A Smile from the Villain - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Yan Gu

After Shen Feixiao left, Qin Kaiyi spent a long time thinking about what went wrong and finally came to a conclusion–the distortion of the plot was actually caused by him.

If not because he, out of guilt, used the masked man’s identity to care for Shen Feixiao, then Shen Feixiao would not be the way he was now. The heart demons Yu Hong spoke about would also not be in Shen Feixiao’s body. 

But it was too late to say anything now. The plot had already been distorted, and Shen Feixiao no longer embraced left and right like in the novel (T/N: ie many concubines), instead seeming to have feelings for Qin Kaiyi that he should not. 

“Is this really the novel I wrote?” After Qin Kaiyi thought about it seriously, he sighed helplessly. What would happen next, he couldn’t tell for sure. According to the current Shen Feixiao he couldn’t even say for sure that he would help when Ziyang Pei attacked the Lingshan Sect. If Shen Feixiao really just crossed his arms and looked on as Ziyang Pei extinguished the Lingshan Sect… then Qin Kaiyi really wouldn’t know what to say. 

The competitive rhythm of the Kaiyang gathering was very fast. Although Qin Kaiyi did not have the intention to strive for victory, he still met with a few waves of people who coveted him. (T/N: can be translated as lusted after. Seems QKY is a hot commodity?) Of course, compared with his weakness in front of Shen Feixiao, Qin Kaiyi found that he actually easily dealt with those who wanted to attack him. He didn’t meet with anyone like Shen Feixiao, whose spiritual pressure was so great that he couldn’t even breathe. 

Okay, this was actually like a primary school student who had been solving high school questions. When he finally got to do some primary school problems, he couldn’t help but sigh–these questions were really too easy. 

Wei He didn’t come back after he slipped away. Qin Kaiyi didn’t have any particular feelings about this flower thief whose temperament could be counted as pretty good. After all, they were just strangers coming together by chance, and he also killed Wei He’s apprentice. Wei He not avenging him was already very generous… 

At the end of the competition, Qin Kaiyi magically scored twelve points… He didn’t know how Shuihua Lianqiong calculated its points, so when the score column was published, he was a little surprised.

First place was unsurprisingly Shen Feixiao, who sat at the top of the list with a high score of 372, while the second place… was actually Wei He, who escaped faster than a rabbit.

Wei He showed an expression of surprise when he saw Qin Kaiyi. That expression seemed to say: that fellow Shen Feixiao actually let you leave without doing anything… that’s too abnormal… right?

“What are you looking at, what are you looking at,” Qin Kaiyi said in an unpleasant tone, “Look again and you’ll have to pay in coin.”

“Did he not do anything to you?” Wei He’s eyes flashed.

“Do what?” Hearing Wei He’s words, Qin Kaiyi couldn’t help remembering that ambiguous kiss from Shen Feixiao. His face collapsed instantly–as a homebody otaku, giving his first kiss to a man or something made him lose too much face! 

“Wu, it’s nothing.” Wei He touched his nose, and then smiled with embarrassment. “Isn’t this just my concern for you.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Qin Kaiyi rolled his eyes at Wei He.

After the Kaiyang gathering, the disciples of the various sects began to prepare to go back. Because of the large number of people, there were bound to be bumps along the way, so Qin Kaiyi decided to live in Kaiyang for a few days before returning to Hua Lian Sect.

But after making this decision, Qin Kaiyi received the paper crane from Ziyang Pei. He looked at the content written on it and frowned.

Ziyang Pei actually asked him to return to Hua Lian Sect within ten days… and looking at the tone of his words, he could feel that Ziyang Pei was anxious. 

Qin Kaiyi didn’t come up with a matter of course, but he didn’t dare to ignore Ziyang Pei’s instructions. Although Ziyang Pei did not threaten him with the insect in his seven years of living in the Hua Lian Sect, Qin Kaiyi understood Ziyang Pei and knew he couldn’t be arrogant because of this pampering. 

Just as Qin Kaiyi was preparing to return, a long-lost voice came from the sea of ​​knowledge that had been quiet for some time–“Qin Shi.”

“Yan Gu!!” Since that time at the inn, he hadn’t heard Yan Gu’s voice again. Qin Kaiyi, who had originally planned to ask Ziyang Pei what was going on, was very pleased to hear this voice, “What happened to you?”

“Take out the umbrella in your ring.” Yan Gu’s voice was weak.

“Umbrella?” Qin Kaiyi froze for a moment, then remembered the old umbrella he got in the secret realm and quickly took it out.

At the moment when he took out the ordinary-looking old umbrella, it suddenly shrouded in red light and soon changed into an unfamiliar man.

The man had long red hair, and his looks couldn’t be called completely handsome, but he had a manner about him that made people feel comfortable. Qin Kaiyi was in a daze for a while before saying, “Are you… Yan Gu?”

“En.” Yan Gu wore Lingshan Sect’s taoist clothing. When he saw Qin Kaiyi’s surprised look, he said helplessly, “Are you preparing to return to Hua Lian Sect just like that?”

“Yeah,” Qin Kaiyi answered. “The poisonous insect is with Ziyang Pei. If I don’t go back… wouldn’t I be out of luck?”

“I have told you that if you leave this continent, Ziyang Pei will have no way to control you.” Yan Gu stared at Qin Kaiyi with a strange look. “Why are you so stubborn?”

“I also don’t know.” Qin Kaiyi, who didn’t know how to explain, could only force out a laugh.

