I Truly Am The Villian

The young man, clad in white, carried a three-foot-long white-edged sword, his long hair parted down the middle and draped over his shoulders.

His skin was fair, his eyes bright and animated. As the Qingfeng breeze slowly picked up, his white garb fluttered.

Any onlooker would have sighed remarking, "What a graceful youth."

With every step the youth took, endless Sword Intent surged around him.

Xu Zimei sat reversed atop the Dark Heaven Tiger, watching the scene with interest.

Feeling the increasingly powerful Sword Qi from the youth, General Zhao’s brow furrowed slightly.

He said, "This is a matter of the Tianheng Empire and has nothing to do with you, sir."

"You see, I always love to fight against injustice," the youth in white huffed coldly.

"You’re just unlucky to have encountered me."

General Zhao snorted coldly, and the several men in Blood Robes at his side all charged toward the youth.

However, the youth merely smiled faintly and slowly swung his longsword once.

Everyone heard a clangorous sound of a sword’s hum, followed by blood spurting high into the air, as the men in black robes were all cleaved into pieces.

General Zhao’s face turned pale as he murmured, "What a swift sword."

He hadn’t even seen the sword Qi the opponent had swung. Had that blow been intended for himself,

he feared whether he could dodge it.

"Do you intend to make an enemy of the Tianheng Empire?" General Zhao couldn’t help but retreat a few steps as he spoke.

"So what if I do? I, Chen Tianyi, have journeyed across the entire Northern Continent, and have never bowed down to any power!"

The youth in white shook his head and chuckled softly.

"You’re Chen Tianyi, the Gentleman Sword?" General Zhao asked doubtfully.

"What? Is there someone else pretending to be me?" the youth in white shook his head and spoke.

"I walk by my given name, and sit with my family name unaltered."

"Mr. Chen, if you’re determined to rescue them today, I might not be able to stop you,"

General Zhao said blandly. "But I will report this matter truthfully to the Sovereign of Tianheng."

"You’d have to live to make it back first!"

The youth in white bared a fierce smile.

Leaping into the air, his sword in hand became a thousand zhang of Sword Qi, killing all in its wake.

General Zhao’s expression was grave, and his demeanor serious.

The imposing aura of the Emperor Pulse Realm spread mightily around him; he had caught the trajectory of the sword,

but underestimated its power.

With a "boom," the sword Qi, carrying a heaven-piercing sharpness, descended, splitting General Zhao in two from the forehead down.

In his final moments, a slight look of astonishment lingered on General Zhao’s face.

As his rigid body fell to the sides, Chen Tianyi, the Gentleman Sword, slowly approached the others.

Smiling at the lady in the purple dress, he asked, "Are you alright, beautiful miss?"

"I’m fine, thank you for your kindness, Mr. Chen," the lady in purple quickly shook her head, expressing her gratitude.

Chen Tianyi smiled and took out a pill from his Storage Ring, handing it to the old man next to him.

He said, "Your injuries are severe, and they won’t heal anytime soon. This pill might be of use."

"Thank you for your life-saving grace, sir. This old man will remember it for the rest of his life," the old man thanked him earnestly.

"We’ll meet again if fate allows," Chen Tianyi nodded slightly before smiling and saying to the lady in the purple dress.

Then he sheathed his sword and strode away.

Watching the retreating figure of the youth in white, the lady in purple chuckled: "I had no idea that the famed Gentleman Sword would be of the same age as me."

"The rumors are true; he cultivates the Haoran Righteousness," the old man reminded her by the side.

"Miss, shouldn’t we leave swiftly in case we attract pursuit?"

The lady in purple hesitated then asked, "Uncle Ning, what about your injuries?"

"It’s nothing serious," the old man hurriedly shook his head.

...

Chen Tianyi walked straight ahead, and when he passed by Xu Zimei, he laughed lightly.

"Brother, that’s not very proper of you to do," he said.

"How so?" Xu Zimei asked with interest.

"We who cultivate should, by nature, save the dying, heal the injured, and draw our swords to help others.

"Behaving indifferently as you did, showing no concern for the dying, is not praiseworthy," Chen Tianyi said, shaking his head.

"Are you teaching me how to conduct myself?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.

Chen Tianyi shook his head and walked away with a hearty laugh.

"There are a million ways to live for a million different people."

Watching Chen Tianyi leave, Xu Zimei made no effort to stop him.

He acted entirely on his mood, helping when he felt like it, and no one had the right to criticize him for not doing so.

Xu Zimei didn’t care much about this small disturbance.

He continued to walk along the coastline toward the dock where thousands of ships were moored, heading for the Eastern Continent.

Xu Zimei could already make out their silhouettes in the distance.

After three more days of walking, Xu Zimei finally arrived at the dock.

The dock was bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

Ships were departing for the Eastern Continent, and ships from the Eastern Continent were returning here.

The noise of life and the hubbub of the ships echoed all around.

"Heading to the Northern Continent, we’re short five passengers. Lui Family ships, with Emperor Pulse Realm experts on board.

You can sign up with peace of mind, we’ll depart promptly in thirty minutes."

The crew members on the ships moored along the coast were all shouting aggressively.

Each time a new ship set sail, another would fill the vacancy.

Xu Zimei casually boarded one of the Lui Family ships.

The ship wasn’t very large, and besides the crew and the guards,

since each passenger needed a room, the whole ship could only accommodate fifty travelers.

The spaces on the ship were almost all taken, and by the time Xu Zimei arrived, many travelers were already chatting on the deck.

Xu Zimei also saw Chen Tianyi among the crowd.

The man smiled at him.

...

Xu Zimei found a spot on deck and sat down.

As the ship prepared to leave for the last time, Xu Zimei saw the same purple-dress girl and the old man from before boarding the boat.

"Truly fateful!" Xu Zimei chuckled softly to himself.

Once full, the ship began its slow journey to the Eastern Continent.

Xu Zimei looked out at the endless sea and the continent that loomed like a giant beast, momentarily overcome with emotion.

After being away from the True Martial Holy Sect for so long, he couldn’t help but feel homesick.

As the voyage just began, many travelers did not return to their rooms, preferring to chat on deck and enjoy the scenery.

The purple-dress girl sat with Chen Tianyi, the two of them chatting and laughing.

The old man stood at a distance, watching over them.

As for their maidservant, she ran to and fro, preparing food for the pair.

When the maidservant passed by Xu Zimei, she huffed loudly,

apparently dissatisfied with Xu Zimei’s previous inaction during the life-and-death situation.

Because Xu Zimei was sitting not far from the pair, he could faintly hear the topic of their conversation.

The purple-dress girl had changed into a light blue gown and wore delicate makeup.

She looked more beautiful and sophisticated than before.

The individuals spoke quietly among themselves, and just then, a young man in a golden robe, holding a folding fan, took his seat leisurely at the table with the girl in the purple dress.