Pulling Together a Villain Reformation Strategy

Chapter 81 – The Other

At the sight of something pouncing on her as soon she entered the yard, Rou Rou couldn’t help but shout in surprise before she drew out a dagger to defend herself. However, she was not given a chance to take action. Someone flashed in front of her, pulling Rou Rou behind him before he blocked the attack for her with one hand.

Rou Rou whispered, “Young Master Jiang …” 

“Mn,” Jiang Xunyi said briefly. “Don’t be afraid.”

He had been observing the opponent’s moves, and saw that they weren’t actually in a hurry to make a killing strike, so he began to make some calculations in his mind. After a few attacks, he suddenly grabbed the opponent’s wrist firmly, the whip falling to the floor. He then flew up and kicked the back of the man’s knee, causing him to kneel on the ground with a groan. Jiang Xunyi moved his fingers lightly, and the black mask landed on the ground.

He said coldly, “Qi Shijiu, it’s really you.”

On the other side, Yun Xie took care of the other attacker in a flash. As he pulled his sword out of the corpse, the body had already become a light smoke and dissipated – it turned out the figure that split out was nothing but a phantom.

At this time, the other people had arrived. Du Li stepped into the door and tapped his palms twice. The candle in the room lit up, illuminating everyone’s face and expression clearly. Each person’s shadow was lengthened as it cast on the wall, creating an uneasy atmosphere.

However, what Du Li saw first was the messy bed and the ripped clothes on the ground. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he raised his head to look at Yun Xie only to find that the other’s eyes were already scrutinizing him. The two gazes collided, each filled with thoughts.

Yun Xie suddenly curled his lips and smiled, the offender complaining first. “Patriarch Du, why are you looking at me like this?”

“Nothing.” With how frank Yun Xie was acting, Du Li couldn’t say anything. He saw Jiang Xunyi look over, and he pursed his lips, turning his gaze to instead look at Qi Shijiu who was still restrained by him. “Are you… Du Qi?”

Before Qi Shijiu had a chance to answer, Yun Xie realized that Jiang Xunyi was still standing in the doorway, and he hurriedly shouted, “A’Xun, come in first, don’t catch a cold.”

There was a group of people between the two of them, and Yun Xie couldn’t squeeze past, so he turned to Du Li. “Whether he is Du Qi or a finger, can I trouble Patriarch Du to bring me two robes first? Aiya, once it snows, winter has arrived. It’s really cold.”

Du Li wanted to pretend that he didn’t see the pile of unsightly clothes on the floor, but who expected that Yun Xie would actually call it out? He really deserved to be called annoying. The more he saw that others didn’t want to listen, the more he must mention it. He had no choice but to say, “Sect Master Yun, please wait.”

He raised his voice and asked someone to bring in the clothes. After such a delay, Qi Shijiu had already calmed down a lot, and he coldly laughed before saying, “I didn’t expect that all the famous heroes would actually spend so much effort just for me, I am really flattered.”

Yun Xie replied, “You’re welcome. I’m surprised you can pretend in this way. By the way, A’Xun, how do you know it was him?”

“How did I know? I didn’t know. It wasn’t until we fought with him that I recognized his moves. Qi Shijiu, you sure are a character. You messed up the whole city of Tengge on your own, so you don’t have to be too modest.”

When Jiang Xunyi didn’t speak, Qi Shijiu was still confident, but once he spoke, he immediately averted his eyes and looked at the ground. “Does Young Master Jiang think that I am doing something wrong? Du Rui and I are both descendants of the Du family, so why can he spoil his wife and concubine and be blessed with children while I can only be a slave to be beaten and scolded by everyone? We were born on the same day and are the same age, but he has been the son of the Du family since he was a child. I could only be a strand of consciousness clinging to a memorial tablet smuggled out by my mother. It took decades to finally appear as someone who is not a ghost nor a person. I still don’t understand why there is such a hierarchy even though we are the same. Why should there be high and low?”

