Chapter 5: The Villain’s Gambit and an Unexpected Fortune

A forest path.

Seven days had passed since Zhang Liang robbed Lin Na and her companions, yet he still hadn’t reached the royal capital.

To avoid encountering Lin Na on her return journey, he had deliberately taken a detour.

During this time, Zhang Liang finally understood who Lin Na truly harbored resentment against: his predecessor, the previous Sword Dao Demonic Lord.

‘Damn, I’ve become a stand-in!’

‘It’s all because that old man kicked the bucket when his lifespan ran out, and since no one else knew, I ended up taking the fall.’

‘Are those people brain-dead? An old man and a young buck—can’t they tell the difference?’

‘Does anyone actually live long enough to get younger?’

‘Are they practicing some kind of reverse aging? Bah!’

‘If I can be a stand-in, then what’s wrong with making Feng Aotian one? Nothing at all!’

‘That old man will die in three years. As long as I find Feng Aotian before then, groom her into a villain, I can just sit back and enjoy the show.’

‘Gender?’

‘Not a big deal.’

‘A Sword Dao Demonic Lord reincarnated as a white-haired beautiful girl—is there anything wrong with that? Not a thing!’

‘Hah… I’m actually a little envious.’

However, a new problem now arose: where should he find Feng Aotian?

The world was vast, and searching blindly would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Zhang Liang pondered for a long time before a brilliant idea struck him.

Feng Aotian and Lin Na were destined to team up; their meeting was inevitable. If he simply got close to Lin Na, Feng Aotian would naturally gravitate towards them.

‘Heh, brilliant! This strategy is to ‘guard Lin Na and await Feng Aotian’.’

****

Lin Na was staying in the royal capital, where the cost of living was exorbitantly high.

Living expenses posed a significant challenge.

“Robbery!”

Just as Zhang Liang was contemplating how to earn money, the familiar cry of ‘Robbery!’ echoed from around the corner ahead.

Driven by a desire to watch the spectacle, Zhang Liang leaped onto a tree, observing the scene from above.

Four guards surrounded a lavish carriage, while a butler and coachman blocked the front and rear entrances respectively.

They were currently encircled by twenty black-clad figures, and the situation appeared dire.

‘My goodness, do bandits nowadays really have such high-quality gear?’

Zhang Liang assessed himself: apart from the wheat stalk he chewed, all he possessed was the spatial ring he had previously plundered.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

‘What was there to say? Lin Na, despite being one of the Ten Prodigies, was somehow poorer than even a mere subordinate, so impoverished she could rival him.’

‘And this subordinate was something else entirely; their ring contained nothing but aphrodisiacs and lewd images, including a Lin Na version.’

‘The head looked photoshopped, and the body proportions were off, but that wasn’t a big deal.’

‘Truly a promising comrade.’

‘All in all, the eleven of them couldn’t even scrounge up ten silver coins.’

‘After all, they were on a dragon-slaying quest, where life and death were unpredictable, so not carrying money was understandable.’

‘However, hehehehe… isn’t this where the money comes in?’

Zhang Liang revealed a sinister smile, analyzing the situation.

‘He just needed to wait for these guards to fall, and for the carriage’s owner to become panicked and desperate, then he could make a grand, dashing entrance—’

‘Holy crap! You guards are utterly useless! Seriously, one hit, one down!’

“Heh, what a waste of talent. Is this truly the standard for third-year students of the Saint Spirit Academy?”

“Ugh… who are you people?”

‘Hmm? An aura?’

‘Seriously? There are actually three Imperial Realm experts?’

‘Imperial Realm experts numbered no more than a thousand worldwide, and they typically preferred to act alone, forming their own factions. For these three to be so organized and disciplined, they couldn’t possibly be ordinary bandits.’

‘They’re faking it!’

Zhang Liang, being a villainous boss himself, had naturally been framed many times. He found such people utterly repulsive.

‘They reaped the benefits themselves, let others take the blame, and didn’t even pay licensing fees.’

‘The thought alone infuriated him; how disgusting! Bah!’

‘Judging by their movements, they seemed to be Imperial Realm agents. If he engaged them, he might not escape unscathed.’

“Kill! Leave no survivors!”

“Wait!”

‘Forget it. If I can’t beat them, I’ll run. If I get hurt, I’ll play the victim.’

