Villainous Junior Chapter 65
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 65: Heavenly Fate
Li Feng's injuries were extremely severe, and his life was in danger at any moment. Particularly for his severed right arm, even the demon realm doctors who were summoned were helpless. In this world, only Mei Xiaohan could heal such injuries.
Meng Chen was very worried. "Your own injuries are also very serious..."
Mei Xiaohan: "I can handle it."
Meng Chen therefore didn't say anything more, and together with the other doctors, assisted Mei Xiaohan by following his instructions to prepare the flesh and bone regeneration ointment. They applied it to Li Feng's severed right arm and treated his various wounds large and small. After finishing all this, Mei Xiaohan was drenched in cold sweat, his face deathly pale, and he fainted from exhaustion.
The doctors once again fell into chaos, scrambling to feed medicine to stop the bleeding for Divine Doctor Mei, and only after properly caring for both patients did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After hearing from the doctors that both lives were no longer in danger, Meng Chen finally let go of his suspended anxiety. Xue Lang glanced at the two sleeping side by side and said, "Now we can be certain that Li Feng wasn't the one who tried to kill him."
Otherwise, Mei Xiaohan's first reaction upon waking wouldn't have been to ask them to save Li Feng.
Meng Chen nodded. "Moreover, Valley Master Mei was found on the shore, while Li Feng was in the Dark River. I guess Li Feng's last conscious action was using all his strength to send Valley Master Mei to the shore."
But he himself fell into the Dark River due to exhaustion and had his arm devoured by monsters.
Xue Lang comforted him. "At least they're both safe now. Once they wake up, we'll know the true picture of what happened."
Meng Chen nodded.
At that time, they would surely also conclude what the mysterious "Heaven's Secret" actually was.
---
That day, when Meng Chen went to see Mei Xiaohan, he unexpectedly found that the other person was already awake.
He sat beside Li Feng, his fingers lightly touching Li Feng's right arm wrapped in thick bandages, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the sleeping person.
Meng Chen quietly walked over and handed him a cup of warm water. "Are you feeling better?"
Mei Xiaohan turned to look at him, accepted the water and said, "I'm fine now." Then he sincerely said to Meng Chen, "Thank you all, truly."
Meng Chen: "You've said before, between friends, there's no need for thanks."
Mei Xiaohan smiled softly, his eyes finally regaining a bit of their spirit. He took a sip of water to moisten his throat, let out a breath and calmly said, "The one who ordered the assassination of Li Feng and me was Xu Can."
As expected.
"Xu Can did indeed watch me grow up, and was truly the person I trusted most after Li Feng." Mei Xiaohan closed his eyes briefly, a trace of mockery appearing on his face. "But in the end, it still couldn't compare to the temptation of power."
Xu Can had wholeheartedly assisted three generations of Plum Blossom Valley masters. Everyone had witnessed his loyalty and devotion to duty, so no one would believe he would scheme for the position of Valley Master.
Even Xu Can himself didn't have such thoughts at first.
But after twenty years, people said he was loyal; after fifty years, people admired his dedication; after two hundred years, some began to say he was foolish.
"What's the point of reaching the position of Grand Elder? Bowing and scraping to serve others for a lifetime, tch, what a pushover."
"A mighty Mahayana realm expert could be a leader anywhere, why would he willingly be someone else's subordinate? This Xu Can really lacks ambition."
"It was understandable when Xu Can served the previous Valley Master, but Mei Xiaohan is just a youth not even thirty, still at the God Transformation realm, yet Xu Can is willing to serve him as master? If it were me, I would have taken that position for myself long ago."
Similar voices were endless, and after hearing them for so long, Xu Can also began to doubt whether he was too much of a "pushover."
He was already two hundred and thirty some years old. Even as a Mahayana realm expert, his lifespan was limited. Was he going to spend the latter half of his life continuing to assist three more generations of Valley Masters?
His abilities were no less than anyone else's, yet he had to live in others' shadows for his entire life - wasn't that too unfair?
Once this thought emerged, it grew uncontrollably like an obsession, finally reaching the point where it couldn't be suppressed. Towards Mei Xiaohan, whom he had watched grow up, his feelings changed from doting love to resentment, then to seeing him as a mere grain of sand in his eye and a stumbling block in his path.
When his patience reached its limit, he finally tore off his mask of honest kindness and revealed the venomous fangs he had hidden for so long.