Jiang Xunyi was not moved by his remarks — helplessness and resentment were not new to him, and it was hard to feel angry with him. If it wasn’t for Yun Xie striking quickly back then and killing him without giving him time to say anything, Jiang Xunyi would probably also have to make a speech like this.

In this world, there were so many people that lived a hard life and were hapless, but none of that was a justification for evil.

Instead of this, he focused on something else. “So this is how you are alive. No wonder you have the spiritual power to manipulate the phantom mirror even when your martial arts skills are not very good.” 

Yu Hong had arrived just in time to hear these words, and he asked, “Martial Uncle, is he talking about raising ghost children?”

Jiang Xunyi nodded, and then explained. “You’re right to say it’s like the folk tale of raising ghost children, but it’s more advanced. If I’m not mistaken, his memorial tablet must have been made of wood from a pagoda tree that has grown in the temple for more than ten years. It should be hollowed out in the middle to host the soul in it and kept away from light. The resentment and souls swallowed by the phantom mirror combined with… created the body with the image of a young man that we see today.”

Jiang Xunyi didn’t complete his words. In fact, although Qi Shijiu had barely gained a corporeal form, he couldn’t be counted as entirely a person anymore. So although his half-brother Du Rui was cursed to go insane, he did not die.

Qi Shijiu looked at him for a while. “Young Master Jiang, what else? Why didn’t you finish? I used resentment and remnant souls. In addition to this, I had to eat rabbits and dogs and other animal corpses every day in order to survive. Are you sympathetic and can’t bear to say it, or are you disgusted?”

Jiang Xunyi said indifferently, “Whatever you think.”

Qi Shijiu sighed. “Young Master Jiang, you rescued me from the pits of hell, and Shijiu is extremely grateful. Even my liver and brain are not enough to repay you. Do you look down on me for what I did?”

Jiang Xunyi’s expression was still indecipherable, and he said lightly, “Stop acting. Whether I rescued you or was approached deliberately by you, only you know. Qi Shijiu, I, Jiang Xunyi, have no valuables and even less virtue. I am but an ordinary person, and I want to know what I have that made me worthy of your scheming and effort.”

Yun Xie tilted his head slightly and looked at Jiang Xunyi. This person has never been fond of exposing his emotions, and there was no expression on his face when he spoke, even though he did spend a while with Qi Shijiu. In the eyes of others, Jiang Xunyi’s calmness appeared almost unfeeling. Only Yun Xie caught some very subtle sighs in his tone.

However, Jiang Xunyi’s words instead made Qi Shijiu joke, “Young Master Jiang doesn’t have to be modest, there are so many things worthy of schemes on you. What a pity, what a pity…”

Yun Xie’s eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips slightly raised, but his eyes carried a sense of coldness. He slowly walked to Jiang Xunyi’s side, then replied to Qi Shijiu, “Why pity?”

Qi Shijiu looked at him coldly, his smile slowly disappearing from his face. “It’s a pity that he didn’t kill you, instead ruining my plans.”

Jiang Xunyi really didn’t understand this time. This was clearly a grievance between Qi Shijiu and the Du family. They were only here to make soy sauce[1], and in a blink of an eye, they were the ones blamed? 

He glanced at Du Li subconsciously, but found nothing strange on the other’s face. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“If you didn’t forget your purpose or ultimate wish, you would not have to ask this. Young Master Jiang, you seem to be ruthless, but in fact care too much about justice. You saved Shijiu, and I am deeply grateful, so today I will give you this advice: Don’t ruin yourself because of momentary softheartedness.”

His words were full of hidden meaning, but even someone as smart as the Dual Jades of the Spirit Stage wouldn’t be able to figure out what the deep meaning is. The expression on Jiang Xunyi’s face changed a little, but he finally only said indifferently, “I didn’t save you, and what you do has nothing to do with me. This was originally a Du family affair. Yun Xie and I only came to help out a little for compensation. I’m not in the mood to pay attention to so much. Patriarch Du, the business we have promised to help with has been completed, and you can take care of the rest.”

Du Li said, “You are going…”

Before he could finish speaking, Yun Xie shouted in a deep voice, “Retreat!” 

