It's Hard for a Villain Character Not to Collapse - Chapter 3

Chapter - 3

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Xiao Jiuci first saw Qiao Han when he came down from the mountain to greet him.

Regarding the engagement arranged by the sect master since childhood, everyone was very envious of him because his fiancée was the inheritor of the Luoyan Profound Body.

The uniqueness of the Luoyan Profound Body must be explained from the dual cultivation path.

Dual cultivation is actually a double-edged sword. People without firm willpower can easily become addicted to the rapid increase in cultivation brought by dual cultivation or fall into emotional demons, thereby destroying their state of mind in cultivation. In lighter cases, dual cultivation progress stagnates in the end, while in severe cases, they fall into inner demons when breaking through realms and dying under heavenly lightning.

But the Luoyan Profound Body completely avoids these disadvantages. As long as both parties are willing, they can advance together, and when their minds unite, their cultivation levels can get similar, even facing tribulations together. It is said that the most recently ascended pair survived heavenly lightning together.

Therefore, in the cultivation world, everyone wants to covet it, but due to its uncontrollable nature, they can only agree on it harmoniously.

Naturally, securing such a marriage contract is something that makes people jealous. However, Xiao Jiuci did not feel much about it because, in his view, dual cultivation is not the proper path of cultivation; it seems somewhat opportunistic. If he could, he would prefer to ascend the immortal path with just a sword.

But his life was given by the sect master of the Qingyun Sect, so he naturally followed their arrangements.

In the first twenty years of Xiao Jiuci’s life, if he wasn't in seclusion cultivating, he was handling sect affairs or going out to train. Meanwhile, the inheritor of the Luoyan Profound Body from the Qiao family was not allowed to leave the house until they branded the marriage contract upon reaching adulthood.

Xiao Jiuci had no thoughts of romance, so he occasionally sent some ceremonial gifts to his fiancée and never visited.

The other party also never responded with a single word, so the two were basically strangers.

Until the wedding procession.

On that day, Xiao Jiuci, finding himself with some free time, went down the mountain early. The small town at the foot of their mountain was a place where immortals and mortals lived together. He would occasionally go down to check on the situation of the townspeople and the protective barrier around the outskirts.

Unexpectedly, the team welcoming Qiao Han arrived early and was resting here, waiting for someone to send word back to the sect to open the grand protective array.

When Xiao Jiuci saw the welcoming party, he naturally stepped forward to greet them and could then directly lead them into the sect.

Just then, Qiao Han descended from the immortal boat.

He was a striking youth dressed in red, with jet-black hair and snow-white skin, his lips as red as cherry blossoms and his teeth gleaming white. His entire appearance exuded nobility and elegance, clearly someone raised in luxury.

At first, Xiao Jiuci didn’t realize that the person in front of him was his fiancée, as the sect master had always referred to his intended spouse as a woman.

Qiao Han seemed to be surveying the town with an arrogant expression, chin raised, clearly showing disdain for his surroundings. Just at that moment, a little mortal girl from the town, holding a candied hawthorn stick, accidentally bumped into him. The candied hawthorn flew from her hand and hit Qiao Han's shoe.

Qiao Han’s expression instantly changed, turning vicious. He raised his foot, and a burst of flame shot out, not particularly strong but enough to seriously injure or even kill the little girl.

The people around were caught off guard by this sudden action. In the blink of an eye, a figure clad in blue appeared, swiftly scooping up the little girl and dodging the flames.

The flames, which belonged to the Qi Refining stage, quickly dissipated after not traveling far.

At this point, those responsible for welcoming Qiao Han immediately recognized the sect’s senior disciple and quickly bowed to greet him.

Xiao Jiuci gently put down the frightened, crying girl, then bought her another candied hawthorn stick. He didn’t leave until she stopped crying and smiled while thanking him, calling him “Big Brother Senior.”

When Xiao Jiuci turned back to look at Qiao Han, he found Qiao Han assessing him with a scrutinizing gaze, as if evaluating an object, making him feel uncomfortable.

