It's Hard for a Villain Character Not to Collapse - Chapter 15

Chapter - 15

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Due to the excessive depletion of spiritual energy and the recent impact, not just Qiao Han but all the other cultivators who came to sign up could barely stand.

Fortunately, after the earlier conflict on the mountain path, Xiao Jiuci had called in several disciples from Puxian Peak, who now arrived just in time to provide emergency treatment to everyone.

When Xiao Jiuci told Qiao Han not to move, Qiao Han obediently stayed still, following Xiao Jiuci’s instructions to silently regulate his breathing and stabilize the spiritual energy fluctuating within him. The previously turbulent meridians gradually calmed, making him feel much better.

Qiao Han had no idea he’d nearly suffered a backlash in his meridians—this was a side effect of pushing himself beyond his limits.

Lu Zhui, who wandered over, was startled when he saw Qiao Han’s face. “Qiao Han, you look terrible!”

Qiao Han was confused until Lu Zhui conjured a water mirror for him to see.

What the—! A ghost?!

After a second look—oh no! The ghost was him!

Looking at his own bloodstained face, he realized he didn’t just look terrible; he looked like something out of a horror show.

Wait a minute—had the main character seen him looking like this?

Qiao Han felt like he’d been struck by lightning. Instinctively, he glanced over at Xiao Jiuci, who was now busy handling matters nearby.

Sensing something, Xiao Jiuci turned slightly. Qiao Han, in a panic, immediately looked away, raising his sleeve to try to hide his unsightly face while hurriedly wiping it with a cloth. Oh no, he’d lost all dignity in front of his idol!

Lu Zhui glanced at Qiao Han in his flustered state, then at Xiao Jiuci, who had glanced over and seemed to notice Qiao Han’s actions, pausing briefly before turning back.

With a snort, Lu Zhui let out a laugh.

“Brother Lu, laughing now is heartless,” Qiao Han said in exasperation.

But as Lu Zhui turned to look at Qiao Han’s new “look,” he burst out laughing again, repeatedly.

The person administering healing to Qiao Han happened to be Jiang Yin, who Qiao Han viewed as the accountant of Puxian Peak.

Jiang Yin was about to cast a spell on Qiao Han when he looked up and gasped, “Oh my god, Young Master Qiao, you look awful!”

Qiao Han sighed. “I know. No need to rub it in.”

“What did you do to end up with a face covered in blood? Are you disfigured?!” Jiang Yin asked in shock.

Qiao Han froze, looking down at his handkerchief, which was now a solid mess of red.

He could only imagine how his face looked.

Qiao Han gave the two of them a hopeless look.

Finally, Lu Zhui stopped laughing and cast a cleansing spell on Qiao Han, instantly wiping his face clean.

Only then did Jiang Yin confirm there were no external wounds and focus on treating Qiao Han’s internal injuries.

Gentle wood-elemental spiritual energy entered Qiao Han’s body, and he felt a great weight lift, leaving him feeling much lighter.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jiuci was questioning the nearby disciples for details about what had happened. However, their answers didn’t satisfy him, and his usually gentle gaze now bore intensely on them, making them all feel guilty.

“…That’s what happened. We think it was probably just an accident. Besides, we couldn’t stop Young Master Qiao from getting into a conflict if he insisted,” one disciple explained.

“So, you were aware of who he was,” Xiao Jiuci said calmly, his tone revealing no emotion. “Let me ask again—did someone pick on him, or did he start the conflict?”

The disciples could not help but feel their legs go weak, and no one dared speak up. After all, they had deliberately ignored the difficult situation that had befallen Qiao Han earlier. Everyone in the Qingyun Sect knew that Qiao Han was not favored by the sect master’s family, and the eldest senior brother was someone with a good temper. Naturally, they would take the opportunity to treat him as they pleased.

