Villainous Junior Chapter 20
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 20: Cliff
Meng Chen's gaze followed his, glancing down slightly, and he said, "Who else could it be? Of course it's Junior Brother Xue."
Pei Yuze's expression paused. Although he already had an answer in mind, he didn't expect him to admit it so directly.
"He was stung by the Thorn Demon and lost consciousness. I kindly helped him detoxify, but he struck me with his palm, and that's how it ended up like this."
Pei Yuze scrutinized his expression and asked, "Is that all?"
"What else could there be?" Meng Chen rotated his wrist slightly, frowning gently, "Senior Brother, you're hurting me."
Pei Yuze followed his gaze and realized that he had used too much force earlier, already leaving the young man's wrist red.
"Sorry." He immediately let go, apology appearing in his eyes, once again reverting to the appearance of a humble gentleman, "I was just a bit worried about you."
"I'm fine," Meng Chen repeated, "Just a bit tired."
This time Pei Yuze didn't linger, instructing him to rest well before leaving. Meng Chen closed the door and looked down at his wrist, where a circle of dark red remained, starkly visible.
A slight disgust appeared in his eyes. He washed it several times with water. It wasn't appropriate to go out again at this time, so he could only sigh and go to bed.
——
The next day, when Meng Chen went to Luosong Residence to look for Xue Lang, the young man was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
He wasn't wearing his school uniform, but had changed into a black fitted outfit. His black hair was tied in a high ponytail, accentuating his sharp and vigorous temperament even more.
Meng Chen recalled that in his previous life, he didn't have a good relationship with Xue Lang and rarely interacted with him. In this life, he also hadn't seen the other practice swordsmanship much, so he didn't make a sound and quietly stood to the side to watch.
Xue Lang was engrossed in his practice and didn't notice him. The sword in his hand moved nimbly, thrusting out several strikes in an instant. Several three-inch deep sword marks immediately appeared on the practice stone opposite him. It was the "Thirteen Sword Techniques of the Startling Wind" that he had read in the library earlier.
"To have mastered the sword techniques to this extent in just a month is impressive."
Xue Lang was startled and quickly turned around, only then realizing that Meng Chen was standing at the doorway, smiling at him with admiration in his eyes.
In the past, he would probably have disdainfully and provocatively thrown out a "Who asked for your opinion?" This time, however, the young man remained silent, quietly sheathing his sword and turning to enter the room. Meng Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and followed him inside.
"Has the residual poison from the Thorn Demon been cleared?" he asked, "Is there any discomfort anywhere in your body?"
Xue Lang sat down at the table, casually pulled out a sword manual and opened it, keeping his head lowered as he looked at the pages and said, "No."
Meng Chen looked at him for a few moments before asking. "What exactly are you sulking about?"
He had been like this since yesterday morning. Meng Chen couldn't help but reflect on whether he had done something inappropriate to make this little wolf dog unhappy.
Xue Lang's fingers trembled slightly as he turned the pages.
Sulking…
Such an intimate phrase. How dare he.
He wasn't sulking. He had just suddenly realized that he had unknowingly crossed a line. Because he had obtained something he previously didn't dare to dream of, he had become complacent and delusionally craved for more.
So, he was simply returning to his proper position and doing what he should do.
"I'm fine," he said. "If Senior Brother has no other instructions, please leave."
His attitude left Meng Chen at a loss for what to do. Although Xue Lang used to often impatiently shout things like "Go away, I don't want to see you", it was very obvious that his words didn't match his true feelings. He would always try to drive him away while secretly glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, with his expression clearly saying "I want you to stay". Now the young man's attitude was polite, his tone distant, and he wasn't willing to spare even a single glance for him. It seemed like he truly didn't want to see him anymore.
The young man's heart was as unfathomable as the sea floor. Meng Chen couldn't find the root of the problem for now, so he could only place the two bottles of medicine for clearing residual poison and regulating true qi on the table before silently leaving.
——
For the next few days, the young man did not set foot here again.
Xue Lang finished his sword practice as usual and returned to the room, suddenly not knowing what to do. He stood blankly for a while, then dragged his feet to sit at the table. He picked up the two bottles of medicine and held them in his palm, staring at the patterns on the bottles in a daze.
Soon, a round, blue object slowly moved into his vision - it could barely be called a bird, but it was really too fat. Its entire body was rounded into a ball, with two thin, short bird legs. When it hopped on the table, its fluffy blue feathers covered its legs, making it look like it was rolling.
Xue Lang glanced at the plate of snacks beside him, and sure enough, not even a crumb was left.
"If you keep eating like this," he said expressionlessly, "you won't even be able to roll anymore."
He had picked up this bird from the courtyard two days ago. At that time, it had flown by shakily in mid-air, then plummeted into the grass in the yard. Xue Lang thought it was injured and carefully picked it up, only to find that the bird had overeaten while hunting and was too stuffed to fly.
