The Villain Recognizes the Female Lead as His Master [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Demon Lord Chi Lin, the father of Chi Jinnian and the ruler of the demon realm, was also the greatest antagonist in the entire story. His sudden visit caught Chi Jinnian completely off guard.

Chi Lin glanced at the people present, strode into the main hall, and directly took the seat of honor.

Caiwei served hot tea, then bowed and retreated, closing the door behind her.

In an instant, the main hall was left with only Chi Jinnian and this imposing man her never before met “father,” Chi Lin.

“Father” Seeing that the other party remained silent, only sipping his tea, Chi Jinnian called out again.

It would have been better if she hadn’t spoken. The moment she did, the teacup in his hand slammed heavily onto the table with a loud crash. His dark face contorted, eyes wide with unmistakable anger.

“Don’t call me ‘Father’! I don’t have a daughter like you!”

Chi Jinnian:

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Chi Lin grew even angrier. He pounded the table and roared, “You’ve driven me to madness with your nonsense!”

They say daughters are their fathers’ little comforters. Surely, this father wouldn’t be too hard on his own daughter. So, Chi Jinnian decided to pull out her trump card.

She approached the Demon Lord, tugged at his sleeve, and adopted a coquettish demeanor, smiling sweetly. “Father! What brings you to visit your daughter today?”

Chi Jinnian wondered, had she forgotten some plot point involving the Demon Lord? No, in this part of the story, the father-daughter duo served merely as stepping stones for Yuan Shao. Their roles were minimal, as the focus was on Yuan Shao’s perseverance in clearing dungeons around the demon realm and accidentally obtaining some divine herb that would greatly enhance her spiritual power.

“If I hadn’t come, would I even have seen you? If not for Wei Yang reporting back yesterday, how would I have caught you? You’re truly a busy little heir, aren’t you? Always missing in action, even busier than me, the Lord!” Chi Lin yanked his sleeve back, refusing to be swayed by Chi Jinnian’s sweet act.

Great. She knew that damned rival surnamed Wei wouldn’t let her off the hook.

“Oh, Father, don’t worry! Once I finish this busy spell, I’ll stay in the demon palace and keep you company!” Chi Jinnian cooed. “I promise I haven’t done anything bad recently!”

Hearing this, Chi Lin grew even more furious. He slammed the table again. “No bad deeds? Chi Jinnian, how impressive! You, the heir of the demon realm, should you be out doing good deeds instead? Is this how you repay my years of upbringing? Should I follow the righteous sects and award you a little red flower?!”

Chi Jinnian:

“That’s not what I meant,” she stammered, suddenly confronted with such twisted logic. “I, I meant I haven’t done any good deeds recently, only bad ones! And I swear, from now on, I’ll only do bad things!”

Somewhat mollified, Chi Lin sat back in his chair. “Tell me, a while ago I asked you to investigate that Yuan Shao from the righteous sects. Did you find anything?”

In the original story, the Demon Lord had always been obsessed with capturing Yuan Shao and extracting her golden core. Yet, by the end, not only did he fail to obtain the core, but he also ended up losing everything himself.

“This…” Chi Jinnian thought to herself that she should save whoever she could from her own family. With a grave tone, she said, “Why are you looking for her? I heard she was tormented by a weasel spirit until she lost all her magical powers and spiritual energy. Now, she’s no different from a mortal. Father, capturing her, probably won’t do you much good. Why not try another approach? If you want to enhance your cultivation, wouldn’t taking a pill work just as well? Like, say, that Ningbi Pill.”

The Ningbi Pill was a crucial item in the old Demon Lord’s possession, always kept under tight guard. Chi Jinnian had long wanted to get it for Yuan Shao and seized this chance to ask about its whereabouts: “Father, that Ningbi Pill, it’s still safe, right?”

“Why are you asking about that!” Chi Lin ignored her probing. “I don’t care what state Yuan Shao is in, I’m going to capture her. Alive, I’ll see her in person. Dead, I’ll bring her back to life and then see her in person!”

Before Chi Lin left, Chi Jinnian managed to wheedle a handful of pills from him, using the excuse that her cultivation had hit a bottleneck and her spiritual energy was too weak to sense Yuan Shao’s location.

After stashing the pills away, Chi Jinnian took Caiwei, Caiyue, and a few others to Yihui Pawnshop in the afternoon to perform the “advertisement” they had rehearsed for half a day.