Moreover, they didn’t even know why Qiao Han had come here. They thought he was just bored and came to join the commotion. They weren’t welcoming and simply hoped that if someone made things difficult for him, he would leave. They never expected to get caught up in such a situation.

The Qingyun Sect disciples, one by one, hung their heads, not knowing how to respond.

On the other side, the plump man, who had spent a considerable amount of time struggling, finally managed to get up, only to find that the protective amulet on his waist had snapped and fallen off, completely rendered useless. Enraged, the plump man trembled with fury and pointed at Qiao Han, shouting, “Damn you! How dare you attack me! You must be tired of living!”

With that, he made a move to pull out his magic tool to retaliate against Qiao Han. After all, without his contract beast, he was just a cultivator who had not yet established his foundation.

Qiao Han was startled and did not have time to react when suddenly a clear voice interrupted the plump man’s actions.

“This young master, why are you causing a disturbance in my Qingyun Sect, even to the extent of exploding your contract beast? What’s the reason for this?” Xiao Jiuci stepped forward and stood between the two, blocking the plump man.

The one who had initially intended to step forward, Lu Zhui, saw this and decided to leisurely watch the scene from the side.

Upon seeing Xiao Jiuci, the plump man immediately felt somewhat uncertain, his anger was momentarily suppressed, and he said, “Don’t think just because you’re the eldest senior brother of Qingyun Sect, you can say whatever you want. It wasn’t me who made the contract beast explode. I treasure my contract beast! It self-destructed by accident, how can you blame me? It’s him!”

He tried to point at Qiao Han, but Xiao Jiuci, being too tall, blocked his view of the other person. Unless he jumped up, he couldn’t point at him, and even his attempt to make a parabolic motion with his finger failed. In the end, he had to swallow his anger and retract his hand. “It’s that red-dressed sissy who took the chance to harm me…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a voice from behind Xiao Jiuci burst out in disbelief, the tone rising to a sharp pitch.

“He’s talking about who? Who’s a sissy?! I’m the epitome of masculinity! Just a moment ago, I was the one who bore the explosion of the spiritual power, how could you say…”

“I’m complimenting you, complimenting how handsome you are.”

“Who’s complimenting me like this?!”

“Those who are jealous of your handsomeness would say such things. Don’t move, you’re still being treated, this is what Jiuci told me!”

“I-I didn’t move! I was just scratching my hand!”

Laughter and muffled giggles spread around.

The plump man’s face twisted once again, and when he looked up, he was surprised to find Xiao Jiuci, who had been calm and composed earlier, now had a slight smile on his lips.

Xiao Jiuci awkwardly coughed and continued standing still, blocking the plump man’s view.

The plump man was completely dumbfounded with rage. “That damn guy, if it weren’t for my protective amulet, I’d probably be dead by now. I warn you, Qingyun Sect, don’t interfere in my personal matters. This is a private grudge between me and him. If I don’t kill him today, I’ll…”

At this point, the other injured people couldn’t hold back anymore.

“You’re the one who didn’t take care of your contract beast and caused it to explode, endangering everyone else. We haven’t even settled accounts with you yet!”

“That’s right! If it weren’t for the red-dressed young master, we don’t even know how many more of us would’ve been injured or worse!”

“And the red-dressed young master was only defending himself from the self-explosion of the contract beast, not targeting you. It’s your bad luck for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“If you’re unlucky and still want to blame others, then can we blame you for dragging us into this mess? You’re the one whose contract beast harmed you, yet you have the nerve to cause trouble for others! I’ve never seen anyone so shameless.”

The plump man was left stunned by their words, and his anger overwhelmed his rationality. “If it weren’t for him provoking me, would any of you have been affected? You should blame him!”

This sounded strange, and for a moment, no one reacted.

But Lu Zhui and the person involved, Qiao Han, immediately exchanged looks and understood.

