I Really Am A Villain

Though the man in the plum grove was not a Saint Sovereign, he surpassed them all.

Xu Zimo estimated that many Saint Sovereigns could not reach such a realm, one so wholly and openly united with the Heavenly Dao itself.

This was one who acted on behalf of Heaven.

Xu Zimo smiled at the man, lifted the wine jug in his hand, and drank freely.

The moment the liquor entered his throat, it exploded like fire, a fierce, burning heat that seemed to detonate within him. But soon the fire faded, leaving behind a subtle fragrance that lingered long after, delicate and memorable.

Xu Zimo sighed in appreciation.

After finishing the jug, he asked, “Got any more?”

“Did you enjoy it?” the man in the grove asked with a grin.

“It’s not good,” Xu Zimo replied, “but I still want to drink it.”

The man burst into laughter, a booming sound that shook the grove, sending plum blossoms swirling down like snow.

“This wine,” he said, “is worthless in truth. It began as pure and mild wine, bland as water. But I added a touch of ferocity. After that initial burn, the remaining fragrance becomes profound and unforgettable. It’s the same wine, yet by adding that touch of heat before the calm, it becomes something special.”

The man’s laughter quieted, his tone softening. “Wine is like life. If the road is smooth all the way, you stop caring about it. But if the path is full of thorns, and you finally emerge into the open, that peace, ordinary though it is, feels like truth itself.”

Listening to him, Xu Zimo smiled. “So you invited me here just to lecture me on philosophy?”

The man chuckled. “I’m too used to it. It’s my nature. Can’t change it anymore.”

He laughed again. “In my life, I have taken three disciples. My eldest became the current master of the Radiant Court. My second became the Realm Lord of the Departure Fire God Realm. As for my third… he joined the Heavenly Court long ago. I have no idea how he fares now.”

The man’s smile dimmed as he continued. “You could say I failed as a teacher. My disciples all achieved greatness, but they all strayed from the path I wished for them.”

“What are you trying to say?” Xu Zimo asked, watching him.

“My second disciple, Imperial Immortal,” the man said quietly, “was killed by my third disciple. With the remnant of a body I have left, I can no longer set things right. I hear you plan to visit the Departure Fire God Realm. How about helping me clean up this betrayal?”

He spoke without waiting for Xu Zimo’s response. “You’re headed to the Phoenix City. Eventually, you’ll meet my third disciple. He serves the Heavenly Court. You too are their enemy. A clash between you is inevitable. Before that battle comes, let me aid you.”

“I will kill him,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head, “but not to help you ‘clean your house.’ I’ll do it because he stands in my way.”

“That’s fine,” the man said with a calm smile. “As long as he dies, I will have no regrets.”

With a flick of his hand, something appeared in the air before them, a pair of tiny silver bells suspended in nothingness.

The bells rang softly in the void, their tone strange and powerful, as if shattering invisible things.

“My third disciple,” the man continued, “is not human. He was born as a ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree from a place of extreme Yin.”

He handed the bells to Xu Zimo. “These bells are his life-bound companion artifact. Once, they were Bells of Cold Yin. But I reforged them, reversing Yin and Yang, to create the Bells of Absolute Sun. They restrain him more than anything else.”

Xu Zimo accepted them with a casual shrug. “If it’s free, I won’t say no. Tell me, was it Dragon Lord who told you about me?”

The man shook his head. “That boy knows nothing of who I truly am. I have my own sources. From your deeds in the Chaos Fire God Realm, I’ve already pieced together your path.”

“What have you figured out?” Xu Zimo asked curiously.

“You’re searching for the source of the Water Beasts,” the man said. “I don’t know why, but that much is clear.”

Xu Zimo wasn’t sure whether the man spoke truth or lies. Still, the mention unsettled him. He had never told anyone about the inheritance of the Ancient Gods, yet someone had been watching all along.

So his journey hadn’t been as hidden as he believed.

…

“I’ll be going now,” Xu Zimo said, waving his hand.

“Then I hope we never meet again,” the man in the plum grove said with a laugh.

“Before I go, how about a few more jars of that wine?” Xu Zimo grinned.

The man gave a helpless smile and shook his head. “That’s all I had left. Now I’ve nothing.”

He sighed softly, regretting his old habit, always seeking truth through drink, and now he had no good wine left.

Watching Xu Zimo’s figure fade into the distance, the man shook his head slightly.

Just as Xu Zimo left the grove, a figure approached from the path ahead, it was none other than Long Wulin, the City Lord’s treasured daughter.

She walked up, clearly reluctant, and said, “My father told me to keep you company, to show you around our estate.”

“Sure,” Xu Zimo nodded.

They followed the cobblestone path side by side in silence.

After a long while, Long Wulin finally spoke. “Is it true my master is leaving?”

Xu Zimo paused, then realized she meant the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign.

“You should ask your master that,” he said with a small smile. “Why ask me?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Long Wulin huffed. “I already know, it’s because of you that my master’s leaving!”

“You don’t understand. It’s not because of me. It’s his own decision,” Xu Zimo replied calmly.

“What do you mean ‘his own decision’? Isn’t Ocean Sage City a good place to stay?” she asked.

“Ocean Sage City? It’s fine,” Xu Zimo said, nodding.

Hearing that, Long Wulin tried to seize the chance. “Then why don’t you stay here too? If you stayed, my master wouldn’t have to leave.”

“You’re still young. You don’t understand many things,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.

“We look about the same age,” she retorted. “Don’t act like some wise old man.”

Xu Zimo laughed. “Let me put it this way, the goodness of Ocean Sage City, for me, is but an illusion, a reflection on water. It looks real but isn’t. It’s fragile, easy to destroy. What I seek is to make such beauty eternal.”

“You talk too much nonsense. I can’t understand you,” Long Wulin said, frowning.

Xu Zimo didn’t argue. He took it as the naïve words of youth.

But then, his expression shifted. He closed his eyes, extending his divine sense outward.

After a few moments, he opened them again and smiled faintly. “Speak of the devil.”

“What is it?” Long Wulin asked, puzzled.

“The thing that shatters this peaceful illusion is here,” Xu Zimo said. “Come, let’s go to the city walls.

“I think your father’s farewell banquet won’t be happening after all.”