When the performance ended, the pawnshop owner frowned, lips tightly sealed, not saying a word. His monocle perched on his nose as he flipped through the script in his hands, clearly dissatisfied.

“Shopkeeper, is there something about the script you’re unhappy with?” Chi Jinnian stepped forward and asked quietly.

This was a wildly popular ad from the third dimension there was no way it could be flawed!

The shopkeeper glanced around at the group, then pulled Chi Jinnian aside and whispered, “The script, isn’t the problem. It’s those people.” He shook his head, signaling disapproval. “Those two girls are somewhat clever and gentle, but still not quite right. The two guys? They’re dragging down the prestige of my shop!”

Chi Jinnian couldn’t understand this. The four men East, West, South, and North were, after all, stand-ins the original owner had picked based on the male lead’s looks. Even if they weren’t peerlessly handsome, they at least had a touch of refinement. They couldn’t possibly be lowering the shop’s standards.

As for Caiwei and Caiyue, they were undeniably lovely girls. Yet in the shopkeeper’s words, they were merely “somewhat clever and gentle”? Clearly, he was just making trouble!

“Shopkeeper, why don’t you speak plainly?” Chi Jinnian called him out directly. The shopkeeper immediately wiped the frown off his face and replaced it with a smile.

“As expected, nothing escapes the young master’s notice. This humble one was thinking… no matter how beautiful the girls are, they pale in comparison to you, young master. Since you’re sincerely willing to help promote this humble shop, why not.”

“You want me to perform!” Chi Jinnian thought, You crafty shopkeeper, truly no merchant isn’t sly. Your abacus is clattering away, scheming right to my face!

The shopkeeper quickly clasped his hands in apology. “Young master, when it comes to finding a ‘spokesperson’ as you call it, the more renowned and influential, the better. Think about it if you, the young master of the demon realm, are willing to endorse this humble shop, it would bring us immense honor. Then, our goods would sell out in no time, and our accounts would be settled. Otherwise, if we let those outsiders perform… tsk tsk tsk, sales would be hard to guarantee. Not only would all our efforts be wasted, but it would also tarnish your reputation, young master. Don’t you agree?”

” Chi Jinnian was left speechless by the shopkeeper’s words.

After much deliberation, Chi Jinnian still shook her head: “No, no. You didn’t fancy any of those outside, who’s going to act opposite me? I can’t carry the show alone.”

“Ah ” The shopkeeper deliberately drew out his tone, looking as if he had already planned everything. “Last time the Young Master visited our humble shop, wasn’t there a friend accompanying you? This humble one noticed that the young gentleman was exceptionally handsome and dignified, with an extraordinary bearing that complements the Young Master’s own aura quite well.”

Yuan Shao?

Chi Jinnian was stunned. Seeing the shopkeeper’s beaming face, she realized he had been scheming this all along!

“No, no!” Chi Jinnian immediately refused. “She won’t do it, so don’t even think about it!”

“Why not? Is it about money? Here’s the deal, if your friend agrees to perform, regardless of sales, all your old debts with me will be wiped clean!” The shopkeeper clasped his hands toward Chi Jinnian, demonstrating his sincerity.

But why was Yuan Shao’s appearance fee so much higher than hers? Was this the halo of the main female lead? Chi Jinnian was a person of status too!

Driven by a sense of unfairness, Chi Jinnian rejected the idea again.

The shopkeeper didn’t argue further. Instead, he began listing Chi Jinnian’s outstanding debts: “One gold hairpin, five hundred spirit stones; a glazed flower vase, seven hundred spirit stones…” He meticulously recounted each debt, reminding Chi Jinnian that if she relied on sales to repay, it might take her a very long time.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling,” Chi Jinnian said earnestly. “It’s just that she’s very strict about rules and probably wouldn’t agree to something like this.” The esteemed main female lead performing street theater with you? Are you joking?

Seeing his persuasion wasn’t working, the shopkeeper continued counting on his fingers: “A set of pearl jewelry, twelve hundred spirit stones, plus the previous five thousand spirit stones. Calculating profits at two hundred spirit stones a day, sales will inevitably decline over time, averaging less than one hundred fifty per day. That means, if all goes smoothly, the Young Master would only need to arrange… fewer than three thousand performances to clear the debt between us.”

“What did you just say?”

“Fewer than three thousand performances.”

“The line before that.”