They had both felt something odd about Xiao Jiuci’s earlier statement. Sometimes, a contract beast could self-destruct due to a bad temper when not properly tamed, and the one who suffered was usually the person it was contracted to. But Xiao Jiuci had said the other person caused the explosion. Initially, they thought it was just Xiao Jiuci intentionally shifting blame, but it now seemed there was more to it.

Qiao Han was about to fiercely retort when suddenly, a disheveled figure entered through the door—it was the man with the Four Spiritual Roots who had been kicked out earlier.

“You were the one who first went too far!” the man struggled to walk in front of Xiao Jiuci and said, “I’ve heard of you. You’re the Senior Brother of Qingyun Sect, Xiao Jiuci. It’s said you are fair and just. Can you stand up for us?”

Xiao Jiuci nodded. “Please speak, fellow cultivator.”

The mention of "fellow cultivator" nearly brought tears to the man’s eyes. It was a sign of respect.

The man quickly told his story, including what he had witnessed of Qiao Han’s ordeal, gritting his teeth as he said, “I have no talent, but I followed the rules when signing up! I didn’t break any regulations! As long as Qingyun Sect didn’t refuse me according to the rules, why should anyone else stop me from applying?”

Qiao Han felt a bit guilty when he saw the man stand up to speak. He hadn’t supported the man earlier.

After the man finished, Xiao Jiuci glanced at Qiao Han.

Qiao Han received the look from the male lead and immediately became awkward, giving a sheepish smile. In fact, it seemed like he was the one who had caused trouble.

However, Xiao Jiuci turned his gaze to the disciples in charge of registration.

Although his expression wasn’t harsh, the disciples couldn’t help but tremble in fear.

“Go to the Discipline Hall later to receive punishment. Each of you will receive ten lashes.”

“Yes, Senior Brother! We were wrong!” None dared to object, not even a trace of resistance.

Xiao Jiuci turned to the man and said, “It was Qingyun Sect’s mistake in handling this. I apologize on their behalf. Rest assured, our sect welcomes any fellow cultivators who follow the rules.”

With that, Xiao Jiuci had the healer treat the man.

Then, he looked at the fat man. “I didn’t realize Qingyun Sect had hired you to help with our recruitment.”

Qiao Han froze, then grinned broadly, excited by Xiao Jiuci’s sarcasm.

The fat man was likely not expecting Xiao Jiuci to use Qiao Han’s words to mock him. He was furious, his face turning red, and he shouted, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Disturbing the recruitment order of Qingyun Sect and causing an explosion of the contract beast with the intention to cause immeasurable harm—how do you explain that?” Xiao Jiuci asked, his face turning stern.

His previously calm, gentle expression now turned serious, and that was when he looked the most intimidating.

Even without releasing his Golden Core stage pressure, the fat man’s legs started shaking. “I’ve already said it’s a personal conflict... Why are you meddling? It has nothing to do with Qingyun Sect. And the contract beast’s self-detonation was an accident, not my fault!”

“The Golden Spirit Ostrich, peak Yellow Stage, quick-tempered but cowardly, has no record of self-detonation,” Xiao Jiuci said indifferently. He then raised his hand to point at the contract ring next to the beast’s corpse. “The contract ring, used to forcibly tame spiritual beasts of higher cultivation, can control them to self-destruct.”

When it came to spiritual beasts and magical beasts, Xiao Jiuci was nearly at the level of disciples who specialized in training them. By the later stages of his cultivation, he had become a living encyclopedia in this regard. Trying to deceive him was like trying to show off a poorly made axe in front of Lu Ban. It was an easy joke.

The fat man’s face turned pale.

Around them, voices of realization began to spread, and someone finally understood. “This guy just admitted it himself. He did it on purpose because the red-robed young man annoyed him! He made the contract beast self-detonate to harm us! How despicable! He was trying to kill us!”

“Where did you come from? State your name!”

“With such powerful protective gear and a contract beast, you must have a background. Whose side are you on?”

As the conspiracy was exposed, the crowd became agitated.

