This Is What a Villain Is Like

Soon, sounds that sparked the imagination echoed from the private room.

Su Qinghan’s ears burned red. She couldn’t stand Chu Chan at all and could only rise to her feet with a wooden expression and leave the private room.

She didn’t know why, but her dress felt damp and sticky, as if soaked with sweat, clinging to her body.

Chu Chan was deliberately trying to provoke her, and while Su Qinghan wouldn’t stoop to her level, watching her cling to Jiang Lan still left a sour taste in her mouth.

’Logically speaking, aren’t I supposed to be his concubine?’

’In what way are my looks or figure inferior to Chu Chan’s?’

’Is it just because I don’t know how to act coy?’

Su Qinghan couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that Jiang Lan had been somewhat distant lately.

During the journey from Yu Yi City to Anyang City, she had been cultivating in her cabin on the painted boat. Jiang Lan never sought her out, and they barely spoke.

Only when they occasionally ate together would Jiang Lan casually ask about her cultivation progress. ’Does he care more about my cultivation level than about me?’

The thought of all this made Su Qinghan inexplicably irritable, and she couldn’t calm her mind at all.

Ever since she met her master that day and understood the full story, she had noticed something was off about herself.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but seeing Jiang Lan dote on Chu Chan so much simply made her uncomfortable.

But the idea of her acting like Chu Chan was something she immediately rejected with a shake of her head. She just couldn’t do it.

Half a day later, Ying had thoroughly investigated Chu Chan’s entire background, including her ancestry, and laid it all out before Jiang Lan.

Jiang Lan casually flipped through the scrolls.

He actually knew Chu Chan’s situation like the back of his hand, but it would seem unnatural if he acted on this knowledge without having someone investigate first.

"The Chu Family was once a Cultivation Family that produced an expert at the Fifth Realm Soul Palace Realm. But after falling into decline, they gradually weakened. By Chu Chan’s generation, only she, her younger brother, and an old servant were left, relying on each other to survive."

"Years ago, she sold off the family assets, entrusted her brother to the old servant, and set off alone on the path to seek the Dao at the Chi Yao Sect..."

"On Purple Mist Mountain outside Anyang City, there is a Zixia Temple. The Temple Master there claimed to have had a close relationship with the Chu Family’s ancestors and later took Chu Chan’s younger brother as his disciple."

"Chu Chan’s situation at the Jasper Pool Sect is difficult to investigate, but she periodically sends things like Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills to her brother at the Zixia Temple."

"From what we can see, although this Chu Chan is a bit petty and vain, her character isn’t bad," Ying said respectfully.

Jiang Lan nodded and casually closed the scrolls.

’I already knew all of this.’

However, the original story never went into detail about Chu Chan’s time cultivating at the Jasper Pool Sect. From the looks of it now, she must have been bullied quite a bit there.

To say she was a born villainess would be a bit unfair.

But that wasn’t important.

"Investigate Chu Chan’s ancestry more thoroughly, including the Temple Master on Purple Mist Mountain..." Jiang Lan ordered.

It wasn’t that he was being redundant. It was just that if he didn’t give clear instructions for certain things, explaining himself later would be a lot of trouble.

After all, he was currently just an "ignorant" second-generation heir. How could anyone expect him to suddenly grasp the secrets of the Purple Mist True Monarch’s cave mansion inheritance?

It was somewhat unrealistic and unreasonable.

Ying had been with him for a very long time. Some things needed to be changed gradually. If he suddenly acted out of character, Ying would likely be the first to suspect that something was wrong with him.

"Yes, Young Master." Ying did as he was told and left, feeling somewhat gratified.

’The Young Master has become much more cautious and rational after surviving so many assassination attempts.’

’Even though he seems to be very fond of that Chu Chan, he still had her entire background investigated before he would feel at ease.’

’Moreover, he’s starting to focus more on the proper path.’

’It’s just a shame about his body...’

After Ying left, Jiang Lan began to consider another matter. The Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion would emerge in a few months, but not many people knew about it.

In fact, not many people even knew of the Purple Mist True Monarch, and even those who did wouldn’t think his Cave Mansion was near Purple Mist Mountain.

’Ye Ming, guided by a Residual Soul, is one of them.’

’And he will also tell Ling Zhuyun.’

’Besides them, there are quite a few others who learned about the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion through different channels.’

Jiang Lan fell into contemplation.

The Temple Master of Zixia Temple was one such person. In the original story, he was the most fanatical in his search for the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion.

Years ago, he found records in some ancient texts, began calling himself the Zixia Daoist, and had been cultivating in seclusion on Purple Mist Mountain for years in search of the Purple Mist Daoist’s Cave Mansion.

He took Chu Chan’s brother as his disciple because he knew that her ancestors had deep connections to the Purple Mist True Monarch.

’That Purple Mist True Monarch is nothing to worry about.’

’But having so few people know about the Purple Mist True Monarch’s Cave Mansion is far from enough.’

’If I want to forge the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Puppet, it’s best to attract more people. I might not be able to gather ten thousand spirits, but the more, the merrier.’

’Things will be much more convenient with the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Puppet.’

The Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Puppet was a Secret Skill from the Blood-colored Forbidden Canon. It used blood as a source to forge a Blood Puppet.

The Blood Puppet was mindless and insensate. Using blood as a medium, it could be revived indefinitely as long as blood was available, making it Immortal.