Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 420 - 263: Rivals in Love, Extremely Jealous

Chapter 420: Chapter 263: Rivals in Love, Extremely Jealous

Decisively denied.

Cen Zhuangzhuang’s legs went weak under the deathly stare, as he nervously swallowed. Who could provoke a mother tyrannosaur?

Yet, in the brief moment of their distraction, Yan Yurou stepped forward a few paces, instantly closing the distance!

One second, they were more than ten to twenty meters apart, and the next, she was right before them.

Compared to a few years ago, her Taixu Taoist Skill had reached a profound level of mastery; even the usually unflappable Cen Yueyue was filled with shock within her heart, caught completely off guard by that move.

If the information heard is true, this woman hasn’t been cultivating much longer than Jiang Feng, merely an extra year at most, yet to attain such a level of cultivation in such a remote and small place like Qingshui County, how does it house such hidden dragons and crouching tigers?

Taiyi True Man’s heritage is recognized as one of the world’s most difficult Daoist Skills to cultivate; just by looking at Yan Yurou’s casual stride, one can tell how dreadful this Daoist Skill can be when fully mastered, making it impossible to find an opponent of the same realm.

"You, you, let’s talk this through nicely."

Cen Zhuangzhuang immediately tensed and stepped in front of his cousin. He never forgot his mission, but instead, Miss Cen appeared indifferent, circling around them with Yan Yurou and even feeling a bit regretful because...

Acting first equates to admitting defeat, submitting, and breaking one’s defenses.

"Master Cen, do not be nervous."

Yan Yurou nonchalantly walked to their rear, intentionally or unintendedly blocking their way to find Jiang Feng.

"It’s just that Jiang Lang is handling family matters, and it would disturb his mood to be interrupted by outsiders."

At first listen, it seemed there was no problem, but on closer inspection, she directly categorized Cen Yueyue as an "outsider," who did not take offense but simply shook the pendant in her hand, effectively ignoring Yan Yurou blocking their way.

With her long hair lifted and a red thread clinging closely, the Dragon Tooth pendant was nestled tightly between her bosoms; Miss Cen was quite developed, a tiny detail many might miss, which was Cen Yueyue starting to stand tall and hold her breath as soon as she saw Yan Yurou.

Highlighting the gifted pendant as much as possible.

There’s something called the pitiful and boring pride of men, but correspondingly, women also have a pitiful and boring sense of competition.

"Jiang Lang, as a disciple of the Sword Immortal, is talented and handsome. It is natural that various sects have their eyes on him, so attracting some flies is reasonable."

Miss Cen clenched her fist subtly, scoffing inwardly at the woman’s indirect way of backhanding a compliment by referring to ’attracting flies’, but she held her tongue, curious about the commotion at Jiang Feng’s place.

Just after leaving, a disturbance occurred; she didn’t think much about it at the moment of falling in love, but later realized many anomalies with Jiang Feng, especially the word "intercept" which was unexpected, making her instantly realize that the Princess of Country Liang must have specially come for Jiang Feng.

"The current King Liang wishes to send his uniquely talented youngest daughter to study at Swordmaster Peak, as the Princess, blessed by the Sword Immortal from a young age, was eager to enter the Immortal Mountain."

"Unfortunately, the princess was not chosen by the Sword Immortal, not for lack of talent but because of her unique ’Five Thunders’ talent. The Sword Immortal believed she should study Daoist Skills instead of facing obstacles in the Sword Dao, hence he intended to take her to Purple Cloud Palace to be a disciple under another Peak Master."

"As everyone knows, Sword Immortal Mountain and the other Eight Peaks are incomparable. Crudely put, aside from Master Gu, perhaps no one else possesses the capabilities of a Sword Immortal; having her be another’s disciple would be a waste of her exceptional talents."

She nodded silently.

Ever since the loss of Liu Jian, Purple Cloud Palace has not exactly fallen into decline but indeed suffered great vitality loss, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for snitches to brazenly stab during the Grotto Heaven ceremony.

Now, Liu Tangxi has completely taken over her master’s mantle, whether in realm, strength, or status, she has not disgraced her teacher, acting chivalrously and leaving countless blessings in this world, especially her trip to the Demon Clan which made her renowned worldwide.

With the status and talent of Princess Country Liang, she would thrive in any sect, there’s absolutely no need to go thousands of miles away to Purple Cloud Palace, unless...

She could become a disciple directly under the Sword Immortal.

"With King Liang anxious, coincidentally learning the Sword Immortal has taken in a disciple, though calling each other siblings, it’s actually master and disciple, teaching on behalf of the master."

"Thus, the previous King Liang personally intervened, knowing that Jiang Lang was not yet married even stimulated the discussion further. If his granddaughter could marry into Sword Immortal Mountain, not to mention fulfilling an old man’s wish, it would also mean having a figure like Liu Xianzi as a backing."

"For the next few centuries at least, Country Liang will have no worries as the surrounding nations would have to tread carefully, treating them respectfully, trying all means to connect with Jiang Lang and Liu Xianzi and those aristocratic sects, mostly harboring such thoughts."

Hearing this, Cen Yueyue unavoidably furrowed her brows.

She hated family alliances the most. In the secular world, unlike the Cultivation World, the majority still follow parental arrangements for marriage matters since being born into royalty, anyone could be sacrificed for power.

