After Redeeming the Villain, I Was Obliterated by the System - Chapter 17

He still ended up recounting everything, bit by bit.

Xiao Qingyan asked, “Then why did you not listen to that Peach Demon and lead me over? You would have been able to escape the illusion then.”

“Do you actually believe the words of a villain?” Zhu Jiayu looked a bit foolish, but he still possessed some common sense.

Xiao Qingyan let out a soft chuckle. “I do not. But we can beat them at their own game.”

“But there are only two of us.” Zhu Jiayu had witnessed the power of that Peach Demon. If the four of them faced it, they would only be sending themselves to their deaths. “Senior Brother Xiao, how about we wait until we contact Junior Brother Lin and Senior Brother Feng? Then we can return to the sect together to bring reinforcements. There is strength in numbers!”

Xiao Qingyan’s eyes darkened as he pulled Zhu Jiayu toward him. “It is too late.”

A vine whip swept across the spot where Zhu Jiayu had just been standing, instantly clearing a path through the brush. Zhu Jiayu’s facial expressions went wild, and his screams echoed through the sky. The illusion shook violently, and the scene began to change again.

The entire courtyard was draped in red silk, and blood-red Double Happiness characters were pasted on the windows and doors. Zhu Jiayu, who had been by his side, vanished. Xiao Qingyan stood in a long corridor and saw a drunken man, surrounded by companions, staggering toward him.

“Qin Niang!”

Xiao Qingyan’s pupils contracted. After the group passed him, he saw his Master standing across from him. Why had his Master appeared again? Watching that person approach slowly, Xiao Qingyan’s eyes swirled with loathing. Before the man could get close, Xiao Qingyan turned and left. He had to find Lin Sui and the other two as quickly as possible. Furthermore, where exactly did the scholar go?

He followed the scholar into the bridal chamber. Inside, the newlyweds drank the ritual wine and soon collapsed onto the bed as the red curtains fell. The woman’s flirtatious calls of “Husband” entered Xiao Qingyan’s mind, but they inexplicably transformed into his Master’s voice calling him “Yan’er.”

The scenes of that day replayed in Xiao Qingyan’s eyes. His usually indifferent Master’s face was flushed, and those icy eyes were covered in a layer of mist. His delicate lips were crystal clear, and the tip of his pink tongue pressed against his teeth.

Master, Master. Since you have appeared in this illusion, your disciple might as well humiliate you properly. He wanted to see the expression on that flower of the high peaks as he was pinned down, begging for mercy.

Lin Sui stood outside the house. Although he could not see, the sounds coming from inside inevitably made his imagination run wild.

“Why is Master appearing in the illusion?” Xiao Qingyan had also retreated from the room. Seeing Lin Sui standing at the door, the tips of his ears turned pink.

Lin Sui looked confused. Him? No? Was he Lin Suizhi right now? Holy crap. Fortunately, he had not called out to Xiao Qingyan just now; otherwise, his cover would have been blown in a heartbeat.

“I do not know how I suddenly appeared here,” Lin Sui spoke the truth. He really did not know that Lin Suizhi would appear in this illusion! If he had known, he would not have stayed so close to the villain, nearly blowing his cover by calling him Senior Brother.

Xiao Qingyan let out an extremely low, cold laugh. The frantic black energy swirling in his eyes became visible. “Is that so?”

Lin Sui started to feel afraid. Would this villain try to kill him inside the illusion? Does Master think I am that easy to fool? Why did that Peach Demon specifically suggest that Junior Brother Zhu lead me over? It must be Master pulling the strings in the dark!

A massive, metaphorical black pot of blame landed squarely on Lin Sui’s head, and he had no way to explain himself. He only wanted to curse the system a thousand times. Was he some new type of scapegoat? Did everything that went wrong wherever he appeared have to be his fault?

“How did Yan’er end up here as well?” Lin Sui decided to deflect the blame back. Since he was supposed to be blind, he could play it off.