In order to shield Jiang Xunyi from the wind, he was standing outside the door, so it was too late for him to make a move. He could only watch as Qi Shijiu suddenly grew violent, slapping Du Li with a palm.

Du Li keeled forward, and Qi Shijiu leapt to grab the phantom mirror on the table. Jiang Xunyi flashed forwards, the Extinguished Flower sword unsheathing, and he slashed down on the opponent’s right shoulder without hesitation. Taking advantage of Qi Shijiu’s move to evade, he grabbed the mirror in his hand.

The energy value dropped again.

What exactly was going on?!

In Jiang Xunyi’s short moment of shock, Qi Shijiu’s body suddenly seemed to go boneless as he twisted into an impossible posture. A silver light flashed in his hand, aimed at Yun Xie’s abdomen. “He can’t bear to kill you, so I’ll do it!”

At such a moment of crisis, Yun Xie was actually pleased by the phrase “can’t bear”. He couldn’t help but laugh and hurriedly hid behind Jiang Xunyi.

“If Young Master Jiang can’t bear me dying, you have to protect me. He wants to kill me.”

Jiang Xunyi backhandedly grabbed Yun Xie’s collar and dragged him forward. “Take it, it’s free.”

“Pei, cruel!”

As Yun Xie spoke, he flew up and slapped the crown of Qi Shijiu’s head with a palm.

Yun Xie originally had another move, his sword ready in his left hand, but he didn’t expect Qi Shijiu to not even try to dodge, instead getting hit right on.

The energy value rose.

Jiang Xunyi looked at the mirror in his hand, and suddenly a strange thought came into his mind—this system certainly did not survive by one person doing tasks alone. What if…Qi Shijiu was also a transmigrator? This could explain several of the changes in the energy value. At those points in time, Jiang Xunyi did not do anything, but every time, it coincided with Qi Shijiu’s actions!

In fact, his words just now had a lot of meaning that could be contemplated. But now that he has been hit by Yun Xie, it was unlikely that he would survive. Did that mean that his task was completed, and he can go home?

Jiang Xunyi’s breathing became short. Yun Xie was preparing for another strike when he suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

Yun Xie didn’t know what was going on, but he still retracted his hand.

Jiang Xunyi stared straight at Qi Shijiu, watching his behavior.

Qi Shijiu’s eyes were lost, and a line of blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, but he staggered to the ground with a satisfied smile on his face.

Yun Xie exclaimed, “What the hell is this kid doing?”

Jiang Xunyi had no time to waste on answering. He couldn’t help but take two steps forward. However, at this moment, Qi Shijiu’s eyes, which were about to close, suddenly widened, so much that it seemed as if his eyes would split.

Yun Xie hurriedly pulled Jiang Xunyi back. With an unexpected strength, Qi Shijiu sat up straight, pointing his finger in front of him as he shouted, “You!”

Yu Hong happened to be standing in that position and couldn’t help jolting in fright. Confused, he asked, “Wh-what about me?”

Jiang Xunyi replied, “He didn’t mean you.”

Qi Shijiu shouted hoarsely, “Impossible! You lied to me… You lied to me! Mom and Dad… I, I…”

Before he could finish his words, everyone watched his body distort, freezing in a very terrifying form before it turned into a string of light, then dissipated into the air.

Yu Hong said in surprise, “Martial Uncle, what happened to him?”

“…I don’t know.”

After hearing the words “mom and dad”, he was basically sure that his guess was correct. However, he couldn’t understand what had just happened. The sense of ominousness was like a cloud of unfathomable black fog, slowly taking over his heart.

Amidst everything brewing in the dark, there seemed to be an invisible hand, quietly creating unpredictable storms that everyone was stuck in, unable to get out.

The author has something to say: If you’re willing, my dears, we will start the extra episode tomorrow~ but the show will be back soon, thank you for your support~

The extra episode is about the women’s clothing you all ordered before, but that part is pretty short and the one who wears it… secret ^_^.

