It's Hard for a Villain Character Not to Collapse - Chapter 2

 Chapter - 2

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The figure wrapped in azure-blue disciple robes was tall and slender, standing at an impressive height of seven feet. His shoulders were broad and defined, and his waist was cinched by a two-layer belt that accentuated his elegant waistline. Just standing there, his posture was clear and graceful, embodying the epitome of a celestial being.

In the grand hall, everyone except Lady Jiang, regardless of their seniority compared to Xiao Jiuci, straightened their postures slightly, trying to project their celestial aura. It wasn’t that Xiao Jiuci, the senior disciple, was particularly strict with others, but rather, he was like a shining light. Bathing in his radiance, no one wanted to appear inferior.

Qiao Han looked down and noticed that the hand supporting him hadn’t actually touched him but seemed to hover, separated by a layer of air.

That hand was long, clean, and well-defined, with clear knuckles and a faintly visible vein on the back, radiating strength. However, the mole on the second joint of the index finger added a hint of fragile beauty.

Just as the novels described, even a single hand was a dream come true for all hand enthusiasts.

As the invisible force lifted him up, Qiao Han's gaze followed. He saw a jade crown holding up jet-black hair, the ends of which draped smoothly like black satin, neat and sharp.

As expected of his male protagonist—even his hair seemed to glow.

Qiao Han's excitement grew, like a fan about to meet their idol.

Then Qiao Han forgot to breathe.

His face was like white jade, his eyes bright like stars, and his features sharp and distinct. His face was clean and clear, and his well-defined facial features exuded masculine charm. Whether taken individually or as a whole, they were indescribably attractive. His handsomeness and heroic spirit combination resembled an ancient god’s finely carved divine artifact, perfect without a single flaw.

Qiao Han thought that the model-like faces of this world were nothing compared to this. Even a straight man like him felt his breath catch and his mind go blank, so much so that he had the urge to shout, "Husband!" on impulse.

This was Xiao Jiuci, the male protagonist.

Qiao Han's eyes widened, and he felt that the figure before him was glowing, nearly bringing tears to his eyes with emotion.

His beloved paper character had come to life, even better than he had imagined. He was at peace; his life was complete.

On the other hand, Xiao Jiuci didn’t seem to notice Qiao Han's dazed state. After helping him up, he turned to Lady Jiang and saluted, his every movement calm and respectful.

Lady Jiang frowned slightly, sensing an ominous feeling. "Ci'er, what do you mean by this?"

"I heard about this matter upon returning," Xiao Jiuci said, his usual calm and elegant demeanor now replaced with rare sternness.

"You were wronged in this situation. Don’t worry. The Sect Leader and your master are in seclusion, so I, as your elder, will take responsibility and make sure that the deceiver doesn’t become your Dao companion," Lady Jiang declared directly.

"I have not been wronged, and this matter cannot be handled that way," Xiao Jiuci responded without hesitation. "Qiao Gongzi and I have already bonded in a marriage contract. Even if we haven’t gone through the ceremony, we are already Dao companions. He should not be interrogated like this."

"What did you say?!" Lady Jiang, known for her temper, immediately grew agitated upon hearing his words.

The others were equally shocked, and the hall quickly filled with noise.

"Senior Brother, do you really plan to marry Qiao Gongzi?"

"Senior Brother, what are you thinking? He came in someone else's place. Your original fiancée should have been his sister, Qiao Wan. Not only did he deceive you, but he’s also a man! You don’t even like men, so why are you still defending him?"

Qiao Han suddenly snapped back to reality and looked up.

The grand, golden hall was filled with people. At the center, seated in a purple elder’s robe adorned with the highest-grade protection talismans, her hair in a formal updo, was none other than the Sect Leader’s wife, Lady Jiang, who had watched Xiao Jiuci grow up.

The two girls speaking stood beside Lady Jiang. Their identities were easy to discern—one was the Sect Leader’s daughter, Jiang Suwei, her eyes red and swollen like a little rabbit, while the other was Jiang Suwei’s close friend, Ou Zanrui, glaring at Qiao Han with fiery eyes.