“Does Master truly not know?” Xiao Qingyan smiled, his lips curling upward. The madness surging in the depths of his eyes threatened to swallow the person in front of him whole.

“I do not. I was in secluded meditation, and when I opened my eyes, I found I was no longer within the sect.” Lin Sui began to fabricate a story. “Did Yan’er encounter some danger in the Outer Sect? I once placed several strands of spiritual energy in your heart. Once you encounter danger, it will summon me to come to your aid.”

Lin Sui was talking nonsense. He had never left any spiritual energy in the villain’s heart; he would have been lucky not to stab him. Yet, he still had to act as if he were deeply concerned. “Is Yan’er alright?”

Danger? He had not encountered any real danger in this illusion. This man was lying through his teeth.

“Your disciple is fine,” Xiao Qingyan replied.

“That is good. I shall take you out of this illusion now.” Lin Sui was about to break the illusion when he was caught off guard by Xiao Qingyan’s counter question. “Master, how did you know I was in an illusion?”

Lin Sui thought, oh, oh, oh. A slip of the tongue. A total slip of the tongue. He quickly calmed himself and continued his fabrication. “Before I came, I heard that you all went down the mountain for a mission. Therefore, I guessed that you were currently in an illusion.”

After Lin Sui finished speaking, his heart beat rapidly. He was terrified the villain would ask him something else, but fortunately, Xiao Qingyan did not press further. Once they exited the illusion, Lin Sui reverted to his youthful appearance.

“Junior Brother Lin?” Xiao Qingyan noticed he was still holding Lin Sui’s hand.

Thud. Thud.

Zhu Jiayu and Feng Feibai collapsed again. Did Master really have the kindness to lead me out of the illusion?

Beside him, Lin Sui’s eyes twitched. Just how much did this villain distrust his Master?

“Senior Brother Xiao, what is wrong?” Lin Sui responded.

“Do you, do you remember what happened in the illusion?”

“Illusion?” Lin Sui asked in confusion. “Have we not been here the entire time?”

“Have we been here the entire time?” Xiao Qingyan murmured to himself. As expected! The owner of that illusion was Master!

Lin Sui thought, what on earth? How did this blame become even bigger? But now that the words were out, he could not take them back. He could only wait for Zhu Jiayu and the other to wake up so that the black pot would finally be lifted from his head.

The two on the ground showed no signs of waking up. Lin Sui was led by Xiao Qingyan to a stone table in the courtyard to sit. Xiao Qingyan then used his spiritual energy to wake the two on the ground.

Zhu Jiayu opened his eyes in a daze and looked around. When he saw the peach tree, his pupils dilated. “Ah, ah, ah, ah! The Peach Demon!”

“Junior Brother Zhu, we are already out. There is no need to fear.” A flash of ruthlessness crossed Feng Feibai’s eyes. He helped Zhu Jiayu up and, upon lifting his head, reverted to his usual good Senior Brother persona.

Zhu Jiayu, still shaken, clung tightly to Feng Feibai’s arm. Clearly, he had not yet recovered from what he saw in the illusion. Feng Feibai walked to the base of the peach tree. “Senior Brother Xiao, Junior Brother Lin. Are you two alright?”

Xiao Qingyan nodded. “Senior Brother Feng, did you see where the scholar went in the illusion?”

After calming Zhu Jiayu down, Feng Feibai said, “The scholar? I did not see the scholar in the illusion.”

He did not see him? If the owner of this illusion was not Master, then who was it? That Taoist priest? But the priest is already dead. That leaves only the Peach Demon and the scholar. The most critical breakthrough lay with Zhu Jiayu, since only he had interacted with the Peach Demon. Xiao Qingyan felt something was strange, but he could not quite put his finger on it.

Out of the four of them, why was it that only Lin Sui had not entered the illusion? Lin Sui spoke up as if sensing something. “Senior Brother Feng, did you, did you all enter an illusion?”