I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-403

The night went on like a fleeting, euphoric dream.

“Will it be worth it? Entrusting my heart to a man like you?” Empress Yao Xi languidly whispered as Gu Changge stroked her hair.

“Why not?” He smiled.

Instead of dwelling too much on this issue, she sighed, “But the more I get to know you, the more uneasy I feel. I sometimes wonder if you are really only in your twenties.”

For Empress Yao Xi who needed someone to rely on now, there was no better man than Gu Changge. Under this premise, it was only logical that Gu Changge intended to use her to have a hand in the Demon World.

Of course, Empress Yao Xi knew that Gu Changge would only give her the necessary support at critical times. Apart from that, he wouldn’t even do anything if he could. This sounded like a deal more than anything.

Instead of saying that Gu Changge’s approach was extremely selfish, it was more like it was extremely rational. He wouldn’t change any of his actions because of his feelings. Knowing that, she didn’t hold any hopes of him acting based on emotion. Though, that realisation deeply disappointed her.

…

For a while after that, the entire Demon World was in chaos because of the attack on Empress Yao Xi. Many could be seen patrolling around the imperial city almost every day. Not only that, all suspects were detained and checked repeatedly. They would be arrested and thrown into the prison immediately if something seemed out of place.

As the assassination attempt of the Empress affected the many beings of the Demon World, the rest of the domains were also shaken. Even the Demons in many places heard about this and thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With that, they began to gather troops and tried to start another rebellion.

The enormous Demon World would never be as peaceful and stable as before.

Many residents of the Demon World hated the traitors who tried to assassinate Empress Yao Xi, and they acted on their own to search for suspicious persons and report them to the court.

It was safe to say that people of the Demon World had grown protective of Empress Yao Xi throughout her 6000 years rule.

[Yao Xi has spent a lot of effort in winning people’s hearts over the years. There are so many who are willing to support her.] Jun Fan, dressed in blue, was quietly drinking tea in the courtyard of Quelling Chaos King’s Manor. His face was calm despite the numerous rumours he had heard going around the outside world. However, it surprised him that the assassination of Empress Yao Xi actually left many of the Demon World angry instead of ecstatic. In his opinion, this showed that Empress Yao Xi has indeed spent a lot of thought and effort in winning people’s hearts.

Typically, the Demon Race was an emotionally-detached race that would remain indifferent even if accidents happened to their own relatives. Thus, it was a rare sight to see them furious like this.

[I still haven’t received news from Uncle Ye. According to the information from my father’s side, Uncle Ye should have escaped from the hands of Gu Changge. That’s what Gu Changge claimed at the very least. But why hasn’t Uncle Ye contacted me up until now?]

Jun Fan couldn’t help locking his eyebrows into a frown as unease filled him. Uncle Ye was currently his greatest pillar of support, and with the Solar Heavenly Blade he gave the Night Demon, it only seemed logical that no accident happened. He refused to believe that Uncle Ye would abandon him and run away himself.

[Uncle Ye might be injured, and he’s now recuperating somewhere. I don’t have to make a fuss about this.] Thinking of this, Jun Fan began to fall into deep thought. The next plan was the most important thing to him. It would irk him to no end if he were to give up on taking his revenge on Empress Yao Xi just like this.

Empress Yao Xi had sent people everywhere to search for his whereabouts during this time. Based on Qing Zhu’s traces, she narrowed the scope of investigation to the Black and White Academy.

Of course, this was bad news for Jun Fan. This way, they would trace it back to him sooner or later. Not only that, he always had a feeling that Gu Changge knew something.

He later thought about it carefully and realised that Gu Changge might have called him Jun Bufan when they were on top of the Sacred Mountain to gauge his reaction. Even though Empress didn’t seem to think much about his reaction then, he couldn’t say for sure that she wouldn’t notice something in the future.

[That was the only loose end I left behind, but unless Yao Xi uses Soul Search on me, she will never know of my true identity.] The thought of that finally put him at ease.

As the third son of the Quelling Chaos King, his status is extremely prominent. Not to mention, he and his father fought the ‘enemy’ bravely and made great contributions this time when Empress Yao Xi was attacked. If Empress Yao Xi searched his soul because she doubted him, it would definitely disappoint many people, including his father.

Considering everything, Empress Yao Xi couldn’t do anything to him without sufficient evidence even if she guessed his identity.

[Father said that an old friend of his will come give me something. I wonder when that person will come?] He began to pace around the yard.

At that time, Uncle Ye wasn’t his father’s only subordinate. That was why Jun Fan needed to take this period of time to find the group of other subordinates according to his father’s backup plan.

…

On the other hand, Empress Yao Xi, who was in the imperial palace, was almost healed from the poison in her body. She was now sitting in the main seat of the table, still dealing with some memorials to the throne. The only difference was that there were only three female officials left around her.

“Any updates?” She calmly asked while she flipped through the documents.

“Your Majesty, all the young prodigies who were in contact with Qing Zhu in the Black and White Academy have now been confirmed,” Qing Lan respectfully reported.