The cause of this incident was, naturally, a matter of a girl’s heart.

When the Sect Leader initially arranged Xiao Jiuci's marriage, neither he nor his wife saw it as a problem.

Later, however, when they had a daughter and Xiao Jiuci became the top young talent in the cultivation world, their daughter developed feelings for him. Naturally, they didn’t want to let such an opportunity slip away.

However, a big sect had to maintain face, and the marriage agreement couldn’t be broken. When the time came, they reluctantly accepted Xiao Jiuci’s fiancée.

But to their shock, the one sent over was a lowly, ill-mannered man with little cultivation.

This only made Jiang Suwei, who was already upset, feel even more wronged, crying every day. Finally, Ou Zanrui couldn’t stand it anymore, so she investigated the matter to find something incriminating to chase the rival away. When she discovered something suspicious, she immediately sought Lady Jiang’s help.

Lady Jiang, upon hearing the news, became agitated and sent people to arrest Qiao Han. With her husband in seclusion, the sect’s affairs fell to her, and she was determined to create an opportunity for her daughter.

But what she didn’t expect was that the obstacle would come from the supposed victim.

Lady Jiang's expression darkened. "Do you know that he was originally engaged to the Qin family’s son? After an accident, he broke off the engagement and took over his sister’s marriage with you."

As soon as she said this, disdainful looks immediately came from those around them.

But Qiao Han hadn't fully gotten into character yet, so he didn’t feel anything, and even wanted to nod in agreement.

Yes, that’s exactly how the original character behaved—arrogant, despicable, lazy, and relying on a dual cultivation marriage with a genius cultivator to advance. There wasn’t a bit of exaggeration in that description. Let’s quickly tear this toxic label off my male protagonist’s name.

But Qiao Han knew Xiao Jiuci wouldn’t do that. He was a man who upheld his principles to the core.

Xiao Jiuci remained calm, his voice firm: "When the Sect Leader agreed to the marriage, he did not specify a particular individual. As long as a Qiao family member presented the token, the agreement was to be honored."

"He's brainless, and you’re following suit? How could someone like that be worthy?!" Lady Jiang snapped. "You haven’t performed the ceremony yet. The marriage contract can be annulled. Don’t be foolish, Ci’er!"

But Xiao Jiuci replied, "In principle, there was no mistake. Qingyun Sect cannot go back on its word. I hope you can understand, Lady Jiang."

"You!" Lady Jiang, infuriated, unconsciously released her spiritual pressure.

Xiao Jiuci took a step to the left, subtly shielding Qiao Han.

Qiao Han understood that the male protagonist wasn’t doing this out of care for him. Xiao Jiuci probably disliked him greatly but was simply following his principles.

Still, Qiao Han was deeply moved. Was this what it felt like to be protected by the male lead? He felt so secure.

Facing someone like this, who treated him calmly even under such circumstances, how could Qiao Han not love him even more? He was practically overflowing with affection, nearly overwhelmed by how wonderful Xiao Jiuci was. Truly, his male god!

Don’t worry, male protagonist—I won’t drag you down. I will definitely resist anything that humiliates you. I will break off this marriage and return your freedom!

The happiness of the male protagonist will be protected by reader-fan Qiao Han!

Qiao Han gathered his courage, stepped forward, and shouted, "I…"

But before he could finish, his vision went black, and he collapsed forward.

…

What the hell!

In the darkness, Qiao Han was battling with the system, furious about why it had made him faint at such a critical moment.

[The villain's persona cannot collapse. Please respect the character's basic setting. Until the plot progresses, you cannot remove your identity as the male lead's Dao companion.]

Qiao Han: Mind! Blown!

[Aside from temporarily being unable to annul the marriage contract, the system suggests you stick to the original character's persona, or you risk suspicion of soul-swapping. If you are investigated, the truth of your soul change will be revealed, and in this world, that basically means you're a demon. The first one to kill you will likely be the male lead.]