” The shopkeeper was momentarily confused. “That the debt will be wiped clean if that gentleman performs?”

Chi Jinnian grabbed the old shopkeeper’s hand. “It’s a deal!”

When Chi Jinnian arrived at Yuan Shao’s Peach Blossom Haven, Yuan Shao was meditating on the cushion she had picked out for her. Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes.

“Shizun! I’m here!” The girl stood in the sunset, her smile as radiant as the evening clouds. Beneath her plain white robe, the fiery red hem of her skirt mirrored the hues of the sky. Her eyes curved into crescents as she waved at Yuan Shao. “I came to see you.”

Yuan Shao rose and walked over to greet her.

Chi Jinnian went to the pearwood table and opened the food box. Inside were dishes she had specifically instructed Caiwei to prepare. Last night’s meal had been too spicy for Yuan Shao’s taste, so today she had chosen lighter fare: phoenix-tail shrimp, steamed perch, chestnut chicken in broth, blanched greens, dried tofu shreds in chicken soup, and a plate of crystal vegetable buns.

The steaming dishes covered the table. Chi Jinnian set out chopsticks for Yuan Shao. “Shizun, try these. If you don’t like them, I’ll bring different dishes tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your trouble.” Yuan Shao gazed at the spread but didn’t rush to pick up her chopsticks.

“I haven’t had the chance to open the pastries you sent over during the day yet. There’s no need to specially deliver meals next time,” Yuan Shao said. Although she had lost her memory, she clearly sensed that her body had long since transcended the need for sustenance. She could live perfectly well without partaking in worldly fare. “It’s too troublesome for you to keep running back and forth like this. Presumably, you have other important matters to attend to outside. You should focus on your own affairs, there’s no need to worry about me.”

Since this disciple had her own things to do, how could Yuan Shao, who had never fulfilled her duties as a mentor, possibly trouble her disciple with constant errands? Besides, she could manage just fine on her own. It was merely that, without company, the occasional clamor from the streets outside would make her feel a touch of loneliness.

“Master.” Chi Jinnian pulled up a stool and sat beside Yuan Shao, her delicate pale hands resting on the other’s clenched fist. “Is it, that you didn’t like what I brought today either? Did I do something wrong again?”

Her round almond eyes shimmered with a ripple of emotion, tinged with innocence. Yuan Shao hadn’t expected that her attempt to ease her little disciple’s burden would instead make the other feel guilty. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then, are you upset that I came late today?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Oh, I see.” Chi Jinnian withdrew her hand, lowering her gaze. “Master must be blaming me for leaving you alone here. But Master, I was just… afraid.” She kept her head down, staring at her fingertips as her hands fidgeted with the edges of her sleeves. “I was afraid you’d find me annoying, afraid you’d chase me away like before, afraid you’d… disown me again…”

Her voice grew smaller, laced with caution and grievance. Sitting beside her, Yuan Shao felt another layer of guilt weigh on her heart.

As an unworthy mentor, what right did she have to be picky here? Providing her with shelter from the wind and rain was already an act of deep master-disciple loyalty, let alone that every furnishing and decoration here was of the finest quality.

Judging that her acting had done its job, Chi Jinnian offered Yuan Shao an out: “Master, after we eat, why don’t you accompany me for a walk outside? Ever since becoming your disciple, I’ve been cooped up in the sect every day, it’s been so long since I’ve had fun outside.” Propping her chin on one hand, her bright eyes blinked up at Yuan Shao. “Will you come with me?”

How could Yuan Shao, still steeped in guilt, refuse such a request especially one as simple as a walk? “Alright, as you wish.”

“Then, Master, you should change clothes first!” When Chi Jinnian had entered, she hadn’t just brought a food box, she’d also carried a bundle. Unwrapping it revealed a pristine white robe, the fabric light and thin, cool to the touch, perfect for the summer heat. Pearl-bright clouds were embroidered across it, edged with silver thread.

But Yuan Shao noticed that this robe was quite different in style from what she wore. The jade buckle on the waistband indicated it was men’s attire.

“Why is it men’s clothing?”

Chi Jinnian seemed to have prepared the answer long ago: “Master is so beautiful, what if some villain took a fancy to you? That would be troublesome. If you dress as a man, even if you catch some girl’s eye, I’ll be right beside you to fend them off.”

Yuan Shao was caught off guard by the sudden praise. A faint blush crept across her porcelain cheeks as she murmured, “How thoughtful.”