So, I’m the Real Villain

"..."

Faced with Xiao Feng's rhetorical question, Yun Yun couldn't help but fall into silence.

Before meeting Xiao Feng in person, Yun Yun had never considered the possibility of Nalan Yanran losing, let alone the idea of her becoming a servant or maid. But now, having seen Xiao Feng with her own eyes, Yun Yun knew that Nalan Yanran stood no chance of winning. She asked herself: Would she allow Nalan Yanran to become Xiao Feng's servant or maid?

The answer was clear—no!

"Therefore, I had no choice but to take the Life-Devouring Pill as early as possible. Only then could I have the strength to stand against the Yunlan Sect on the day of the three-year agreement."

Halfway through his explanation, Xiao Feng's expression turned mocking. 

"When that day comes, I'll see what kind of face that woman Yun Yun will make."

[Uh… I'd feel incredibly awkward, and regretful—very, very regretful!]

Hearing Xiao Feng insult her to her face, Yun Yun maintained a calm exterior, but inside, she was cringing so hard she felt like she could dig a hole through her shoes with her toes.

Xiao Feng, who had overheard Yun Yun's inner thoughts, suppressed a laugh and asked,

 "By the way, I've been so caught up in talking about myself that I haven't even asked your name yet."

!!!

Yun Yun stiffened slightly and quickly made up a name. "My surname is Gu, and my given name is Zhi—like the 'Zhi' in 'lingzhi' (a type of medicinal mushroom)."

When Yun Yun went out to train, she usually preferred the alias "Yun Zhi." However, she could sense Xiao Feng's deep hatred for the Yunlan Sect. If he were to associate her with the "Yun" surname and deduce her true identity, things could go very badly.

Given Xiao Feng's level of hatred for her, if he found out she was Yun Yun, leaving her to fend for herself in the Magical Beast Mountain Range would be the least of her worries. Yun Yun was confident in her beauty, and if Xiao Feng were to lose control, she might find herself in a situation she couldn't escape.

"Gu Zhi?"

Xiao Feng frowned slightly, muttering the alias to himself. He looked suspicious. "I've never heard of a Dou Emperor powerhouse with the surname Gu in the Jia Ma Empire. As far as I know, there's only one female Dou Emperor in the empire, and that's…"

Seeing that Xiao Feng was about to guess her identity, Yun Yun felt her scalp tingle. Thinking quickly, she explained, "That's because I'm not from the Jia Ma Empire! Didn't I just tell you? I needed Purple Spirit Crystal for alchemy, which is why I came to ask the Amethyst Winged Lion King for it."

"Right, right."

Xiao Feng nodded, half-convinced, then smiled and said, "I almost thought you were Yun Yun for a moment."

[You guessed right—I am Yun Yun.]

Yun Yun chuckled dryly while internally screaming. "Haha, you're so funny. How could I be Yun Yun? Do I look like someone so unreasonable?"

Stare—

As soon as Yun Yun finished speaking, she noticed Xiao Feng's scrutinizing gaze fixed on her eyes.

Just as Yun Yun began to feel uneasy and was about to look away, Xiao Feng suddenly withdrew his gaze and shook his head. 

"You're right, you don't look like her. That old woman Yun Yun definitely isn't as beautiful as you. And with her unreasonable personality, she'd probably say something like, 'You just looked at my body, so I'm going to gouge out your eyes.'"

???

Yun Yun's mouth twitched slightly.

[Hey, hey, what kind of image do I have in your mind?]

Yun Yun was both amused and exasperated. All she had done was give in to Nalan Yanran's coaxing and agreed to let her break off the engagement with the Xiao family. How had she ended up as a villainous woman who abused her power in Xiao Feng's eyes? This little guy's bias against her was way too deep!

[Forget it! When it comes down to it, Yanran was indeed in the wrong first, and as her teacher, I can't shirk responsibility. If he hadn't been pushed to the brink, this little guy wouldn't have had to take the Life-Devouring Pill. No wonder he hates me so much.]

Thinking about how Xiao Feng, after taking the Life-Devouring Pill, had less than three years left to live, Yun Yun couldn't help but look at him with a hint of sympathy.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Faced with Xiao Feng's puzzled gaze, Yun Yun shook her head and sighed softly. "I just feel like it's not worth it. With your talent and determination, even without the Life-Devouring Pill, you could have reached the Dou Emperor level in at most twenty years."

"Hahaha…"

Seeing Yun Yun's regretful expression, Xiao Feng couldn't help but laugh.

 "You think I'm about to die, don't you? The side effects of the Life-Devouring Pill are indeed severe, but there's a way to counteract them. If the user can break through to the Dou Emperor level within three years, there's no need to worry about lifespan issues.

I don't have many strengths, but my greatest one is that I'm stubborn—even the heavens can't take me. Not long ago, I trained in the Black-Corner Region for a while and gained quite a few opportunities. Now, I'm already a Four-Star Dou Emperor, so I don't have to worry about the Life-Devouring Pill's side effects anymore."

"I see. That's good to hear."

Learning that Xiao Feng had already resolved the Life-Devouring Pill's side effects, Yun Yun felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Although Xiao Feng hated her deeply, he was also her savior. Yun Yun couldn't bear to see him die young.

Especially after hearing Xiao Feng's story, Yun Yun increasingly felt that he was an innocent victim, while she and Yanran were the true villains who had bullied him. They had no right to blame him.

After all, how could they expect him not to fight back when Yanran had pushed him to the brink?

"Gurgle, gurgle…"

A thunderous sound suddenly echoed through the quiet cave.

Xiao Feng instinctively turned toward the source of the noise, only to find it coming from Yun Yun's flat stomach.

(ω)

Yun Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

[How embarrassing! Can't my stomach give me a little face?]

It wasn't entirely Yun Yun's stomach's fault. She had been fighting the Amethyst Winged Lion King for most of the day, expending a tremendous amount of energy. Normally, with her cultivation level, she could go days without eating without much issue. But now, her cultivation was sealed, making her no different from an ordinary person. Coupled with her severe injuries, she needed to replenish her energy quickly, so it was natural for her to feel hungry.

"Man is iron, food is steel. Skipping a meal makes you weak!"

Seeing this, Xiao Feng didn't mock her. Instead, he took out a box of pastries and handed it to her with a smile. 

"These are pastries my father had specially prepared for me when I left the Xiao family. They're my favorites. Try them and see how you like them."

(End of Chapter)

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