I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-297

In the Tang Family Manor in Golden Ridge Ancient City…

The Tang Family, as the most elite family in the Golden Ridge Ancient City, have branches all across the Upper Realm, but their main territory was based in an Small World within Golden Ridge Ancient City, and not many cultivators knew about that.

Moreover, it was well known that the Tang Family started as businessmen, hence their complicated web of connections. In fact, a prodigy from the Tang Family possessed a business Talent that was perceived as one in a million, and thanks to that, he was able to carry the insignificant family to its current state, which even Immortal Families wouldn’t dare to belittle.

Meanwhile, in the Small World of the Tang Family, which was vast and boundaryless, countless people would visit it. Within, there were palaces and Divine Islands levitating in the sky, seemingly ancient yet spectacular.

In an extravagant, magnificent palace in the middle of the Small World, a muscular, vigorous old man with a calm yet intimidating expression slammed the table before him. His alarming aura drifted in the air, as if it was about to tear everything up.

That old man was none other than the current Patriarch of the Tang Family, Old Master Tang. And on the table, there was a photographic stone delivered by Yin Mei.

“How careless! All Tang Tian does is bring me trouble! Why won’t he grow up already!? Does he intend to make me die of rage!?”

Below Old Master Tang were the higher-ups of the Tang Family, who were too afraid to speak a word. Anyone, including the favoured young ones, that dared to interrupt him whenever he was venting his vexation would be confined for three months as punishment.

“Out of all the things he could do, he chose to seek trouble! Are we to pass on the rich legacy of the Tang Family to this incompetent grandson?”

Later, as Old Master Tang gradually calmed down, his eyes glistened and he let out a scoff. “Attempting to deceive the Tang Family, does that brat from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan think I’m blind?”

As soon as he said that, turmoil arose immediately among the higher-ups of the Tang Family below him, in which they expressed their disconcertment and anger. Even a blind could see it was a scheme deliberately set up by Yin Mei.

Alas, in spite of that realisation, the witnesses back then were eliminated the moment Yin Mei showed up as she promptly dealt with them and disintegrated their bodies and souls in order to erase any evidence. And as for Innkeeper Zhu, he must have been murdered or hidden somewhere by Yin Mei to keep his mouth shut.

Therefore, even if the Tang Family wished to trace back to the incident, they wouldn’t have any witnesses to turn to as they could only grit their teeth and swallow their frustrations. After all, each of those present in the palace were crafty individuals who had been a part of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants for years, so such a scheme was blatantly apparent to them.

Sadly, Yin Mei had the backing of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan , so they couldn’t openly declare their allegation as they didn’t have any proof to back it up.

“It seems this is a method that brat from Nine-Tailed Fox Clan resorts to in order to compete with Tang Wan, and this photographic stone she delivered is solely to send a message.” Old Master Tang snickered as he figured out Yin Mei’s motive.

Naturally, he wouldn’t intervene in such a trivial feud or it would aggravate into a conflict that would involve more than simply Yin Mei and Tang Wan. Essentially, the Tang Family were aware of their place in front of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

“Father, are we going to silently accept the loss then?”

The person who asked the question was a middle-aged man named Tang Feng, who was also the father of Tang Tian and Tang Wan. Although he was frustrated about the problem his own son caused, he couldn’t do anything about it, given that his own son was too ignorant to fall into the hands of others. Thus, he could blame no one but Tang Tian, thinking that there wouldn’t be so much trouble if it weren’t for his pervertedness.

“What else can we do? What suggestions do you have? We shall let Tang Wan tend to this herself. Since she is his older sister and the enemy is clearly targeting her. Do you think it’s wise for us to intervene? Besides, we are at fault in this, and the old ones in the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan would be sure to give me a hard time if things go out of hand. I’ve been feeling that they are eyeing my position lately, since the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan has been planning to dominate the world from within the Alliance of Thousand Merchants…” Old Master Tang scornfully stated.

Hearing that, the higher-ups of the Tang Family grew silent as they acknowledged the reasons in his words. The Gifted Lady of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan made it quite obvious that she was targeting Tang Wan. Therefore, the Tang Family couldn’t afford to intervene at such a moment or the minor feud would worsen into an unsalvageable war between the Tang Family and the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

“So are we to disregard Wan Er’s message? She did say that the matter is more complex than we can assume…” Tang Feng persistently asked with a frown.

