After the Villain Lost His Cultivation - Chapter 13

Xi Jianglan’s curse words were forcibly twisted into love words.

He covered his lips and coughed for a long time. The corners of his eyes were flushed red, and his long eyelashes, soaked with tears, turned as black as crow feathers. He looked like he was about to cry.

The icy cold aura of the “tough guy” matched perfectly with Sheng Jiao’s murderous face. Xi Jianglan was greatly shocked and almost thought that Sheng Jiao was there in person.

This person’s cultivation was higher than his. Xi Jianglan had no idea whether he was currently in disguise or if his previously unremarkable appearance was just a façade.

Xi Jianglan gestured carefully with his hand, “My Lord?”

Sheng Jiao looked at him, his expression calm and unruffled. “Didn’t you want to relieve the pain of longing?”

Xi Jianglan: “…”

Xi Jianglan gestured carefully again, “As the Chief Enforcer of the Xiezhi Sect, aren’t you afraid that impersonating Sect Leader Sheng Jiao like this will get you caught and dismissed by the Sect Leader?”

Sheng Jiao replied indifferently, “No, I don’t.”

Xi Jianglan thought to himself, ‘Damn, it’s too convincing’. So convincing that he didn’t dare to make a move for a moment.

But to be safe, Xi Jianglan gritted his teeth hard, quickly took a few steps forward, and suddenly lunged at Sheng Jiao, wrapping his arm around his neck and pulling him down, as if intending to press his lips against his own. 

Sheng Jiao’s pupils didn’t even move, staring at him with an expressionless face.

Xi Jianglan’s lips stopped half an inch from Sheng Jiao’s, as if a gust of wind could blow his thin body right against him.

At the same time, Xi Jianglan’s heart was beating wildly.

If this was really Sheng Jiao, getting this close would surely result in being flung away with a single sleeve, leaving him completely disoriented.

But the “tough guy” in front of him looked at him with eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation, no anger, no embarrassment, only an endless, icy coldness.

Completely different from Sheng Jiao.

Xi Jianglan finally breathed a sigh of relief, pretending to gaze affectionately at Sheng Jiao’s face for a long moment before reluctantly letting go and stepping back a few paces, still unsatisfied. His hands angrily signed as if chopping wood.

“Your Excellency is truly… so kind and understanding.”

By the time he finished the last word, his wide sleeves whipped through the air with a fierce, rustling sound.

Sheng Jiao slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding and coldly said, “Look.”

Xi Jianglan: “…”

Look at your father!

But since he was the one who brought up the “pain of longing,” Xi Jianglan couldn’t very well contradict himself. So, he pulled at his wide sleeves, propped his elbows on the table, and begrudgingly watched, enduring the “pain of longing” for him.

Even as a prisoner bound by Binding Silk, Xi Jianglan’s presence was still overwhelming.

A crimson robe wrapped around his slender body, slightly tilted, revealing a faint curve along his waist. He crossed his legs and seemed even more relaxed than Sheng Jiao.

He feared Sheng Jiao and would instinctively shudder whenever he saw that face up close.

However, knowing that beneath this appearance was merely the Chief Enforcer of the Xiezhi Sect, not the man himself, Xi Jianglan gradually grew bolder as he watched, simply staring at him intently.

He had to admit that among all the people in Zhuzingzhai, Xi Jianglan still liked Sheng Jiao’s cold and distant face the most.

It was as if everything in the world was nothing more than flowing water, falling flowers, and fleeting clouds to him, and his eyes, like a dry well, never lingered on anything.

Young Xi Jue loved to tease cats and dogs. Every time he saw that cold and distant face, he felt restless, wanting nothing more than to pluck that lofty flower from the Gaoling Mountains and roll it in the mud.

And in the end…

It was he who fell into the mud.

On the day that Xi Jianglan lost his innate mark in the Xiezhi Sect, Sheng Jiao went through hundreds of thunder tribulations, piercing through the torrential purple-silver lightning straight into the Void Realm.

Further up were the few Mahayana cultivators in the Thirteen Provinces.

Xi Jianglan’s eyes were like hooks, boldly and wantonly fixed on Sheng Jiao’s eyebrows, thin lips, and the contours of his jaw, circling around them as if he could act like a rogue with just his gaze.

Sheng Jiao’s clothes seemed about to be stripped away by this man’s gaze, yet he remained calm, handing a jade token of the Xiezhi Sect to Shang Yuan, as if giving her some instructions.

