Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 415 - 260: Inferior Reverse Psychology

The tea cup in his hand remained motionless.

He pretended to drink nonchalantly, tasting only the bitter and firm tea leaves, yet his tone was determinedly firm, adamant not to engage in a fight.

Who bullies children?

Jiang Feng knew this girl must have felt aggrieved to come seeking him alone—Liu Tangxi held a special significance for Liang Yu. Not only was she a life-saving benefactor, but she was also a mentor in her cultivation journey, an idol in her heart.

Or perhaps the person she most aspired to and wished to become.

Her senior sister wandered the martial world all year round, disregarding power, ignoring origins, asking for nothing in return, and had traveled through the society for a century. How many blessings had she left behind?

Countless.

Wherever he went, he could hear tales of the Sword Immortal, most of which involved his senior sister saving mankind single-handedly, slaying demons, quelling wars, suppressing dragons, and obliterating evil spirits.

Put it this way, Liang Yu was what he would have become had his senior sister not taken him under her wing.

Both benefitted from the blessings of the Sword Immortal and both had great talents; perhaps the only difference was the gap in their statuses.

Had his mentor not chosen to take him, he would probably be like Liang Yu, spending his entire life yearning to meet the person who had saved him, wishing to follow her steps, and seeking mentorship under her household.

Thus, he could completely understand Liang Yu’s persistence; this girl wanted to ascend the mountain, to enter the Immortal Sect, proving herself with her own strength, rather than through so-called nepotism.

For her, joining Swordmaster Peak through nepotism was a disgrace, a humiliation, a denial of her years of hard cultivation; most importantly, the one denying her was not the Sword Immortal.

It was her own family.

Her family wanted to force her into this path, which explains why Princess Yu would vanish mysteriously, only to later appear before Jiang Feng.

"Why do you persist, Your Highness? The boundless sea of suffering turns into salvation upon reversal. I understand the grievance in your heart, but Swordmaster Peak has its own rules..."

"Young Master Jiang, can you let go?"

She spoke lightly, cutting him off.

Their gazes met once again, despite the fact that the young lady in front of him was only sixteen by nominal age, and had not even held her coming-of-age ceremony, Jiang Feng felt an unprecedented terrifying pressure.

Her lips slightly closed, she chose not to use the most brutal method, which would be to force Jiang Feng to retaliate with a single sword strike; she was confident of that.

But she had not forgotten, she was a princess of a nation, though not as maternal as her own mother, she represented the face of the nation, and she would not resort to such disgraceful methods.

Yet...

"Three years ago, at the border of Liang, Long, and Yue countries, masters fought; the battle lines stretched from southeast to northwest, covering six hundred miles, continuing day and night. It was reported that there were Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation stage masters."

Jiang Feng’s smile faded instantly!

Clearly, the Princess had come prepared, or perhaps once she knew her family had arranged her marriage with Jiang Feng, she had started investigating him thoroughly.

Two years was not a long time, at least not in the cultivation world; moreover, the incident had caused quite a stir along the borders of the Country Liang then, especially as many had felt the intense fluctuations of spiritual energy, prompting the dispatch of masters to investigate.

Her slender fingers tensed, originally Liang Yu thought mentioning this would immediately enrage him.

Seems she was overthinking.

Due to her background, Liang Yu, whether in actions or encounters, always expected the worst; many uninformed people here would probably think that the Princess was being unreasonable. Despite being a successor to the royal family, she refused to follow her family’s arrangement and ran away from home.

But who would choose such an extreme method if not compelled?

"This matter occurred on the borders of the Country Liang, although not internally, it disturbed many people’s peace. Divinity Transformation stage masters are already rare, and each of them is well-known."

"But the investigation results were really surprising; it turned out to be a Nascent Soul stage master chasing a Middle Grade Core Formation and a just-Foundation Established young cultivator. The three fought for a whole day, neither gaining the upper hand."

Princess Yu revealed a signature serene and graceful smile, her eyes showing a bit of admiration because the royal family’s first reaction to such reports was to try and attract these individuals.

Unfortunately, the masters the royal family sent arrived only to find a Purple Cloud Palace disciple.

And that disciple was a woman who never left her lute behind.

"These few individuals are all talented youths. The royal family investigated only to attract them, but unfortunately, they discovered that this group were all disciples of the Purple Cloud Palace."

"The only one who wasn’t a disciple of the Purple Cloud Palace carried a Gu Worm and wore a Silver Ring, and we later tried to intercept that lady to inquire clearly, but were shocked upon meeting her."

"A Middle Grade Core Formation cultivator, only eighteen years old, I have never heard of such a thing before; throughout the entire Country Liang, no one can compare, and only later did we learn that she was the newly appointed Saintess of the Southern Border, the young miss of the Cen Family Village, Cen Yueyue."

Her tone casual and nonchalant, for Liang Yu these supposed secrets were nothing; she could investigate everything if she wished, but the man sipping tea had his expression growing darker.

Because it meant his privacy, all his issues had been turned inside out by this woman, but given her royal status, finding out anything wasn’t difficult.

His eyebrows twitched.

"My senior sister sent me to the Country Liang to fetch you back to Swordmaster Peak."