Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 265 - 180: Accidentally Discovered Affair

Chapter 265: Chapter 180: Accidentally Discovered Affair

The next day.

Early morning.

Inside the room.

The young man had his eyes tightly shut, appearing to be in a deep slumber.

The room’s decor was not luxurious, but from the various delicate ornaments and paintings, it was evident that the owner had good taste and quite a refined aesthetic.

A faint fragrance continuously wafted into his nostrils; the youth’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if he saw something terrifying in his dreams.

"Don’t, stop..."

"Don’t come closer, if you do, I won’t be polite! Stay back!"

"Ahhhh! I’ll never dare to marry an eighteen-year-old again!"

His eyes suddenly snapped open.

Countless images that flashed through his mind made Jiang Feng leap up from his nightmare, his face filled with unsettled fear, making a woman, who was sitting beside the bed rummaging around, freeze momentarily.

Is it really that exaggerated?

Liu Xianzi fell into thought.

She knew that the three months had left quite a psychological shadow on Jiang Feng, but she hadn’t expected it to reach this extent.

Or did her sword strike yesterday trigger some unpleasant memories?

"Senior sister, why are you here?"

He relaxed.

Touching himself, he realized nothing was chopped into mince as in his dreams. But upon clearly seeing the woman’s actions in front of him, his entire being sobered up as if splashed with cold water.

He even shivered.

"I’m not fully awake yet?"

He rubbed his eyes.

But Liu Tangxi’s movements didn’t stop.

She continued sitting beside the bed, lifting the covers, her delicate and boneless hands roaming from his shin upwards, almost reaching his upper thigh and the youth quickly clenched her hand!

"Senior sister, you you you..."

Honestly, since meeting Liu Tangxi, he never had any improper thoughts about this fairy, at least he never fantasized about his senior sister.

But he quickly realized what his senior sister was doing and had an epiphany.

"I get it, senior sister, you must be pressured by another marriage proposal, right? But no matter how urgent, you can’t resort to your junior brother. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll go with you to matchmaking, okay? I’ll definitely find someone to your liking."

Her expression twitched coldly, and her arms trembled slightly.

Probably the only person in the world who could make Liu Tangxi’s hands tremble with anger was this young man in front of her.

Really, should I take this kid to Yuzhu Peak for a lesson in rhythm?

There’s no need for any instruments as magic treasures, just a loudspeaker would do, rant while playing rhythms; this might also pave a grand path.

In an instant, Liu Tangxi entertained an unrealistic thought in her mind, the fingers that reached near the upper thigh suddenly exerted force, plunging half a finger deep into the Zu Wu acupuncture point, nearly making the youth’s eyeballs pop out, his heart skipping a beat!

"Hiss!"

There, quiet now, no more complaints.

Wish it was like this from the start.

She glanced at the wound on Jiang Feng’s left arm, the recovery looked quite good, the wound had already crusted over revealing fresh, white skin beneath. She remembered she hadn’t used any medication yesterday, relying solely on self-healing.

Yesterday she had brought Jiang Feng and Lin Jiangxian back home, directly carrying both to a room to rest, which was a place she had prepared long ago.

She could naturally tell that both were very exhausted, after a continual fierce fighting for a month in the mountains, and also having spent several months on the road beforehand, it was impossible to truly rest at night; instead, they replaced sleep with cultivation practice.

Perhaps it wouldn’t impact them short term, but over a long duration, even Cultivators couldn’t bear it, even Lin Jiangxian had fallen asleep halfway on their return to Swordmaster Peak.

"Let go."

The emotionless voice made the young man immediately widen his legs, posing as if willing to be played with in any manner, revealing eight white teeth to demonstrate his loyalty.

"Hmph."

Liu Tangxi was just that kind of person, doing things without bothering to explain, continued upwards, each time her hands would linger on an acupuncture point, pressing lightly, not missing a single one.

This scene inevitably made Jiang Feng feel embarrassed, not the embarrassment between a man and a woman, but akin to... the awkwardness of a parent examining their child’s body.

Her fingers moved forward, pausing at each acupuncture point from bottom to top, from foot to head, occasionally, her fingers would exert a little more pressure on an acupuncture point, causing him to grimace in pain, but Jiang Feng dared not move at all.

He knew his senior sister was checking his body.

After all, the two had been apart for three months; it was normal for him to have sustained internal injuries from several life-threatening battles. Soon, his senior sister’s hand moved away from the top of his head.

The first words she said made Jiang Feng shrink his neck.

"What exactly have you been eating recently?"

A slight frown creased Liu Tangxi’s brow, clearly showing her displeasure. Yet, the number of people who could stir her emotions was extremely limited, and her concern was more than evident in her gaze.

Someone just gave an awkward smile, knowing full well that he had been somewhat reckless, but... when you’re in society, sometimes you can’t help it.

"Still able to laugh, truly the ignorance of the fearless."

She raised a hand.

Picking up a plain and unadorned wooden sword, she swung it right on the boy’s head!

This time, Jiang Feng did not have a sword by his side to block it like yesterday.

Thud—

The force was light.

It was just a slight bump on the head, enough to show the boy’s helpless expression. Every time he made a mistake, or something wasn’t done right, or if he annoyed his senior sister, he would be reprimanded like this.