Shang Yuan nodded, ”Yes.”

After saying this, she flew away silently like a beautiful bird.

“My Lord.” Xi Jianglan rolled his eyes and began to flirt with mischievous intentions, his eyes curved, “If you want me to relieve my lovesickness, you can’t just let me stare like this.”

Sheng Jiao looked at him, his eyebrows moving slightly as if to say, “What are you planning to do?”

Xi Jianglan became animated, his hands working hard as if trying to reveal some trick: “If Sect Leader Sheng were here, he would definitely be angry at my shameless stare.”

After a moment of silence, Sheng Jiao asked, “How would he be angry?”

“…Press me down and kiss me.” Xi Jianglan gestured without blinking, “Sect Leader Sheng has thin skin. Even when furious, he never says anything harsh. When he wants to silence me, he’d lean in, all tender and ambiguous.”

He pressed his fingers to his lips, then clapped his hands together, mimicking a “kissing” gesture.

Sheng Jiao: “…”

After six years, Xi Jianglan finally saw “Sheng Jiao” show that familiar, indescribable expression, and he nearly flipped the table in delight.

“Also,” Xi Jianglan continued, “Sect Leader Sheng has the Tianyan bead, but your wrist is empty…”

Before Xi Jianglan could finish his gesture, Sheng Jiao raised his hand slightly, and a string of Tianyan beads, crackling with lightning patterns, instantly appeared on his wrist, gently dangling down his pale arm.

Xi Jianglan inhaled softly, startled by the “fake” Tianyan beads and leaned back.

Too… too realistic.

“I…” Xi Jianglan tentatively asked, “Can I touch them?”

If it were the real Sheng Jiao, anyone who dared to touch his precious beads would be struck by heavenly lightning, leaving their hands charred like roasted pig’s trotters.

Xi Jianglan subtly held his breath, waiting for the man’s answer.

Sheng Jiao glanced at him coldly and suddenly raised his hand.

Xi Jianglan instinctively leaned back, almost thinking that he was about to be struck by lightning again.

But in the next moment, the Tianyan beads were casually thrown towards him, landing heavily on his forearm.

Xi Jianglan: “???”

Once again, he was certain, this guy definitely wasn’t Sheng Jiao!

The “fake” was incredibly heavy. Xi Jianglan, who had no spiritual power and not even the strength to tie up a chicken, lifted the Tianyan bead and nearly broke his slender wrist.

“How can the Tianyan Bead be this heavy?” Xi Jianglan thought. “Does this person not even know how to properly imitate a fake?”

Whenever Sheng Jiao used the Tianyan Bead, its 108 beads would float in the air like dandelion fuzz. A gust of wind could make them clink together in a crisp, pleasant sound, like porcelain cracking.

But this one felt as heavy as holding a huge stone.

Xi Jianglan placed the weighty “fake” on his knee and absentmindedly began to count the beads.

Soon, he let out a “ha,” as if he had found a loophole.

“Sir,” Xi Jianglan stretched out his finger, “Everyone knows that Sect Leader Sheng’s Tianyan beads has 108 pieces, but yours only have 107, one less.”

Sheng Jiao stood up impatiently.

Xi Jianglan hurriedly followed with the 107 beads in his arms: “Well! My heart is not a cold… ugh—”

The beads were too heavy, and it hurt Xi Jianglan’s wrist.

Sheng Jiao ignored him and pushed open the door.

Shang Yuan hurriedly returned, “Sir, the abbot of Gu Chang Temple refused to reveal who the seller was. I used the Xiezhi Sect Jade Order to compel him to tell me, but he changed his mind and said he didn’t know who the seller was.”

Sheng Jiao frowned slightly.

“What does that mean?”

“It is said that it was sent by a wooden puppet, without leaving its name or spiritual power. Even the spirit stones obtained from the bidding have nowhere to be sent at Gu Chang Temple.”

Xi Jianglan struggled to carry the Tianyan bead, as if he were moving a heavy object. He cursed inwardly, thinking that this tough guy must be trying to make a fool of him on purpose. He froze when he heard the words.

Wooden puppet?

Wuyin City was famous for its wooden puppets.

Sheng Jiao retrieved the jade order and was about to go inquire personally.

But before he could take two steps, a sharp shout suddenly rang out from behind him.

“Xi Jue!!”