Qiao Han was alarmed: "Doesn’t the system take responsibility for leaving such a huge risk for transmigrators?"

[Our only responsibility is to assign villain tasks to help you collect emotional points from the male protagonist. Everything else depends on your own efforts.]

Previously, he had been too happy to think about it, so he didn’t ask many questions.

Qiao Han: "What are villain tasks? What are emotional points?"

[Villain tasks are things that fit the character persona you’ve been assigned. The system calculates random tasks based on world variables, and you must complete them.]

Qiao Han was furious: "So it's forced labor too? Where’s the promised wonderful journey? And the original persona is constantly against the male lead. You want me to harm him, and I have to do it? Am I some kind of fool? This transmigration experience sucks, I protest."

[You’re overthinking it. Given your abilities, the tasks assigned may only annoy the male protagonist, not reach the level of causing harm.]

Wait, did I just get insulted?

[If you encounter tasks you truly don’t want to do, you can use emotional points to exchange for a 'skip card' in the system shop. Emotional points are earned from the emotional fluctuations caused by the tasks you perform on the male protagonist. The better you complete them, the more points you get.]

As the system explained, a transparent interface appeared before Qiao Han. The first item in the system shop was a skip card, requiring 100 points.

Before Qiao Han could figure out if 100 points was a lot or a little, he saw other items: cultivation techniques, magical tools, pills, talismans, etc. The most expensive one was only 50 points.

Qiao Han: "..."

[Also, before the binding is released, your lifespan will consume emotional points too. The exchange rate is 1 point: 1 year.]

In a world of cultivation, where closed-door training is measured in years…

Qiao Han trembled as he looked at the top of the system interface, where his current status was framed. Emotional points: 0, Lifespan: 15 days (initial gift from the system).

Qiao Han: !!!!!!

It turned out there really was no free lunch in the world. After all that fuss, Qiao Han finally understood the general situation from the system.

First, he didn’t need to strictly follow the original persona. His character could change as long as he wasn’t suspected, but the marriage contract was truly unbreakable and had to wait until the original plot allowed for its dissolution.

Second, this was the real world, and theoretically, he could do anything. However, he might go against the world's consciousness and be pulled into a tug-of-war. In other words, to what extent he could change the plot would require exploration.

These two points at least allowed the frustrated Qiao Han to breathe a little easier.

Although it was full of dangers, as long as there was hope, he would try to change the male lead’s future and outcome.

Just like Xiao Jiuci had always done—do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Who needs the trope of "strong, beautiful, and tragic"? If he was going to go down this path, it would be the road of the domineering protagonist!

As for his remaining fifteen days of lifespan, the system told him not to worry. A task will be sent soon.

For Qiao Han, who had no points to exchange for a "skip card," he felt both eager and apprehensive, hoping the tasks wouldn’t be too extreme. First, he needed to scrape together some lifespan.

...

In the darkness, the smell of medicinal herbs permeated the air. The rich wood-element spiritual energy around him made Qiao Han feel exceptionally comfortable.

"Elder Mei, how is he?"

Qiao Han: It’s the male lead’s voice!

"Yo, yo, yo, I heard he's not going to be your Dao companion for much longer. Why do you care about him?" A shrill, nasal voice suddenly interjected.

Qiao Han’s skin crawled. Without even looking, he already knew who was speaking—Mei Youjiu, the healing elder of Pu Xian Peak, Qingyun Sect.

"It’s not true. Elder Mei, please take a closer look. I just checked, and he has no spiritual power. Something’s off."

"I’ve already checked. It’s nothing. He’s just a Qi Condensation stage cultivator who couldn’t withstand the pressure. Jiuci, instead of worrying about others, look at yourself. If you don’t take care of your injuries soon, you’ll be the one collapsing, and then the entire Qingyun Sect, flowers and plants included, will feel heartbroken for you."

Qiao Han felt like one ear was being caressed by a gentle breeze while the other was being blasted by a shrill noise. He was enduring this torture, but when he heard about Xiao Jiuci’s injuries, he couldn’t hold back.

