This Is What a Villain Is Like

As Jiang Lan spoke casually, he took a Jade Pendant engraved with the character "Jiang" from his robes and placed it on the tea table before him.

Emperor Xia’s eyes narrowed. She stared at Jiang Lan’s face, her gaze merely flickering over the Jade Pendant without any move to take it.

’The mighty ruler of Great Xia, and he wants me to become a Tributor in the Prime Minister’s Mansion?’

However, over the years, the Prime Minister’s Mansion had indeed cultivated many retainers, all with impressive cultivation. There was no shortage of Sixth and Seventh Realm experts among them.

’Right now, Jiang Lan doesn’t know my identity. This Jade Pendant might just come in handy later.’

With this in mind, Emperor Xia gave a slight nod. With a flick of the jade-like hand beneath her wide sleeve, she accepted the Jade Pendant.

"Since Young Master Jiang has put it that way, it would be rude of me to refuse," she replied.

Jiang Lan smiled, as if he had expected this. "Should you ever decide to seek me out, I shall be at my mansion, ready to welcome you with open arms."

Emperor Xia said nothing. With a flick of her sleeve, she vanished from the spot.

After Emperor Xia left, the smile on Jiang Lan’s face vanished.

He used his Destiny Dao Fruit to probe his surroundings. Once he confirmed she was far away, he shook his head slightly, sat back down on the soft couch, and took a sip of the now-cold tea.

’That went even more smoothly than I expected. I managed to give her the Jade Pendant without a hitch...’

A peculiar glint appeared in his eyes.

He had thought that given Emperor Xia’s cautious nature, she would have inspected it first. Instead, she had accepted the Jade Pendant without any apparent suspicion.

Of course, she might decide to inspect it later if it occurred to her, but by then, it would no longer matter.

Jiang Lan had condensed a wisp of his Life Soul into that Jade Pendant.

The time it took for Emperor Xia to return to the Imperial Palace was more than enough for that wisp of Life Soul to completely bind itself to her life aura.

This served two purposes.

First, by sensing the location of his Life Soul wisp, he could determine Emperor Xia’s whereabouts. This would prevent him from running into her when he later impersonated the Alliance Leader of the Naxian Alliance, avoiding a "showdown between the real and the fake."

Second, with his Life Soul wisp bound to Emperor Xia’s life aura, Jiang Lan could use it to simulate her aura, allowing him to create a truly perfect imitation.

As for whether his actions tonight would make Emperor Xia suspicious of him later, that didn’t matter either.

By the time she figured any of this out, Jiang Lan would have already pulled her fangs and broken her wings. She would be nothing more than a caged bird, no longer a threat.

Not long after Emperor Xia left, Jiang Lan disposed of the broad-faced, Fifth Realm cultivator’s corpse, leaving no trace behind.

Soon after, his guards arrived and sealed off the painted boat.

Under Jiang Lan’s deliberate control, no news of the assassination attempt by the Blood Immortal Sect remnants was leaked.

His parents received the news, but they were told the attackers were only a few cultivators at the Fourth Realm, so they weren’t overly concerned.

This was precisely why Jiang Lan had disposed of the broad-faced, Fifth Realm cultivator’s corpse.

He had only recently embarked on the path of cultivation. Based on the strength he displayed before his parents, killing a Fourth Realm expert with his various techniques was plausible. Killing a Fifth Realm expert, however, was beyond belief and would be utterly shocking. He didn’t want to create unnecessary complications.

Besides, the only people who had seen Emperor Xia take action were himself and her few handmaidens.

Even with his Token, Emperor Xia would never go looking for him at the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Therefore, as long as he kept his mouth shut, no one would ever know what happened tonight.

The next few days in Jingyang City were peaceful.

After returning to the Imperial Palace, Emperor Xia continued to have the Blood Immortal Sect’s stronghold in Jingyang City investigated.

At the same time, she ordered the Dark Flower Pavilion to try and uncover more information about Jiang Lan.

Although their interaction had been brief, she was certain Jiang Lan was not the frivolous, spoiled young master the world thought him to be. On the contrary, he was extremely clever.

’His previous inability to cultivate must have been due to some hidden secret.’

However, this incident also dispelled some of her previous concerns. She had worried that the Prime Minister’s Mansion might be secretly colluding with the Blood Immortal Sect.

But the Blood Immortal Sect’s brazen assassination attempt on Jiang Lan was proof enough that she had been worrying for nothing.

While investigating Jiang Lan, Emperor Xia also sent people to verify the information contained in the brocade pouch she had received from the Half-Immortal Zhenren.

If she couldn’t get to the bottom of that matter, she feared she would truly know no peace.

...

A brief period of peace returned to Jingyang City.

Jiang Lan also received a message from Su Qinghan.

She had arrived at the Dao Cang Sword Sect and would be cultivating in seclusion under the Jade Cyan Sword Immortal.

Jiang Lan replied, telling her to focus on her cultivation and that he would visit when he had time.

Meanwhile, Chu Chan was establishing a foothold in the Jasper Pool Sect, beginning to distinguish herself among the Inner Sect Disciples. Soon, she would accompany Chen Ning on a visit to the Beiming Chen Family.

Jiang Lan knew her plan. The Beiming Chen Family had deep ties to the former Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable.

The Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable, also known as the Beiming Demon Venerable, had left behind a legacy: the Beiming Demon Skill, which allowed one to devour the source essence and cultivation of others for personal use.

’In the original story, the legacy of the Beiming Ancient Celestial Venerable that Chu Chan obtains should be related to this trip...’

Jiang Lan had high hopes for her.

Chu Chan had not yet become the Demon Venerable’s Successor who would one day strike fear into the hearts of the entire Nine Provinces Land, but the budding signs were already there.

During this period, thanks to a daily deluge of various cultivation resources, Jiang Lan "successfully" broke through the Qi Cultivation Realm, just as his parents had wished, and began preparing to open his Spirit Sea.

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