Zhang Liang clasped his hands behind his back, a sinister smile gracing his lips, and strode forward with his head held high and chest puffed out.

His villainous expression utterly bewildered the leader of the black-clad figures.

Zhang Liang confidently approached the carriage, and the black-clad men instinctively parted to create a path.

‘Wait? Who is this guy!’

Zhang Liang’s swaggering demeanor made the other black-clad men exchange bewildered glances.

“Lord Fan, do we have any other leaders?”

“Hell no.”

“Who is he? He walks with such arrogance!”

“I don’t know, let’s just watch for now.”

‘Good heavens, these fake bandits can communicate with their eyelids? Aren’t they afraid of straining their double eyelids?’

‘And they’re even using Morse code!’

Zhang Liang had learned it in the past, thinking it was cool, so he could roughly understand.

‘Now was his chance to put on a show. Not having to fight was ideal, especially with three Imperial Realm experts present.’

‘An excellent villain must possess both wisdom and charisma.’

[You withdraw first.]

Zhang Liang transmitted a message to the leader using Morse code.

Evidently, the black-clad leader was greatly astonished.

‘This was an ancient cipher passed down by their ancestors—how could this man know it?!’

To the butler, this person, despite his villainous appearance, exuded an incredibly powerful aura and wasn’t masked, leading him to conclude they weren’t working together.

“Hero, please save us! I don’t care what happens to me, just please save my young lady!”

The old butler dropped to his knees before Zhang Liang with a thud, his forehead pressed against the back of Zhang Liang’s foot.

Facing numerous formidable enemies, yet remaining perfectly calm, this man had to be a peerless expert. They absolutely couldn’t let this powerful ally slip away!

‘A young lady? A rich young miss? She must be incredibly wealthy. This is definitely a chance to rake in a fortune!’

“Let’s see your sincerity.”

At the mention of money, Zhang Liang’s gaze shifted towards the black-clad figures.

They were, after all, rivals, so he had to be wary.

“What? Are you planning to wait for me to make a move?”

The leader still harbored some doubt, but seeing Zhang Liang’s intense gaze and impatient tone, he concluded that their plan might have shifted, and lingering would only cause trouble.

“Brothers, retreat.”

With a whoosh, the black-clad figures vanished into the forest without a trace, leaving Zhang Liang to wear an expression of triumphant cunning.

‘This is hilarious; they’re so easily fooled! Their IQ is so low, no amount of ‘Nine Walnuts’ could help them.’

“Many thanks, great hero, for saving our lives. My name is Sebas.”

The butler stood up, gripping Zhang Liang’s hand tightly.

“Please, just name your price for the reward!”

The four guards lying on the ground, two women and two men, appeared unable to continue their duties.

Zhang Liang pondered for a moment, deciding to ‘milk’ them dry.

‘Draining others of their wealth while still earning their gratitude—now that was professionalism!’

‘He couldn’t just name an exorbitant price immediately; he had to approach it gradually. They seemed incredibly wealthy, and though he might be overthinking it, extracting ten gold coins shouldn’t be an issue.’

‘Whew~ Gold coins weren’t common items. With these, he wouldn’t have to worry about food expenses for several years.’

Zhang Liang held up a single finger to Sebas, letting the butler guess its meaning.

Based on the conditions Sebas offered, he could roughly gauge their financial status.

“Is it one hundred gold coins? That’s no problem at all!”

“Huh?”

Hearing this reply, Zhang Liang’s raised finger trembled slightly.

‘Holy crap? I was just trying to probe, but you guys are loaded! Do you need more guards? I’m joining your crew!’

“My… my apologies, I was narrow-minded.”

Sebas, trembling slightly, opened his spatial ring.

“I can’t possibly produce one thousand coins right now, but I can give you eight hundred first, and the remaining two hundred after we enter the city. How does that sound?”

‘He couldn’t believe he’d made such a rookie mistake at his age.’

‘This man, who could scare off such formidable enemies with mere presence, was clearly no ordinary individual.’

‘One hundred gold coins—wasn’t that an insult?’

‘No wonder his master always said he lacked discernment. If he were to displease this person and put the young lady in danger, he would truly deserve death.’

Receiving the eight hundred gold coins the butler practically shoved into his hand, Zhang Liang was stunned.

‘One gold coin equals ten thousand RMB, so he just got eight million? And another two million later?’

‘This unknown young lady! I want to be your dog!’

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