“How complex can it be? Without a doubt, the enemy must be stipulating certain benefits from her hands. What a thoughtful kid, Tang Wan is, huh? She obviously wants the family to help her while she retains the benefits in her own hands. Hmph! Does she think I don’t know her plans?”

Old Master Tang then waved his hand as he decidedly claimed, “She clearly wants to take advantage of the family’s influence so that her words would seem weightier. Her motives all these years haven’t gone unseen. At this point, the enemy has explicitly stated their demand, yet she still thinks that she could take advantage of the family’s leverage?”

“Father, what if it really is a trap?” Tang Feng scowled, deeply believing in his daughter’s intuition.

However, due to Chu Hao, Old Master Tang and Tang Wan weren’t exactly on peaceful terms. And now, Old Master Tang, assuming that all Tang Wan thought about was Chu Hao, and was reluctant to hand power over to her in fear that she would abuse it to help Chu Hao.

“Tell me, what trap can there possibly be?” Old Master Tang countered with a sneer.

At once, Tang Feng was left speechless.

[Indeed, what trap can there be? It’s not possible that Yin Mei intends to kill Tang Wan, is it? Unless Yin Mei has gone insane, that is… Essentially, if something happens to Tang Wan, she wouldn’t be able to run away, and that is nothing but disadvantageous to her.]

…

[Why? Why doesn’t the family trust me this time? Yin Mei actually delivered a photographic stone? Does she really not bear any ulterior motive?] In the meantime, after receiving a response from the family, Tang Wan was left in stupefaction and disbelief. Her rate of succeeding would have been higher if her family would send some formidable experts over to back her up, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and all it took was one photographic stone from Yin Mei to keep the Tang Family out of the matter.

[Did Yin Mei consider all of this? Or is this just a coincidence?] Tang Wan heaved a sigh as her restlessness intensified.

She tried using her Quill of Destiny to foresee her fate, but ambiguity and greyness were all she could see. Theoretically, she never had any bad blood against Yin Mei, yet for some reason, the latter decided to scheme against her. Despite her thorough contemplation, she couldn’t fathom Yin Mei’s intention, and all she could come to was that Yin Mei merely wished to obtain leverage against her through blackmail.

[Did Yin Mei even predict that I’d be requesting help from my family?] Tang Wan grew even more distressed. Although she had quite a number of formidable experts following her as well as some hiding in the dark, that wasn’t enough to reassure her.

[Nevermind. What’s the worst Yin Mei can do to me anyway?] Since Tang Wan has come so far, her only option was to bear through whatever that was to come.

Not long after, Tang Wan arrived at the ancient city in front of her, and she headed straight to the rendezvous point as per the agreement.

The location was Sky View Pavilion, a highlight of the city. Shining vibrantly with golden lights, the ancient pavilion was filled with paintings and carvings. As its name suggested, it allowed its visitors to view the sky. Every step of its staircase was engraved with patterns of cloud as spiritual energy and alluring beams glowed around it.

At the topmost level, one could indulge in the unobstructed scenery of the entire city, and whatever took place there would trigger the people of the city. Under the afterglow of the dusk, Sky View Pavilion appeared even more appealing.

[It seems I have nothing to worry about, given that she decided to meet here. There shouldn’t be a problem.] Thinking that, Tang Wan felt relieved. Under the instruction of the personnel of Sky View Pavilion, she quickly ascended to the topmost level of the pavilion, intending to find out what Yin Mei was plotting.

“Lady Wan.”

On the highest floor of Sky View Pavilion, Yin Mei was sitting in her white garments, quietly plucking the strings of her zither while two of her servants were holding her fox tails so they wouldn’t be dragged on the floor. Given her irresistible charm and stunning beauty, no men would be able to draw their eyes away from her.

At Tang Wan’s arrival, she called out for her, inviting her to take a seat.

“Lady Wan, I knew you would be blinded by your heart, so I could only resort to this in order to invite you over,” Yin Mei said with a generous smile.

“Skip the nonsense and answer me. What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Tang Wan was obviously upset, losing her usual elegance. Coldly gazing at Yin Mei, she interrogated, “Where’s my brother?”

“Don’t be hasty, Lady Wan. Tang Tian is perfectly fine. But before I show him to you, you must agree to one condition,” Yin Mei smilingly stated.

“What condition?” Hearing that, Tang Wan was rather relieved, though she retained her iciness as she asked the question. [Yin Mei doesn’t seem to bear any ulterior motive. Was the omen of danger I saw earlier not from her?]

