Chapter 10: The Stubborn Fiancée and the Unwilling Scapegoat

Lan Wu Xi had assumed that after dealing with Wang Lang, he could finally make a graceful exit. However, Huang Yao Yue seemed intent on clinging to him that day. No matter how Lan Wu Xi tried to shake her off or even subtly kick her away, she stubbornly remained glued to his heels, refusing to leave.

At the banquet, the sight of a tall man and a short girl walking together was particularly conspicuous. Having been inexplicably undermined by Huang Yao Yue once already, Lan Wu Xi now regarded her as a harbinger of ill fortune.

He had, for no apparent reason, once again accumulated a significant amount of “malice points”, making his path as a villain, already a stumble through thorny thickets, even more arduous. To his chagrin, the culprit behind all this was an unexpectedly mischievous little girl.

Granted, she wasn’t actually much younger than him. However, her somewhat malnourished physique coupled with her undeniably petite stature left Lan Wu Xi fuming inwardly yet unable to voice his displeasure. It made him appear as though he were bullying a small child, yet who would suspect that he was, in fact, the true victim?

“Hey, look, don’t those two seem awfully strange?”

“Indeed, they don’t look like siblings. Could they be the illegitimate children of some prominent figure?”

“Shhh! Don’t speak so loudly, all of you. Take a closer look at who’s behind that man. That’s the Huang family’s…”

“What? That little girl is actually…! Phew, good thing I didn’t say more. It’s probably best if we keep our distance.”

Although the words of those individuals had been barely a whisper, Lan Wu Xi had heard every syllable with crystal clarity. It seemed they held a considerable aversion to the troublesome girl behind him, which only piqued Lan Wu Xi’s curiosity regarding her identity even further. However, he could vaguely piece together clues from Wang Lang and the previous group of onlookers, concluding that, most likely, she was yet another pampered young lady from a powerful noble family.

It stood to reason, for the guests attending this banquet were either immensely wealthy or highly influential; at the very least, they were cultivators like Lan Wu Xi. Yet, he couldn’t detect even a trace of spiritual energy from this little girl. This presented only two possibilities: either she was an ordinary person entirely, or her strength far surpassed his own, rendering him incapable of perceiving her power.

Naturally, Lan Wu Xi’s heart leaned firmly towards the first possibility over the second.

After all, Lan Wu Xi sensed not a shred of self-awareness as a cultivator from Huang Yao Yue. She behaved entirely like a spoiled, capricious young lady, completely disregarding his feelings, as if she genuinely considered him her fiancé and expected him to take the fall for anything she messed up.

This notion was unequivocally wrong. Setting aside the fact that he had only met her once, even if they truly were betrothed, he certainly wouldn’t be blessed enough to endure such an ordeal.

Seriously, do those perverts who fancy lolis truly exist in this world? Even if Lan Wu Xi were to plummet to his death from this very spot today, he would never develop a fondness for lolis.

Moreover, this girl was even a bit younger than him. Having entered the Profound Wheel realm at seventeen, he already possessed a cultivation talent that could be considered exceptional. As a crucial antagonist in the early stages of the protagonist’s journey, how could his strength be inferior to others? Unless he encountered the protagonist and their allies, he was quite formidable among the younger generation.

“I say, could you please stop following me?”

In a short span, Lan Wu Xi had circled the banquet hall a full four times, yet this girl still refused to let him go. Seriously, weren’t her legs tired? As a cultivator, he naturally possessed ample stamina; however, he had not yet developed the ability to withstand hunger. Thus, Lan Wu Xi was hungry; in common terms, he desperately wanted to eat.

He calculated that he hadn’t touched any food or water for about half a day. And right beside him lay delicacies rarely seen on ordinary days: their appetizing appearance and enticing aroma, along with the tempting pastries and snacks, were enough to make anyone’s mouth water. How could he not be tempted?

“Hmph~ So you already knew I was following you.”