Empress Yao Xi nodded and continued asking, “Is that so? Did she come in contact with her Seniors? Or were they all the Juniors?” Her dark eyebrows then knitted into a frown when she remembered the words Gu Changge uttered that night.

“You can’t do anything even if you’ve already found out who Jun Bufan is.” These were the words Gu Changge said to her.

Empress Yao Xi didn’t know what he meant at the time, but she had a feeling that Gu Changge might have a goal in mind, seeing that he seemed to know and still hadn’t told her. In response to this, she started a large-scale search starting with those near the Sacred Mountain that day. She finally limited the scope to Black and White Academy.

The biggest suspect now was among the youths of this generation. These were the disciples who she confidently told Gu Changge she could trust. That was why it was such a smack in her face when the culprit turned out to be from among them. Again, this made her recall the time Gu Changge told her she was ‘pure’.

Qing Lan continued to answer her dutifully, “Among the people who have been identified so far, there are no Seniors from the older generation who she had met. Qing Zhu only went to Black and White Academy to carry out your orders. The Elders of Black and White Academy don’t know who she met or where the meeting place was.”

Hearing that, Empress Yao Xi nodded and waved an elegant hand. “In that case, investigate all the young prodigies who she has come into contact with. I refuse to believe there are no leads. Also, give me a list of the young prodigies who you’ve found to have had the most contacts with her.”

She wanted to see for herself who those people were.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Soon, Qing Lan handed over a list which clearly listed all the young prodigies of Black and White Academy. Some of the names on the list had been tagged.

“Song Youwei, Luo Tian, Ye Geng, Jun Fan, Chen Xiao,” Empress Yao Xi muttered under her breath. Her eyes then narrowed as a dangerous glint shone in them. She had indeed learned her lesson after Qing Zhu’s betrayal.

These young prodigies in front of her were all people she knew right down to their core. Not only that, the top ten young prodigies of the Banquet of Prodigies had shone brightly and made contributions when they bravely fought against the many assassins.

The her in the past wouldn’t have doubted anything, but now, these were the exact people who were most suspicious. Even Song Youwei, who was a woman, was the same in her opinion.

[‘Never let your guard down’] This was also something Gu Changge reminded Empress Yao Xi before. Just like him, he had never given his complete trust to anyone. [What I see is what they want to show…]

Letting out a small sigh, Empress Yao Xi further instructed, “Keep an eye on them. No matter what they do, I want you to report it to me first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Qing Lan quickly retreated after she received the order.

Empress Yao Xi fell into deep thoughts again after that. Since the suspect was among these people, she would have to keep an eye on their families as well. Among them were the family of her teacher, the Grand Tutor, her most powerful subordinate, the Quelling Chaos King, and the Military Commander who controlled most of the army.

It would be a problem if the children of any of them were involved in this mess. Regardless of what her next move was, she was going to harm and involve a lot of people.

[So this is what he meant. Even if I know who Jun Bufan is, I can’t do anything about it unless I have evidence to prove my speculation.] She couldn’t help the self-mocking smile hanging on her lips when she recalled Gu Changge’s words.

[Speaking of which, the words he said when we were on the top of Sacred Mountain must have had a deeper meaning to them. Jun Fan, Jun Bufan… Is there really something wrong? Jun Fan did have a rather odd reaction then.] Her frown deepened when she thought about this. She hadn’t had doubts back then, but now that she thought about it, this might be the clue she had been looking for.

[Were those just casual words he spoke, or did he know something?] She frowned again as she massaged away the headache that hit her. In her opinion, Gu Changge’s methods could no longer be described as mysterious, but he would never reveal too much about what she wanted to know.

And just when Empress Yao Xi had her eyes locked on the many young prodigies, Gu Changge, who had his underling tail Bai Lian’er for a while now, finally received updates from Tian Ze.

“Master Gu, as per your instructions, we have been patrolling around Quelling Chaos King’ Manor these days. We found a pair of suspicious-looking man and woman. They look no different from ordinary herbalists, and they come here with baskets filled with simple medicinal ingredients on their backs every day to set up a stall near Quelling Chaos King’ Manor.

“But the woman is very perceptive. She notices us as soon as our men walk a hundred steps away from her. We didn’t want to alarm them. Also, it’s suspicious because judging from her appearance, she seems to have a disguise on.”

In the palace where the fragrance of tea and mist lingered in the air, Tian Ze was respectfully reporting to Gu Changge as he stood behind the latter.

Hearing that, Gu Changge put down the chess piece in his hand and smilingly mused, “Good job. He’s finally taken the bait after so long. All the hard work I did trying to get the rat to bite the bait has finally paid off.”

He knew that Bai Lian’er must have known Jun Bufan’s true identity back at Sacred Mountain. That was why she couldn’t help but disguise her current appearance to meet Jun Bufan and carry out the task her father entrusted her. All Gu Changge needed to do in this was get someone to watch her from nearby while they waited for her to fall into his trap.

As Gu Changge spoke, he stood up to ‘reel in’ his prey. He didn’t believe that Bai Lian’er could slip away so easily this time like she did in Northcreek Ancient City.