“Hand over your power over the major ancient cities you’re controlling.” With a casual look, Yin Mei added, “You know that I haven’t been in power for long. People don’t have enough trust in me, so I can only turn to this. I hope you can forgive me for the offence I’ve caused.”

“Hmph, I knew it. You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you?” Tang Wan was somewhat comforted by Yin Mei’s words as her alertness notably waned. She was worried that Yin Mei might not voice her demands as that would have been a real trouble.

“Very well, I’ll agree with that, but if you think you’ll gain control just because of this? I’m afraid you couldn’t be any more wrong.”

“I am glad to have your approval, Lady Wan. As for my second condition…” Yin Mei continued with a smile.

“Second condition? Aren’t you overstepping here?” Annoyance surged on Tang Wan’s face. “Yin Mei, know your boundaries. Control your greed or things will get ugly.”

“Oh, so you’re not saving your brother anymore, Lady Wan? Nevermind, I’ll confine him for a little longer, then. The Tang Family can’t do anything to me anyway.” Imitating Gu Changge’s mannerism, Yin Mei chuckled as she lifted the glass of wine on the table and put it at her lips before chugging it down. Her attitude indicated her condescension towards Tang Wan.

“Fine, I agree with your second condition.” Despite her perturbation, Tang Wan reluctantly concurred to Yin Mei’s second condition. Though, she felt more reassured as she grew even more at ease. Her preceding anxiousness wasn’t even mention-worthy.

Although Yin Mei was quite greedy, it was nothing out of the ordinary to Tang Wan. Nonetheless, she had to feign reluctance and displeasure as well as her helplessness towards Yin Mei.

“Good, now that we’ve got your conditions over with, where’s my brother?” Tang Wan asked again, seemingly more unaffected. Essentially, any slight disturbance in Sky View Pavilion would draw the attention of the entire city, so she wasn’t concerned that Yin Mei would pull off any reckless stunts.

“As for my last condition…” Yin Mei retained her smile. “Don’t worry, I promise this is the last one.”

“I’ll have to see to my brother’s safety first,” Tang Wan said with a frown as she did not agree right away, since she predicted Yin Mei would be wanting more.

At such a fine opportunity, there was no way Yin Mei would only voice two demands, but Tang Wan was aware that she couldn’t be manipulated by Yin Mei the entire way, fearing that Yin Mei would go back on her words upon their agreements as she never trust an oath to a cultivator’s Dao Heart. After all, the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was known for their cunningness, and they even possessed a Secret Technique to dispel the curse of breaking a Dao Heart Oath.

“Hmm…” Hearing that, Yin Mei hesitated, seemingly troubled.

“I understand. I, Tang Wan, swear on my Dao Heart that I will fulfil each one of the conditions I promised Yin Mei. Should betrayal occur, I shall be struck by lightning and tormented as each of my cells turn to ash.” Observing Yin Mei’s expression, Tang Wan let out a scoff as she instantly knew what she was thinking, after which she straightforwardly swore.

“Aren’t you straightforward, Sister Wan? I love it.” At once, Yin Mei subconsciously laughed aloud and even changed her form of address to Tang Wan.

“Very well, then. Follow me.” Having said that, she slightly moved her body and left Sky View Pavilion along with her servants.

In that instant, Tang Wan stopped suspecting Yin Mei since she was the one who suggested to see Tang Tian, unless Yin Mei also foresaw this. Besides, she was quite confident in her own acting skills.

Judging by the atmosphere of their conversation earlier, everything went perfectly according to her prediction, and Yin Mei didn’t seem to bear any other intentions as well. Nevertheless, to be safe, Tang Wan brought along a number of formidable experts, including those in the Sacred Noble Realm with one in the Sacred Lord Realm hiding among them as an element of surprise if anything were to happen.

As such, Tang Wan was certain that nothing would go wrong given how assiduous she was now.

Soon, she followed Yin Mei and left Sky View Pavilion towards a palace-like residence.

There, Tang Wan noticed Yin Mei entering a tranquil, delicate courtyard. Without much hesitation, she followed after her, while her group of formidable experts were stopped by Yin Mei’s servants at the entrance.

“Lady Wan…”

“Wait for me here.” Tang Wan calmly nodded. She hid a jade talisman in her garment, which she could tear to inform the formidable experts outside if she was in danger.