To say it hurt would be an overstatement; it did not feel like much. The real issue was the nature of the scolding, which resembled how one would discipline a child, making it slightly uncomfortable for him, but Liu Tangxi’s voice remained stern.

"Now, the meridians, corners, and acupoints in your body are all filled with residual dregs from medicines, which greatly exceed what your current physique can handle. If I am not wrong, these substances should be elixirs intended for those at the Core Formation Stage or for those who practice Body Cultivation with extremely strong physiques."

"It seems like they have been metabolized, but that’s just digestion; the medicinal properties have not dispersed. There are too many accumulated residues flooding your meridians. You might feel fine now, but once they start to congest, it will disrupt the flow of your cultivation technique."

"Spiritual energy is obstructed by the accumulated medicinal effects. What do you think will be the consequence if you run your cultivation technique at full force?"

A shiver went through his heart, almost breaking out in cold sweat.

Without a doubt, what his senior sister described was falling into devilment when Spiritual Energy cannot pass through the current meridian—either forcefully breaking through, causing damage to his own meridians, or reverting back the way it came.

It was only his good fortune now, coupled with the fact that although there was accumulation, it had not yet caused a blockage, so he had not encountered such situations.

Liu Tangxi’s experience was exceedingly vast; just a touch of her finger could determine the grade of the medicine, and she was not wrong in the slightest.

These three Scarlet Pills were originally prepared for the two children from the Cen Family Village; initially, there were five, but two had been consumed during their travels and cultivation.

For Cen Yueyue and Cen Zhuangzhuang, metabolizing the pills wasn’t an issue, but in Jiang Feng’s hands, it was somewhat problematic.

The first pill was somewhat manageable; although difficult to metabolize, he managed to digest almost half of its medicinal effect by relying on the tremendous pressure from his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, and the rest, even if accumulated, could slowly be processed over time.

Even Cen Yueyue thought so. With Jiang Feng’s realm, consuming one to break through the Foundation Establishment, then taking the next two around the mid-grade Foundation Establishment, and finally using the last one as a boost during the Core Formation.

How should it be said... the plan was beautiful, but reality was harsh.

Who knew they would be pursued by a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage, who knew Jiang Feng would, against all odds, consume another pill to exhaust all his potential and gamble with his life!

Even he and his younger cousin had to wait at least two months between doses for full metabolization—if it weren’t for being in the midst of battle and Jiang Feng continuously transforming the Scarlet Pill’s potency into Spiritual Energy to force out of his body, he would probably be six feet under by now.

Sitting upright on the bed edge, letting his senior sister’s slender fingers rest directly on his neck.

At this moment, Liu Xianzi, who usually commanded immense respect outdoors, seemed more like an experienced traditional doctor examining a patient. Though her expression was indifferently calm, her eyes subtly revealed a hint of satisfaction.

There were many hidden dangers, but his improvement was significant.

"Over these past few months, your cultivation has soared rapidly, and your realm still seems stable. Thanks to all these substances you’ve consumed, but this too is part of your fortune."

"The medicinal power is fierce, like a blazing fire. This pill uses Scarlet Flames to purge the body and burn off impurities, and you just happened to be at the border of Fengzhou and the Southern Border, which likely fits the requirements—it must be the Scarlet Pill, right?"

"Considering the remaining medicinal power, you must have been consuming it for over two months; to still have such potent effects left behind, the grade must be quite high. You really are fortunate."

"And there’s also something interesting within you... Xu Huoyao."

In the instant this name was mentioned, Jiang Feng nearly bit through his own tongue!

Looking at his senior sister, he initially wanted to ask if it was Yu Ying, that crazy woman, who had leaked the information, but dismissed the idea immediately.

With his senior sister’s character, she wouldn’t, and would not bother, to ask.

"What, suspecting that kid Yu Ying of snitching?"

Her tone softened slightly.

She was very serious when instructing her disciple in cultivation, as at times, an unexpected opportunity might plunge him into an abyss of irreparable calamity.

But if the topic wasn’t about cultivation, her tone would become much gentler.

"Cough, no, absolutely not. Senior sister, your wisdom is truly admirable, able to discern through everything."

Ignoring Jiang Feng’s flattery, Liu Xianzi simply stood up from the bedside, signaling him to get up as well, and then continued at a leisurely pace, "I’ve encountered both of these substances before."

"Xu Huoyao and the Scarlet Pill likely both come from the Cen Family Village in the Southern Border. Their family has slight connections with me. Just because the Central Plains and the Southern Border are opposed doesn’t mean there’s direct conflict between the internal forces."

"That Village Chief of the Cen Family married Cloud Fairy, one of the Three Palaces in our Central Plains. Cloud Fairy and our Master refer to each other as siblings; naturally, she is our elder. Next time there’s a chance to visit the Southern Border, a visit should be in order."

Nodding.

It felt just like when you clamor about needing to visit someone during the New Year—as long as you ask, it’s like asking what relation they are to our family, how they came to your birth and had wine and held you as a child.

But just then, the conversation took a sudden turn.

"Speaking of the Cen Family because there’s a familiar aura on you, this pill and Xu Huoyao reminded me of someone, named..."

"Cen Yueyue."

The young man’s legs went weak, and he fell face forward!