Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Penalty Stake — The Palace Master’s sword stance is remarkably steady.

“Huh?”

“Competing to see who flies the slowest? What kind of method is that??”

Flying fast is about speed; flying slow is about composure and control. Lyu Shuyao said, “Well, Palace Master Chang, are you in or out?”

Chang Huichen tucked his hands into his sleeves and looked at him. “Since Young Master Lyu’s spirits are so high, how could I not accompany you? However…”

“However what?”

“A competition without stakes is quite dull; it offers no motivation.”

Lyu Shuyao asked, “What stakes does the Palace Master desire?”

“Revealing it now would be quite boring, wouldn’t it?” He was indeed a difficult man. “Furthermore, I haven’t quite decided yet. Regardless of the wager, will the Young Master simply say whether he agrees or not?”

Lyu Shuyao hesitated. In the past, he did whatever he wanted without thinking of “buts,” “ifs,” or “what-ifs.”

But now…

It wouldn’t matter if it were just himself, but…

He released the hand of the person beside him that he had been holding.

Chang Huichen’s eyes were sharp and piercing. “You set the rules, I set the stakes. It’s fair, isn’t it? Rest assured, it’s a mere sword competition; I won’t ask for your life or the Second Young Master’s.”

At that moment, Su Cheyue tucked several bamboo tablets into his sleeve from below.

Just do it.

Lyu Shuyao stroked the tablets, which still held the warmth of Su Cheyue’s palm, and said, “Fine, I agree.”

Chang Huichen broke into an enchanting smile and raised his hand to manifest his sword: “Taoyao.”

A sword with a peach bud dangling from its hilt materialized, glowing with a faint, eerie red light in mid-air—a perfect match for its master’s seductive and aggressive aura.

At the same time, Zhanquan was already floating beside Lyu Shuyao, awaiting orders.

“Heavens, what a glorious day! I get to see the Palace Master fly his sword!!”

“Young Master Lyu is exceptionally handsome; he must be a sight to behold with a sword! Thank the heavens—I, your humble servant, am willing to eat vegetarian for a week!”

Amidst the excited cheers from the row on the left and the polite gazes from the row on the right, Lyu Shuyao and Chang Huichen walked side by side out of the hall.

Chang Huichen liked to build his palaces very high. If Lyu Shuyao were a mere mortal looking down at the cliff bottom thousands of steps away, his legs would surely tremble and his heart would shake.

But now, having flown the sword several times for Su Cheyue and having ten percent of his cultivation returned by the system, it wouldn’t make sense to still be afraid of heights.

Chang Huichen greeted him courteously: “Young Master Lyu, after you.”

The two chanted their respective incantations and rose into the air almost simultaneously, landing on their swords. Taoyao washed the air in red, while Zhanquan flowed with gold. The two swords shot out together, and two figures—one purple and one red—were a hundred yards away in the blink of an eye.

“Wow!”

The new disciples huddled outside the hall, screaming in unison. Qinzhu, ever warm-hearted, pushed Su Cheyue out and gave him a play-by-play commentary while cheering.

“Young Master Lyu’s sword wind is agile and full of youthful spirit! Wait, the Palace Master’s stance… is actually remarkably steady. It’s quite different from his usual self.”

“Young Master Lyu truly lives up to his youthful reputation; he’s actually staying ahead of the Palace Master…”

“Qinzhu, did you read the prompt? They’re competing to see who is slowest!”

“Ah? Oh, right, yes.” Qinzhu suppressed her excitement, taking great care of Su Cheyue’s feelings. Her voice carried a hint of regret and comfort: “Young Master Lyu is flying faster than our Palace Master; he’s currently at a disadvantage…”

Su Cheyue kept his hands folded on his lap, quiet and still.

The two had not agreed on a flight path before boarding their swords. Consequently, wherever Lyu Shuyao flew in front, Chang Huichen followed leisurely behind.

Just as the female disciples had said, Chang Huichen was over ten years older. Though it didn’t show much on the surface, his actual experience and years of cultivation were superior. Combined with Lyu Shuyao’s severely damaged cultivation, whether they were competing for slowness or speed—or even who could fall off their sword faster—Chang Huichen could easily play weak to make him lose.

Lyu Shuyao’s original thought was to use the Palace Master’s profligate nature as an entry point. He hoped that in a contest of endurance and composure while flying, he might have a sliver of a chance based on steadiness.