“Oh, I was just startled and reacted instinctively; it wasn’t intentional. You must be Qingyun Sect’s senior disciple, Xiao Jiuci? My betrothed?” Qiao Han’s voice sounded cold and arrogant as he flashed the betrothal token in front of Xiao Jiuci. “Can we head up the mountain now? I’m exhausted.”

At that moment, Xiao Jiuci wasn’t sure what surprised him more—discovering that his fiancée was actually a young man, or the youth's behavior and demeanor.

After entering the sect, Qiao Han’s conduct was relatively restrained, though he was eager to proceed with imprinting the marriage contract as quickly as possible. The sect master, though embarrassed by the misunderstanding and feeling guilty toward Xiao Jiuci, didn’t dwell on it since Xiao Jiuci hadn’t voiced any objections, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly.

After settling Qiao Han on Wuding Peak where Xiao Jiuci resided, he received an urgent mission and had to leave immediately.

The next time they met was today.

Xiao Jiuci quietly withdrew his gaze and allowed Qiao Han to do as he pleased while he went to treat his wounds.

“Will it take long? How about I wait for you so we can return together?” Qiao Han asked directly.

Xiao Jiuci paused in his steps and turned to glance at Qiao Han. The young man was sitting on the bed in what could only be described as an obedient posture, watching him intently.

Although Qiao Han’s expression was serious, his eyes seemed glued to Xiao Jiuci, filled with expectation. His tone carried a hint of cautious closeness.

Xiao Jiuci's suspicions grew even stronger.

“Alright.”

【Host, your villain character…】 The system couldn’t hold back any longer.

Qiao Han: It’s fine, I didn’t break character. I’m just being polite. You didn’t give me the original body's memories, so I don’t even know how to get back! If I ask a stranger, wouldn’t that be even more suspicious? Besides, I still can’t fly on my sword yet. If I don’t follow the male lead, who am I supposed to follow? We’ve come here to heal together, splitting up would just be pretentious!

The system couldn't win the argument with Qiao Han and could only remind him:

【The male lead is skilled at reading people, highly observant, cautious, and meticulous... This isn't meant to be a compliment. Host, please stop looking so proud.】

Sensing the system’s slow breakdown, Qiao Han felt innocent—after all, it was the system that started this conversation.

You’re praising my idol right in front of me, how else am I supposed to react?

“Nineci’s little wife, was it lively up on Qingyun Peak earlier? Did they gang up to force you to cancel the engagement? Ah, I’m so mad I missed all the excitement... Hurry, tell me what happened.”

That shrill voice made Qiao Han shiver again, and being called “little wife” was like a direct blow.

Fists clenched, Qiao Han couldn’t stand it anymore and snapped, “Elder Mei, could you please stop calling me that? I. Am. NOT!”

Elder Mei, always quick on the uptake, immediately covered his mouth with both hands, looking as if he'd just heard some huge secret. His voice, full of gossip, grew even higher in pitch, “Could it be… Nineci is the little wife? Oh, young one, I didn’t see it before, but you’ve got ambition—planning to dominate Nineci, huh?”

Qiao Han almost spat out a mouthful of blood: No!!! Please stop talking!!! This is even worse than saying the male lead has a male Dao companion.

That’s Xiao Jiuci we’re talking about! He's always surrounded by beautiful women yet maintains the discipline of a monk. How could he possibly…

Even if the male lead ever decided to dual cultivate with a man, he’d definitely be the one on top!

Faced with Elder Mei's gossipy expression, Qiao Han swallowed his frustration and gritted his teeth, saying, "Neither."

"Oh, right, you two haven't even had your wedding ceremony yet. That kid is quite traditional," Elder Mei responded, laughing so hard he almost bent over. "He probably doesn’t even know anything yet! Heh heh heh."

Previously, Elder Mei hadn't interacted with Qiao Han much, only hearing about his reputation. But after this short encounter, he found the boy quite amusing. It wasn't that Qiao Han was immediately likable, but rather Elder Mei noticed that Qiao Han had a dual wood and fire spiritual root, with the wood element being particularly strong. However, it was clear he hadn't practiced cultivation at all, which was a real waste.