“If I haven’t guessed wrong, I’m afraid this time Ziyang Pei will attack Lingshan Sect.” Yan Gu’s expression was complicated. “Will you have the heart to raise your hand against Qing Xuzi?”

Of course he didn’t have heart. He didn’t expect Yan Gu to hit the nail on the head and point out the hesitation in his heart. Qin Kaiyi sighed and said, “I’m now just a demonic cultivator in Qing Xuzi’s eyes. Whatever I do isn’t related to Qing Xuzi. Besides, isn’t Shen Feixiao still in Lingshan Sect? I’m afraid Ziyang Pei won’t be able to reap any benefits.” 

“Is that so.” Yan Gu’s mouth responded, but his expression was not as carefree as his words. He saw that Qin Kaiyi did not intend to change his decision, and he gave up on persuasion. He turned his attention to the sword in Qin Kaiyi’s hands, “Don’t use that sword. Although you have a natural demonic body, if you really use it more, you might be affected.”

“En.” In fact, Qin Kaiyi rarely used the sword Zi Yangpei gave him. When encountering someone roughly evenly matched with him, hand seals were already more than enough. If he met with someone in Shen Feixiao’s class… don’t mention the sword, if he carried a rocket over it still wouldn’t have much use. 

“Since it’s decided, then go back earlier. It’s also better to make a lot of preparations.” Yan Gu looked at Qin Kaiyi clad entirely in red and, not knowing why, felt the uncertainty in his heart intensify… he remembered that when that person fell, he was wearing red. 

“I know.” Qin Kaiyi nodded. “Will you have a body from now on? Why did you suddenly disappear?”

“The sword that Ziyang Pei gave you has a problem.” Yan Gu did not want to speak further about his own problems, but brushed past it with one pen stroke, “My body can’t last for long, and if it’s injured by others my spirit will also be damaged.” 

“Oh.” Yan Gu’s solemn expression also made Qin Kaiyi’s mood a bit heavy. He quieted a while before saying, “Are you going back with me?”

“…” Yan Gu was silent.

“Are you going away?” Qin Kaiyi looked at the silent Yan Gu and inexplicably felt a coldness in his heart, “Where are you going?”

“I’ll find you,” Yan Gu looked at Qin Kaiyi and said, “but since I have a body, I want to go to where he left to take a look.”

“Xue Xian?” The emotions in Qin Kaiyi’s gaze were complicated.

“En.” Yan Gu smiled brightly. “When I’ve left… you have to take care.”

“I will.” Qin Kaiyi inexplicably felt the sadness of parting. 

“No.” Yan Gu’s expression was somewhat awkward. “I mean… when I’m not with you anymore, the red lotus patterns on your face, cough cough.”

“…” Qin Kaiyi’s expression distorted in an instant–how could he forget this!

“Ah, in fact, Shen Feixiao knows your identity anyway, and you don’t have to hide that you’re a demonic cultivator, wu… this pattern is also very good-looking.” Yan Gu nodded with satisfaction.

“Good-looking my ass!” It would be fine if he didn’t say it, now that he said it there was anger. The unreliable things that Yan Gu did all rushed up in Qin Kaiyi’s thoughts, angering him to the point that his eyes darkened. “Is there no way to get rid of these patterns?”

“Currently there isn’t.” Yan Gu snickered, “Hehe…”

“…” Qin Kaiyi suddenly felt a brutal mood rise up, making him want to beat Yan Gu up once.

But Yan Gu apparently predicted this danger. After saying a “good-bye” to Qin Kaiyi, he made the immortal hand seal and flew away out the window without hesitation, leaving Qin Kaiyi standing in the room gritting his teeth and whispering curses.

Next, since Ziyang Pei had urged him, Qin Kaiyi did not dare to delay. He spent seven days to return to the Hua Lian Sect. 

When Ziyang Pei first glanced at Qin Kaiyi, he showed a surprised expression. Only after a pause, he said, “What’s with your face?”

“Disfigured.” Qin Kaiyi said unhappily. 

“What about Yan Gu?” Zi Yangpei heard this and frowned slightly. It was unclear what he was thinking about. 

“Ran away with a woman.” Qin Kaiyi said casually.

“…” Zi Yangpei knew that Qin Kaiyi was talking nonsense and didn’t delve into it further, but his eyes flashed with displeasure. 

“Why are you so anxious to call me back?” Qin Kaiyi looked closely at Ziyang Pei, only to find that not even after a few dozen days of time, Zi Yangpei became haggard and his complexion was not too good. 

“After seven days we will attack Lingshan Sect.” Falling within Yan Gu’s expectations, Ziyang Pei called Qin Kaiyi back for this. 

“… Why are you so anxious?” Qin Kaiyi looked at Ziyang Pei and asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Ziyang Pei very much wanted to say something, but he restrained himself. The Tian Luo Xin was still in Shen Feixiao’s hands… He must fulfill his promise.

But why was it that, when he looked at the person who regarded himself with a worrying expression, his originally resolute intentions wavered… never mind, if Qin Shi wanted to complain, then complain to him.

Finishing what he needed to say, Ziyang Pei left. Before leaving, he gave Qin Kaiyi an extremely complex look, making Qin Kaiyi’s whole body cold. 

“… This feeling, why is it like…” Like jumping into a trap that was clearly there? Qin Kaiyi vaguely noticed that Hua Lian Sect’s sizable actions were related to Shen Feixiao, but he couldn’t grasp any of the main threads of the matter. He expunged the hesitation and cowardice in his heart when he thought of the 20% return value he could receive–he must continue on this path, even if he knew that a ten thousand fathoms deep abyss lay ahead of him.