The fat man finally panicked and hurriedly said, "What Xiao Jiuci said isn't the truth. The Golden Spirit Ostrich self-destructed, it has nothing to do with me! Don’t think you can bully me just because you have more people," he said, turning to leave.

"Do you think our Qingyun Sect is a place where you can cause trouble and leave as you please?" Xiao Jiuci suddenly spoke.

"I've already said it was an accident, and you still..." The fat man's words were cut short when a cold stream of spiritual power blasted him out the door.

Xiao Jiuci leisurely walked up, "Young master, please receive my move."

Immediately, people inside the hall ran over to watch, and the outside became lively as well. Qiao Han, however, didn’t dare to move and could only desperately ask Lu Zhui and Jiang Yin.

"Those who come to our Qingyun Sect to cause trouble must be taught a lesson, or else they’ll think we’re easy to bully," Jiang Yin said proudly.

Qiao Han nodded in agreement.

"Ah, that’s a brutal beating. Although Xiao Jiuci suppressed his cultivation level, his methods are really vicious," Lu Zhui laughed.

Qiao Han immediately became displeased. "Brother Xiao Jiuci wouldn't use dirty tricks, it’s a righteous beating."

Lu Zhui laughed. "If it’s not dirty tricks, then why specifically strike the places protected by defensive artifacts? This guy is covered in expensive artifacts, all of which Xiao Jiuci has ruined. By the time he realizes it, he’ll wish he had broken all his bones instead."

Outside, the fat man was crying out loudly, and after finally catching his breath, he shouted, "Stop! I am..."

But Xiao Jiuci didn’t give him a chance to speak. His dazzling martial arts techniques continuously struck, leaving the fat man half unconscious.

In the end, Xiao Jiuci lifted the fat man up and said, "I hope this young master will reflect on his actions in the future."

The fat man tried to glare fiercely at Xiao Jiuci from behind his swollen eyelids, but Xiao Jiuci only smiled faintly. His eyes seemed to freeze instantly as he spoke coldly, "By the way, if you want revenge, feel free to come find me, because that young man in red is my Dao companion."

The fat man's pupils trembled violently. He had planned to seek revenge later but didn’t expect that person to have such an identity. He definitely didn’t want to kick the iron plate!

After saying that, Xiao Jiuci handed the fat man over to other disciples. "Send him out of Qingyun Sect. He caused trouble maliciously and his registration is canceled."

Around them, many people who had been oppressed by the fat man began to clap and cheer.

Xiao Jiuci walked back into the hall. The man with the Four Spiritual Roots had already been treated and approached Xiao Jiuci, cupping his hands in gratitude.

Xiao Jiuci said, "If you still wish to join Qingyun Sect, go ahead and register."

"Can I really?" The man asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. Although he had calmed down, his heart still wavered. After all, with Four Spiritual Roots, it was difficult to even pass the examination.

Xiao Jiuci thought for a moment, then patted the man’s shoulder. "Being able to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refining before the age of twenty-five with Four Spiritual Roots already proves you have talent, doesn’t it?"

The man froze and suddenly raised his head.

"Immortals are a group of people who refuse to accept fate, fighting against the heavens," Xiao Jiuci smiled lightly. "Of course, the road ahead is difficult, but you can consider it carefully. However... the Qinglian Realm is indeed a good place."

The man’s eyes lit up. Yes, even if he couldn’t pass, he could still go to the Qinglian Realm to gain useful knowledge. For someone with Four Spiritual Roots like him, it was an opportunity.

The man was deeply moved and bowed respectfully to Xiao Jiuci. "Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Xiao."

Xiao Jiuci nodded, then walked over to Qiao Han, who was still motionless, staring at him.

Xiao Jiuci asked, "Is there anything else bothering you?"

Qiao Han froze for a moment, "No, can I move now?"

Xiao Jiuci was taken aback, and then his eyes filled with a smile, "Yes, you can now."

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