I Am The Villain In The Novel

Chapter 5: Fate’s Self-Adjustment

The next morning.

In the Houqiu Village, located about a dozen miles from the capital city, nestled among the mountains and rivers, there was a small river in front of the village, not wide but not narrow either, with sticky and white river mud which the locals called “Jade Mud.”

It was precisely because of this Jade Mud that Houqiu Village once had two official kilns dedicated to firing various porcelain wares for the palace. The hallmark imprinted on these pieces—”Houqiu”—was once the favorite of the former emperor.

However, good times didn’t last long.

Over a decade ago, the superintendent in charge of managing these two official kilns somehow offended a certain influential figure and ended up losing his head, resulting in Chief Secretary’s decree to shut down the official kilns in Houqiu Village, and no new kilns were allowed to be built within the village boundaries for fifty years.

Since then, the entire Houqiu Village had rapidly declined, with the population decreasing year by year. Some elderly, weak, sick, and disabled villagers couldn’t even cultivate the land anymore and could only barely make ends meet by selling some Jade Mud.

Life was already difficult, but recently, there was another trouble.

A fat-headed wild boar demon. It was not very powerful, but it was not something that ordinary people could deal with. It had eaten more than a dozen people in the village in half a month.

The government office couldn’t handle this kind of thing, so it could only report the situation to higher authorities and hand it over to the Willow Leaf Division of the Mirror Department, which was responsible for handling matters related to strange and bizarre things.

But who would have expected that when the two “Bronze Leaf” officials from Willow Leaf division hurriedly arrived today, the pig demon had already met its end.

…

“Young Hero Xiao! You’re truly our village’s savior!”

The river was shallow but fast-flowing, and the water hit the corpse of the pig demon, which was as big as an elephant, and the splashing foam was crystal clear.

Two men with Willow Leaf Swords at their waists were standing in the water, examining the demon’s corpse. On the bank, there was a group of ragged villagers, led by a white-haired old man, who was expressing his gratitude to a young man.

The person who can bravely do something righteous while rushing on the road can only be Xiao Feng.

“Elder, I just did what I could, there’s no need to mention it.”

Xiao Feng’s expression was gentle as he courteously bowed, “Since the officials have arrived, I’ll take my leave first…”

“Wait a moment!”

The white-haired old man grabbed Xiao Feng’s sleeve and turned to urgently instruct a delicate-looking young girl beside him, “Granddaughter, quickly go and fetch our ancestral jade pendant!”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

After responding, the young girl turned and ran off with small steps, her face flushed.

Xiao Feng was slightly puzzled, “Elder, what is this about?”

The old man answered solemnly, “Young Hero, since you’ve killed the demon pig, you are the benefactor of our Houqiu Village!”

“Our village is poor, and we can’t produce gold, silver, or jewels, but we have a jade pendant passed down from our ancestors, which is said to have extraordinary powers.”

“We are willing to give this jade pendant to Young Hero as a token of gratitude for saving our lives!”

“This…”

Xiao Feng hesitated for a moment but did not refuse, “Alright! Since that’s the case, I won’t be polite.”

“Young Hero, please don’t say that…”

“…”

As the protagonist, no matter how trivial the matter, it would inevitably come with great rewards and opportunities.

Clearly, this jade pendant would also be an invaluable treasure.

Xiao Feng was already accustomed to this.

And as he dealt with the villagers while waiting for the treasure, the conversation between the two men with Willow Leaf Swords not far away made him frown involuntarily.

“Clear Sight And Hearing” was a magical ability that could only be mastered at the fifth-grade level, which can greatly improve the range of vision and hearing.

Xiao Feng was only at the seventh grade, but he had practiced a mysterious technique, so he could still hear the conversation between the two clearly.

“…Although this pig demon has only recently taken form, that person surnamed Xiao was actually able to kill it in one blow… should we bring him back for questioning?”

“What’s there to question? In this world, the fewer matters, the better. Just record it truthfully.”

“That’s right… Brother Li, since we have half a day free, how about we go to Pingchang Alley later for a few drinks? I heard Flower Moon Pavilion has a talented singer and dancer.”

“Sounds good. Besides, all the officials are at the Wei Mansion for celebration… Speaking of which, the Lu family is unlucky. With only one daughter, she’s actually been targeted by that infamous villain. I heard from a friend at the government office that Lan Jingyao has attempted suicide several times…”

“Be careful with your words! Do you want to die?!”

“Heh, it’s just you and me here…”

“…”

Before long, the two fell silent, and Xiao Feng’s expression grew exceedingly grim.

He returned to the capital this time for a great opportunity, but who would have thought that he would hear such bad news before even entering the city.

His beloved had been abducted by an enemy!

You know, the Wei family, led by Wei Xianzhi, was the mastermind behind the massacre of his entire family!

A total of seventeen people were killed overnight, and only he escaped because he was traveling outside.

Though his luck had been good since then, there was no way he’d let such a deep-seated grudge go unavenged!

Especially now that Lan Jingyao was involved.

Rage surged within him, but Xiao Feng forced himself to calm down. He knew that with his current strength, charging into the Wei Mansion would be suicidal.

Fortunately, the people of the Wei family did not recognize his appearance. As long as he hid in the dark and waited for an opportunity, it was not necessarily impossible to find an opportunity…

A plan slowly formed in his mind. Meanwhile, the young girl who went to fetch the jade pendant had returned.

“Grandpa, here’s the jade pendant!”

“Well, Young Master Xiao, this is our village…”

The white-haired old man took the jade token and handed it to Xiao Feng. He was about to say something happily, but the latter’s cold expression made him shut his mouth instantly.

Realizing he wouldn’t have a good expression right now, Xiao Feng didn’t waste any words. He simply pocketed the jade pendant and walked away briskly.

Leaving without saying goodbye would usually leave a bad impression, but the villagers, apart from being surprised, weren’t discontent. Especially the delicate-looking young girl, who even muttered with a blush:

“Now that’s a real man.”

“I wonder when I’ll see Brother Xiao again…”

The resolute and suave figure, the grateful villagers, the blossoming affection of a young girl…

If Wei Changtian were here to witness this scene, he’d definitely curse aloud — damn protagonist halo!

Besides, he might also feel a hint of confusion because the plot in Houqiu Village seemed slightly different from the novel.

It’s as if the ethereal will of fate was actively adjusting the wheel of destiny he had altered.