With proper cultivation, Qiao Han could have been an excellent candidate for a healer.

Qiao Han felt that if the conversation continued, he might actually end up feeling guilty. Quickly getting up, he expressed his gratitude and hurriedly left. Staying there seemed worse than going out and gathering some information.

Upon leaving the main hall of the peak, he cast his gaze outward. He could see Pu Xian Peak, cloaked in a thick aura of wood-based spiritual energy, resembling flowing auroras. The whole place was lush with greenery, flowers blooming, and verdant mountains and clear waters, making it seem like a paradise away from the world.

The plants grown on the peak were not ordinary flora but spiritual plants of varying grades. Qiao Han recalled that in the original novel, Xiao Jiuci had a good relationship with Mei Youjiu. Xiao Jiuci would often visit for treatment, and since Mei Youjiu loved rare spiritual plants, Xiao Jiuci would help transplant them from secret realms or dangerous places.

These spiritual plants had all sorts of unique forms and were extremely delicate, being planted in carefully tended spiritual fields, under the meticulous care of the healer cultivators of Pu Xian Peak.

Qiao Han felt an immense sense of comfort being here, likely due to the connection with his own spiritual roots.

The original body Qiao Han inherited was 18 years old, but only at the middle stage of the Qi Refining phase. Compared to others in the cultivation world with similar talent, he was considered a complete underachiever.

This wasn't solely because of his fear of hardship or reluctance to cultivate. The real problem lay in his poor choice of cultivation path. Despite having a powerful wood element and a weaker fire element, he had stubbornly chosen to cultivate the fire element. This decision likely stemmed from his personality—fire represents aggression, and it allowed him to burn people at the slightest disagreement.

However, now that Qiao Han had taken control of this body, he would cultivate according to his own methods. After all, in his previous life, he had been a doctor, and the healing properties of the wood element suited him perfectly. More importantly, his plan was simple: let the male lead handle the fighting while he would provide support. It was the perfect combination.

Since he had to wait, Qiao Han decided to sit under a spiritual tree and practice his techniques. Although the system hadn’t given him the original owner's memories, it had provided him with the basic knowledge of this world.

Discarding the previous cultivation foundation, Qiao Han began anew, relying on his wood element to draw spiritual energy into his body. He absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, and though he had expected it to be difficult, it turned out to be quite easy. He felt a heavy, sticky energy around him, much denser than air, and inhaling it was as simple as breathing in the fragrance of flowers.

What Qiao Han didn’t realize was that as soon as he began meditating, the peaceful spiritual fields around him became agitated.

Had anyone been watching, they would have been astonished to see the spiritual plants turning and leaning their stems and leaves in one direction, as if a group of tiny green spirits were curiously peeking at him. This kind of response could only be triggered by a wood element cultivator with exceptional talent.

Qiao Han gradually became aware of the presence of all the spiritual plants around him and could even hear the gentle rustling of the leaves from the spirit tree behind him.

A sense of affinity slowly formed as spiritual energy continuously flowed into Qiao Han's body, flushing through his meridians, making him feel increasingly light and comfortable, as if being cleansed from the inside out, and then nourished. The pale green spiritual energy began swirling around Qiao Han like a whirlwind, gradually becoming more intense…

Inside the hall, Elder Mei, who had been singing to the spiritual plants, suddenly paused, turned to look out the window, blinking his large eyes, and slowly curled his lips into a smile.

At that moment, two people walked in.

"Greetings, Elder Mei."

"Elder Mei, where is Senior Brother?"

The ones who had arrived were Jiang Suwei and Ou Zanrui.

"He’s at the Purification Array for group healing," Elder Mei replied.

Sometimes, when the sect’s teams went on missions, they could encounter the same type of attack. During such times, a formation would be set up with the help of medical cultivators to collectively heal certain specific injuries.

This time, the team had encountered the poison mist of a Bone Ape. Everyone had been poisoned, so they needed to enter the array designed to neutralize Bone Ape poison. After that, additional treatment would be provided as needed.

