thorough search.

Later, they even personally executed several Elders of the Ten Thousand Laws Sect and took away some remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect who were found hiding there.

However, these matters no longer had anything to do with Jiang Lan. Song Youwei was clever and quick-witted. As a "demoness" of the Blood Immortal Sect, her status was comparable to that of a Saintess or Saint Heir from a top-tier sect; she would not be so easily exposed.

If she were exposed, and the Immortal Suppression Bureau even suspected a connection to him, they would secretly inform his father, who would then completely erase every trace Jiang Lan had left behind.

"Young Master, there’s still no news about Lin Fan. We’ve caught quite a few people who resemble him, though."

"And no one has been seen trying to buy Flame Sun Attribute Medicinal Herbs in the shops or apothecaries of the major cities..."

"However, Mr. Chu should be arriving in Yu Yi City tomorrow."

As Ying came to deliver his report, Jiang Lan was leisurely sipping tea in the courtyard, the rich, clean aroma wafting through the air.

Before him, several graceful and beautiful women sang softly and danced. Clad in thin gauze that left their shoulders half-exposed, their skin was like jade and snow. Their enchanting figures belonged to the top courtesans and Qing Guanren from Yu Yi City’s various pleasure districts.

"It’s fine. It seems Lin Fan’s accomplice is smarter than I imagined."

"They know that treating Lin Fan would lead to their own exposure, so they’d rather let him suffer from his cold affliction." Jiang Lan set down his teacup with a faint smile.

He could afford to wait a day.

Once things with Lin Fan were resolved, he could turn his full attention to dealing with his "dear sister."

He wondered if Lin Fan would be able to restrain himself after hearing the news that he planned to take Su Qinghan as a concubine.

Now that he had the strength and confidence to back him up, Jiang Lan began to wonder if he should play the long game.

Before he had this power, his top priority had been to kill Lin Fan.

But now, with his current strength, killing Lin Fan would be, frankly, no different from crushing an ant.

’In the original story, the person who helps and benefits Lin Fan the most at this point in time is that remarkable woman he meets by chance, Xiao Yingyue.’

’After Xiao Yingyue recovers her strength, she’s at least at the Seventh Realm, the Dharma Realm.’

’As the Supreme Elder of Medicine King Valley, she’s ageless. There are almost no signs of the years on her; who knows how long she’s been cultivating.’

’Later in the story, she can even hold her own against supreme experts of the Eighth Realm, the Tribulation Bridge Realm.’

’The Tribulation Bridge Realm is different from the previous realms. It’s divided into nine steps, and each step represents a world-altering transformation.’

’But even someone who has just entered the Tribulation Bridge Realm is on a completely different level of power from the Dharma Realm.’

’Of course, more powerful than her cultivation is her mastery of the Medical and Poison Skill.’

’She’s a very dangerous woman, but if I could make her work for me, she would be an enormous asset...’

’But it’s worth a try to snatch her away from him.’

...

「Jiangling County. Qingshui Village.」

The mountains were majestic, with green peaks and lush valleys. Sheer cliffs lined both banks of a wide, gentle river that flowed downstream along the mountain’s contours, its surface dotted with drifting fishing boats. A thin mist coiled around the mountains.

The riverbanks were neatly lined with village houses, their blue-brick and tile roofs arranged in tight rows. Wisps of cooking smoke curled into the air, filling it with the scent of hearth and home.

In a cleanly swept, blue-brick house, Lin Fan lay on a bed. His face was ashen and his lips were tightly pursed. From hypothermia and severe blood loss, he had a deathly pallor.

Upon closer inspection, one would see a fine layer of frost had formed around his body, already creeping to the corners of the bed.

Even the nearby window lattice was covered in shards of ice like frozen dewdrops.

A charcoal stove burned in the room, but it failed to bring him any warmth whatsoever. He couldn’t stop trembling from the cold.

’Jiang Lan...’

Lin Fan repeated the name in his mind. His expression was utterly calm, but his eyes were glacial, filled with a biting killing intent. His fists clenched and unclenched, over and over again.

He had never hated anyone so much.

In his eyes, even the disciples who betrayed him in his past life were not nearly as detestable as Jiang Lan.

The man was a thoroughly despicable and shameless villain.

His current, humiliating predicament was entirely Jiang Lan’s doing.

When had he ever been so wretched and humbled in his past life, needing a fisher girl to save and care for him?

Suddenly, the door swung open. A small, thin figure entered, carrying a bowl of steaming fish soup. She glanced at Lin Fan on the bed, pointed to her own mouth, and motioned for him to drink it.

She was a young girl with a sallow complexion. Her hair was dry and yellowish from malnourishment, and she wore patched linen clothes, but her eyes were large and bright.

Unfortunately, she was mute, able only to make soft, unintelligible sounds.

"Thank you."

Lin Fan struggled to sit up in bed. After thanking her, he took the bowl of milky-white fish soup from her hands. A few vegetable leaves and pieces of tofu floated within.

A few mouthfuls later, he finally felt a warmth spread through his body. But it lasted only a moment before the bone-piercing cold returned with a vengeance, causing his face to pale once more. He nearly let out a pained grunt.

During this time, he found it difficult to even circulate his energy; his meridians felt as if they were clogged with countless shards of ice.

Forget using his cultivation—even sensing the Eternal Damnation Sword was incredibly difficult.

The mute girl gave Lin Fan a concerned look, not understanding what was wrong with him. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She had found Lin Fan two evenings ago while fishing by the river.

He had been unconscious, his clothes stained with blood, washed ashore by the river’s currents. The water around him had been frozen solid, emanating an unnatural, bone-chilling cold.

Though she didn’t know where he came from, her innate kindness left her no room for hesitation. She simply dragged him back to her home.

It was getting dark, and since she lived at the secluded edge of the village, no one noticed.

Lin Fan woke up that night but was unable to move. So for the past few days, she had been personally brewing fish soup to care for him.