I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-372

[‘What else can there be between you and me? Let’s not forget that you are the righteous Saintess of Mortal Palace while I am the evil demon that you are supposed to slay. We will ultimately end up on opposing sides and fight to the death.’] Jiang Chuchu’s eyes widened as Gu Changge’s words reverberated in her head. She had only ever thought Gu Changge was purely joking, but thinking back on it, was he not right?!

Gu Changge’s identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts would be brought to light someday. He couldn’t hide it forever. As the embodiment of chaos, anybody and everybody wanted him dead, and by then, what would she do? She was the Saintess of Mortal Palace, after all. Would she really have to kill him herself?

After reflecting on it, she realised Gu Changge wasn’t rotten to the core. He had chosen not to kill her when he could’ve easily done so back then. In fact, he even saved her a few more times after that. Plus, she knew his greatest secret! How could she do such a thing?

For a moment, the young woman fell into silence and struggle. She hadn’t thought this far at all when she came looking for him. If anything, she just wanted him to give her some attention; that was it. But it was only after arriving at his chamber that she realised he didn’t care about her in the slightest. In fact, he didn’t know why she would come to him at all, and the revelation hurt Jiang Chuchu a little.

At that, she took a deep breath, collected herself, and stared into Gu Changge’s eyes after she regained her composure. “I understand, Gu Changge, and I know you’re not all evil… Even though you did what you did back then, I know I brought it upon myself. I don’t blame you. Even if you killed the Mortal One, I know you didn’t have a choice in it. After all, you two are destined to go against each other and fight to the death,” she spoke softly, seemingly explaining to him.

However, Gu Changge waved his hand and interjected with a smile. “That’s all just in your head. I’m not as nice as you think. I do everything for a purpose.”

Jiang Chuchu sniffled and looked at him with a ‘yeah, right’ gaze. “Then explain to me why you’d save me in the Land of Eternal Overcast later and even deal with the Eternal Overcast crisis there…”

Gu Changge picked up the teacup aside and took a leisurely sip before answering, “Why would I need to explain why I did what I did?”

“Gu Changge, why can’t you just admit it all?” Jiang Chuchu frowned, thinking the man was purely acting tough and quibbling out of his ego. Thus. he couldn’t even be bothered to come up with an excuse.

However, Gu Changge expressed nothing and just sipped his tea.

The Saintess continued even more bluntly, relating her thoughts from her first encounter with him to how he locked her up and many more, as well as explaining the reason she thought Gu Changge would do all that he did.

Of course, it was all just her positive filter, and Gu Changge really wanted to interject, saying it was all just in her head. But when he thought about it, it wouldn’t affect him even if she thought so of him. Thus, he kept his silence.

“Is that so?” He listened with great interest. But the longer she went on, the weirder his smile became. [Okay, looks like I really am a good guy. Who’d have thought!?]

Though Gu Changge didn’t think he was the reincarnation of the Devil, everything he had ever done couldn’t be defined as a so-called good guy at all, not even a sliver.

Yes, he had intentionally led Jiang Chuchu to misunderstand him, but never would he think the misunderstanding would be so drastic that the Saintess was even whitewashing his image! [Well, it is more than I expected but, isn’t this exactly what I wanted?!]

Later, Jiang Chuchu took a deep breath, having seemingly dropped her burden as her gaze looked much brighter now. “Actually, back when you were dissuading me, I’ve done some thinking…”

“About what?” Gu Changge asked with great interest.

“Hadn’t you dissuaded me from ending myself?” She looked silently at him

Gu Changge chuckled in response. “As if I’d remembered something like that. Don’t tell me you’ve taken it seriously.”

Of course, Jiang Chuchu didn’t care about the sarcasm in his words. “I still remember how you asked me if I really intended to live for the Mortal Palace my whole life,” she recalled gravely while fixing her gaze on him.

“Did I say that?” Gu Changge nodded while recollecting. “I think I have.”

“I’ve actually given it a lot of thought. No one but you and I know that the Mortal One died in your hands long ago. Even so, the Mortal Palace can’t go a day without the Mortal One, and this world can’t go without a leader to fight against the Eternal Overcast…” Jiang Chuchu sounded exceptionally calm.