He hadn’t expected that the moment Chang Huichen touched a sword, he became a completely different person from the man in the hall—as if his wildness was locked inside his body by his blade.

Lyu Shuyao couldn’t help but glance back at him. He found Chang Huichen almost half-reclining on his Taoyao sword, eyes half-closed, nodding and smiling at the flowers and grass on the cliff. The man’s face and the mountain flowers reflected each other’s radiance; his smile was for the flowers, and his smile became a flower.

Lyu Shuyao was competing; Chang Huichen was admiring his own Zhuohua Palace.

Fortunately, Lyu Shuyao’s true purpose didn’t lie in this contest; otherwise, he would have been so angry his “Dao heart” would have shattered.

He slowed his pace significantly, flying very carefully. The Zhanquan sword visited the cliffs, the mountain streams, the palaces, and the pavilions one by one, leaving no corner of Zhuohua Palace unexplored.

Although he remained ahead of Chang Huichen due to inferior skill, this speed was enough.

He was looking for that place.

After flying past three pavilions of equal height, he finally arrived at the tallest building.

Chang Huichen’s residence.

Lyu Shuyao curled his lips into a smile and deliberately sped up. The Zhanquan sword, flashing with blue-violet light, zipped past like a small rocket.

The crowd was shocked. “Why did Young Master Lyu speed up??”

“Has he realized he’s bound to lose and decided to just give up?”

“It’s possible. After all, losing to someone else in front of the Second Young Master must be embarrassing for Young Master Lyu—Wait??!! What is happening?!”

“Why is the Palace Master also—”

Chang Huichen abruptly withdrew his gaze from the distance and sat up on his sword. He didn’t stand and exert force like Lyu Shuyao, but his posture was clearly no longer as relaxed as before.

Not only that, the red Taoyao sword actually accelerated in front of everyone, catching up to Zhanquan in a few breaths.

The situation instantly shifted from a clear lead-and-follow to the two of them racing neck and neck.

“Is there something wrong with the magnetic field over there?” Qinzhu analyzed with mock seriousness.

In mid-air, Lyu Shuyao feigned surprise: “Palace Master Chang? Why have you caught up?”

Chang Huichen followed closely, staring at him and his sword with a fake smile, taking in his every move.

Lyu Shuyao pretended to know nothing, shrugged, turned around, and gradually moved away from the tall building.

In the gap of that single turn, Chang Huichen returned to a position several yards behind Lyu Shuyao.

Finally, Lyu Shuyao returned to the starting point amidst the energetic cheers of the young girls. He jumped gracefully off the Zhanquan sword, brushed the mist off his clothes, and said to Chang Huichen, who landed after him: “‘Yinglong Scenting the Plum’—hearing of it is not as good as seeing it. I’ve learned my lesson today; I accept my defeat.”

Chang Huichen said, “Think nothing of it. I haven’t flown a sword in a long time; today’s competition with the Young Master was quite refreshing.”

Lyu Shuyao nodded perfunctorily. Though he had achieved his goal, he couldn’t help but worry about the wager Chang Huichen had mentioned.

“What was the stake you decided on earlier?”

Chang Huichen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked straight to Su Cheyue’s wheelchair, bent down to grip the armrests on both sides, and asked, “Second Young Master, was it beautiful?”

Su Cheyue didn’t speak, nor could he.

Only after asking did Chang Huichen seem to remember that Su Cheyue couldn’t see. He spoke in a regretful tone: “Oh. What a pity. The Second Young Master didn’t see Young Master Lyu’s handsome and heroic figure as his purple robes fluttered. If it weren’t for the fact that Young Master Lyu’s looks are cut from the same cloth as mine—making it feel like I’m looking in a mirror—I surely would have been captivated by his dragon-like grace.”

Who the hell is cut from the same cloth as you!

He leaned even lower, looking into Su Cheyue’s lifeless eyes, coaxing: “The Second Young Master likes this kind of thing, doesn’t he?”

Lyu Shuyao’s eyelid twitched.

Sure enough, ominous premonitions always come true. Chang Huichen turned around, shielding Su Cheyue behind him, and looked at Lyu Shuyao with a lazy voice: “I’ve decided.”

“?”

“Taoyao now only exists for the smile of a beauty,” Chang Huichen’s voice sounded as if it came from the spring tides of a sea of desire. “I want to spend tonight with the Second Young Master.”