"What? Did Senior Brother get hurt on this mission too? Is it serious?" Jiang Suwei immediately grew worried, her eyes reddening.

Elder Mei replied, "Internal injuries and poisoning. As long as treatment isn’t delayed, he’ll be fine by today, so don’t worry, Xiaowei."

"Hmph, how can Senior Brother neglect his injuries and still worry about others? If Senior Brother’s condition worsens, it’ll be Qiao Han’s fault for delaying the treatment…" Ou Zanrui said, displeased.

"Ah? Weren't you the ones who took him away first, forcing Jiuci to go save him?" Elder Mei exclaimed in surprise.

Ou Zanrui was momentarily speechless, her anger flaring up instantly. "Of course, it’s Qiao Han’s fault. Elder Mei, if you don’t know, don’t speak recklessly."

"Indeed, I don’t know," Elder Mei said innocently.

"Alright, Rui Rui, stop it. Senior Brother has already admitted it; if we keep this up, Senior Brother will be unhappy," Jiang Suwei urged, trying to calm Ou Zanrui, but tears were brimming in her eyes.

Ou Zanrui spoke sternly, "What’s there to admit? He’s not worthy! He’s a man with poor cultivation, and no matter how many innate advantages the heavens give him, it’s useless. I see him as lacking understanding, completely worlds apart from Senior Brother. If we’re talking about worthiness, you—"

Jiang Suwei quickly interjected, "Ah! Let’s hurry and see Senior Brother!"

Ou Zanrui, having no other choice, had to follow.

Just as the two were about to take their leave, a sudden fluctuation of spiritual energy occurred. It wasn’t the kind of intense wave that would draw attention, likely just a young disciple advancing.

Ou Zanrui didn’t care, but Jiang Suwei, who had dual water and wood spiritual roots, stopped in surprise.

"Elder Mei, has Puxian Peak recently accepted a wood element single spiritual root genius? Why haven’t I heard about it?” Jiang Suwei asked with some surprise.

"What’s wrong? Are you being silly, Suwei? Qingyun Sect’s next recruitment is in a month. Where would a new disciple come from?” Ou Zanrui immediately dismissed the idea.

Jiang Suwei furrowed her delicate brows and said, “But the fluctuation just now contained extremely pure wood elemental spiritual energy. I’ve only ever felt it when a wood element single spiritual root genius advances. It’s not something an ordinary person can achieve. But just now, it was… the Qi Refining stage?”

Elder Mei glanced at the sky, holding back a laugh. “Maybe, perhaps, probably some fool with no understanding of cultivation.”

They spoke of geniuses, while Elder Mei mentioned fools. The statements were completely mismatched, so they assumed he was joking.

“Stop thinking about it. It might be a disciple from the Wanren Sect. Weren’t a few of them injured and brought here for treatment?”

Jiang Suwei thought for a moment and agreed, then held Ou Zanrui’s arm and left together.

...

"Eh? Why are there so many fallen leaves here? Didn’t the junior disciples clean up?”

"Don’t worry about it, I’m exhausted. Let’s sit down and rest.”

"Sigh, did you hear what the others were saying earlier while we were maintaining the formation? Senior Brother is amazing!”

"Of course! No one can compare to our Senior Brother. Among his peers, who dares to compete?”

Huh? This familiar tone of admiration for the male lead?

Qiao Han jolted awake. The scattered sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, gently falling on his face. He wasn’t sure where he was, but it seemed like he had fallen asleep. His whole body felt relaxed and comfortable, and he didn’t want to move.

Since he didn’t want to move, he decided to just stay there and listen to others praise his beloved male lead.

The two seemed to be talking about the urgent mission Xiao Jiuci had gone down the mountain to handle earlier.

Wasn’t this mission barely mentioned in the book?

Qiao Han suddenly became excited.

As a reader and fan, he was thoroughly familiar with the plot within the established framework, but anything beyond that was merely a fantasy. And now, he was getting to hear a detailed version?