It was worth noting that she was wholly against Gu Changge’s idea when she first found out about it. She had never even given it a thought at all. However, it was she who came to him to discuss the existence of the Mortal One now.

“Are you suggesting someone pretend to be the Mortal One now?” Gu Changge quirked a brow. Though he had long foreseen her agreement to his plan, he was still surprised she would bring it up so suddenly.

“No, I’m saying you pretend to be the Mortal One.” Jiang Chuchu bore into his eyes only to droop her eyelids in the end when she couldn’t take his penetrative gaze anymore. Even her voice softened as a result. “That way, no one will link you to being the Successor of Demonic Arts.”

“Do you not know what this entails, Jiang Chuchu?” Gu Changge reasoned softly, seemingly surprised by her statement. “From now on, you will have pretty much betrayed your kind and become my accomplice. Do you really want that?”

She nodded as she riveted her gaze on him, showing no regret nor hesitation on her face like she had long thought it through. “What’s there not to? I should’ve foreseen this day a long time ago.”

It just happened to be a chance for her to also make this clear when she had come looking for Gu Changge. After all, this day would have to come sooner or later.

“You really are an idiot, Jiang Chuchu. You will rot in hell with me if we really do this.” Gu Changge shook his head subtly while the emotional change in his voice was indiscernible.

“I don’t care. I just want to live for myself and make my own decisions for once,” declared Jiang Chuchu plainly, unfazed.

Suddenly she riveted her gaze on him with hints of anticipation. “From now on, you and I are in the same boat.”

In other words, Gu Cangge couldn’t bully her anymore and even needed to give her some attention. That said, given her character, it would be nearly impossible for her to say it out loud.

“Yeah, in the same boat.” The man smiled with pity as though knowing what she meant.

At that, he tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear gently before pulling her into his arms.

However, she broke free from his embrace and fled his chamber. She dared not stay a second longer when her face flushed crimson for fear that the disciples outside noticed her abnormality.

[Me, the Mortal One’s reincarnation, huh?] Gu Changge put his gentleness away after watching Jiang Chuchu leave, and his gaze was as calm as still water as he began considering the next moves he needed to take.

He had thought about pretending to be the Mortal One in the past, but he had put it aside temporarily, knowing that it would not be easy to conceal the truth from Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zijin. But now, with Jiang Chuchu by his side, things have become much easier.

With his identity as the Mortal One, the Mortal Palace would naturally be under his command in due course, and it would become a great advantage for his upcoming plans.

As if there would be anyone else in this vast Upper Realm who’d dare cross him anymore at that point. After all, as the Mortal One, Gu Changge could use the excuse of having the world’s best interest at heart when he did whatever he had. Anyone who dared stop him would also be crossing all the living beings in this world.

The Mortal One had established the Mortal Palace so that he could obtain unparalleled power and achieve greatness much speedier after his reincarnation, had he not!?

It was just that all the Mortal One had so painstakingly built up managed to eventually belong to Gu Changge.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chuchu returned to her cave mansion only to be surprised by Wang Zijin’s visit, and it seemed that the latter had waited for a long while.

“You’ve gone looking for Gu Changge, huh?” Wang Zijin stated definitively while boring into her friend. As she had captured the joy laced on Jiang Chuchu’s face, she didn’t need to ask to know where the latter had gone.

After all, Jiang Chuchu wouldn’t leave her cave mansion at all other than to cultivate. And she wouldn’t even need to think about the reason Jiang Chuchu left her cave mansion, which made Wang Zijin disappointed in her.

She had just advised Jiang Chuchu to act aloof and not throw herself at Gu Changge a few days ago. Sure, the young woman had promised to do so right then, but who’d have thought she would forget all about it the next second?

Jiang Chuchu had gone to see Gu Changge as soon as she learned that he had returned to the Immortal Academy, and clearly, the man had cajoled her when she returned with joy.

Wang Zijin honestly didn’t know what to do with this woman. [Who was the one who looked at Gu Changge with great animosity again?]

“What do you care? Why have you come?” asked Jiang Chuchu impassively. She naturally wouldn’t behave too politely towards Wang Zijin.

“For something naturally. But Jiang Chuchu, what happened to being aloof? No wonder Gu Changge has you wrapped around his little finger. Can you blame anyone else for that!?” Wang Zijin quipped with a smirk.