Contrarily in the Immortal Sect, where cultivators, devoid of many concerns, solely rely on abilities; if you are a cultivator at the Mahayana Realm, guess if it’s the family listening to you or you listening to the family?

Just as she was about to speak, Yan Yurou seemed to discern Cen Yueyue’s thoughts.

"For King Liang, there is indeed no need to go to such lengths; the previous generation had old ties, and in real trouble, Liu Xianzi would presumably not stand idly by."

"Being both a father and a monarch, he naturally has many concerns, maybe some of which might affect his decisions, but I think, as a father, he would more likely hope his daughter achieves her wishes."

"Put yourself in his shoes, Chief Cen, how would you choose?"

A frown lifted.

Yue Yue naturally did not answer verbally, but she already had a response in her heart.

Whether it was her father inviting Liu Xianzi to their home without regard for the other village chiefs of the Southern Border during her childhood, or ignoring the news about Jiang Feng everywhere, if it were Yue Yue herself, her father would definitely do everything possible to fulfill his daughter’s wishes.

"Ah, I see."

Listening and nodding, Cen Zhuangzhuang adopted an earnest and studious demeanor. That’s just how he was, slightly clumsy but reasonable and polite toward others.

Yan Yurou spoke in a pleasant manner, not too rushed and well-paced; her tone was gentle, and key to it all, she had a strong ability to express herself. Even someone like Cen Zhuangzhuang, who would gaze at celestial scripts daily in school, could understand the backstory and result clearly.

Couldn’t help but interject.

"Hehe, Brother Jiang and my sister are alike, being attractive just brings more troubles, constantly being pressured by family members to go on arranged dates. These past years, the threshold of Cen Family Village has almost been worn down—lucky for me, I’ve never had anyone arrange a marriage for me."

The honest and straightforward strong man revealed a simple smile.

"..."

Even Yue Yue was speechless; how could her own cousin dare to say these words with pride?

Boom!

Birds and beasts scattered as more intense disturbances came from afar. Under normal circumstances, cultivators could perceive Spiritual Energy within about ten miles. Unless the disturbance was exceptionally large, that was the limit.

One could feel that the battle in the distance had escalated to an intense level; even from this distance, the uncontrollable Sword Qi and Spiritual Energy flying around were clearly discernible.

Yue Yue’s expression wasn’t looking good. Logically, with Jiang Feng’s ability, defeating a girl at the Foundation Establishment Peak should be like picking something up, but why was the battle so intense and yet undecided?

"Why would they start fighting then, isn’t entering the Sword Immortal Sect exactly what she wanted?"

Yue Yue cast a cold glance at Yan Yurou. The latter did not get angry but instead smiled charmingly, appearing more composed and indifferent than a few years ago, turning her head towards Jiang Feng’s direction.

Her lips slightly moved.

"Although the princess herself is delicate, her personality is stern and unbending. Those who cultivate the sword way tend to be like this, enduring decades of hard cultivation just to gain the favor of a Sword Immortal, aspiring to prove themselves before their admired person."

"Now, however, she must enter Immortal Mountain under the pretext of marriage. How could she accept that? By seeking out Jiang Lang on her own resolve, it is clear she harbors discontent."

"With Jiang Lang’s disposition, he naturally wouldn’t actually marry her, but using this as an opportunity to bring her to Purple Cloud Palace might be possible. Regardless of the outcome, it would probably be a disgrace for the princess."

"Unless she can win, proving the Sword Immortal’s judgment to be poor, but... Yurou never thought Jiang Lang would lose."

"Do the two of you still intend to interfere with family matters?"

Without saying a word, her eyes gleamed even colder.

If that was really the case, she indeed wouldn’t interfere. However, that also explained why Jiang Feng traveled this far to find the princess’s whereabouts—yet she wasn’t someone to be easily dismissed.

"So now you’re deliberately blocking us because you plan to intervene? We can’t intervene conveniently... perhaps you can?"

Very pressing.

Yue Yue was a woman with clear love and hate; she typically favored her loved ones over reason. What happened between the two didn’t concern her, nor did she care about the reasons behind the fallout with Jiang Feng.

All she knew was that her man had been wronged, nearly killed, and left with psychological trauma; hence, she wanted to vent for him.

It was that simple.

Her nose twitched slightly. Yan Yurou finally detected something unusual from the surrounding bamboo forest.

From the moment Yue Yue stepped into the bamboo forest, she was prepared. However, she hadn’t given it much thought as she was somewhat curious about this Southern Border Saintess.

Curious about what sort of person caught Jiang Feng’s interest.

"Miss Cen speaks too harshly. Yurou has just grown up with Jiang Lang, knowing his nature. He always likes to deal with intelligent people and naturally does not wish to be disturbed by inopportune individuals during such times."

"Oh? Then perhaps even more so we should go, considering the lessons from recent years. What should be done if we encounter treachery again?"

"Has Miss Cen ever heard the saying, ’Those not of our kin, surely harbor different intentions?’ Trusting a different kind but not your own people may lead to harsher consequences later. Moreover..."

She glanced at Yue Yue, especially noting her Central Plains attire showing no trace of a Southern Border identity.

"A wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf after all."