"I trusted him too much. Usually, I only focused on studying medicine and left all the valley's affairs to his management. By the time I discovered something was wrong, Plum Blossom Valley had already completely fallen under his control," Mei Xiaohan said softly. "If it weren't for Li Feng protecting me at the cost of his life, I would have died long ago."
That night, Xu Can secretly launched his rebellion, sending dozens of experts to assassinate him. Li Feng firmly protected him from behind, cutting down all the assassins with his sword, but still couldn't escape alive.
Faced with the personal pursuit of Mahayana realm Xu Can, the heavily injured Li Feng had no choice but to hold Mei Xiaohan and jump down the deep cliff of Plum Blossom Valley.
"Fortunately, there was river water below the cliff. We both survived by luck and escaped Plum Blossom Valley along the river," Mei Xiaohan said. "But Xu Can issued an arrest warrant throughout the entire cultivation world. Once caught, we would be dead for sure. We discussed it and finally decided to come to the Demon Realm to find you guys."
They encountered several waves of assassins on their way, and after finally shaking them off and arriving in the Demon Realm, they were unfamiliar with the terrain and accidentally fell into the Dark River. Before losing consciousness, he only remembered Li Feng gritting his teeth and desperately sending him to shore. He tried his best to reach out and grab Li Feng's hand, but only touched the cold river water.
As Mei Xiaohan spoke, his eyes gradually became sore. He reached out to touch Li Feng's face and lowered his head to kiss his cracked lips.
Meng Chen quietly watched from the side, and only after Mei Xiaohan's emotions had stabilized somewhat did he say, "After hearing about the Plum Blossom Valley incident, Xue Lang and I went to look for you and met that Elder Xu. He said you had received something called 'Heavenly Fate', is this true?"
"Yes," Mei Xiaohan nodded and recalled, "Half a year ago, that voice kept appearing in my mind, and for some reason, it always gave me a sense of 'heavenly fate', compelling me to believe it and follow its guidance."
The Heavenly Fate said that one day Li Feng would betray him for power and even put his life in danger. So the best course of action was undoubtedly to strike first and eliminate Li Feng completely.
"But compared to that vague voice, I trusted Li Feng more," Mei Xiaohan looked at Li Feng, his eyes full of tenderness. "He has been by my side for almost twenty years. Others say he is my shadow, but I often feel that we have long since become one... I can disbelieve heaven, I can disbelieve fate, but I could never disbelieve him."
Facts also proved that Li Feng didn't betray him. Instead, it was Xu Can who harbored evil intentions after learning about "Heavenly Fate", betraying his master to seize power and then framing Li Feng, attempting to muddy outsiders' views.
Meng Chen nodded, his thoughts gradually becoming clear.
"Make sure to rest well," Meng Chen said. "Otherwise, when Li Feng wakes up and sees your condition, he'll be worried."
Mei Xiaohan smiled gently at him. "Alright. I will."
Meng Chen didn't disturb him further and quietly withdrew, returning to his own Fangcao Palace. Xue Lang was sitting on the beauty couch by the back window, playing with that purple memory pearl in his hand. Seeing him return, he immediately waved him over, excitedly pointing at the image in the air and asked, "Let me ask you a question—was I more handsome when I was young, or am I more handsome now?"
Meng Chen: "..."
Even though they knew it was the same person, he still persistently asked such silly questions.
Having something on his mind, he casually answered. "Both handsome."
Xue Lang's face immediately fell, saying pitifully, "You're just saying that."
...He was getting harder to pacify.
Meng Chen glanced at him, walked over and directly sat on Xue Lang's lap, lowering his head from above to kiss his lips.
Xue Lang hadn't expected him to be so forward, and in his excitement, his ears immediately turned red. He promptly wrapped his arms around Meng Chen's waist and pressed his nape to deepen the kiss.
After a long while, Meng Chen raised his head, cupped Xue Lang's face and said, "The younger you was cute and energetic handsome, the current you is mature and reliable handsome, I like both—are you satisfied with this answer?"
Xue Lang: "Sa-satisfied."
Meng Chen pinched his cheek and got off his lap to sit beside him. "Alright, let's talk about serious matters."
While nodding in agreement, Xue Lang thought a bit dejectedly that they could have discussed serious matters with him still sitting on his lap.
Meng Chen told Xue Lang the information he got from Mei Xiaohan, then shared the suspicion he had been harboring. "I suspect that this so-called 'Heavenly Fate' is actually someone pulling strings behind the scenes."
