He… is feeling sad for me?
Jing Tan’er’s heart skipped a beat.
Her sharp tongue and biting words had always been a shield to protect herself, but when the boy she’d been chasing all this time suddenly stopped, turned, and gazed at her gently, that spiky armor instantly melted away.
“Did… did you really break off your engagement with Xiao Xinran?”
The little princess kicked a stone by her feet, pretending to be nonchalant, but her tone had grown unexpectedly soft.
“Mhm.”
“All because of that… that Ji-whatever?”
Jing Tan’er couldn’t even remember the girl’s name, only that glaring mop of yellow hair.
“How could it be? Just like you said, I’m nothing but a cripple now. Why make things hard on myself? Better to give her her freedom, and free myself as well.”
So Yun Liu never liked Xiao Xinran or Ji Shiyu?
The Villainous Young Lady perked up her ears, catching only the part she wanted to hear, her mind whirling.
Hearing that the youth had drawn a clear line with his past, the little princess felt inexplicably happy, completely misunderstanding the “sadness” of the one who’d been hurt.
Come to think of it, this was the first time in years the two of them had spoken privately.
Though they’d known each other, they’d been little more than strangers until now.
Jing Tan’er summoned her courage, tucked away all her temper, and asked in a small voice, “Your injury… is it all right?”
“It’s fine. Fifth Stage of Qi Refinement.”
Yun Liu shook his head indifferently, his voice so flat it made one’s heart ache, as if he had already resigned himself to despair.
“That fast?”
She meant the drop in stage.
Jing Tan’er covered her mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but no words would come.
All this time, Yun Liu had always been the figure she chased after.
Now that they’d finally reached the same starting line, he was the one who couldn’t get back up.
Facing such a disheartened boy, even winning would feel like a hollow victory!
As a villain with ideals, goals, and formidable drive, the Villainous Young Lady wanted only to prove she was no worse than Xiao Xinran, much less Yun Liu.
His fall came with no warning.
For Jing Tan’er, it was as if she’d lost the direction she’d always been chasing, left empty and at a loss.
It was a complicated feeling. Yun Liu wasn’t just her “enemy”—he was her role model and source of motivation.
The genius in the eyes of their peers worked harder than anyone.
The little princess had seen it with her own eyes.
After all, those who survived Junior Martial Aunt’s hellish death training could be counted on one hand.
There was a reason Celestial Phenomena Peak had so few disciples.
Looking at the pale-faced boy before her, Jing Tan’er couldn’t help but recall the scene when they first met.
He might have forgotten, but she remembered every detail.
Back then, Jing Tan’er hadn’t yet joined Shenhua Sect.
The Crown Prince’s Family had been invited to the Yunding Sword-watching Ceremony.
A youth in white had appeared out of nowhere, his swordsmanship unrivaled—defeating several Inner Disciples as an Outer Sect Disciple, dazzling the entire audience.
Her Highness the Princess had fallen for him at first sight, idolizing him, begging her father endlessly.
Though the two were of similar age and the youth was outstanding, their families were worlds apart.
All the ministers and nobles opposed it, but they couldn’t withstand Her Highness’s stubbornness.
And yet… in the end, this guy had refused the royal invitation outright, without even meeting her face to face!
That was why Jing Tan’er had given up other, better choices, insisting on joining Shenhua Sect—swearing to outshine Xiao Xinran in every way, all for Yun Liu.
Who would have thought that halfway through, a yellow-haired girl would suddenly appear?
Why was Yun Liu’s gaze always on Xiao Xinran?
Why wouldn’t he spare her even a glance?
Was she not good enough?
Or not pretty enough!
Jing Tan’er didn’t feel she lost to Xiao Xinran, or even Ji Shiyu.
One could only say that Her Highness the Princess had a rather unique way of trying to get noticed.
If Yun Liu had chosen her back then, a single Reversion Pill would have done the trick—a heavy commission to the royal Guest Elder, and it would be done.
Things wouldn’t have ended up like this, with all his hard-earned cultivation destroyed in an instant!
The girl’s thoughts tangled in a mess.
This isn’t the Yun Liu I want to see—a stagnant pool, utterly without fighting spirit.
Seeing Jing Tan’er standing in the path, lost in thought and not moving aside, Yun Liu simply took her by the shoulder and, without a word, shifted both their positions.
“All in all, don’t think about revenge. And don’t try to scheme against Ji Shiyu.”
The youth’s words were earnest, offering advice from someone who’d been there.
Are side characters not people too?
Rather than being someone else’s plaything, why not just lie flat on the ground?
“They were the ones who started it! I—I’m talking to you, so why should anyone else butt in? I just got carried away for a moment…”
Jing Tan’er’s voice grew weaker and weaker, feeling the heat of his hands on her shoulders, burning all the way to her neck, her mind turning to mush.
“Stay away from the yellow-haired one, and you’ll live a peaceful life!”
“You think I’ll stay away just because you say so? Who is she to you, huh? I refuse.”
“Just a stranger. Listen if you want. I don’t care about her fate at all—just don’t want to see you handed over for nothing… mm, anyway, it’s for your own good.”
The little princess didn’t really understand a word, but her mouth was proud while her heart grew warm, nodding in confusion.
He said it’s for my own good…
So Yun Liu has always cared about me?
“F-fine! This time, for your sake, I’ll show mercy and let her off. But I won’t lose to her a second time!”
“Mhm, good luck.”
Yun Liu waved, offering a faint smile, hiding his merit and fame.
We’re all fallen souls in the Misty Realm, I can only help you this far, buddy!
Looking at all the villains in the Misty Realm, none lacked courage, wit, or determination.
But the arrogant protagonist?
All day long, loafing about, big-chested and brainless, indecisive, and the only reason he descended upon the Nine Provinces was to steal other people’s wives (or luck).
No matter how the Villainous Young Lady tried, in the end she only helped the yellow-haired one, and instead raised Ji Shiyu’s favorability among the heroines.
What’s the point?
As the saying goes, all wronged villains are family—mutual sympathy, sticking together for warmth.
Helping others is the root of happiness.
As long as the yellow-haired one isn’t happy, Yun Liu is happy.
His steps up the mountain grew all the lighter.
Jing Tan’er stared dazedly at the boy in white, frowning one moment, grinning the next, lost in her own thoughts.
Everyone knew that though the Shenhua Sect was called the Five Peaks Academy, in truth there were only four Inner Peaks—the last, an obscure mountain, had gone unchosen for years.
Climbing up to the mountain gate, the peak was cold and empty. Aside from a small Mirror Lake, there were only a few shabby huts, pitifully sparse.
The scenery was truly beautiful, and the spiritual energy incredibly rich. That was because Celestial Phenomena Peak had never been developed at all—purely natural, untainted, always maintaining its original, wild state.
Occasionally, wild spirits from the mountains would wander by, as if it were a wild animal park.
Even those few huts had been built by Yun Liu’s own hands, just to give his little Junior Sister a sense of home, so she wouldn’t be left without a roof.
Now, the Celestial Phenomena Peak “family of three” was just Master, Senior Brother, and Junior Sister. And now, that was gone too.
This had much to do with Yan Bingling’s free-spirited, careless attitude.
Whether the sect’s legacy flourished or not—what did it have to do with her?
Yun Liu was long used to it. Every time he came back on break, he would first clean the house, weed the courtyard, and drive out any wild animals that had invaded their home.