I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-621

The man dressed like a butler appeared to be in his twenties, possessing a dashing face and unusual qualities. Although he donned the outfit of a steward, his expression was calm and natural, carrying an underlying coolness.

As he was fetching over a jade plate full of fruits and wine, he certainly heard the old City Lord’s order.

“Lin En, why don’t you put them here?” the old City Lord sternly said as he waved his hand, signalling the young steward to retreat.

Nonetheless, the young steward named Lin En didn’t move. Instead, he suspiciously asked, “From another world?”

Squirting his eyes, he stared at Gu Changge before reverently remarking, “Master City Lord, I can protect you and Lady Ah Qing.”

The old City Lord nodded without a change on his face that was filled with dense wariness.

When Ah Qing mentioned Gu Changge’s origin, everyone in the hall was dumbfounded, unable to believe their ears. And when they came to their senses, they all revealed expressions of shock, widening their eyes and subconsciously taking a few steps back.

The Otherworldly Sky Demons were of another world. Their origin was mysterious, yet their strength was terrifying and their number was infinite.

Right now, in Profound Sword World, everyone would be startled and afraid whenever the matter of the Otherworldly Sky Demons was brought up. Therefore, it was only natural that they were frightened by the fact that Gu Changge came from another world.

Right away, the bodies of the old City Lord and Ah Qing’s mother tensed up as they shot Gu Changge a hostile glare.

“Grandfather, Mother, please relax. Young Master Gu is a good man. He’s not what you expect him to be.”

Knowing this was coming, Ah Qing, despite her helplessness, decided to explain to the crowd that Gu Changge was different from the Otherworldly Sky Demons. Not only was he not resentful of the Profound Sword World, but he even saved her life and Princess Xuan Dea.

“Ah, that explains it…”

The old City Lord and Ah Qing’s mother retained their doubtful looks, though they definitely felt much more relieved. Now that they thought about it, if Gu Changge actually wished to hurt them, they wouldn’t be able to defend against him. Besides, with Princess Xuan Dea’s presence, Ah Qing’s explanation shouldn’t be false.

“Sorry, Young Master Gu. You were misunderstood once again,” Ah Qing apologetically said to Gu Changge.

Retaining the warm look on his face, Gu Changge waved his hand and smilingly replied, “Don’t worry. This is no big deal to me.”

“Okay…” Ah Qing softly responded, though her perturbation remained in her heart.

Despite being constantly misunderstood by others back when he rescued her in the Upper Realm or along their journey to the Profound Sword World, Gu Changge simply retained his compassion, as though even the end of the world wouldn’t affect him in the slightest.

Although her desires were only to achieve Dao and polish her swordsmanship, she was, at the end of the day, only a teenager. Lately, feelings that she shouldn’t possess would arise in her heart, but she hid it well and kept it from being revealed.

To her, Gu Changge was more than a simple saviour, as he was also a glimmer of hope amid the darkness of dejection.

“We have been rash. Please forgive us, Young Master Gu.” As the old City Lord was an experienced veteran, he apologised to Gu Changge after calming himself down.

With a smile, Gu Changge answered, “Worry not. Your reaction is only reasonable given the unique occasion.”

Seeing how Gu Changge was casual about it without pretending, the old City Lord and the rest felt very relieved, and they were no longer as defensive as before.

“Grandfather, this is…” Accordingly, Ah Qing noticed the butler-like young man beside her grandfather and curiously asked. As far as she recalled, the previous steward was an old man who lived a remarkably long life, and the presence of the unfamiliar young man confused her.

“This is Lin En, grandson of Uncle Lin. Some time ago, Uncle Lin died of sickness, after which Lin En came with a letter of verification. Since he planned to work in Ancient Mulberry City, seeing how mature, flexible, and trustworthy he was, I allowed him to succeed your Uncle Lin as the steward,” the old City Lord explained. As he spoke of Lin En, his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

“I see.” Ah Qing nodded and withdrew her observing gaze from Lin En.

“Greetings, Lady Ah Qing.” Lin En, who had been retaining a smile as he stood beside the old City Lord, greeted Ah Qing in response.