Sheng Jiao frowned and turned around.

Qu Rao stormed over angrily, accompanied by a guard in the Realm of Transformation Spirit and one in the Nascent Soul stage, gripping a sharp sword in his hand. He glared angrily at Sheng Jiao, as if ready to strike.

Xi Jianglan was still struggling to carry the Tianyan bead, but when he saw this, he was amused.

That fool Qu Rao had finally figured it out and was here to settle the score?

Fortunately, Xi Jianglan was no longer using his own appearance or Sheng Jiao’s skin. Dressed in crimson, he leisurely watched the scene, almost unable to suppress the smile on his face. The red mole at the corner of her eye seemed to be dripping blood, strikingly beautiful and dazzling.

Sheng Jiao glanced at Xi Jianglan from the corner of his eye.

Xi Jianglan immediately assumed a serious expression.

Sheng Jiao: ”…”

Qu Rao looked like he was about to explode with rage. Seeing that bastard Xi Jue still had the audacity to stare at Sheng Jiao’s face and parade around with an indifferent expression that revealed no mistakes, he immediately sneered.

The two guards disappeared from the spot in an instant, blocking Sheng Jiao’s path in the long corridor, one in front and one behind.

Shang Yuan was stunned.

It was the first time that she had seen mere Transformation Spirit or Nascent Soul cultivators dare to stop the Sect Leader.

Don’t they want to live?

Knowing that Xi Jue was a powerless, sickly weakling who had lost all his cultivation, Qu Rao rushed forward. His long sword sliced through the air and pressed against Sheng Jiao’s neck with a sharp “swoosh”.

Shang Yuan gasped in shock.

Sheng Jiao’s eyelashes drooped, as if he didn’t notice the sharp blade, and he turned his head slightly to look at Xi Jianglan.

Most likely, this person was the cause of the trouble.

Xi Jianglan had half retreated into the Dharma Hall, placing the Tianyan bead on the high table by the door. He propped one elbow on the desk and carelessly rubbed the “fake” Tianyan Bead with his fingertip. Despite the heavy expression on his face, the sly gleam in his eyes, showing his love for watching the chaos, couldn’t be hidden.

Seeing him still looking around, Qu Rao angrily said, “Xi Jue, don’t think that disguising yourself as Sheng Jiao to openly steal the Yutang flower would fool me. Now that you have fallen into my hands, don’t expect to escape as easily as you did six years ago!”

Sheng Jiao: “…”

Xi Jianglan was so amused that he couldn’t hold it in and let out a light laugh.

Sheng Jiao looked at him again.

Seeing that this person dared to exchange glances with the handsome man beside him, Qu Rao’s face darkened. He pointed at Shang Yuan, whose jaw seemed to be on the verge of dislocation, he coldly said, “The people from the Xiezhi Sect are right here. I want you to admit with your own mouth, how did you lost your innate mark!”

Shang Yuan’s dizzy mind finally put things together, Qu Rao thought that Sheng Jiao was Xi Jue in disguise.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to hold a sword at Sect Leader Sheng’s neck.

Sheng Jiao asked indifferently, “How did I lose it?”

“Who knows how it disappeared?! Isn’t that the right question for you?” Qu Rao was anxious and wanted to force him to tell the truth. “Anyway, it wasn’t my Qu family that took it, so you need to clarify it!”

The temptation of the spiritual level innate mark is too great. Once it is fused, it only takes a few years of cultivation to achieve complete ascension.

The previous Sect Leader of the Xiezhi Sect was silently killed five years ago, and his private residence was turned upside down, as if someone was searching for Xi Jue’s spiritual level innate mark.

Just rumors, true or false, were enough to make the Qu family fall into disgrace within a few years, and even the Tianyan spiritual veins were divided up by other families.

If this matter isn’t clarified, the prosperous Qu family will probably decline completely in a short time.

Xi Jianglan thought that Qu Rao was really a complete fool.

Among all the great families in Zhongzhou, there is no family that has not produced a spiritual level innate mark.

What they want is just an excuse to divide up the Qu family’s Tianyan spiritual veins. Even if it is clarified that the innate mark is not in the Qu family, those hungry wolves from other families will probably not give up easily.

The innate mark is not essential, the Tianyan spiritual veins are what truly matter.

With the Tianyan spiritual veins, can you not have as many innate marks as you desire?

