A Smile from the Villain - Chapter 61

After the initial panic alleviated, Qin Kaiyi calmed down. He knew that his reaction when he saw Tang Shayun’s scene was a bit extreme, but that feeling of a fox’s sadness at seeing a rabbit’s demise (T/N: idiom meaning to have sympathy with a like-minded person in distress) from witnessing this happen to a fellow transmigrator almost made him lose his rationality. 

But after calming down, Qin Kaiyi was inevitably worried about his future. He wanted to leave Ziyang Pei, but the poisonous insect in his belly made him unable to escape Ziyang Pei’s control. Furthermore, those upcoming plot events made Qin Kaiyi unable to relax. However, there were no prompts yet from the system, and Qin Kaiyi wondered if there would be any changes for the better.

The immediate priority now was naturally to improve his strength. Since that night, Qin Kaiyi had obediently not wandered around, and he instead had been squatting in his hut every day to practice. Anyway, he had already formed a core and it didn’t matter whether he ate or not. And if he went out and encountered more unexpected misfortunes, saw something he shouldn’t see…

Although he sympathized with Miss Tang Shayun, when he remembered that this seemingly weak girl did not hesitate to lead that team in the secret realm to their deaths within the sword array, the sympathy in his heart disappeared without a trace. 

The danger level of this world was too high compared with his original world. One accident may lead to falling into a bottomless abyss. Qin Kaiyi had not yet thought to sacrifice for others, so he could only silently say sorry to Tang Shayun.

Then he began to cultivate in seclusion. 

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“What? Qin’er was possessed?” Qing Xuzi, who had just left seclusion, had an incredibly ugly expression. He looked at Shen Feixiao, who respectfully stood in front of him, and asked with disbelief: “Feixiao, you also saw this?”

“It’s definitely true.” Shen Feixiao looked at Liu Ling’er who was still crying: “Many other disciples saw this with their own eyes. Shifu, don’t be too sad.”

“…” Hearing this sentence, Qing Xuzi seemed to immediately age ten years. After he coughed a few times, his heart abruptly ignited with a fury whose flames dashed towards the sky. Possession was always taboo in the righteous path. If someone who had successfully possessed someone was found out, then if they confronted any righteous cultivators they would be ceaselessly pursued to be killed. 

It wasn’t clear what Qing Xuzi thought of when his tone suddenly cooled down: “Do you know which sect the person who possessed him is from?”

“It seems to be a Hua Lian Sect person.” Shen Feixiao respectfully answered Qing Xuzi’s question. (T/N: I called it Hua Lian Sect, but the words used are closer to Hua Lian Religion/Hua Lian Cult.) 

“Hua Lian Cult?” This demonic cult’s reputation spread far and wide in the realm of cultivation because of their venomous insects and talismans. Although Qing Xuzi and them had never been in contact, he knew that even if he was at the peak of his anger, he could not put the whole sect in danger. He took a long breath and tried to suppress the boiling anger and unspeakable sorrow in his heart, before turning to speak to Shen Feixiao: “Feixiao, I heard that you formed your core?”

“Yes.” Looking at Qing Xuzi’s expression of vehemently suppressed anger, Shen Feixiao watched while a flash of understanding passed within his eyes. 

“Although your talents are superior, you can’t be greedy and rush in. The most important thing for cultivation is the foundation. If the speed in the early stages is too fast, it will be difficult to enter into the later stages.” To a certain extent, Qing Xuzi really was a good person. He was rarely selfish with his disciples, and he always tried his best to see them progress.

It had to be said that such an old man had a huge influence on Shen Feixiao in the novel, because in the novel Qing Xuzi showed the first bit of tenderness that Shen Feixiao had come into contact with. It was exactly because of this that Shen Feixiao cared for the Lingshan Sect in the future, but now… 

“Yes,” Shen Feixiao agreed without batting an eyelid, but did not express any opinion on this. Who would have thought that the reason why he was progressing so fast was because of his heart demons causing mischief? The corners of Shen Feixiao’s mouth hooked up into a pretty arc of a smile; he was very clear about what he wanted to obtain. 

“Shifu, Shuihua Lianqiong (T/N: Water, Flowers, & Jasper) sent an invitation a few days ago,” Liu Ling’er said from beside Shen Feixiao, “I don’t know what shifu wants to do about this Kaiyang (T/N: Opening the Sun) Gathering?”

Originally Qing Xuzi had long decided on the candidate for the Kaiyang gathering–of course it would have been his beloved head disciple Qin Shi. But now such a thing had suddenly happened. Hearing this, Qing Xuzi’s eyes once again let slip a thread of sorrow. He filtered candidates in his mind before saying, “Let Feixiao go in place of your shixiong.”

“Yes,” Shen Feixiao replied with that same one word, but he had already begun to smile.

Kaiyang Gathering was a treasure hunt held by Shuihua Lianqiong every 100 years. The rules of the competition were very simple: one versus one elimination, and whoever got to the end would receive a secret treasure prepared by Shuihua Lianqiong. 

Of course, for the sake of fairness, Shuihua Lianqiong would put forward a formation method during the competition. This formation method would push the competitors’ cultivation to be under the core formation period. In this way, the competition was not about comparing cultivation, but fighting skills.

“Go, go, the younger generations will do all right on their own,” Qing Xuzi waved his hand, “Go and practice well, if you don’t understand, come and ask me. Take whatever elixirs from the medicine house you want.”

Then Shen Feixiao and Liu Ling’er retreated, leaving Qing Xuzi alone.

