After Becoming the Villain’s Black Moonlight - Chapter 1

“Mr. Xie, please save him, quickly!”

“Mr. Xie?”

“Mr. Xie! Xie Ling!”

Having received no response, the system’s cold, mechanical voice took on a hint of collapse. “0011! Save him!”

The cliffside was desolate and cold. A young man sat on a protruding branch, his black robes fluttering slowly in the night wind, while the gold jacquard patterns shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

As the stern serial number reached his ears, the young man finally opened his eyes lazily. He brushed away the stray leaves that had fallen into his sleeves and asked drowsily, “Save who?”

The system was exasperated. “The mission target! It is Yin—stop yawning! Look down for a second, will you? He is right below you!”

As the Villain Reformation System, it had been tracking the villain’s movements since entering this world. Today was a crucial turning point where the villain’s blackening degree was set to surge significantly.

It had exerted a great deal of effort to drag 0011 here, thinking it could finally get this irresponsible host to perform the mission. Who would have thought 0011 was the type of person who would not eat even if the food was spoon-fed to him? He had spent the entire day sleeping in the tree.

As for “Xie Ling,” that was actually the name of the original body. Hosts in the system space only had serial numbers and no names, so the system simply referred to 0011 as Xie Ling.

Xie Ling, his head aching from the system’s noise, finally straightened his posture and deigned to cast a glance down the cliff.

He saw a thin youth holding a long sword, standing by a cold pond, confronting a gargantuan python. The youth’s white clothes were tattered and stained red with blood. His right knee was injured, and he was clearly at his wit’s end.

This was the future villain of this world, Yin Huizhi.

The giant python held its head high, its seven-inch mark bleeding. Its crimson tongue flicked with a hiss as it stared sinisterly at the youth, ready to strike.

The python possessed demonic power equivalent to at least a Golden Core stage cultivator, while Yin Huizhi was only at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. This was a match he was destined to lose.

Anyone with a functioning brain would be thinking of how to escape rather than continuing to headbutt the problem.

Between the bouts of offense and defense, Yin Huizhi looked toward the center of the deep pond behind the python no fewer than ten times. On a large rock in the center of the pond lay an unconscious child, about eight or nine years old. He wore a disciple uniform similar to Yin Huizhi’s, clearly a fellow junior from the same sect.

Evidently, Yin Huizhi was not lacking a brain; he was simply burdened by concern.

Xie Ling watched this scene for a few seconds, his dark pupils betraying no emotion.

After a long while, he let out a very light, mocking laugh. “He is not dead yet, is he?”

A young villain who had not yet strayed from the path, risking his life to fight a giant python to save his junior brother; how touching. What did that have to do with him?

Xie Ling’s perfunctory tone set off alarm bells for the system. “Mr. Xie, we had an agreement.”

Xie Ling gave a low chuckle, his tone turning cold and thin. “An agreement for what?”

“Of course, an agreement to complete the mission together,” the system said urgently.

Three days ago, Xie Ling was not Xie Ling; he was merely 0011, an employee of the Villain Role-play Department who had been sucked into this mess after a bug interrupted his vacation.

“A serious bug occurred in the Administration’s main system, and I can no longer contact the original host. 0011, I am now issuing a binding request to you. Let us work together to break out of this situation.”

“Not interested.”

“0011, if this mission is not completed, we will both be trapped here.”

The man in his soul state continued to meditate on the mountain peak, ignoring the system.

The Villain Reformation System was so anxious it turned into a ball of light and circled around him. Finally, it wracked its brain and managed to squeeze out, “0011, is it not uncomfortable floating around like this? Do you not want a compatible human body?”

Thinking it would again receive no answer, 0011’s breathing paused slightly, and he slowly lifted his eyelids.

Then, with an ambiguous curl of his lips, he agreed. “That makes sense. Bind us, then.”

The system suddenly realized: from start to finish, Xie Ling had only agreed to bind with it, not to cooperate with the mission! No wonder he agreed so effortlessly; this scoundrel simply wanted to freeload a body!

But it had no time for condemnation because the giant python had seized its opportunity. As Yin Huizhi leaped up to attack again, it lunged down, opening its bloody maw to swallow him whole!

“0011!”

The courtesy part of the negotiation was officially over; only force remained. The system steeled itself and decided to turn against Xie Ling, intending to use electric shocks to force him to save the boy.

The giant python let out an explosive roar, interrupting the system. It then discovered that Yin Huizhi had not actually been swallowed. Instead, he had used his sword as a brace, forcing himself into a kneeling position to jam the python’s jaws open.

