This Is What a Villain Is Like

Inside the palace, mind-calming incense burned. Its faint fragrance drifted upward, transforming mid-air into all sorts of wondrous and exotic beasts, and even the phantoms of tiered palaces and pavilions.

On the Zafu, Dao Rhyme intertwined. Jiang Lan, dressed in robes as white as snow, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His robes stirred without a breeze, and each strand of his ink-black hair was crystalline, shimmering with a divine radiance.

With every breath he took, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi swarmed toward him like a hive of bees, so much so that a deep rumbling sound echoed from within the Void.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought an ancient Fierce Beast was here, breathing in the essence of the Sun and Moon.

Each breath created a fearsome disturbance, like the tides of the Sun and Moon. It seemed powerful enough to drain the surrounding Void, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi could not replenish itself fast enough, creating a vacuum in the area.

Li Mengning sat quietly and demurely to the side, her hands resting calmly in her lap, her posture exceptionally elegant and proper.

She didn’t make a sound to disturb Jiang Lan. Generally, a cultivator would be startled awake the moment a stranger approached them during their practice.

But Jiang Lan seemed completely unaware. This wasn’t because his consciousness was too deeply immersed to sense that someone had arrived.

It was because he had recognized Li Mengning’s presence. He had no guard up against her; he was completely at ease.

It seemed a certain tacit understanding had formed between them.

And so, Li Mengning remained silent, quietly waiting for him to finish his cultivation.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

However, the wait dragged on, and the sky outside the palace gradually grew dim.

During this time, she tried to enter a meditative state to cultivate but quickly lost her focus. She simply couldn’t settle her mind.

She looked over at him and blinked, studying Jiang Lan’s face, which was just inches away. After a moment’s thought, as if wanting to test something, she hesitantly reached out a slender, porcelain-white finger and gave his cheek a light poke... and then another gentle tap.

Then, as if afraid Jiang Lan would notice, she snatched her finger back guiltily.

It felt a little different from how she had imagined. It was warm, but not soft. Instead, it was firm, just like the chiseled lines of his profile.

Li Mengning couldn’t understand why Jiang Lan always loved to pinch her cheeks when she wasn’t looking.

’Is it because my face is softer?’

She reached out and poked her own cheek, comparing the two sensations.

"What are you doing?"

Just then, Jiang Lan, who had been immersed in his cultivation, finally awoke.

He opened his eyes, looked at the guilty-looking Li Mengning before him, and asked with feigned surprise.

Li Mengning lowered her finger, her clear, tranquil eyes a mask of perfect composure.

Only when he looked her over did her gaze seem to drift, wandering to the Void behind him with a flustered expression.

"My... my face was suddenly itchy," she said, quickly inventing an excuse.

Jiang Lan smiled and played along. "Probably a mosquito bite. Come here, let me take a look."

As he spoke, he started to get up, ready to make his move.

"It’s... it’s not itchy anymore," Li Mengning whispered. She didn’t struggle, however, allowing him to pull her into his embrace.

"The tips of your ears are so red. You’re definitely lying," Jiang Lan chuckled.

"I’m not..." Li Mengning insisted stubbornly.

Jiang Lan reached out, lifted the veil she always wore, and lowered his head, silencing her stubborn retort with a kiss.

Her words were stubborn, but her lips were soft.

He could attest to that from personal experience.

Li Mengning’s eyes went wide. She gave a token struggle before her gaze quickly filled with a dewy mist, turning hazy. Her limbs seemed to lose all their strength.

"Jiang Lan..."

A moment later, she was finally able to speak properly. Remembering why she had come, she quickly placed a hand between them, stopping him from teasing her further.

Jiang Lan smiled, feigning ignorance. "What is it?"

"I... I have something serious to talk about," Li Mengning said, her expression earnest.

"This is serious business, too," Jiang Lan replied, still smiling.

"This... this isn’t serious business..." Li Mengning mumbled, puffing out her cheeks. She was so annoyed she didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

Jiang Lan seemed to decide to stop teasing her. "It’s about my engagement to Emperor Xia, isn’t it?"

Li Mengning nodded, her expression more serious than ever. "I want to help you."

"Since Father made this arrangement, it would be useless for me to defy his orders. How could you help? Are we going to elope?" Jiang Lan asked, pinching her soft, fair cheek.

The word "elope" made Li Mengning’s brain short-circuit. Her mind went blank for a second before she began to seriously consider the possibility...

’But where would we go if we eloped? The Taiyi Sect? Or flee across the sea?’

A troubled expression immediately appeared on her face.

"It seems eloping won’t work. So what should we do? I really don’t want to marry Emperor Xia. If I marry her, what will become of you?" Jiang Lan sighed, feigning a headache.

"You liar..." Li Mengning suddenly snapped out of it, her heart filled with frustration.

But Jiang Lan looked at her earnestly and held her tighter. "I’m not lying. I don’t want you to be wronged."

"Father wants me to marry Emperor Xia. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded. It’s no different from any other political marriage between families—it’s all about benefits. What feelings could there be between two strangers who have never even met?"

"You know what I’m like."

Waves of indescribable emotion washed over Li Mengning’s clear eyes. She finally whispered, "I... I don’t feel wronged. I’m just worried that you’ll be unhappy."

"The more you say that, the more I don’t want to let you be wronged..." Jiang Lan sighed. He knew he was being hypocritical. In truth, he simply couldn’t treat Li Mengning as a mere pawn, the way he treated everyone else.