Realizing her tracking of Lan Wu Xi had been exposed, Huang Yao Yue tapped her head with a tiny hand, narrowed her eyes, and stuck out her small tongue, making an adorable, ‘moe’ expression, clearly attempting to charm her way out of trouble.

“Hey, hey, hey, that’s cheating with cuteness! Don’t think that just because you’re doing that, the trouble you just caused me will be forgotten.”

Well, it was no wonder people said boys had no resistance to girls who acted cute. Upon witnessing Huang Yao Yue’s outrageously adorable act, his anger instantly dissipated by more than half, and his complexion flushed noticeably. He had just seen a shadow of Lin Yufei in Huang Yao Yue; the way they both acted spoiled was practically identical.

‘Perhaps lolis aren’t so bad after all.’

A bold, utterly insane idea suddenly burst forth from his mind. Terrified, Lan Wu Xi silently chanted Buddhist scriptures to suppress the incredibly wild notion within him.

“Then, for the sake of a lively and adorable beautiful girl like me, won’t you forgive me this once?”

Huang Yao Yue once again deployed her “Loli Power” tactic, attempting to win Lan Wu Xi’s forgiveness. But Lan Wu Xi was hardly the type to fall for the same trick twice.

Silently chanting ‘I love big breasts, long legs’ in his mind, his previously hazy world suddenly cleared. His initially wavering resolve instantly became as firm as bedrock.

Having reaffirmed his preferences, Lan Wu Xi remained unmoved by her rather playful and cunning assault. Then, as if no one else were present, he delivered a rather forceful tap on her head, causing her to clutch her head and gaze at him pitifully. Anyone unaware of the situation might have assumed he was a truly heinous individual.

“My apologies, but I’m the type who responds to toughness, not softness.”

Lan Wu Xi clapped his hands and smiled faintly. A wave of exhilaration washed over him, dispelling all previous unpleasantness in an instant.

“You’re the first man who’s dared to hit this young lady! Don’t think for a second that just because you’re my fiancé, I won’t retaliate.”

Alright, this time Huang Yao Yue was truly incensed. After all, she was accustomed to hitting others, but now the roles were reversed; she had been struck by a boy who had inexplicably become her fiancé. If she were to announce her desire for a partner, countless gifted young masters from wealthy families would break their heads vying for her hand.

When she had learned she actually had a fiancé, her heart had been utterly shocked. One must remember, she was the sole cherished pearl of the Huang family.

What was the Huang family? It was a major clan that even the Yun and Lin families were slightly inferior to, arguably the most powerful family apart from the current Cloudveil Royal Family. Rumor had it that the former head of the Huang family had already reached the Nascent Soul realm, making him the only Nascent Soul expert in the Cloudveil Nation, besides the King, openly acknowledged by the empire. Even the current Cloudveil Prince had to show him a measure of respect.

She had always believed her fiancé would be peerless, a man of extraordinary talent, or at the very least, a paragon among men. Yet, upon their first meeting, he nearly stumbled face-first, and later, he hid away, shy and self-reproaching like a little girl, completely devoid of any confidence befitting a strong individual. This had brutally shattered Huang Yao Yue’s beautiful dreams.

‘Prince Charming and all that are nothing but lies!’

In their subsequent conversation, Lan Wu Xi’s performance couldn’t even be called mediocre; he was far inferior to the boys who had pursued her in the past. And to top it off, he was ready to abandon her when she was being harassed?

They weren’t even married yet, and he was already disregarding her so readily. If they were to marry and have children in the future, and then encountered some danger, he might very well abandon his family. He was truly a scumbag through and through.

Furthermore, while Lan Wu Xi’s strength was not weak, among the talented young individuals she knew, he could only be ranked as average; he was even slightly weaker than herself.

This only intensified Huang Yao Yue’s curiosity: what exactly was Lan Wu Xi capable of that her grandfather adamantly refused to let her cancel this engagement? She had used every trick in the book – crying, making a scene, and even threatening suicide – one after another, only to be met with an unprecedentedly stern rebuke.