“… Qin’er.” The irrepressible grief finally burst out when no one else was present. Qing Xuzi’s almost shed enough old tears for them to criss-cross. He still had doubts about the truth of the matter, but three men talking makes a tiger (T/N: repeated rumor becomes fact). The disciples who reported to him all told him firmly that Qin Shi had been possessed, and it was difficult for Qing Xuzi to guess whether there were other circumstances.

“Shifu will definitely avenge you, and will definitely personally…” Qing Xuzi closed his eyes and said, pausing after each word, “personally, kill, that, demonic, cultivator.”

Shen Feixiao, who withdrew, first sent Liu Ling’er away. He then flew to the mountains at the back of Lingshan Sect alone. Where did he make an appointment to meet with someone…

“What’s the matter?” Ziyang Pei appeared in these back mountains and his attitude couldn’t be counted as good. Now when he looked at Shen Feixiao his mood would worsen. 

“Let Qin Shi participate in the Kaiyang gathering ten years later.” Shen Feixiao went straight to the point without superfluous words.

“En?” Ziyang Pei’s eyebrows raised, “You know?”

“Listening to your tone, did you know before me?” Shen Feixiao gave a smile that didn’t seem like a smile, “Is this play fun to watch?”

“It’s not bad.” Ziyang Pei didn’t miss a beat (T/N: lit. his face didn’t redden and his heart didn’t palpitate). He and Shen Feixiao originally mutually found each other disagreeable, why should he tell him? 

“Why should I ask him to go to the Kaiyang gathering?” Ziyang Pei said, “He has a natural demonic body; participating in such competitions, you aren’t afraid something will happen to him?”

“I’m not afraid.” Shen Feixiao didn’t seem to be joking: “Within seven years, I will form my Nascent Soul.”

“… You aren’t kidding?” Ziyang Pei’s expression suddenly became cold. Reaching Nascent Soul stage within seven years–this Shen Feixiao wouldn’t think that the Nascent Soul was some garbage one picked up off the streets? In the cultivation world, no matter how talented someone was, they would have to spend thousands of years. Wanting to form a Nascent Soul like this was just a lunatic’s ravings! 

“Whether or not I am kidding, you’ll know once you see it.” Shen Feixiao said lightly, “You just have to promise me to let him come.”

“What benefits would that give me?” Ziyang Pei looked at Shen Fei with disdain. He didn’t believe that Shen Fei had anything to impress him.

“How about on the condition that I help your little brother completely remove his godly poisonous insect?” Shen Feixiao looked at Zi Yangpei, “After removing your brother’s godly insect, give me Tang Shayun.”

“You can get rid of poisonous insects?” Zi Yangpei’s entire face expressed his disbelief.

“Of course.” When Shen Feixiao said this, he stretched out his hand and spread his palm in front of Ziyang Pei. What lay on his palm resembled a silkworm cocoon, but it emitted a dim red light. 

“Tian Luo Xin.” (T/N: Heaven Gathering Heart). Ziyang Pei stopped breathing for a moment when he saw this object. He looked at Shen Feixiao with shock: “How did you get this thing?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.” Shen Feixiao put the item away. “This deal, do you want to do it or not.”

“Why not do it?” Although he agreed without hesitation, Ziyang Pei was inexplicably a little uncomfortable in his heart. He said, “If you dare to trick me again this time, though I can’t hurt you, this doesn’t mean others can’t.”

“Of course.” Shen Feixiao didn’t intend to swindle Ziyang Pei again this time, and this Tian Luo Xin was far less useful for him than it was for Ziyang Pei.

“Oh… I still have a condition.” Shen Feixiao seemed to remember something at the moment, and said to Ziyang Pei, “Give me the mother poisonous insect that controls Qin Shi.”

“En?” Ziyang Pei did not directly agree.

“You aren’t interested in my shixiong as well are you,” Shen Feixiao looked at Ziyang Pei pensively, “You’re not reluctant?” (T/N: 舍不得, hate to part with something). 

“What a joke.” Ziyang Pei said this, but felt a little guilty in his heart. He said, “Let’s discuss it at the Kaiyang Gathering.”

“Okay.” Shen Feixiao didn’t say more. He had already found something in Ziyang Pei’s expression… My dearly beloved shixiong, your charm is so great ah. To go so far as to soften such an old monster’s heart…

“Shen Feixiao, if you obtain Qin Shi, what will you do?” Knowing that asking such a question would make himself unhappy, Ziyang Pei still asked.

“Obtain him?” Shen Feixiao looked at Ziyang Pei with a face full of smiles, “Of course it is–carefully love him dearly, Brother Ziyang, your expression is not very nice-looking ah.”

“… My expression is extremely nice.” Ziyang Pei squeezed a few words out of his mouth.

“If you are not in good health, you need to rest more. Elderly people several hundred years of age all are prone to illness,” Shen Feixiao very much “cared” about Ziyang Pei for a moment. “Then I will go first. Brother Ziyang, take care of yourself more.”

After talking, Shen Feixiao left.

Ziyang Pei looked at Shen Feixiao’s back as he left, and for the first time began to wonder if there was such a thing as fate. He didn’t believe in fate, but after seeing Shen Feixiao’s countless fortuitous encounters, he had to lament–Shen Feixiao’s life was really very good, so good that it made his blood run cold, as if in the unseen world of spirits something had warped. The laws between heaven and earth could no longer return to normalcy. 

“Qin Shi, please ask for more blessings on your own,” Ziyang Pei let out a long sigh. If it were not for Qin Shi and him making a soul contract so that he could not hurt Shen Feixiao, it would be impossible for him to be so passive now. And Qin Shi… even more so fiercely lifted a stone to smash his own feet, raising an evil wolf with his own two hands.