This Is What a Villain Is Like

’He didn’t want the Immortal Phoenix True Blood in my body at all. He wanted all of me.’

"You’re a smart person. You know how to choose."

"However, I’ve never been a patient man," Jiang Lan said.

Ye Shiyin didn’t remain silent for long.

She truly didn’t want to die. Otherwise, why would a wisp of her Residual Soul have struggled for so many years in Luohuang Cave, just barely clinging to life?

And now, Jiang Lan wasn’t giving her any choice in the matter.

The next moment, she closed her eyes, letting go of all her vigilance and resistance.

Seeing how sensible she was, Jiang Lan nodded in satisfaction. A wave of blood rushed forward, splashing into a small, crimson flower between her brows before vanishing.

The sensation of being able to control Ye Shiyin’s life and death at any moment surfaced in Jiang Lan’s mind.

It was only now that his objective was finally complete.

In the private room, Ye Shiyin opened her eyes, her expression weary. Her hair was unbound, and her face was covered in sweat.

Although her life was now in Jiang Lan’s hands, she could indeed feel the long-lost aura of her cultivation.

Above her Spirit Sea, the phantom of the Divine Turtle opened its great maw. Surging, majestic Magical Power was returned in its entirety, beginning to nourish her somewhat desiccated Spirit Sea.

From the Void, dense Spiritual Energy swarmed in, coursing through her meridians, limbs, and entire body.

She took this opportunity to begin mending her injured Divine Soul.

Jiang Lan watched her recover from the side, but his mind was on other matters.

After subjugating Ye Shiyin, a great deal of Providence once again surged into his Mud Ball Palace. The color of the Destiny Dao Fruit deepened, and a few new, tender green leaves sprouted on the Ancient Vine, glistening as if about to drip with dew.

Although Ye Shiyin had not submitted willingly and still harbored resistance, it didn’t stop him from plundering a vast amount of Providence from her.

With a pawn like her, dealing with Xiao Teng and the National Master would be even easier.

"You and Xiao Teng should have a Communication Jade Talisman between you."

"Inform him that you’ve been rescued, so he won’t worry," Jiang Lan said, looking at Ye Shiyin.

Ye Shiyin opened her eyes, slightly perplexed, but she didn’t ask any questions. She took out a Communication Jade Talisman from her robes.

"And who should I say rescued me?" she asked.

"A faction called the Naxian Alliance," Jiang Lan said.

’Naxian Alliance?’

In all her years in the Imperial Capital, Ye Shiyin had never heard of such a faction.

But since Jiang Lan was telling her to say it, she was sensible enough not to press the matter.

As for what Jiang Lan was plotting, she didn’t care. Her life was in his hands, so she would just follow his orders and do as he said.

Ye Shiyin’s mentality shifted quickly. She soon contacted Xiao Teng through the Communication Jade Talisman and, following Jiang Lan’s instructions, told him about her situation.

She said that she had been drugged and abducted outside Jingyang City that day and taken to a very remote mountain villa. She was unharmed now and told him not to worry.

She added that the situation in Jingyang City was unclear, so he shouldn’t leak this information, and it wasn’t a good time for them to meet.

At the very end, she mentioned the mysterious faction, the Naxian Alliance.

Jiang Lan was quite satisfied with Ye Shiyin’s sensibility.

"You will stay here for the time being. If there are any orders, I’ll have Song Youwei inform you." Jiang Lan had no intention of staying any longer.

This pawn, Ye Shiyin, was crucial to his upcoming plans, and he had other things to do for now.

Hearing this, Ye Shiyin gave a perfunctory nod. Seeing he was about to leave, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

’To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever felt such immense pressure from someone. I need to sort through everything that happened tonight and take some time to recover.’

Song Youwei, who had been waiting in the courtyard outside the whole time, didn’t know what had transpired within and was sensible enough not to probe.

Only when Jiang Lan pushed the door open to leave did she rise from the pavilion to greet him. "My Lord..."

"In the coming days, find people from the Blood Immortal Sect and deliberately spread the news that Emperor Xia is a woman," Jiang Lan instructed her.

Song Youwei froze.

’Spread the news that the current Emperor Xia is a woman?’

"Yes, My Lord." She didn’t ask for the reason.

In fact, there had been plenty of such speculation in previous years, but as the current Emperor Xia’s power grew increasingly unfathomable, these rumors had died down.

’With the Royal Family’s Southern Hunting imminent, why would Jiang Lan deliberately have her spread such a rumor? What is his goal?’

’Besides, is it actually true that Emperor Xia is a woman, or is it false?’

’If it’s true, then things are about to get very interesting.’

...

「Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion.」

In a quiet and secluded courtyard.

A dejected and frustrated Xiao Teng sat alone, drinking cup after cup of wine. His face was etched with sorrow, and the constant pleading of a nearby maidservant had no effect.

Earlier that day, after learning from his father, Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, that the matter was a foregone conclusion and could not be changed, Xiao Teng had gone mad. He had rushed to the back mountain to vent his rage. Afterward, he returned to Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, went back to his courtyard, and had a maidservant bring him wine. He had been drinking alone from noon until nightfall.

He wasn’t strong enough to force his way into the Prime Minister’s Mansion, and his conscience wouldn’t allow him to drag Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion into the mess.

He could only hate his own weakness, hate Jiang Lan’s arrogant dominance, and hate that he couldn’t protect Xie Jianjia...

"What’s this...?"

Just then, however, Xiao Teng suddenly felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy from his chest.

He froze subconsciously, then realized it was the Communication Jade Talisman from Xie Jianjia. He always kept it close, terrified he would lose it and miss a message from her.

’But how could she suddenly be sending me a message right now?’