Having entered the courtyard, Tang Wan was stunned by its extraordinary elegance as the ornamenting paintings and calligraphies were emitting a graceful sensation. Thereupon, she even wondered whether she went to the wrong place as she couldn’t find the connection between the sly Yin Mei and grace.

“Where’s my brother?” Seeing as Yin Mei stopped moving in the courtyard, Tang Wan questioned with a scowl.

“Follow me. We haven’t been mistreating your brother, you know, since we couldn’t have him tormented,” Yin Mei casually replied as she continued walking forward.

At that moment, Tang Wan could see an underground prison in the depths of the courtyard, and she was relieved, but before she could take a few steps forward, she found herself dumbfounded as a spine-chilling aura overtook her body, trembling even her soul while she had goosebumps all over her body.

“Impossible.” In that instant, her mind rang as she instantaneously figured out the connection between the incidents in the past and the present. It was as though everything became clear to her.

In front of a stone table, a young man was lowering head, seemingly writing. His attitude was rather leisurely yet his aura was out of the world as he emitted a worldly, harmonious aura.

Nonetheless, under such an atmosphere, Tang Wan couldn’t feel natural at all as her body trembled while her hands froze.

Easily, she discerned the young man in white, and he was none other than the person who inflicted a backlash on her when she tried to use her ability to check up on him, Gu Changge!

[Why is he here? Isn’t he supposed to be in the Vermilion Bird Empire, tending to the matters of Immortal Academy right now? How is he possibly here? And what’s his relationship with Yin Mei? Is he perhaps the mastermind behind Yin Mei’s actions?] Questions gushed into Tang Wan’s mind, overwhelming her with dread.

Instinctively, she was about to tear up the jade talisman in her garment, but before she could do that, the man in white before her suddenly raised his head and glanced at her before breezily saying, “Oh, you here, Lady Wan.”

“I’ll be with you in a minute, but before that, I advise you to let go of the jade talisman in your hand as your brother will lose his life the second you tear it up.” Gu Changge didn’t sound threatening. Rather, he sounded as if he was warning her out of kindness.

Yet, Tang Wan’s body was still trembling. She couldn’t even grab the jade talisman firmly as the terrifying, threatened sensation, once again, overwhelmed her.

“Also, a friendly reminder. Your jade talisman won’t work here.” Upon the last stroke of his quill, Gu Changge joyously put his quill away as Yin Mei fetched some tea over for him.

“Gu Changge, why are you here?” Realising that she was deceived, Tang Wan regained her composure right away as she thought Gu Changge wouldn’t be so bold to kill her at such a moment.

“Does it matter where I am?” After drinking his tea, Gu Changge took a good look at Tang Wan and casually smiled. “Don’t you look alike.”

“What do you mean?” Upon his words, Tang Wan was baffled. [What is he talking about? Don’t who look alike?]

“Don’t worry about it.” Gu Changge had no intentions of explaining himself, retaining his unaffected smile. “All you need to know is that no one will be saving you today. Not even if Chu Hao were to grow a pair of wings and flew over here.”

In that instant, Tang Wan could only feel a murderous intent storming upon her, freezing her entire body.

[Is he going to kill me now?] She was in dismay.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you, as you may still prove useful to me.” Gu Changge let out a chuckle. Sensing that she was frightened, he waved his hand. At once, as though space was split apart, an enormous aura turned into ambiguous grey mists, surrounding the room.

Upon the sight, Tang Wan’s face drastically changed as she realised it was a space manipulation technique which involved the abyssal Space Principles. Even ancient beings who spent all their lives cultivating such a technique could never achieve such mastery.

Yet, Gu Changge managed to split up an independent space simply by a wave of a hand, and that certainly instilled fear within her. Unless she had the capabilities to break such a Principle, everything that took place in this space would not be detected by those in the outside world.

“So you’ve been the mastermind behind all this all along. Why? How did you know?” Tang Wan revealed an expression of bitterness, never expecting that she would eventually encounter Gu Changge.

She thought her assistance to Chu Hao was discreet enough, yet it was discovered by Gu Changge, who then used it back against her.

“Know what? Your relationship with Chu Hao? Or the fact that the two of you are working against me?” Gu Changge indifferently grinned. “As leeks, you should know your place. There’s no need for you to know too much.”

As he was speaking, there was a dark gleam in his palm, which then morphed into an urn the size of a palm. The urn was surrounded with frightening mists that resembled a million demons dancing in chaos and a glance at it was enough to traumatise one for life.