[1]打酱油 – buying soy sauce means you’re just passing by

Chapter 81 – The Other

At the sight of something pouncing on her as soon she entered the yard, Rou Rou couldn’t help but shout in surprise before she drew out a dagger to defend herself. However, she was not given a chance to take action. Someone flashed in front of her, pulling Rou Rou behind him before he blocked the attack for her with one hand.

Rou Rou whispered, “Young Master Jiang …” 

“Mn,” Jiang Xunyi said briefly. “Don’t be afraid.”

He had been observing the opponent’s moves, and saw that they weren’t actually in a hurry to make a killing strike, so he began to make some calculations in his mind. After a few attacks, he suddenly grabbed the opponent’s wrist firmly, the whip falling to the floor. He then flew up and kicked the back of the man’s knee, causing him to kneel on the ground with a groan. Jiang Xunyi moved his fingers lightly, and the black mask landed on the ground.

He said coldly, “Qi Shijiu, it’s really you.”

On the other side, Yun Xie took care of the other attacker in a flash. As he pulled his sword out of the corpse, the body had already become a light smoke and dissipated – it turned out the figure that split out was nothing but a phantom.

At this time, the other people had arrived. Du Li stepped into the door and tapped his palms twice. The candle in the room lit up, illuminating everyone’s face and expression clearly. Each person’s shadow was lengthened as it cast on the wall, creating an uneasy atmosphere.

However, what Du Li saw first was the messy bed and the ripped clothes on the ground. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he raised his head to look at Yun Xie only to find that the other’s eyes were already scrutinizing him. The two gazes collided, each filled with thoughts.

Yun Xie suddenly curled his lips and smiled, the offender complaining first. “Patriarch Du, why are you looking at me like this?”

“Nothing.” With how frank Yun Xie was acting, Du Li couldn’t say anything. He saw Jiang Xunyi look over, and he pursed his lips, turning his gaze to instead look at Qi Shijiu who was still restrained by him. “Are you… Du Qi?”

Before Qi Shijiu had a chance to answer, Yun Xie realized that Jiang Xunyi was still standing in the doorway, and he hurriedly shouted, “A’Xun, come in first, don’t catch a cold.”

There was a group of people between the two of them, and Yun Xie couldn’t squeeze past, so he turned to Du Li. “Whether he is Du Qi or a finger, can I trouble Patriarch Du to bring me two robes first? Aiya, once it snows, winter has arrived. It’s really cold.”

Du Li wanted to pretend that he didn’t see the pile of unsightly clothes on the floor, but who expected that Yun Xie would actually call it out? He really deserved to be called annoying. The more he saw that others didn’t want to listen, the more he must mention it. He had no choice but to say, “Sect Master Yun, please wait.”

He raised his voice and asked someone to bring in the clothes. After such a delay, Qi Shijiu had already calmed down a lot, and he coldly laughed before saying, “I didn’t expect that all the famous heroes would actually spend so much effort just for me, I am really flattered.”

Yun Xie replied, “You’re welcome. I’m surprised you can pretend in this way. By the way, A’Xun, how do you know it was him?”

“How did I know? I didn’t know. It wasn’t until we fought with him that I recognized his moves. Qi Shijiu, you sure are a character. You messed up the whole city of Tengge on your own, so you don’t have to be too modest.”

When Jiang Xunyi didn’t speak, Qi Shijiu was still confident, but once he spoke, he immediately averted his eyes and looked at the ground. “Does Young Master Jiang think that I am doing something wrong? Du Rui and I are both descendants of the Du family, so why can he spoil his wife and concubine and be blessed with children while I can only be a slave to be beaten and scolded by everyone? We were born on the same day and are the same age, but he has been the son of the Du family since he was a child. I could only be a strand of consciousness clinging to a memorial tablet smuggled out by my mother. It took decades to finally appear as someone who is not a ghost nor a person. I still don’t understand why there is such a hierarchy even though we are the same. Why should there be high and low?”

Jiang Xunyi was not moved by his remarks — helplessness and resentment were not new to him, and it was hard to feel angry with him. If it wasn’t for Yun Xie striking quickly back then and killing him without giving him time to say anything, Jiang Xunyi would probably also have to make a speech like this.

