This Is What a Villain Is Like

"Xiaoya, is the person you want me to treat here?"

At that moment, a soft, gentle voice drifted in as a tall figure in a simple robe and wide sash stepped into the dilapidated brick house.

Her voice was like a clear spring—soft and pleasant. A plain white veiled hat obscured her face, hiding her true appearance.

Her smooth black hair cascaded to her waist, cinched by a simple sash. She moved with a light-footed, ethereal grace, yet carried herself with an air of poised elegance.

"Eee... ah... ah..."

The mute girl gestured joyfully, leading the woman forward and pointing toward the bedroom.

This woman was a famous physician in the nearby villages.

Recently, anyone who fell ill, no matter the ailment, would be completely cured and brimming with vitality within three days of taking her medicine.

The villagers of Qingshui Village all called her the Medical Immortal.

When Lin Fan heard the commotion outside, his expression changed. A chill ran through him as he struggled to get up, nearly collapsing from the pain wracking his body.

’He knew Jiang Lan wouldn’t let him go. He must have sent men everywhere to hunt him down.’

’Thankfully, the mute girl couldn’t speak, so she hadn’t exposed his location.’

’And he couldn’t be too far from Yu Yi City, still within the borders of Jiangling County.’

’The moment his location was revealed, Jiang Lan’s men would be here to kill him.’

’In my current state, escape is impossible.’

"Hm?"

Hearing the noise from within, the woman in the simple robe and wide sash entered in just a few steps.

Her clear, limpid eyes reflected Lin Fan’s pale face. She paused, a flicker of contemplation in her gaze, but her expression remained impassive.

Lin Fan watched the woman, his body tensing. He had noticed her brief, unusual reaction. ’She probably recognizes me.’

"Your injuries are severe, and you’re suffering from a cold affliction..."

The woman seemed to notice Lin Fan’s tension. She gave a faint smile before seating herself at a nearby table.

Lin Fan remained wary, trying to summon what little Magical Power he had left. Though he felt weak and depleted, he refused to simply wait for death.

’This woman’s aura is anything but ordinary.’

’I can’t sense any fluctuations in her aura, but right now, anyone with the slightest bit of power could kill me easily.’

"Xiaoya is a kind and obedient child, pure of heart and innocent as a newborn. She may have saved you, but by staying here now, you will only bring her harm."

The woman spoke in an unhurried tone. Beneath the veiled hat was a face of unparalleled, delicate beauty. Her long, pale hands rested neatly on her lap, a picture of elegance.

Lin Fan tensed again, his expression growing even more guarded.

"For the past few days, Yu Yi City has dispatched numerous cultivators to capture the assassin who attacked the Son of the Prime Minister. Even this little Qingshui Village has been plastered with wanted posters. So, don’t be so nervous about how I found out. At this point, anyone who’s been outside has seen them." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"If I were to hand you over to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, I’m sure I’d receive quite a handsome reward," the woman said, looking at Lin Fan with a faint smile.

Lin Fan said nothing, only staring at her coldly. He gathered the last vestiges of Magical Power in his body, weaving them together in his palm.

"But you can relax," the woman’s voice remained soft and gentle. "I’m not interested in the reward from the Prime Minister’s Mansion. I have no desire to get involved in the power struggles of the Great Xia dynasty, and even less interest in learning about your background."

She didn’t know why Lin Fan had tried to assassinate the Son of the Prime Minister, nor did she want to.

But the fact that he could escape so brazenly from the siege of numerous experts spoke volumes about his remarkable abilities.

"What is your intention?" Lin Fan asked in a low voice, his heart filled with doubt.

"Ya’Er has a Medicine Spirit Body. I intend to take her as my disciple and personally teach her the Medical Scripture of Pharmacology. Since she was the one who saved you, I won’t turn you in. But I won’t help you, either."

"Offending a behemoth like the Prime Minister’s Mansion would bring me no benefits. So, for today, I’ll just pretend I never saw you," the woman replied with a faint smile.

Lin Fan gave her a long, hard look, his mind racing with speculation about her origins.

’For her to recognize me and not turn me in... that’s certainly unexpected.’

’But it could just be a ploy to pacify me before she secretly contacts the Prime Minister’s Mansion.’

However, a counter-plan quickly formed in his mind.

"My lady, you have the skin of jade and the bones of an immortal. Your eyes hold a divine light, and your aura is as pure as moonlight. Your cultivation must have once been extraordinary... but now, it is tainted by the distinct scent of Rouge Rest..."

"I presume you must have accidentally ingested a stalk of Rouge Rest Grass."

At that, Lin Fan calmed down, a look of composed confidence appearing on his pale, bloodless face as he spoke.

’I encountered Rouge Rest Grass in my past life, before my fall.’

’It was the main ingredient the Taichu Demon Sect used to concoct their Soft Soul Immortalization Powder.’

’After that power was annihilated, the various Sects and Dao Lineages, in their quest to destroy the formula for the Soft Soul Immortalization Powder, eradicated every last stalk of Rouge Rest Grass, leaving not a single seed behind.’

’I never thought that in this life, after my reincarnation, I would smell the scent of Rouge Rest Grass again... ’

"Hm?"

An astonished expression crossed the woman’s face. From beneath her veiled hat, her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Fan. "Rouge Rest Grass... What is that?"

’In all her long years of cultivation, she had never heard of swallowing a strange herb sealing away all of one’s power—so completely that she couldn’t even open her Sumeru Ring.’