If it were in the past, Jiang Chuchu would’ve certainly snapped back at her. However, she was oddly composed this time.

“You exasperated?” She retorted with a quirked brow, catching Wang Zijin off guard as the latter’s smile stiffened.

“As if. I’m just worried if that bastard is deceiving you.”

Jiang Chuchu shook her head. “Don’t bother yourself with that. But there is something I have to tell you.” [Though Wang Zijin never really cared much about the Mortal Palace, she is still its Saintess. She should still be notified about something like this.]

“What is it? Is it news about the Mortal One’s reincarnation?” Wang Zijin smiled like she had seen it coming but made nothing of it. “I already told you I’m not interested in finding the Mortal One’s reincarnation. But still, it’s a good thing that he’s found.”

Jiang Chuchu nodded in affirmation after taking a look at her, then revealed calmly, “The Mortal One’s reincarnation is Gu Changge.”

“What!?” Her words stupefied Wang Zijin, and the latter’s eyes widened with incredulity.

[Gu Changge’s far from the definition of a decent man, let alone a saint. How can he be the Mortal One’s reincarnation?! Then again, no one in our generation fits the identity more than him—gifted, peerless, noble, and a genius. He does fit the image of what everyone thinks of the Mortal One. But why does it feel so off?]

She looked sceptically at Jiang Chuchu. “Are you sure it’s not what Gu Changge wants you to tell me?”

She believed that man could absolutely pass himself off as the Mortal One’s reincarnation as there had never been news of the Mortal One’s reincarnation before this. But Jiang Chuchu suddenly revealed Gu Changge to be the Mortal One after she had visited the man. Thus, Wang Zijin instinctively doubted the validity of the news.

“No.” Jiang Chuchu shook her head, then clarified plainly, “We don’t need to look for the Mortal One’s reincarnation anymore. Gu Changge’s Purifying Nirvana Lotus Body is enough proof.”

“Purifying Nirvana Lotus Body?” Scepticism still laced Wang Zijin’s eyes.

She naturally knew it was a physique fully formed after taking in a mature World Purifying Green Lotus. As a Saintess of Mortal Palace, she had learned quite a few things about it, one of them highly likely being the reason the Mortal One would reincarnate.

Since Gu Changge had this physique, then it was beyond doubt he was the Mortal One’s reincarnation. However, Wang Zijin couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off? According to the history written in the Mortal Palace and the rumours the outside world had towards the Mortal One, he was a righteous man. How could he have anything to do with someone as heartless and impassive as Gu Changge!?

“Jiang Chuchu, are you sure you didn’t work with Gu Changge to lie to me?” asked Wang Zijin while boring into Jiang Chuchu, who answered without batting an eyelash, “Do you think I’d ever do that?”

Wang Zijin said nothing more. She knew exactly what Jiang Chuchu was like. That girl wouldn’t do anything to betray Mortal Palace. Who she doubted was Gu Changge.

“Gu Changge hadn’t murdered the Mortal One and taken his place, had he?” she mumbled. Of course, she was thinking aloud and didn’t take it seriously.

However, Jiang Chuchu’s heart skipped a beat, and she tried her best not to show any abnormality.

“Alright, if you say Gu Changge is the Mortal One’s reincarnation, it is what it is, then. I don’t hate that guy anyway. Compared to the others possibly being the Mortal One, I find him more acceptable,” Wang Zijin acknowledged while heading out of the cave mansion.

Despite still thinking there was more than what it seemed, she really couldn’t be bothered about it. She certainly still had a crush on Gu Changge, but it was evident that her friend was romantically linked to him. So, it begged a question, was she going to fight her friend over him!?

Though it was very much her to do something like that, it was also evident that Gu Changge didn’t think much of Jiang Chuchu. He was nothing but a womaniser, after all. She would never be able to occupy a place in his heart.

Afterwards, Wang Zijin got inexplicably exasperated, and she reflexively pulled a crystal-clear jade pendant from her sleeve.

It was the jade pendant Gu Changge had on him at all times, and he had gifted it to her outside the Land of Eternal Overcast. At the same time, he also said she could go to him whenever she encountered trouble.

“What a bastard…” She wanted to chuck the pendant away but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do so. Thus, she sighed. [That man’s heart must be made of stone…]