Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Book 2: Chapter 28: The enlightened Xiao Dong

Murong Lin gazed at the pitiful Luo Miao Miao, who he had stepped on, and coldly stated, “Get up. I won’t kill you.”

His voice remained emotionless, its cold tone piercing into Luo Miao Miao’s heart like ice. To her, it felt as if he had said, “Hah! Look at your man, abandoning you to run away on his own! This is the man you’ve chosen!

How pitiful! I don’t even have the desire to kill you! Tch!”

These cold and indifferent words struck at Luo Miao Miao’s pride, and in her fear, she remained on the ground, not daring to crawl up.

Or perhaps, she couldn’t.

Her eyes glinted with hatred toward both Murong Lin and Xiao Dong, seemingly extending even beyond them to all the men in the world.

Murong Lin glanced at Luo Miao Miao with a strange look before attempting to infuse the ‘Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness and formlessness’ into her body.

In the next instant, Luo Miao Miao’s gaze turned vicious, entwined with a wisp of black spiritual energy.

Even Murong Lin, experienced as he was, had never encountered a protagonist like Xiao Dong. While the previous five protagonists had fallen at his hands, a seemingly cowardly and weak character who would leave his woman behind to die was also a protagonist?

Powerless, Murong Lin surveyed his surroundings, noticing the crystal-clear skeleton of ‘Han Tian Cuo’ left on the ground. Devoid of its nourishment, the primordial spirit, the skeleton still resembled a precious treasure carved from high-quality jade, gleaming under the candlelight.

A flicker of joy flashed across Murong Lin’s face as he approached the skeleton. After careful scrutiny, he stored it in his ring of holding. Since the array had been broken by the controlled Luo Miao Miao earlier, retrieving the skeleton became an easy task.

Despite not practising physical arts, Murong Lin recognized the significant value of the item. It could be exchanged for at least a lower Vast grade spiritual item, making it one of the most valuable treasures he had obtained in the Heaven Martial hidden realm.

After a thorough inspection of the cave, Murong Lin sighed, realizing that the sealed Han Tian Cuo was devoid of any other valuable possessions.

“He was sealed quite pitifully, lacking even a spiritual item on himself,” he criticized, turning his attention to Luo Miao Miao, who was beginning to rise. A swift circulation of his spiritual powers confirmed that the ‘Evil of lifelessness, lawlessness and formlessness’ could indeed control her briefly.

Murong Lin commanded, “Go, resent Xiao Dong! Let the entire hidden realm know of his capabilities and cold-bloodedness!”

With vacant eyes, Luo Miao Miao nodded and, after a brief pause, her expression shifted to fear as she hurriedly ran out.

She didn’t dare to turn back to look at Murong Lin, and she knew nothing of what he had done.

Though Murong Lin had assured her he wouldn’t kill her, fear still gripped her. The earlier scene tormented her like an everlasting nightmare, and her heart was filled with terror and resentment—resentment toward Xiao Dong.

This emotional response was the hallmark of the weak, always projecting their feelings onto others. As Luo Miao Miao ran through the hidden passage, she escaped the cave and returned to the small palace.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a tapestry of fiery clouds across the sky. Bathed in the soft radiance of the setting sun, Luo Miao Miao’s gaze fixed upon the crimson horizon as she let out a resounding scream, “Xiao Dong! I’ll make you pay!”

Her heart heavy with sorrow, she sprinted through the landscape, her movements reminiscent of an injured wolf finding refuge in the depths of a forest.

It was only later that Murong Lin gracefully emerged from the modest palace. His eyes, filled with quiet contemplation, traced the patterns of the cloudy sky.

“In all my years, I’ve never witnessed a protagonist abandoning their lover, only to be pursued by them…” he murmured to himself, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

Now, he was on the hunt for those fortuitous encounters.

Meanwhile, Xiao Dong, having utilized his trump card, the ‘Instant Hundred Li Talisman’, found himself a hundred lis away, his complexion drained of color. Stumbling and collapsing to the ground, he muttered to himself, disbelief etched across his face.

The power of ‘Devourment’ wasn’t an inherent ability; otherwise, he wouldn’t find himself in such a weak state. Two years prior, he was an insignificant practitioner of the physical arts, until a visit to a familiar waterfall changed his fate. A spiritual talisman, ablaze before his eyes, imprinted itself on his hand, bestowing upon him the formidable power of ‘Devourment’.

This extraordinary power allowed him to consume anything in his path, converting it into the strength that fueled his meteoric rise in cultivation. Yet, as he lay on the ground, the origins of that mysterious talisman remained a mystery despite his covert investigations.

His growing unease gripped Xiao Dong as he pondered the fortuitous opportunity he had stumbled upon. Why wouldn’t there be envious individuals eager to forcibly seize such a gift for themselves?

This had already occurred twice, but Xiao Dong had successfully obliterated and silenced those who dared to challenge him. He left no one alive, none of them were considered virtuous in his eyes.

But as his strength swelled, he began to comprehend the terror of his power.

Disguising it as a byproduct of his cultivation method, Xiao Dong dared not reveal that it was an effect of a mysterious spiritual talisman. Ignorant of the talisman’s true nature, he feared that a formidable cultivator could forcefully wrest it away from him.

This was the reason why he was so horrified when he found out that Murong Lin was well aware of his power of ‘Devourment’, and why he had escaped while abandoning Luo Miao Miao.

“Who is he? How does he know about my power of ‘Devourment’?” Xiao Dong’s face displayed a mix of conflict and panic.

Regaining composure, albeit under the influence of his protagonist halo, he assessed the situation. Whispering to himself, he concluded, “He seems to be the only one who knows. As long as I eliminate him, no one else will know.

He may not be stronger than me, but I can’t predict if he has a trump card, considering he’s aware of my power. He must have a method to counter it. I might be restricted the moment I use it!

No, I need another way to deal with him!”

Contemplating his options, Xiao Dong settled on body refinement. The last book left in Han Tian Cuo’s memories, titled 《A Thousand Wounds Upon the Body》, caught his attention. Determined, he thought, “I’ll cultivate this. I’ll become proficient quickly.”

Utilizing his power of Devourment, Xiao Dong located a valley rich with spiritual herbs and a captivating waterfall. The sight triggered memories of his humble beginnings, standing beneath waterfalls to diligently refine his physical body.

Now, with his cultivation soaring, he had lost his way and became impetuous, vain, and ruthless.

Standing beneath the waterfall, Xiao Dong was touched by a sense of reflection as he thought to himself:

Whoever you are…I am grateful for your reminder. I will transform myself to confront you!

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Translator’s note

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