The Wicked Side Character’s Guide to Seducing the Male Lead - Chapter 3

Hoping to strengthen my friendship with the heroine, I planned to show her around and arrange somewhere for her to stay. We’d barely taken two steps before Xuan Yi pulled me back.

Drawing me to his side, he said gravely, “Her arrival is suspicious. We don’t even know whether she’s a demon spy. You’re a poor judge of character, Little Junior Sister. Until we’ve investigated her thoroughly, you should keep your distance.”

A poor judge of character? She was the heroine!

Didn’t he know the entire sect would eventually cherish her like a treasure?

“Eldest Senior Brother, I’m sure she isn’t a bad person. She…”

I tugged at his sleeve, trying to get him to stop. Then I saw his icy expression, and both my hand and my mouth went still.

He seemed unhappy.

Why?

Never mind. I should stay out of it.

One was the hero and the other was the heroine. Whatever happened, they would reconcile, just as they did in the story.

Better not to interfere.

Xuan Yi glanced down at me, and his expression eased. With a simple spell, he bound the heroine in ropes.

Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Taking my hand, Xuan Yi led me outside.

“Didn’t you want to go down the mountain? There’s something suspicious about this person. Someone else in the sect can question her.”

Instinctively, I glanced back at the heroine. Seeing me look, she gave me an enormous smile.

Me: !!!

No wonder she would become everyone’s favorite!

Such a sweet smile. Such composure in a crisis.

I was absolutely going to stick close to her!

While I was thinking, Xuan Yi stopped. “Huahua.”

“Hm?”

Hearing him suddenly use my name felt unfamiliar. “What is it, Senior Brother?”

“Why are you so kind to everyone, Huahua?”

“Huh?”

Who had I been especially kind to?

Didn’t I treat everyone equally?

The way he was looking at me made me uneasy. “Eldest Senior Brother?”

“You never guard against anyone.”

Me: ???

Well, frankly, the other people in the sect were lucky if they didn’t need to guard against me…

He sighed and stroked my head again. “Never mind. I’ll protect you, regardless.”

“…”

Protect me?

That didn’t sound quite like the story…

There was something a little strange about Xuan Yi.

We didn’t fly down the mountain on his sword. Xuan Yi said there was scenery to enjoy along the way.

“…”

Apart from roasted fish, roasted pheasant, roasted rabbit… there was scenery?

Never mind. Not important.

Life among the ordinary people at the foot of the mountain was far more interesting than the sect’s endless cultivation.

Xuan Yi didn’t take me to meet the senior brothers and sisters who’d left before us. Instead, he rented a courtyard house for the two of us.

He spent his days introducing me to ordinary people’s lives: chopping firewood, hunting, farming, weaving, trading… Sometimes he even exchanged tips with the neighborhood aunties.

He said cultivation didn’t mean casting aside one’s worldly past. Apparently, the quiet lives of ordinary people were part of cultivating, too.

I didn’t really understand, but he paid for everything I wanted, took care of me, and kept me safe. He could do whatever he liked. I was having a wonderful time anyway.

Occasionally, while basking in the sun with a full stomach, I remembered the plot.

The thing was, as Master always said, I was far too lazy.

Not stupid, mind you. Just lazy.

I didn’t remember most things for very long, which meant I’d already forgotten much of the story.

Fortunately, I’d always been easygoing. I firmly believed in taking things one step at a time, so I wasn’t too worried.

Master was still there, after all. As long as I behaved, she wouldn’t abandon me.

And Xuan Yi was my eldest senior brother. He was usually good to me, and we’d grown up together. Provided I didn’t cause trouble the way I did in the novel, he probably wouldn’t punish me.

I tucked my hands behind my head, closed my eyes, and relaxed.

With my aptitude, ascending to immortality was impossible.

If it was impossible, why not give up trying?

I might as well enjoy every moment I could.

There was always some overachiever trying to drag me into working hard with him.

When Xuan Yi returned, he pulled me up from the couch. I let him put a veiled hat on me. “Where are we going, Eldest Senior Brother?”

“I brought you down the mountain for two reasons. First, to let you enjoy yourself as you wished. Second, a secret realm in the east is about to open. I intend to take you there.”

Me: ???

That wasn’t in the novel.

I rarely left the mountain, but I’d heard plenty of stories.

Secret realms were terribly dangerous places: fighting over opportunities, murdering people for their treasures, friends becoming enemies, attacks from behind… Far too dangerous!

If I were as powerful as Eldest Senior Brother, or even capable of defending myself like the other inner disciples, I might dare to explore one.

But I was useless!

If I got hurt, I’d be the one suffering.

“Senior Brother, I don’t want to go.”

He clearly hadn’t expected a refusal. His hands paused as he adjusted my hat. “Why not?”

“No particular reason. Can’t I wait here for you? I swear I’ll be good and stay put.”

Usually, he agreed to whatever I asked. This time, he was uncharacteristically firm. “No.”

“…”

His expression was so serious that I gave up resisting.

What could I do? I couldn’t escape his hold on me.

This time, Xuan Yi used a flying artifact. It was much faster than our leisurely journey down the mountain.

Although the secret realm hadn’t opened yet, quite a crowd was waiting outside. We put away the artifact a short distance from the entrance and found a relatively open patch of ground to wait on.

There were so many people that the two of us attracted little attention.

I surveyed the many sects camped nearby with curiosity.

Usually, secret realms restricted entry according to cultivation level. A sect’s powerful cultivators stayed outside, sending only their disciples in to train. This time seemed different.

“Eldest Senior Brother, is there some spiritual treasure in this realm that everyone wants?”

Xuan Yi glanced at me. “Yes. But don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

I nodded, wondering what treasure could have tempted even Xuan Yi to come and compete for a share.