His physique was mediocre, but his features were stunning, and his expression was serene and grounded, emitting an assuring sensation.

“All this time, it’s all thanks to Lin En. Or else, Ancient Mulberry City would have been consumed by the chaos. Back when your father’s enemies came to us, it was Lin En who helped us to hold them off,” Ah Qing’s mother added, expressing her contentment with the young steward.

“Don’t worry, Mother. Now that I’m back, I’ll deal with the enemies. If they dare to pester us once more, I’ll have them remain here forever.” Traces of coldness surged on Ah Qing’s face.

[Steward?] Gu Changge looked at Lin En with a pondering gaze.

[The former steward died from sickness not long ago and his grandson immediately came with a letter of verification? Coincidence much? Besides, I do sense an unusual yet familiar aura coming from this man. Hmmm… A Fortuitous One, huh? He does possess a substantial amount of Fortuity. Who knew a Fortuitous One exists in the Profound Sword World, and to think I’d bump right into him…]

As such, Gu Changge felt suspicious as he was reluctant to believe that his encounter with Lin En was purely coincidental. Prior to that, he could already tell that Ancient Mulberry City was more than meets the eye. Although it seemed extremely bleak, it harboured spiritual wonders, as though it was the centre of this world..

As such, the Fortuitous One’s presence in the city must be more complicated than it seemed. Furthermore, with him as the steward of City Lord Manor, he dealt with every problem of the Ancient Mulberry City effortlessly without raising any suspicion.

[For some reason, instinct says that he’s not his true self, but an incarnation… He’s also probably the one who dealt with the enemies of Ah Qing’s father behind the scenes.] Thinking that, Gu Changge uncontrollably chuckled. Though, he refrained from startling the Fortuitous One as he was honestly quite curious about what the latter was up to.

[If he’s merely an incarnation, where is his real vessel?]

Following Ah Qing’s return, the entire Ancient Mulberry City grew lively.

The City Lord Manor organised a grand banquet. Amid the troubling time, wherein food was scarce, they finally managed to alleviate the gloom that was haunting the hearts of the people.

However, discussions of Gu Changge’s background were contained in the City Lord Manor and were prohibited from being spread to the outside world to avoid triggering any unwanted turmoil.

During the banquet, after being told of Ah Qing’s miserable experience all this time and how she was almost killed by an arrow as a prisoner, the old City Lord and the rest were frightened as they flinched. It was only after they heard her harrowing experience that their lingering scepticism against Gu Changge finally dispersed.

If it weren’t for Gu Changge, Ah Qing might have died in another world instead of returning safely. Therefore, reasonably, they were greatly indebted to Gu Changge.

“Who knew there is such a vast world, an Outer Territory, outside of our own world no less…”

Meanwhile, Lin En, the young steward, who quietly instructed the servants to serve exquisite delicacies for the banquet, was constantly eavesdropping on Gu Changge’s conversation, obviously astonished.

In the beginning, he thought Earth Sword Immortal Realm of Profound Sword World was the peak of the universe, but after knowing about the invasion of the Otherworldly Sky Demons and the existence of another world, he came to realise that the Earth Sword Immortal Realm was nothing but a starting point, as a much greater world was awaiting him.

[A vast world, where cultivation levels are limitless. I wonder what kind of cultivation realm is beyond the Earth Sword Immortal Realm?] Lin En was unknowingly distracted.

He felt that he had reached the threshold this world could contain—a level where he could shatter the void, yet he was never able to take the final step. Perhaps only by detaching himself from this world and advancing to the so-called Outer Territory could he break through his final obstacles.

[Legends have it that Ancient Mulberry City was a hiding place for a Peerless Sword Immortal 800,000 years ago. He is the only being who could shatter the void. Alas, I’ve been scouring this region for half a year, yet I was unable to find the legacy he had left behind…]

After the banquet ended, Lin En took a walk in the courtyard. As his gaze slowly deepened, a quality totally different from that of his earlier surged on his body.

Ancient Mulberry City was stained with the Peerless Sword Immortal’s aura 800,000 years ago. Even though so many years had passed, the city remained extraordinary, as many regions possessed odd energies that could assist individuals in enlightenment and cultivation.