The youth panted violently. The blood on his lips was more vivid than the red hibiscus at the bottom of the cliff, and his eyes were as fierce as knives.

Meanwhile, Xie Ling sat on the branch, his pale fingertips lightly tapping his knee, seemingly oblivious to the commotion below.

Yin Huizhi’s forearm let out a gruesome cracking sound under the pressure of the hooked teeth. His face was deathly pale, and beads of blood rolled down his jaw and into his collar.

Spiritual energy surged from his dantian, flowing through his sword-gripping knuckles and into the blade. His hand flipped the sword rapidly, plunging the blade deep into the python’s upper palate! A muffled, terrifying roar erupted as the snake’s body shuddered and thrashed wildly.

Yin Huizhi immediately swung his sword again, swiftly slicing off half of the snake’s tongue. With such precision, where was the slightest sign of his hands shaking?

Only then did the system realize that his previous weakness had been a deliberate act to make the python lower its guard. What a clever youth!

Before it could finish its admiration, the snake’s head jerked violently, and Yin Huizhi was thrown out of its mouth. His body flew like a broken kite, slamming heavily against the jagged stone wall. He coughed up a mouthful of blood before plummeting into the dark, freezing waters of the pond.

Then, silence.

The system screamed, “!!!”

Xie Ling brought his index finger to his lips, stifling the system’s words before it could scream. “I know what you want to say.”

You do not know anything!

The system felt despair, vaguely sensing that its career and existence were about to end here. As a Villain Reformation System, it had to watch the villain die right in front of its eyes; what an absolute disgrace!

The shadows of the trees shifted slightly. The mountain wind blew down a few leaves that drifted toward the pond, yet something was faster.

Splash!

Black robes swept down. Xie Ling dove into the freezing pond one step ahead of the maddened python.

The system was shocked. It highly suspected that Xie Ling had jumped in to silence Yin Huizhi permanently to free himself from the mission’s shackles.

The icy water enveloped his skin. Xie Ling floated in the water, looking down at Yin Huizhi. The light in the deep pond was dim, making his expression unreadable.

The python, having lost its tongue, had lost its precise sense of direction. It thrashed about in the water like a headless fly.

Yin Huizhi’s eyes opened a crack amidst the intense pain. Seeing the churning black shadow, he rationally wanted to hide, but his body lacked the slightest bit of strength.

Am I going to die? he thought groggily.

Strangely, the moment that thought flashed by, his blurred vision looked past the attacking python and noticed a third presence in the water. And so, their gazes met across the dark pond, through the raging python, and across the line between life and death.

One was half-dead and unable to move; the other was suspended in the water, watching from the sidelines. For a moment, neither moved, save for the serpent that followed the scent of blood and charged toward them.

At the critical moment, Xie Ling finally reacted. Like a phantom, he flashed behind Yin Huizhi, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and yanked him toward himself.

But it was too late; the python had already opened its massive jaws.

In the chaos, Yin Huizhi only felt a lean, strong arm grab his waist and pull him in, pressing his head into a chest. Immediately after, the chest pressed against his cheek jolted violently.

Blood diffused into the water in long, misty lines.

Xie Ling turned his head slightly and saw a chunk bitten out of his shoulder. He acted like a monster who felt no pain; not even his eyebrows moved.

Sensing the head in his arms struggling to look up, Xie Ling pressed him back down with a cold face. After a thought, he conveniently knocked the boy unconscious, switched back to holding him by the collar, dodged the python’s next attack, and used the momentum to burst out of the water.

The python followed them onto the shore. The broken sword was still firmly lodged in its mouth. Its head rose high against Xie Ling, its eyes crimson, looking ready for a fight to the death.

“Seeking death.”

Xie Ling’s lips parted coldly, and an eerie red light flashed in his pitch-black eyes.

The python’s movements suddenly slowed, finally coming to a bizarre halt about ten feet away from Xie Ling, as if it were afraid of something. Xie Ling met its gaze, his lips moving silently to utter a few words, sounding like an obscure incantation.

The python’s entire body stiffened. After a few breaths, its thick body trembled, and it lowered its head submissively, appearing as if it were about to bow in surrender. Xie Ling’s brow furrowed slightly, the coldness on his face intensifying as he gave it a warning glance.

The python turned around and dove back into the pond, vanishing without a trace.

The system, which had been waiting for Xie Ling to ask for help, did not understand the logic. It said in surprise, “Why did it stop chasing?”