In this world, there were so many people that lived a hard life and were hapless, but none of that was a justification for evil.

Instead of this, he focused on something else. “So this is how you are alive. No wonder you have the spiritual power to manipulate the phantom mirror even when your martial arts skills are not very good.” 

Yu Hong had arrived just in time to hear these words, and he asked, “Martial Uncle, is he talking about raising ghost children?”

Jiang Xunyi nodded, and then explained. “You’re right to say it’s like the folk tale of raising ghost children, but it’s more advanced. If I’m not mistaken, his memorial tablet must have been made of wood from a pagoda tree that has grown in the temple for more than ten years. It should be hollowed out in the middle to host the soul in it and kept away from light. The resentment and souls swallowed by the phantom mirror combined with… created the body with the image of a young man that we see today.”

Jiang Xunyi didn’t complete his words. In fact, although Qi Shijiu had barely gained a corporeal form, he couldn’t be counted as entirely a person anymore. So although his half-brother Du Rui was cursed to go insane, he did not die.

Qi Shijiu looked at him for a while. “Young Master Jiang, what else? Why didn’t you finish? I used resentment and remnant souls. In addition to this, I had to eat rabbits and dogs and other animal corpses every day in order to survive. Are you sympathetic and can’t bear to say it, or are you disgusted?”

Jiang Xunyi said indifferently, “Whatever you think.”

Qi Shijiu sighed. “Young Master Jiang, you rescued me from the pits of hell, and Shijiu is extremely grateful. Even my liver and brain are not enough to repay you. Do you look down on me for what I did?”

Jiang Xunyi’s expression was still indecipherable, and he said lightly, “Stop acting. Whether I rescued you or was approached deliberately by you, only you know. Qi Shijiu, I, Jiang Xunyi, have no valuables and even less virtue. I am but an ordinary person, and I want to know what I have that made me worthy of your scheming and effort.”

Yun Xie tilted his head slightly and looked at Jiang Xunyi. This person has never been fond of exposing his emotions, and there was no expression on his face when he spoke, even though he did spend a while with Qi Shijiu. In the eyes of others, Jiang Xunyi’s calmness appeared almost unfeeling. Only Yun Xie caught some very subtle sighs in his tone.

However, Jiang Xunyi’s words instead made Qi Shijiu joke, “Young Master Jiang doesn’t have to be modest, there are so many things worthy of schemes on you. What a pity, what a pity…”

Yun Xie’s eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips slightly raised, but his eyes carried a sense of coldness. He slowly walked to Jiang Xunyi’s side, then replied to Qi Shijiu, “Why pity?”

Qi Shijiu looked at him coldly, his smile slowly disappearing from his face. “It’s a pity that he didn’t kill you, instead ruining my plans.”

Jiang Xunyi really didn’t understand this time. This was clearly a grievance between Qi Shijiu and the Du family. They were only here to make soy sauce[1], and in a blink of an eye, they were the ones blamed? 

He glanced at Du Li subconsciously, but found nothing strange on the other’s face. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“If you didn’t forget your purpose or ultimate wish, you would not have to ask this. Young Master Jiang, you seem to be ruthless, but in fact care too much about justice. You saved Shijiu, and I am deeply grateful, so today I will give you this advice: Don’t ruin yourself because of momentary softheartedness.”

His words were full of hidden meaning, but even someone as smart as the Dual Jades of the Spirit Stage wouldn’t be able to figure out what the deep meaning is. The expression on Jiang Xunyi’s face changed a little, but he finally only said indifferently, “I didn’t save you, and what you do has nothing to do with me. This was originally a Du family affair. Yun Xie and I only came to help out a little for compensation. I’m not in the mood to pay attention to so much. Patriarch Du, the business we have promised to help with has been completed, and you can take care of the rest.”

Du Li said, “You are going…”

Before he could finish speaking, Yun Xie shouted in a deep voice, “Retreat!” 

