I Truly Am The Villian

"Get on the boat," the middle-aged man looked at Xu Zimei and beckoned.

Xu Zimei stepped onto the small boat.

The middle-aged man rowed the oars, and the boat gradually drifted away on Qinghe River.

"Everyone’s gone to worship the Dragon-Tiger God, why didn’t you go?" Xu Zimei asked curiously.

"There’s no need to go. The Dragon-Tiger God protects the city for his own reasons, it’s definitely not to seek the citizens’ worship," the middle-aged man said with a shake of his head and a smile.

He rowed with rhythm in every stroke.

As if there was a special rhythm to it.

"You’re quite interesting," Xu Zimei said with a laugh.

"You’re not from Dragon Tiger City, are you?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Hmm, I just happened to pass by here," Xu Zimei nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Dragon Tiger City sees thousands of people coming and going every day, and I have them all in mind," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

"I have lived here a long time."

"So you’ve been guarding this city all this time?" Xu Zimei’s gaze fell towards the end of Qinghe, as he spoke tranquilly.

The river water was clear enough to see the bottom, where the lotuses were in full bloom, the white lotuses looking like girls dancing in the water, wearing white dresses.

When the middle-aged man heard Xu Zimei’s words, he suddenly raised his head and gave Xu Zimei a deep look.

"I don’t understand what you’re saying."

"Of course, the Dragon-Tiger God wouldn’t need to worship himself," Xu Zimei said with a smile.

"Don’t worry, I mean no harm, nor do I have any interest in your Dragon Tiger City."

The middle-aged man took a good look at Xu Zimei, then finally took off the yellow bamboo hat on his head.

It was only when he removed the bamboo hat that Xu Zimei noticed the man’s hair was yellow.

Moreover, he had a pair of tiger ears, which was very special.

"You are," Xu Zimei was taken aback, this situation had caught him off guard.

He had only sensed the exceptionally strong Demonic Qi on the man and had asked probing questions.

"I used to be a resident of Dragon Tiger City," the man said with a smile.

"After some fortunate events, I became what you see now. I guard this place because I love it here."

"I wish you luck," Xu Zimei smiled. The boat had gradually reached the shore.

The middle-aged man spoke with a laugh, "I won’t charge you for the boat ride, consider it a payment for keeping my secret."

Watching the middle-aged man row away again, Xu Zimei shook his head with a smile.

The man was like the guardian deity of Dragon Tiger City.

If the city were in danger, he would come forward to protect it; otherwise, he would remain hidden in obscurity, like a hermit in the mountains.

How ridiculous those residents of Dragon Tiger City were, only knowing to worship a lifeless statue.

Having left Dragon Tiger City, he wasn’t too far from the True Martial Holy Sect now.

Xu Zimei summoned the Dark Heaven Tiger, sat on its back, and his figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

......…

The season of persistent autumn rain had arrived, and the Destiny in the sky continued to form, unaffected by anything.

Meanwhile, other places had started to see the fall of light raindrops; a cool breeze swept through, bringing a refreshing chillness.

Facing the continuous drizzle, Xu Zimei arrived in a valley before nightfall.

The rain seemed to grow heavier; Xu Zimei found a particularly lush tree and stopped there.

He patted the back of the Dark Heaven Tiger, which then got up and uprooted the surrounding trees.

Then it arranged them around Xu Zimei, shielding him from the rain above.

Xu Zimei wrung the moisture from his clothes, ready to enjoy the autumn rain, when suddenly he heard footsteps reaching his ears.

He looked up and saw a group of people in red robes approaching.

The red robes they wore were a vivid blood-red, with the character ’Ming’ stitched onto their backs.

Xu Zimei recognized the attire; they were from one of the Imperial Rule Immortal Sects of the Eastern Continent, the Blood Nether Holy Sect.

"There’s someone here," said a voice from the group lightly.

The others hastily looked towards Xu Zimei’s position.

"It’s not him," said someone nearby, shaking their head slightly.

When the group reached Xu Zimei, the leading disciple looked at him with an air of arrogance and asked,

"Hey, kid, did you see a man and a woman leave this way just now?"

"I’ve just arrived here as well," Xu Zimei responded.

"And I don’t like your attitude."

"Kid, you’ve got spirit," said the disciple from the Blood Nether Holy Sect, raising his longsword and chopping towards Xu Zimei.

Xu Zimei merely lifted his eyelids slightly, giving the group just a glance.

"Boom, boom, boom"—a series of explosions rang out; the group felt an immense pressure and burst into pieces, dying on the spot.

"Wow, the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect really puts on quite the show," Xu Zimei shook his head.

Ignoring the chunks of flesh and bloodstains on the ground, he sat on the Dark Heaven Tiger and walked towards the interior of the valley.

As for those filthy remnants, by the time the weather cleared, they would have probably been washed clean by the rainstorm.

Having walked a distance, Xu Zimei detected a faint scent of blood.

And some bloodstains that hadn’t been completely washed away.

After he took a few more steps, he found himself surrounded by traps.

Along with the snap of a rope, countless sharp tree spikes flew towards Xu Zimei to kill.

Coated with a fierce poison, touching them would cause one’s body to fester and die.

Xu Zimei waved his hand slightly, directly annihilating these tree spikes in the process.

His gaze turned to a nearby cave, his Divine Soul sensing that someone was hiding there.

"Come out," Xu Zimei said indifferently.

After a moment’s hesitation, a figure rushed out of the cave in a flash.

The figure was clad in black, fleeing quickly into the distance.

But after just a step, the figure was suppressed on the spot by Xu Zimei.

"Turn around," Xu Zimei stated calmly.

The torrential rain overhead continued to pour down.

On the green leaves, throughout the valley, the sound of the rain could be heard everywhere.

It seemed like countless rain sounds were mixing in one’s ears, yet it also felt exceptionally quiet.

As the dark shadow slowly turned its head, Xu Zimei was slightly taken aback.

"It’s you?" they both exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"Yao Shengnan, what are you doing here? What are you hiding from?" Xu Zimei asked.

"Young Master Xu, I don’t have time to explain right now, please hurry and save Gui Lin," Yao Shengnan said urgently.

"What happened to Xiao Guizi?" Xu Zimei frowned slightly.

"He’s in the cave and is on the brink of death," Yao Shengnan said with agitation.

Seeing Yao Shengnan’s anxious appearance, Xu Zimei realized something had happened.

He followed Yao Shengnan into the cave and saw Xiao Guizi lying on a protruding rock, covered in blood.

His body had numerous wounds, large and small, and he was barely clinging to life, soaked in blood.

"How did this happen?" Xu Zimei asked, furrowing his brows.

"It was the people from the Blood Nether Holy Sect; they were after us," Yao Shengnan replied quickly.