It’s so great to be in the novel!

He was almost ready to grab a recorder and notebook to take notes.

The two disciples, unaware of the slight movement under the pile of leaves behind them, continued their discussion enthusiastically.

It was said that right after Xiao Jiuci had greeted his Dao companion, he received an urgent message. The western region had been overrun by a rampaging demonic beast, which had already attacked three villages.

The stationed cultivators urgently sought aid from the Qingyun Sect, but the message they sent back was inaccurate.

The attacking beast was a White Bone Ape, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Xuan level. Generally, a demonic beast of this level would require a Nascent Soul cultivator to deal with it, or a team of Golden Core cultivators to barely suppress it.

However, due to the miscommunication, Xiao Jiuci led his junior brothers and sisters on the mission. Except for Xiao Jiuci, who was at the mid-Golden Core stage, the others were only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

With that level of strength, it was like delivering themselves as food to the White Bone Ape.

When Xiao Jiuci and his team entered the demonic domain the White Bone Ape had created, they encountered trapped disciples from the Wanren Sect and immediately realized something was wrong because all those injured cultivators were at the Golden Core stage.

With comrades of insufficient strength and fellow Daoists in danger, along with unconscious civilians who had yet to be devoured below, Xiao Jiuci had no choice but to organize his team into a defensive formation to protect everyone while formulating a plan.

But how could the White Bone Ape let them go? After continuous attacks, Xiao Jiuci keenly observed that the White Bone Ape was actually injured. Targeting its wounds, Xiao Jiuci quickly devised an attack strategy, and after a long, grueling battle, they finally wore down and killed an enemy several times stronger than them.

Though the story could be told in just a few words, the life-and-death dangers and thrilling moments behind it were palpable.

The excitement was so great that the disciples, even after returning from their perilous adventure and receiving treatment, couldn’t stop reminiscing and recounting the event.

It showed how proud they were to have taken down such a fierce demonic beast under Xiao Jiuci’s leadership.

Qiao Han was practically moved to tears. He wished he could have been there in person, to witness how his male lead fought against a powerful enemy beyond his level.

He could almost picture Xiao Jiuci standing in front of everyone, sword in hand, brilliantly strategizing and fighting the White Bone Ape. How majestic and confident he must have looked.

“This will definitely rank among the top actions in the cultivation world. It’s such an honor to talk about it. Ah, this kind of miracle could only be achieved by Senior Brother.”

Qiao Han nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“They’re really lucky to have followed the senior brother. If it weren’t for him, where would they get such fortune? Not only did they keep their lives, but the experience will also surely benefit their future breakthroughs in cultivation.”

Qiao Han smiled widely.

“Speaking of luck, who could be luckier than that Young Master Qiao? To actually become the senior brother's Dao companion... I heard that as soon as the senior brother returned, even before treating his own injuries, he rushed out to rescue him.”

Qiao Han: ... Hey, hey, hey! The conversation was going well, why spoil the mood like that?!

His body twitched slightly from excitement, which caused the two gossiping disciples to finally notice something was off behind them.

Suspiciously, they turned around, only to see a pale, slender hand suddenly emerge from a pile of fallen leaves.

“Ahhhhhhh!” They both screamed in unison.

Qiao Han quickly sat up, which only made them scream louder, their voices echoing through the spiritual field.

In the past, the senior brothers and sisters had warned them that some spiritual plants grow over buried corpses. They used to think it was just a scare tactic, but now... could this be proof?

Qiao Han had no idea how he ended up being covered by leaves while napping under a spiritual tree. As he started brushing the leaves off his face, trying to explain, a woman's voice suddenly called from afar, “What’s happening here?!”

Soon, two women approached quickly, flying towards them. It was none other than Jiang Suwei and Ou Zanrui, who had been on their way to the Purification Array.

Thinking something was wrong, they immediately unsheathed their swords and attacked the strange figure sitting among the leaves.

Jiang Suwei quickly withdrew her sword once she recognized Qiao Han, but Ou Zanrui, seeing Qiao Han’s face, only increased her sword’s power, enhancing it with spiritual energy to double its attack force.