In order to shield Jiang Xunyi from the wind, he was standing outside the door, so it was too late for him to make a move. He could only watch as Qi Shijiu suddenly grew violent, slapping Du Li with a palm.

Du Li keeled forward, and Qi Shijiu leapt to grab the phantom mirror on the table. Jiang Xunyi flashed forwards, the Extinguished Flower sword unsheathing, and he slashed down on the opponent’s right shoulder without hesitation. Taking advantage of Qi Shijiu’s move to evade, he grabbed the mirror in his hand.

The energy value dropped again.

What exactly was going on?!

In Jiang Xunyi’s short moment of shock, Qi Shijiu’s body suddenly seemed to go boneless as he twisted into an impossible posture. A silver light flashed in his hand, aimed at Yun Xie’s abdomen. “He can’t bear to kill you, so I’ll do it!”

At such a moment of crisis, Yun Xie was actually pleased by the phrase “can’t bear”. He couldn’t help but laugh and hurriedly hid behind Jiang Xunyi.

“If Young Master Jiang can’t bear me dying, you have to protect me. He wants to kill me.”

Jiang Xunyi backhandedly grabbed Yun Xie’s collar and dragged him forward. “Take it, it’s free.”

“Pei, cruel!”

As Yun Xie spoke, he flew up and slapped the crown of Qi Shijiu’s head with a palm.

Yun Xie originally had another move, his sword ready in his left hand, but he didn’t expect Qi Shijiu to not even try to dodge, instead getting hit right on.

The energy value rose.

Jiang Xunyi looked at the mirror in his hand, and suddenly a strange thought came into his mind—this system certainly did not survive by one person doing tasks alone. What if…Qi Shijiu was also a transmigrator? This could explain several of the changes in the energy value. At those points in time, Jiang Xunyi did not do anything, but every time, it coincided with Qi Shijiu’s actions!

In fact, his words just now had a lot of meaning that could be contemplated. But now that he has been hit by Yun Xie, it was unlikely that he would survive. Did that mean that his task was completed, and he can go home?

Jiang Xunyi’s breathing became short. Yun Xie was preparing for another strike when he suddenly shouted, “Wait!”

Yun Xie didn’t know what was going on, but he still retracted his hand.

Jiang Xunyi stared straight at Qi Shijiu, watching his behavior.

Qi Shijiu’s eyes were lost, and a line of blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, but he staggered to the ground with a satisfied smile on his face.

Yun Xie exclaimed, “What the hell is this kid doing?”

Jiang Xunyi had no time to waste on answering. He couldn’t help but take two steps forward. However, at this moment, Qi Shijiu’s eyes, which were about to close, suddenly widened, so much that it seemed as if his eyes would split.

Yun Xie hurriedly pulled Jiang Xunyi back. With an unexpected strength, Qi Shijiu sat up straight, pointing his finger in front of him as he shouted, “You!”

Yu Hong happened to be standing in that position and couldn’t help jolting in fright. Confused, he asked, “Wh-what about me?”

Jiang Xunyi replied, “He didn’t mean you.”

Qi Shijiu shouted hoarsely, “Impossible! You lied to me… You lied to me! Mom and Dad… I, I…”

Before he could finish his words, everyone watched his body distort, freezing in a very terrifying form before it turned into a string of light, then dissipated into the air.

Yu Hong said in surprise, “Martial Uncle, what happened to him?”

“…I don’t know.”

After hearing the words “mom and dad”, he was basically sure that his guess was correct. However, he couldn’t understand what had just happened. The sense of ominousness was like a cloud of unfathomable black fog, slowly taking over his heart.

Amidst everything brewing in the dark, there seemed to be an invisible hand, quietly creating unpredictable storms that everyone was stuck in, unable to get out.

The author has something to say: If you’re willing, my dears, we will start the extra episode tomorrow~ but the show will be back soon, thank you for your support~

The extra episode is about the women’s clothing you all ordered before, but that part is pretty short and the one who wears it… secret ^_^.

[1]打酱油 – buying soy sauce means you’re just passing by