Xie Ling was soaked through, still dangling the unconscious Yin Huizhi. Hearing this, he curled his lips expressionlessly. “You sound disappointed.”

The system replied, “I am not.”

It knew exactly how weak the body it had chosen for Xie Ling was. If Xie Ling had lowered himself to beg for help, it would have been quite happy to assist; that way, it would have had a better chance of controlling him.

Xie Ling ignored it. He slapped Yin Huizhi’s back with a palm, transferring some spiritual energy to keep him alive, and then tossed him onto the shore like a piece of trash.

His back hitting the rough sand and gravel, Yin Huizhi choked out a mouthful of fishy, cold water and finally woke up.

It hurts. My organs feel displaced. That was his first thought.

His second thought was: “Save,” Yin Huizhi’s voice was terrifyingly raspy, and he could barely speak, yet his knuckles gripped Xie Ling’s hem tightly. “Save… person.”

Xie Ling looked down at him coldly.

This was the second time their eyes met, and it was the first time Yin Huizhi saw Xie Ling’s appearance clearly: dark eyes and brows, long hair like a waterfall, and skin so pale it looked as if it had never seen sunlight.

“Save, please save him,” Yin Huizhi looked up at him, repeating stubbornly.

Xie Ling knew he was referring to the small disciple unconscious on the stone pillar in the middle of the pond, but he did not move. The system was no longer wailing like before; compared to Yin Huizhi’s life, the survival of this side character was clearly not that important.

However, for the sake of the mission, the system still mentioned, “He seems to really want to save that junior. If you help him, it should be easier to earn his trust.”

After saying this, it went quiet to avoid upsetting Xie Ling.

Xie Ling took a step toward Yin Huizhi and crouched down in front of him. His gold-trimmed robes and dark hair trailed on the ground as he asked with a half-smile, “Are you begging me?”

Cold sweat mixed with icy pond water dripped from Yin Huizhi’s forehead. He was clearly in great pain, but he did not hesitate. “Yes.”

The smile on Xie Ling’s lips deepened. He looked into Yin Huizhi’s amber eyes. “Do you even know who I am, to dare beg me?”

Yin Huizhi’s gaze flickered over the sinister emblem on Xie Ling’s collar, and he lowered his eyelashes. “I do not. But since you saved me, Young Master.”

“You truly do not know?” Xie Ling interrupted him almost tenderly. He reached out to tidy the messy hair by the youth’s temple and called out his name with absolute clarity. “Yin Huizhi, my favors are not so easily repaid.”

Yin Huizhi’s pupils shrank slightly. After a long silence, he still persisted. “I beg Your Excellency to lend a hand.”

He was not sure if it was his imagination, but as he said those words, the warmth in Xie Ling’s eyes seemed to turn freezing cold. Xie Ling said with a half-smile, “You had better not regret this.”

Having said that, he stopped teasing Yin Huizhi. He glanced at the child in the center of the pond, flew over, and brought him back, dropping him in front of Yin Huizhi.

The small disciple was also thrown onto the ground like trash. Yin Huizhi forced himself to check the boy’s breathing. After confirming he was alive and mostly unharmed, he let go of his tension and slumped back against the stone wall.

He closed his eyes exhaustedly, but sensing the gaze still fixed on his face, he opened them again.

The wound on Xie Ling’s shoulder, deep enough to see bone, was still bleeding, soaking half of his clothes. The dark gold embroidery was stained red; the intricate and complex totem did not lose its luster from the blood, but instead became even more bizarre and eerie, exuding an overwhelming sense of evil.

Just like its master’s face; handsome beyond measure, but lacking even a trace of righteousness. It was as if the words “Not a follower of the righteous path” were written plainly on his face.

Yet, this man’s injury was sustained because of him.

Yin Huizhi looked up, his pale lips slightly pursed, and offered a faint smile to the displeased Xie Ling, saying, “Thank you, Young Master.”

“Guess if he is saying ‘Thank you, Young Master,’ or ‘Thank you, Mr. Xie’?” Xie Ling asked cryptically.

The system had not expected him to initiate conversation. It spent a few seconds flattered and thinking before answering cautiously, “Probably the second one? It is his first time seeing this body, so the probability of him recognizing your identity seems low.”

Xie Ling gave a low scoff, neither confirming nor denying it. He looked down and saw the moonlight shimmering in those amber eyes, along with a hint of pride from thinking he had successfully played a little trick.

He looked foolishly simple, making one want to reach out and crush him.

He exposed Yin Huizhi expressionlessly. “Say it again, and mind your phrasing.”