“Jiang Liu, where the hell did you go?”
Bang, bang, bang! Urgent footsteps ran up the bamboo building.
“Young Master, you actually managed to stay alone for a whole day and night this time—this is like the sun rising from the west! Normally, if we asked you to cultivate for three hours, you’d be tearing the house down, so this really isn’t like you at all… Oh, so Young Master found himself such a beautiful girl. No wonder you stayed inside all day and night. Young Master, your skills are impressive, and you’ve got great taste…”
What?
Looking at Jiang Liu’s grinning face, Jiang Lin felt a belly full of frustration. Oh, so you can joke? So you can talk? So you can flatter?
“What’s Xiao Dong doing right now…” Jiang Lin had just started to speak when Jiang Liu interrupted, “Young Master, you’re still worrying about Xiao Dong, aren’t you? Their family’s secret realm has already collapsed. Even the formation plate from the Zhang family is useless now.”
So, it was still following the plot. After this, Xiao Dong would travel alone to the Black Abyss Forest, find the Stone of the Secret Realm, and even gain the Icefire Battle Flood Dragon as a pet.
“You didn’t have a hand in the secret realm’s collapse, did you?”
“How could I not…”
“Good, that’s—wait, what?”
“Of course I was involved! I secretly instructed the Yuan family to take some… small measures. Who knew the secret realm would just collapse outright!” Jiang Liu’s face lit up with excitement. “Young Master, let me tell you, the entire Xiao family looked like they’d lost their closest kin that day. They were so miserable!”
Jiang Lin smacked his forehead. Too stupid! Didn’t he understand? As a villain, if you want to live to the end, you lie low when it’s time to lie low! If you don’t make a move, you play dead. Hide among the ranks of the villains and let others line up to deliver experience packs to the protagonist!
When you strike, you must bite off the protagonist’s most critical piece of meat. Like back at the annulment scene—when Jiang Lin moved, he crippled Xiao Dong’s Kunlun Mirror in one blow. Otherwise, you were just helping the enemy.
Jiang Liu’s move was exactly that—if you hadn’t ruined his family’s secret realm, he wouldn’t have gone to the Black Abyss Forest, wouldn’t have obtained the Icefire Battle Flood Dragon. This was a gift-wrapped delivery.
“Young Master, don’t worry. I won’t let Xiao Dong off that easily! Daring to steal your woman—he doesn’t know how many eyes Lord Ma has! In all these years, I’ve never seen anyone dare covet your things! I’ll get those supreme-grade spirit stones back for you and make them repay double!”
The more Jiang Liu spoke, the darker Jiang Lin’s face became. Every sentence was about delivering more experience to Xiao Dong.
Jiang Lin looked up at the burly, broad-shouldered Jiang Liu and ground his teeth. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Getting revenge for you, Young Master!”
“Do you know why I left him those few supreme-grade spirit stones?”
Jiang Liu blinked in confusion. “No idea.”
“When a dog is cornered, it’ll jump over the wall! That guy’s a monster—you never investigated what he did in the southwestern small world, did you?” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“Tch, it’s just a small world. It’s full of country bumpkins who’ve never seen the outside world. What’s so impressive?”
“Young Master, I’ve already thought of at least a hundred ways to kill that Xiao Dong—yes, a hundred!”
Damn it, more like a hundred ways to die! Jiang Lin suppressed his irritation and patiently said, “We’re civilized people. As nobles, as the future successor of the Jiang family, what are a few supreme-grade spirit stones? We have to be magnanimous and broad-minded.”
Jiang Liu scratched his head blankly. “Young Master, aren’t you usually petty and vengeful? Didn’t you always tell us that if someone makes you lose a single grain of rice, you’ll make them lose their entire fortune?”
Jiang Lin gritted his teeth. “I’m cultivating magnanimity now! From today on, without my orders, none of you are allowed to cause trouble for Xiao Dong. Otherwise, I’ll take your life!”
Seeing the Young Master blow up, Jiang Liu could only nod repeatedly.
Jiang Lin calmed his mind and sensed Shangguan Yaoyao waking. His plan could now begin—first, use Shangguan Yaoyao to lift the blood sacrifice and obtain the Nine Heavens Teleportation Shuttle. Then, through her and the Shangguan family, enter the Four Directions Secret Realm to seize a core slot for the Land of Immortal Fall.