Regardless, Lin En wasn’t concerned about the teachings of the Peerless Sword Immortal, but the divine techniques left behind by him.

Ever since he was born, he had possessed abnormally terrifying cultivation amplitude. Despite learning the same techniques as others, on his first time cultivating them, his progression was incredibly quick. Accordingly, his improvement speed would double, and even quadruple, displaying a speed of improvement that was frightening.

As a result, any technique that was taught to him, he would speedily master it. In a short span of time, his cultivation level improved at an alarming rate, which his peers were unable to achieve.

However, the problem he would soon face was that he was unable to continue ascending to higher levels. Even the huge Forces across Profound Sword World, including Shu Sect, Kong Mountain, and Sword Cliff, were unable to provide him with a suitable technique to continue on making breakthroughs.

At the end, he incidentally read about the records of Ancient Mulberry City, in an ancient archive, which led him to test his luck out in the city in an attempt to search for the Peerless Sword Immortal’s legacy from 800,000 years ago.

[If I’m still unable to find it, I can only return to the Shu Sect. I wonder why Senior suddenly used the Sword Immortal Order to gather all the Sword Immortals in the world?]

Lin En’s body gradually faded away before disappearing from the courtyard, after which he resumed his search in Ancient Mulberry City.

Lin En was originally a disciple of Shu Sect, but given that his Master’s identity in the sect was peerless, his identity was thereby heightened as well. Thus, he was referred to as ‘Little Master.’ Though, in terms of age, he was merely in his twenties.

In the City Lord Manor, Gu Changge stayed in a courtyard, the environment of which was extremely tranquil and quiet. From the bridge above the river and the eaves of the pavilion, the splash of the spring water could be heard, emitting the utmost elegance.

In the next room, Princess Xuan Dea could be heard playing her zither. It was vivid and captivating, as if hundreds of birds were resonating. It was a relaxing atmosphere.

[It seems like that guy is looking for something.] Gu Changge used his divine sense to engulf the entire Ancient Mulberry City with it. Thus, he quickly discovered Lin En’s whereabouts.

After leaving City Lord Manor, Lin En turned into green smoke and moved around the city, as if he was looking for something, which piqued Gu Changge’s interest.

All of a sudden, Gu Changge furrowed his brows as he stared at a region in the city.

It was an exuberant, ancient forest, filled with abundant ancient mulberries and ancient pagoda trees, though most of them had wilted. The trees were all dried out as their trunks were nothing but hollow, yet they were still fighting to live, as though they were dragons living in their territory.

In the centre of the tree trunks, an anomaly seemed to be occurring as traces of Purple Qi leaked into the air. Amid the strange scene, a figure was emerging as thousands of beams of Sword Qi intertwined and bloomed. It was as if a Peerless Sword Immortal was cultivating there. The world was branded with his energy. After countless years, the energy seeped into the soil of the region.

“Amazing! I’ve finally found it!” Lin En’s body appeared amid the ancient mulberry forest with rare excitement on his face.

Although it had been thousands of years, he could still feel the peerless Sword Qi engraved unto the region. Even with just a trace left, he could still perceive how dominating it was. [The Peerless Sword Immortal definitely lived up to his name! I may be able to sense the Peerless Sword Immortal’s legacy if I cultivate here.]

At once, Lin En hesitated no longer as he cast a number of techniques to prevent any interruption, after which he progressed deeper into the mulberry forest before sitting down.

On the other hand, Gu Changge’s divine sense was constantly observing him, and when he saw the thrill on his face, he revealed a condescending look.

[Since you’re looking for a legacy, I shall grant it to you.] Letting out a chuckle, he used his vast divine sense to write out in an ancient language. More precisely, it wasn’t a language, but a divine will that seemed to have lived trillions of years till the present, as though it had pierced through the stars in the universe before resurfacing in this world.

“What?” Lin En’s divine sense was undoubtedly formidable, but as he was impacted by the shockwaves of the Dao Sounds from the divine will, his face blanched. He spilled some fresh blood from the corner of his mouth and his body was almost disintegrated.