This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 124: Chapter 85: If Not to Deliberately Intimidate Ling Zhuyun, How Could It Be Called Overwhelming Power?

A peal of silver-bell-like laughter rang out. The True Inheritor from the Divine Maiden Palace spoke, finding a spot to sit down, surrounded by several female disciples.

Her long, fair legs peeked out from under her skirt. A string of bells was tied around her ankle, chiming crisply as they swayed. Her bare feet were like snow, crystalline and flawless.

Merely by sitting there casually, she seemed to captivate the gazes and hearts of all the young men present.

"Jiang Lan may have been delayed. Fairy Miaoyin, please be patient."

Li Daoyi spoke, his gaze serene. It seemed to hold a strange power that gradually calmed the restless hearts of many present.

Fairy Miaoyin looked at him with a hint of surprise, then said with keen interest, "I have long heard that the Taiyi Sect’s Dao Yi True Inheritor possesses profound Daoist Techniques and immense strength. Seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary."

Han Yiming of the Ancient Inquiring Sect also looked at Li Daoyi, a hint of battle intent flashing in his eyes before he reined it in.

This was the tea gathering hosted by the Prime Minister’s Mansion; he didn’t dare to cause trouble.

If they were anywhere else, he would have insisted on a sparring match with Li Daoyi.

The representative from the Celestial Demon Hall was a young man with a startling demonic aura. His skin was like jade, fairer even than that of many women, but his build was overly effeminate. A strange light occasionally flashed in his purple eyes as he sat sipping his tea in silence.

Afterward, many more invited members of the younger generation arrived. They were all prominent Celestial Prides from within Anyang City; not a single one was a nobody.

"Hasn’t Jiang Lan arrived yet?"

Xia Jie, the third son of Prince Wuxuan, also arrived, surrounded by a retinue of guards, but he saw no sign of Jiang Lan.

A peculiar look crossed his eyes as he, too, found a seat. Although he was a member of the Royal Family, this place was filled with disciples from the major Immortal Sects—they were no ordinary folk. He naturally couldn’t act as wantonly and without restraint as he usually did.

He might appear brash and reckless, but he was actually quite meticulous.

’His trip to Anyang City this time isn’t just out of interest in the inheritance left by the Purple Mist True Monarch.’

’He has also been sent by his father to sound out Jiang Lan.’

’He and Jiang Lan had been close as brothers, indulging in debauchery at various pleasure quarters. While he certainly enjoyed himself, there had always been another motive.’

’His father, Prince Wuxuan, was the former emperor’s own younger brother. Though he had been granted a fiefdom elsewhere and was unable to inherit the throne for various reasons, he had always coveted that position.’

’Especially now, with the young Emperor Xia still unable to command the court’s respect, and with the Prime Minister holding all the real power.’

’This made his father all the more eager to make a move, yet he was too wary of the Prime Minister to show any sign of his ambition.’

’He could only plot in the shadows, hoping for the day he could usurp the throne.’

’Under these circumstances, the son of the Prime Minister—a man whose power was felt across the Nine Provinces—was a good-for-nothing heir who couldn’t even cultivate. It was only natural for people to be suspicious and wonder if there was more to it than met the eye.’

’Recently, spies from all factions had also learned that the Son of the Prime Minister intended to claim the inheritance of the Purple Mist True Monarch.’

’This only deepened the suspicion. Was the Purple Mist True Monarch’s inheritance truly that important, or was there another reason at play?’

’Xia Jie had known Jiang Lan for years and had never detected a hint of cultivation on him. On the contrary, Jiang Lan was always frail and weak. Despite consuming countless precious tonics, he never seemed to change.’

’Even his father suspected this was all a ruse put on by the Prime Minister and his son, that they were secretly plotting something else entirely.’

And they weren’t the only ones with such suspicions.

Just then, a stir came from nearby. A woman in white, her face veiled by light gauze, approached. She was otherworldly and saintly, her figure graceful and tall. Surrounded by a retinue of female disciples, she walked with an unfamiliar man by her side.

The people from the Jasper Pool Sect had arrived as well.

"Ling Zhuyun of the Jasper Pool Sect?"

"And who is that strange man with her?"

Many of the younger generation were startled, their eyes sizing up the unfamiliar man beside Ling Zhuyun. ’Anyone who can walk alongside her is definitely no nobody.’

Ye Ming’s gaze was calm and composed, showing no sign of intimidation. He followed beside Ling Zhuyun as they stepped onto the Star-Picking Platform together. freewёbnoνel.com

’I’ve come here for two reasons: first, to probe Jiang Lan’s true strength again, and second, because I was worried Ling Zhuyun might run into trouble. Otherwise, I would have preferred not to make a public appearance.’

Ling Zhuyun, meanwhile, greeted the familiar faces one by one.

However, when her gaze fell upon a pot-bellied man in a brocade robe who was oddly wearing a purple-gold crown, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, as if she hadn’t expected to see him here.

"Ling Zhuyun! When the chance comes, I will make you pay for killing my junior brother."

The man noticed her gaze, and a cold expression settled on his face.

The disciples behind him also rose to their feet, facing off against the disciples from the Jasper Pool Sect.

The other members of the younger generation watched with idle amusement, looking as though they were enjoying the drama and wouldn’t mind if it escalated.

Fairy Miaoyin from the Divine Maiden Palace covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. "I heard that a while ago, outside the Hengduan Mountain Range, an Inner Sect Disciple from the Nether Abyss Sect was killed by Saintess Ling Zhuyun. A most miserable death, it was. News of Saintess Ling Zhuyun’s might has even reached me, thousands of miles away."

"That’s why I rushed to Anyang City, to witness Saintess Ling Zhuyun’s peerless grace for myself. It seems this trip was not in vain."

Her voice was as crisp and melodious as ringing silver bells, carrying a bewitching charm.

Her words immediately made the expressions of the Nether Abyss Sect disciples turn even colder, becoming utterly foul.

Quite a number of their disciples had died at Ling Zhuyun’s hands over the years.

No other major Immortal Sect was as fond of meddling in others’ affairs as she was.