Seeing this, Jiang Luoshen, sitting across from him grunted, “Can’t you at least finish the game with me before you go?”

“You’re not going to win anyway. Why bother yourself with that?” Gu Changge threw out when he walked past her. He had no intention to continue to play chess with her. During this period of time, Jiang Luoshen had been rolling with the punches as he gradually got used to it. However, she was still the lofty, indifferent and noble princess of the Godly Illusion Clan; the future Godly Illusion Empress in front of outsiders.

Jiang Luoshen turned her head to look at him, pouting. “No can do. You have to finish this round with me even if I lose.”

Now that she had finally seen hope in winning against Gu Changge, she didn’t want to let him get away at such a crucial time.

Gu Changge suddenly smiled. “Who gave you the courage to talk to me this way? Have I been treating you too well these days?”

Hearing that, she huffed and stopped pestering him. She had gotten to know Gu Changge very well during this time. He would always utter words sweeter than honey when he needed her for something, but when he didn’t, he would eagerly get her away from him.

…

The Capital of the Demon World covered nearly a million kilometres. Soon, Gu Changge led many experts to the area of the Quelling Chaos King’ Manor, which was on the east side of the capital. The manor was made up of a group of grand and imposing palaces and mansions. It was a magnificent sight to behold even from a distance.

Many arrays were intertwined where colourful clouds floated about. It was like a heavenly palace located amidst the mortal world.

To the west of the gate of Quelling Chaos King’ Manor was a spacious street where tall palaces and pavilions stood on both sides. The mist that shrouded them made the scenery all the more vague and majestic. There were also many shops, restaurants, and casinos located here, and it was lively as people roamed the streets.

At this moment, a man and a woman were selling some simple medicinal ingredients, such as tranquil herbs, poria, gastrodia, ginseng and more in a simple street stall. The herbs looked fresh as they were still stained with soil.

“Lian’er.” The scrawny, ill-looking man with a waxy complexion whispered to the woman beside him. “We have been waiting here for five whole days. How much longer do we have to wait?”

The woman’s face was indifferent when she gave a short reply to his long question. Still, as though trying to catch something, her eyes would peer in the direction of Quelling Chaos King’s Manor from time to time.

Even though she was dressed in sackcloth, it was hard to conceal her astounding charm. Many passing by couldn’t help but look at her, but then they would feel their stomachs churn as they gagged.

The reason for their reaction was because the woman was simply… horrendous to look at. Not only did she have a big black spot on her face, her eyes weren’t of the same size, and her nose wasn’t aligned with her face.

She wasn’t ‘scary’ per se, but that word could very well describe her. Her appearance was also why they didn’t have many customers coming to their stall.

“We’ll wait a little longer. The Demon World is a mess nowadays. If we suddenly head back, Yao Xi will grow suspicious of us. There will only be more unnecessary trouble waiting for us then,” the woman commented in an indifferent tone.

The two of them were Bai Lian’er and Bai Hua who left the vicinity of Sacred Mountain and temporarily lived in the Capital. When they saw Jun Bufan failed to assassinate Empress Yao Xi, they quietly left Black and White Academy without attracting attention. After they had a discussion, they decided to give the brocade bag to Jun Bufan as Bai Kun requested.

However, there was no place that was peaceful in the chaotic Demon World right now. With that, the two planned to wait and see for a while outside Quelling Chaos King’ Manor, find a suitable time to meet Jun Bufan, and hand over the things to him.

Hearing Bai Lian’er’s words, Bai Hua could only nod in acknowledgement. After arriving in the Demon World, Bai Lian’er had the final say in a lot of things, while Bai Hua was occasionally in charge of doing divinations and deductions.

“Lian’er, look to the east! T-That’s Gu Changge! What is he doing here!?” Right then, Bai Hua trembled and squeaked, causing Bai Lian’er, who had been staring at Quelling Chaos King’ Manor, to look away and look in the direction Bai Hua was looking at.

She was greeted by the sight of a tall and slender man dressed in black clothes. The man looked like a young god as he walked in their direction, with mighty experts around him. All the nearby were in awe, and they quickly cowered out of fear of blocking the path.

Bai Lian’er couldn’t help but look on in shock.

“What are we going to do, Lian’er? Why is he suddenly here?” Bai Hua’s shaky voice was filled with unadulterated fear. The one person he feared and didn’t want to see the most in this world was Gu Changge.

However, Bai Lian’er quickly calmed down and reassured him, “Don’t worry and calm down. Don’t make it obvious that something’s wrong. Gu Changge is most likely here to investigate the Quelling Chaos King’ Manor. It has nothing to do with us. Relax. Don’t scare yourself.”

She had been in charge of Nephrite Breeze Pavilion over the years. As someone who had lived in seclusion behind the scenes, she had grown strong and resilient after experiencing all sorts of challenges. It seemed to her that Gu Changge did not know about her being here.

That was why she thought there was a big possibility he was only passing by, and his destination was the Quelling Chaos King’s Manor.