Ou Zanrui was at the Foundation Establishment stage, so Qiao Han couldn’t possibly be a match for her. Not wanting to suffer unnecessarily, he was already planning how to dodge when the two disciples who had screamed earlier stepped in front of him.

“Senior Sister Ou, please stop! You’ll damage the spiritual plants!”

For the cultivators of Puxian Peak, the spiritual plants were their lifeblood. Some of these plants had taken decades, if not centuries, to grow, and damaging them was strictly forbidden unless a proper barrier was set up. Realizing they had caused an embarrassing misunderstanding, the two disciples tried to smooth things over, recognizing Qiao Han.

Ou Zanrui had no choice but to stop her attack, landing on the ground as Jiang Suwei held her back.

Qiao Han breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and patted the leaves off his clothes. When he noticed Ou Zanrui glaring at him resentfully, he felt speechless.

“So it was you,” Ou Zanrui said, her tone unfriendly. “What are you doing here?”

Qiao Han’s lip twitched. She clearly recognized him before she tried to strike him down with a stronger attack!

“Listening to stories.”

“What?”

“Listening to Xiao Jiuci’s heroic tales.”

The two junior medical disciples immediately felt awkward, realizing they had been gossiping about others behind their backs.

Jiang Suwei’s expression soured, and she instinctively leaned against Ou Zanrui for support. Feeling her weight, Ou Zanrui’s mood lifted instantly, and her hostility toward Qiao Han surged.

“Let me ask you, even after the truth came out, are you really not going to call off the engagement? Don’t think just because our senior brother is kind, he’s easy to bully. Just because he doesn’t want to stoop to your level doesn’t mean we won’t stand up for him. The entire sect will fight for his honor, and we won’t let someone like you remain his Dao companion!”

After finishing her rant, Ou Zanrui stood with her chest puffed out as if shielding her senior brother from an imminent threat.

The medical disciples felt awkward as if they had accidentally become bystanders to a huge scandal. Honestly, while Senior Sister Ou’s words were harsh, they voiced the feelings of many in the sect.

Their senior brother was so outstanding that even celestial beings could match with him. To them, Young Master Qiao was simply unworthy. They felt frustrated on behalf of their senior brother, thinking that he was bound by duty and righteousness.

Qiao Han observed their expressions and reflected on her words. While he internally agreed, he lifted his eyes, his expression cold and proud as he said, “And who are you? How does this concern you?  Why don’t you focus on your own cultivation instead!”

The system buzzed with excitement, 【Host, you finally followed my advice!】

Qiao Han: It’s nothing, just staying in character as the villain. I won’t break the role.

System: 【It seems you’re well-prepared then.】

Qiao Han:?

Before he could ask more, Ou Zanrui’s face contorted with rage, and she drew her sword again, ready to strike.

Qiao Han quickly stepped back, avoiding her with lightning-fast reflexes.

The two medical disciples scrambled to hold Ou Zanrui back, while Jiang Suwei weakly called out her name, looking anxious and flustered.

Amid the chaos, the sky to the west suddenly darkened, and spiritual light burst forth, indicating a battle was taking place.

“Ah! It’s the Purification Array! The disciples of the Wanren Sect must be causing trouble again. They had a small skirmish earlier,” one of the medical disciples said.

“Look, that’s ice-element spiritual light! Senior Brother Xiao has joined the fight!” Jiang Suwei exclaimed as she quickly grabbed Ou Zanrui, flying towards the Purification Array.

Hearing that a fight was breaking out, Qiao Han got so excited that he pulled up his pants, ready to rush over and watch his hero in action.

Just then, a sudden ‘ding’ echoed in his mind.

【Character Mission Released: Villain Qiao Han must cause trouble, act arrogant, and escalate the conflict between Wanren Sect and Qingyun Sect. Stir up resentment to increase the male lead’s hatred points. Countdown: 10 minutes. Failure to act will result in the system taking control of your body to execute the mission.】

Qiao Han: ??!!!

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