He suddenly remembered. In the original story, after being brought back, the original host and Xiao Jiuci had their marriage contract sealed. Then, Xiao Jiuci had to leave on an emergency mission.

The mission was tough, and everyone involved got injured. They should have come back straight to the healing hall, but Xiao Jiuci heard about the original host’s condition and rushed over to handle the situation first.

After dealing with it, the original host got furious, dragged Xiao Jiuci into a big argument—though it was more of a one-sided rant—and then stormed off.

Xiao Jiuci, however, due to delaying treatment, fainted on the spot. He wasn’t found until some passing disciples saw him and carried him in for treatment.

Xiao Jiuci… was really good at enduring pain.

Qiao Han suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

"Ah! You scared me to death!" The shrill voice turned into a deep manly one.

Qiao Han saw, just as he expected, a man who looked like the Laughing Buddha. But paired with the coquettish expression on his face, it was a real challenge to the mind.

Qiao Han quickly turned his head to look at the male lead to cleanse his eyes.

Sure enough, turning his head, there stood a man as slender as bamboo, looking down at him.

Qiao Han recalled countless opening lines to meeting his idol, but when his eyes met the starlit brilliance of Xiao Jiuci’s gaze, his throat choked up, and not a single word came out. He was left there, his expression becoming more and more contorted with excitement.

"How is Young Master Qiao feeling? Is there any discomfort?"

Xiao Jiuci’s tone was polite and distant. His voice was pleasant but not deep, like a breeze passing through a lush bamboo forest or a mountain stream tumbling into a clear lake—there was an indescribable soothing quality to it.

Ahhhh! This was the male lead’s first proper words to him!

Qiao Han got so excited he didn’t know what to say and ended up just wanting to scream. His face flushed red.

Xiao Jiuci noticed Qiao Han's face suddenly turning red while staring at him, and he paused.

Those amber-like, crystal-clear eyes stared straight at him, making Xiao Jiuci feel strangely unsettled.

"Ah, Xiao Jiuci’s little wife, come, tell Elder Mei, are you still feeling unwell anywhere?"

The high-pitched, nasal voice directly snapped Qiao Han out of his thoughts. But hearing the words "little wife" made Qiao Han feel as though his heart was about to give out from the awkwardness, his body trembling with discomfort.

Can't you see you're embarrassing him, Elder Mei?!

Look, the male lead is so disgusted he even took a step back!

Sure enough, Xiao Jiuci stiffened, his long, elegant lashes lowering to hide the emotions in his eyes. He stepped aside to give Elder Mei room to examine Qiao Han.

"I’m fine now," Qiao Han hurriedly said, his voice tense. Looking at Xiao Jiuci, who showed no visible signs of injury, he awkwardly added, "Are you hurt? You should go get treated. Don’t delay."

The moment he finished speaking, a ding sounded in his mind.

[Friendly reminder: According to the original persona, the host wouldn’t show concern for the male protagonist. Be careful not to arouse suspicion.]

Qiao Han: "Isn’t a polite, fake display of concern normal?"

[...]

Qiao Han: "According to the original story, we barely know each other. If you add up all the time we've spent talking, it probably doesn’t exceed an hour. In other words, everyone else in Qingyun Sect is more familiar with Xiao Jiuci than I am. What could the protagonist possibly suspect?"

Thus, he believed his character setting was least likely to collapse in front of the male lead.

The system, seemingly finding his argument reasonable, left with a simple message: 【The host should handle this himself.】 Then it went silent.

“No delay. As long as Qiao Gongzi is fine,” Xiao Jiuci’s tone remained unchanged, but his gaze toward Qiao Han subtly shifted.

Qiao Han looked up and noticed a faint chill in the deep blue depths of Xiao Jiuci's phoenix-shaped eyes, like a hidden abyss of coldness.

In a blink, it was gone.

Qiao Han didn't think much of it. After all, Xiao Jiuci had an ice spiritual root, so a bit of that attribute manifesting on the surface was normal. Besides, it looked quite good on him.

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