Xue Lang's thoughts finally returned to the right track, and his expression turned serious. "What do you mean?"
"This Heavenly Fate has appeared three times so far," Meng Chen said. "The first time was when Zhongli Jing heard Heavenly Fate say I would destroy his Path of Emotionlessness, so he prepared to kill me; the second time was when Xianle City Lord Li Chen heard Heavenly Fate say his wife would betray him, so he imprisoned his wife; the third time was when Valley Master Mei heard Heavenly Fate say Li Feng would kill him to seize power."
"These prophecies seemed to have all come true, but in reality, it was precisely these prophecies that pushed things toward their final outcome. And Valley Master Mei and Li Feng's case directly proves that the so-called Heavenly Fate was completely a lie—it wasn't meant to warn people, but had another purpose—"
Xue Lang had already seen the key point. "To make powerful experts fall?"
Meng Chen: "More precisely, to make powerful experts with unlimited potential fall."
Although Mahayana realm experts were rare in this world, besides Zhongli Jing and Li Chen, no one else was known to have encountered such things. Moreover, Li Feng was only at Refining Void Realm, yet was still targeted by the Heavenly Fate.
After thinking for a long time, Meng Chen finally found the common point among these people. Both Zhongli Jing and Li Chen had reached the peak of Mahayana realm, only one step away from Tribulation Crossing; Li Feng hadn't reached thirty yet had already attained Refining Void realm, and would definitely cultivate to peak Mahayana within a hundred years.
In other words, they all had great potential to break through Tribulation Crossing and ascend to become "immortals."
For thousands of years, no one had ever heard of anyone reaching the realm of immortals. But not having heard of it didn't necessarily mean it didn't exist.
"That so-called 'Heavenly Fate' actually seems very similar to the 'voice transmission' commonly used by high-level cultivators, but because the practitioner's cultivation was too profound, or perhaps it was intentional, it created an illusion of 'heaven's will' or 'divine revelation,'" Meng Chen asked Xue Lang, "Can you achieve this level?"
Xue Lang shook his head gravely.
They exchanged a glance, already having the answer in their hearts.
If those at Tribulation Crossing realm couldn't do it, then only the legendary "immortals" could.
"If that's the case, then why didn't I receive the 'Heavenly Fate'?" Xue Lang wondered. "Come to think of it, aren't I the closest to that realm?"
Tch, what's with looking down on him?
Meng Chen said uncertainly, "Maybe he doesn't have the power to influence those at the Tribulation Crossing realm?"
Xue Lang snorted once, and after a while, snorted again.
Seeing him both angry and dejected, Meng Chen couldn't help but ask amusedly. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not the most powerful man under heaven anymore." Xue Lang's face drooped. "You're going to look down on me now."
"Who says that." Meng Chen coaxed him. "You're the most powerful in my heart."
Xue Lang perked up a bit, leaning closer to ask in a low voice. "Then am I also the most powerful in bed?"
Meng Chen: "?"
How did the topic jump to this?
"Look, I can even help you improve your cultivation realm." Xue Lang fidgeted restlessly, leaning even closer. "Should we do some dual cultivation?"
Meng Chen expressionlessly looked at the bright daylight outside the window, pressed down on someone's head to shake out the yellow waste inside it, and coldly left.
---
Five days later, Li Feng woke up.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Mei Xiaohan sleeping by his bedside.
The heavy stone in his heart suddenly dropped, and he silently breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly looked at his severed arm, then reached out with his left hand to gently stroke Mei Xiaohan's hair.
Mei Xiaohan woke up at the slightest movement, and seeing Li Feng finally open his eyes, his eyes immediately reddened. He tremblingly held his hand, unable to speak for a moment.
"Don't cry," Li Feng said hoarsely, squeezing his fingers, then raised his hand to wipe his tears. "I'm fine."
"How are you fine?" Mei Xiaohan said tearfully. "Your arm is gone!"
"Still have my left hand," Li Feng said. "Can still use a sword, and can still hold you."
Mei Xiaohan's eyes grew even more sore. This wooden block, usually impossible to kick out a romantic word, yet always inadvertently touched one's heart.
"Your right hand will grow back," Mei Xiaohan kissed his face, sniffled and commanded, "I want you to hold me with both hands."
Li Feng's eyes showed a smile as he seriously answered. "Alright."
