I Really Am A Villain

Du Xiaozhuang lived behind Ancient Town.

His home was somewhat rundown, consisting of nothing more than a small courtyard.

He lived there with his wife, Li Min.

The couple also had a child, but the child was always wrapped in cloth and never shown to others.

Xu Zimo knew that children of the Ancient Relicfolk were born with a black curse mark on their faces.

This mark was extremely special, almost a symbol of the Ancient Relicfolk’s identity, and it could not be concealed.

Only as the child gradually grew up would the curse mark mature and eventually transform into power, merging into the body of the Ancient Relicfolk member.

During childhood, the child naturally could not be shown to outsiders.

Seeing a stranger arrive at their home, Li Min seemed somewhat startled.

The Ancient Relicfolk did not entertain outsiders.

After all, they lived under false identities and feared being discovered.

Du Xiaozhuang waved to her and said with a smile, “Go prepare a few dishes. I’ll have a few drinks with our benefactor.”

He pulled Xu Zimo into the inner room, which was specifically meant for receiving guests and had not been used for a long time.

Du Xiaozhuang moved quickly and soon cleaned the room thoroughly.

Smiling, he said, “I’m someone who keeps gratitude and grudges clear. You helped me, so stay here and recover before leaving.”

“It’s really nothing serious,” Xu Zimo shook his head.

As he spoke, he spat out a few mouthfuls of blood.

“And you say that’s nothing,” Du Xiaozhuang said hurriedly.

“These days, there aren’t many good people like you. I’ll go into town later and ask someone to take a look at you.”

“There’s really no need. Why waste the money? I have a family breathing cultivation method. After resting for a while, I’ll be fine,” Xu Zimo insisted, shaking his head.

Du Xiaozhuang’s wife, Li Min, was quite skillful. Before long, she prepared a full table of dishes.

It was clear that Du Xiaozhuang’s family was not well off.

These dishes were likely their provisions for three days, yet they had cooked everything at once for Xu Zimo.

Du Xiaozhuang also opened a bottle of good wine.

Smiling, he said, “Don’t let my tea business fool you. Wine is my true love.”

Xu Zimo smiled.

The few of them ate and chatted together.

Xu Zimo was in no hurry. Trust had to be built first, and only then could things be gradually laid out.

In any case, he had plenty of time.

His physical body was still traveling through a teleportation formation toward Jade Court, and who knew how long that would take.

The Grand Desolate Heaven and the Azure Mystic Heaven were separated by an immense distance, almost 200 trillion miles. The two heavens were as distant from each other as entirely different worlds.

…

“Where is Brother Xu from?” Du Xiaozhuang asked after drinking some wine, loosening up.

“I roam the four seas. I’m a loose cultivator,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“I don’t have a fixed home, nowhere particular to go.”

“Life is hard for loose cultivators,” Du Xiaozhuang said sympathetically. “Look at the disciples of those major powers. They do nothing and still have endless cultivation resources.”

After the meal, the two had become completely familiar with each other.

When Li Min was clearing the dishes, Xu Zimo directly took out a large sum of spirit stones.

Du Xiaozhuang and his wife had never seen so many spirit stones in their lives.

They hurriedly asked, “Brother Xu, what does this mean?”

“Since we’re calling each other brothers now, I won’t mince words,” Xu Zimo said frankly.

“I’ll be staying here for some time, and I can tell your family isn’t well off. As for me, I’ve wandered far and wide. Even though my strength is low, I’ve managed to save up some money. Money is nothing. You spend it and earn more later. I’m taking this out so we can eat better during this time.”

“You absolutely must not. It’s only an extra pair of chopsticks,” Du Xiaozhuang said. Though tempted, he still refused.

“Are you saying you don’t consider me a brother?” Xu Zimo said, pretending to be angry.

He pointed toward the room. “Even if you don’t think about yourselves, what about the child? Consider this money a gift from me to my nephew.”

After refusing back and forth for a long time, seeing that Xu Zimo’s attitude was firm, Du Xiaozhuang finally accepted it.

“Brother Xu, I acknowledge you as my brother.”

…

By evening, Xu Zimo was lying in his room resting.

Paimon’s figure quietly emerged from the void without a sound.

“How did the investigation go?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I’ve checked everything. On the surface, there are about 12,000 people in Ancient Town, of which 3,012 are members of the Ancient Relicfolk,” Paimon said.

“Of course, that’s only on the surface. I didn’t dare alert them, so I didn’t probe too deeply.”

“Only a bit over three thousand people. Is the Ancient Relicfolk really that small now?” Xu Zimo muttered.

“What about their strongest cultivator?”

“Only at the God Meridian Realm,” Paimon replied.

“That makes things interesting. Either we’ve misunderstood the Ancient Relicfolk, or they’re hiding their true strength,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“I’m more inclined to believe the latter,” Paimon replied.

“The Ancient Relicfolk is plotting something big. This time, we must uproot them completely.”

Xu Zimo nodded.

“I’ll start by asking Du Xiaozhuang here and see whether knowledge about the Ancient Relicfolk is limited to a few people or whether the ordinary clansmen know something as well.”

…

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Du Xiaozhuang was already up and preparing to set up his tea stall.

Selling tea lasted all day, and business was especially brisk in summer.

These days marked the annual market festival of Ancient Town, and Du Xiaozhuang wanted to earn a bit more.

Business was usually not this good.

Before he left, Xu Zimo walked over.

“Brother Xu, you’re injured. Why are you up so early?” Du Xiaozhuang asked quickly.

Seeing Du Xiaozhuang about to set up his stall, Xu Zimo took out a large packet of tea leaves.

These had all been nurtured with spirit energy.

It was nothing remarkable.

But to someone like Du Xiaozhuang, this tea was a priceless treasure.

Xu Zimo said, “When you brew tea, just add this packet of leaves. You can sell each cup for one spirit stone.”

Du Xiaozhuang was startled. “Will anyone actually buy it?”

“They definitely will. This is a celestial tea I once obtained. It’s useless to me, so I might as well give it to you,” Xu Zimo smiled.

Du Xiaozhuang smiled somewhat awkwardly.

He wasn’t someone who spoke eloquently, but he would remember Xu Zimo’s kindness forever.

…

Over the next few days, Xu Zimo stayed there.

From time to time, he took out small items and, coupled with his broad knowledge, life for Du Xiaozhuang and his wife steadily improved.

Gradually, they began to treat Xu Zimo as their pillar of support.

One day, when the couple returned after closing their stall, they discovered Xu Zimo inside their room.

Their child was in that room, and they normally did not allow outsiders to enter.

The couple’s expressions changed drastically. The Ancient Relicfolk’s secret could no longer be hidden.

When they rushed inside, they saw Xu Zimo holding the child, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

Seeing that Xu Zimo had no ill intentions, the two finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Brother Xu, shall we talk outside?” Du Xiaozhuang asked.

Xu Zimo nodded.

Li Min carefully took the child back.

Xu Zimo and Du Xiaozhuang went into the courtyard, where Du Xiaozhuang sighed.

“I didn’t mean to deceive you.”

“I believe Brother Du had his reasons. The Ancient Relicfolk are indeed rare,” Xu Zimo nodded.

Author Note: Recently, it feels like the quality of this story has been criticized by everyone, so I’ve been reflecting on it. Mainly because the New Year is approaching and things have been especially busy. Once I get through this period, I’ll update more frequently.