He looked at the twitching bird with a complex expression and named it "Blue Fatty".
Blue Fatty was very intelligent. It understood Xue Lang's words, and its small, pitch-black eyes welled up with a grieved light. It flapped its wings and rolled over, using its fluffy, soft wings to nuzzle his palm.
Xue Lang took the opportunity to pat its head. Looking at the little creature squinting its eyes in utter contentment, he smiled slightly, but quickly became dejected again.
"I haven't seen him for four days," he murmured. "He must be really angry this time."
That person never lacked for attention and admiration. There were plenty of people who wanted to approach him, cheer him up, and please him. Why would he bother coming here to face someone's moods?
Blue Fatty looked at him in confusion, sensing its owner's sadness. It raised its little head and chirped, then burrowed into the young man's palm, nuzzling back and forth.
Xue Lang pulled back his thoughts, no longer dwelling on these idle musings. He was preparing to go meditate and cultivate, to quickly stabilize his Golden Core realm, when he heard Blue Fatty chirp twice. Its small eyes were curiously watching a white paper crane flying in through the air.
Xue Lang's gaze also froze. He saw the paper crane circle in the air a few times, then transform into a line of light golden text:
"Come to Tianji Cliff at the third quarter past noon."
As the text slowly faded, Xue Lang came back to his senses, his heart beating a bit fast.
Who this message was from went without saying.
So the other party was still willing to interact with him?
The young man's lips curved up slightly as he stood up, immediately wanting to walk out. But he quickly stopped in his tracks.
No, he couldn't go.
He had finally steeled his heart to distance himself from the other person. Wouldn't going undo all his efforts?
He clenched his teeth and took a step back.
But... what if the other person had something important to tell him?
It was just meeting once, saying a few words. At worst, he could treat it as the last time, and never see him again after.
He hesitantly took another step forward.
Blue Fatty was beside him, tilting its little head as it watched its owner going back and forth in indecision. Probably unable to bear his cowardly appearance any longer, it flapped its wings and gave him a push from behind.
This bird was only slightly larger than a human palm, but who knew it had such strength.
One wing directly propelled Xue Lang from inside the room to outside the door, nearly causing him to fall flat on his face. Xue Lang steadied himself and glared at it angrily, then rubbed his nose, finding a suitable excuse for his behavior. "You pushed me. It's not like I wanted to go myself."
He lowered his head to straighten his clothes, and with hidden excitement and joy, strode out of Luosong Residence.
——
It wasn't yet noon, but Tianji Peak was high, and the sun was already strong.
Xue Lang leaned against a large pine tree by the cliff edge and waited for a while. Sure enough, he saw Meng Chen's figure walking over from afar. Seeing that he had already arrived, a faint smile appeared in his eyes. "You came so early?"
"I just arrived," Xue Lang stood up straight and walked over, trying hard to maintain a cold expression. "What is it? Speak quickly, I need to go back to cultivate."
Meng Chen: "Has the poison from the Thorn Demon been completely cleared?"
Xue Lang rolled his eyes. "You're nagging. I've already told you it's fine."
"That's good." Meng Chen nodded, touching his neck and sighing softly, "As for me, that palm strike of yours hit me hard. It still hurts now."
Xue Lang was startled, his previous impatient expression immediately disappearing without a trace. He asked nervously. "It hurts? Did I... did I really hit you?"
Meng Chen looked at him without speaking, only a faint complaint seeming to appear in his eyes.
"I didn't mean to." Xue Lang's expression was remorseful, "That night I wasn't thinking clearly, I did many reckless things. I'm sorry...Does it hurt badly? Have you used any medicine?"
Meng Chen carefully observed every change in the young man's expression, then suddenly smiled gently, "Seeing Junior Brother's expression like this, I don't feel the pain anymore."
Before Xue Lang could understand, in the next instant, the air suddenly became stagnant and murderous. The person in front of him stretched out a hand like lightning, fiercely grabbing his throat!
This move was swift and merciless, without any hesitation. Xue Lang immediately felt intense pain in his throat, his vision darkened, and he even heard the crisp, terrifying sound of bone joints cracking.
"Junior Brother truly has a cold exterior but a warm heart. You appear to be at odds with me, yet you care about me so much." Meng Chen chuckled softly, his pupils black and bottomless, "I'm truly touched."
Xue Lang gripped tightly at the hand on his neck, desperately trying to pull it away, but unable to move it even a fraction. "You... are not..."
Meng Chen applied more force, lifting him up by the neck. His expression was leisurely, as if he were holding a small chicken or rabbit. He walked unhurriedly towards the edge of Tianji Cliff.
"Who I am is not important," Meng Chen said, "What's important is that you came to the wrong place. When you reincarnate in your next life, remember to tell yourself not to come to Taixuan Sect again."
He paused, then added politely, "Of course, more importantly, remember to stay away from people you shouldn't approach."
After saying this, he let go, throwing Xue Lang off Tianji Cliff.