Xi Jianglan didn’t care that all this was caused by his own innate mark, he was enjoying the spectacle and wished for the two to fight on the spot to relieve their anger.

However, Xi Jianglan’s joy soon turned to sorrow.

The table couldn’t bear the weight and one corner collapsed, causing the round Tianyan beads to instantly fall down.

While Xi Jianglan was watching the fun, he felt something falling and subconsciously reached out to catch it.

But the Tianyan bead was too heavy, as soon as he stretched out his hand, he staggered and knelt down, and the two beads slammed his fingers onto the wooden board.

With a muffled “bang,” Xi Jianglan’s whole body stiffened, and his face instantly turned pale.

The fingers are connected to the heart.

This time, the pain on his face showed no sign of disguise, and uncontrollable tears fell down because of the pain.

Xi Jianglan unconsciously groaned in pain to ease it, but he still sobbed as soon as he spoke: “My heart is not, wu… not a cold stone…”

Sheng Jiao: “…”

Sheng Jiao frowned, and with a flick of his finger, the Tianyan beads floated over, wrapping around his wrist like a ball of willow catkins.

“You have put a lot of effort into disguising the Tianyan beads so realistically.” Qu Rao did not notice the problem and continued to sneer, “Even if you really have Sheng Jiao’s Way of Heaven, you will not be able to escape today.”

The guard beside him was alert and vaguely discovered something, turning pale as he whispered to Qu Rao, “Young Master, this man…”

Sheng Jiao suddenly took a step forward, and the cold sword blade passed by his neck, but it felt like touching a solid wall, not even leaving a scratch.

He stared straight at Qu Rao, his lips did not move, but his voice rang in his ears like a heavy bell.

Sheng Jiao repeated it again.

”How did it disappear?”

Qu Rao had not noticed the problem yet, holding the sword, he sternly said, ”You are the twelfth spiritual level innate mark in the thirteen provinces. The head of Zhongzhou wanted to protect you back then, so how could my brother dare to destroy that spiritual level innate mark?! He just let you suffer some punishment to vent his anger. You, your innate mark has suddenly disappeared, and we also want to know how it disappeared!”

The whole Qu family thinks like that, but how could a spiritual level innate mark disappear without a trace?

In the eyes of the thirteen provinces, those words were just an excuse to cover up the Qu family’s appropriation of the innate mark.

But if what the Qu family said was true, then how did Xi Jianglan’s innate mark become invalid?

Sheng Jiao suddenly turned to look at Xi Jianglan.

Xi Jianglan was probably really terrified of the pain. The scalding tears were completely beyond his control, falling like a string of broken beads.

The corners of his eyes were slightly red, puffing up his cheeks as he blew on his swollen fingers, still sobbing and mumbling, “My heart is not a cold stone.”

…Crying like this from just a bump on his finger.

Noticing Sheng Jiao’s gaze, Xi Jianglan lifted his head slightly.

He had also heard Qu Rao’s words, yet he acted as if nothing had happened. His pale lips held his slightly reddened fingertips, and the redness at the corners of his eyes from crying seemed to be blurred by that bright red mole. He smiled at Sheng Jiao, his face marked with tear stains.

Gentle and well-behaved, like a poppy disguised as a beautiful peony.

Sheng Jiao’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Seeing that “Xi Jue” had completely disregarded him, Qu Rao became furious again and swung his sword with all his strength, aiming for the slender neck.

The guard exclaimed in horror, “Young Master, you can’t do that!”

Qu Rao didn’t care about anything else. Since he couldn’t make this person tell the truth, he might as well kill him to vent his anger!

Qu Rao felt relieved when he thought that the culprit who had caused so much harm to his family would finally die tragically by the sword.

The next moment, the priceless heavenly spiritual weapon was about to fall with tremendous spiritual power. Sheng Jiao suddenly raised his hand lightly, and his fingers were like cold stones, suddenly grasping the cold sword blade.

Clang—

Qu Rao was stunned.

He instinctively pressed the sword down but found that it wouldn’t move. He then tried to pull it out with all his might, but after two attempts, the sword didn’t move at all.

Sheng Jiao’s hollow eyes were like dark clouds before a storm, brewing up an overwhelming cold.

The smugness on Qu Rao’s face slowly faded away, and his head, which had been clouded by anger, became clear.

He stared blankly at the face of the person in front of him and suddenly shivered violently.

Xi Jue…

Wasn’t he a useless person who had lost all his cultivation?