She was this old, and it was the first time her grandfather had ever scolded her, and all for a fiancé she had never even seen! What kind of bewitching potion had this person given her kind and respected grandfather to make him so utterly infatuated?

Moreover, this was the first time anyone had dared to bully her by relying on their status as her fiancé. This finally sparked a tiny flicker of interest in Huang Yao Yue towards Lan Wu Xi. The fact that this usually timid man could so naturally tease her stirred a peculiar feeling deep within her heart.

“That’s because you haven’t met me yet. Let me tell you, my greatest hobby is bullying women.”

Thus, Huang Yao Yue and Lan Wu Xi argued fiercely, back and forth, completely oblivious to the inappropriateness of their surroundings.

“I would never marry someone as annoying as you!”

“So what? The fact that I am your fiancé remains unchanged.”

“You’re a coward! You saw me being harassed, yet you turned a blind eye and fled!”

“So what? The fact that I am your fiancé remains unchanged.”

“You’re despicable, vulgar, shameless!”

“Miss, I admit to being despicable and shameless, but I take issue with ‘vulgar’. Where did you ever get the idea that I have even a tiny bit of interest in you?”

With that, Lan Wu Xi gazed at Huang Yao Yue playfully, his eyes slowly descending from her angry face to her utterly flat chest, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

“You… don’t get ahead of yourself! I just haven’t developed yet! When I do, I’ll definitely make you regret this!”

This particular comment seemed to touch Huang Yao Yue’s raw nerve. She was so furious that she actually jumped up, drawing the gazes of everyone around them.

“Lower your voice! Can’t you see everyone else is looking at you?”

Lan Wu Xi’s heart jolted as he saw everyone’s attention once again converge on him and Huang Yao Yue. He quickly stepped forward, shaking Huang Yao Yue’s shoulder, fearing she would stir up more trouble for him.

“You’re my fiancé anyway, so what do I have to be afraid of? You’ll take the blame for me then.”

Alright, since she couldn’t out-argue Lan Wu Xi, Huang Yao Yue could only resort to her final move, commonly known as ‘a hundred flowers blooming’, which meant causing trouble for Lan Wu Xi everywhere and seeing how he would clean up her mess.

Since the fact that he was her fiancé couldn’t be changed, she would just attract hatred for him everywhere. Let’s see if he would still dare to mock her like this.

“Fine, then I won’t bother with you anymore.”

Huang Yao Yue had barely processed this when Lan Wu Xi shrugged his shoulders and casually walked away from her, as if she were merely a stranger he had met by chance. His ‘passing the buck’ maneuver was fluid and seamless, without a trace of hesitation.

“Hey, why aren’t you playing by the rules?”

Huang Yao Yue was stunned. This guy was just walking away again. It didn’t look like a joke; he really was going to abandon his fiancée.

“Since you want me to take the blame, there’s no need for me to stay here. Go on, keep making a scene. Begin your performance!”

Lan Wu Xi had no desire to continue this farce with her. Moreover, he still hadn’t seen the Cloudveil Royal Prince. If Huang Yao Yue caused any more trouble, he absolutely would not be her scapegoat.

“Can you really bear to abandon such a cute fiancée like me? Won’t your conscience hurt?”

“It hurts. I will feel pain.”

“Heh heh~, I knew you weren’t that heartless.”

“But compared to a heart attack, a little pain is still better.”

Huang Yao Yue’s delicate body trembled with rage, her face practically screaming ‘fury’. Yet, Lan Wu Xi’s expression remained utterly unchanged. After all, this girl wasn’t his real fiancée, so why should he care if she was angry?

At that moment, the previously bustling crowd suddenly fell silent, so quiet that one could hear their own breathing. Lan Wu Xi also noticed this and followed the gazes of the others.

It turned out that the most important guest of the grand banquet had quietly arrived: Prince Yun Tianqi, second only to the King in the Cloudveil Nation, and above ten thousand others.