During the process, he would keep sowing discord between the male and female leads, and at the critical moment, use Shangguan Yaoyao to break Xiao Dong’s mental defenses before delivering the fatal blow.
Jiang Lin walked to the bed, removed Shangguan Yaoyao’s earrings, and handed them to Jiang Liu. “Take these earrings to Xiao Dong. Tell him that as long as he lifts the blood refinement on the necklace, he can see the owner of the earrings again.” At the same time, he sent a secret voice transmission, “Deliver it three days later.”
Against a protagonist blessed by fate, attacking the heart was the best strategy.
Jiang Liu’s eyes lit up, full of admiration. “Young Master, is this Xiao Dong’s woman? No wonder you told us not to touch him—you already had a plan! With this woman in your hands, won’t he be groveling at your feet, begging for forgiveness? Don’t worry, Young Master, I’ll ‘immediately’ deliver it to him.”
“Get moving then!” Jiang Lin waved impatiently. “Oh, and bring me a full table of dishes first—I’m starving!”
“Yes, Young Master!” Jiang Liu vanished in a flash.
Jiang Lin glanced at the ‘sleeping’ Shangguan Yaoyao and smirked. He was slowly setting a grand game in motion. The Shangguan family was a great clan—if he could make use of them well, the path ahead would be much easier.
“Honored guest, you’ve been in my Jiang family for so long. Aren’t you going to show yourself?” He straightened and looked toward the window.
“As expected of the Jiang family’s young master, to be able to detect me!”
In the next moment, Shangguan Yaoyao’s protector appeared in the room, and a heartbeat later, Jiang Lin’s protector appeared as well.
“You can forget about rescuing her. I’ve already planted my natal poison in her. Unless I remove it myself, even the Heavenly King himself couldn’t save her.”
A cold smile touched Jiang Lin’s lips. “Just an apology?”
“Young Master Jiang, you can name any compensation, as long as you spare my young lady.”
Jiang Lin shook his head. “Since this all started because of Xiao Dong, then let him settle it. I won’t harm your young lady, but you can stay by her side and protect her.”
“Then I thank Young Master Jiang.”
Waving them away impatiently, Jiang Lin had the two vanish from the room.
On the bed, Shangguan Yaoyao felt nothing but bleak despair. She didn’t know what to do anymore. “I’m no longer pure… I’m not worthy of Brother Xiao Dong. What’s the point of living?” Losing herself to Jiang Lin had already planted the seed of death in her heart.
[Ding! Heavenly Dao Marriage activated. Marriage partner: Jiang Lin!]
A mechanical voice suddenly rang out. What was that? It came from deep within her mind.
[Ding! This system is derived from the Heavenly Dao and is the host’s exclusive Destiny Opportunity. Only the host can hear it!]
[Ding! Unlocking Favorability interface. Increase your Destiny Dao Companion’s favorability to receive corresponding rewards! (Reaching 10, 100, 500, 1000… favorability will each grant a reward. The higher the favorability, the better the reward!)]
It wasn’t an illusion? Could this really be a Heavenly Dao opportunity? That villain Jiang Lin… was her marriage partner? And she had to please him to raise favorability? Dream on!
[Ding! This opportunity fully follows the host’s free will. Apart from the confidentiality clause (if this system is revealed to anyone, the host will immediately be destroyed), there are no negative punishments!]
[Ding! The host may abandon this opportunity at any time, and any rewards gained in the early stages will not disappear!]
[All clauses are bound by the Heavenly Dao. Please rest assured!]
[Hint: Favorability reaching 1000 will grant a Virginity Pill to restore one’s pure body!]
[Reaching the required favorability will also grant pure yin true essence to restore complete perfection!]
[Current favorability: Locked (relationship with Dao Companion is hatred, unable to unlock).]
Shangguan Yaoyao froze. She could restore her pure body? Even regain her pure yin true essence?
Soon, a thought formed in her mind—why not pretend to submit to him, raise the favorability, and once her purity was restored, kill him? No one would ever know what happened. Brother Xiao Dong wouldn’t find out. It would all be nothing but a dream.
“How do I unlock favorability?”
[Please reconcile with your Dao Companion and remove the source of hatred to unlock the evaluation interface…]