Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 47: Worth

"So, what’s the best thing you managed to snatch?" Jin Pei asked, his voice echoing through the vaulted corridors as he walked side-by-side with Ao Long.

And despite his injuries, his eyes held a glimmer of satisfaction. "I got a Grand Tier Heavenly Grade Battle Technique: Falling Heaven Palm."

In the intricate systems of the cultivation world, a distinction was always made between Cultivation Techniques and Battle Techniques.

While the former allowed a practitioner to gather Qi, expand their meridians, and step further into the path of immortality, Battle Techniques were the "expression" of that power—the means to shape and manipulate Qi into devastating physical and elemental effects.

Both, however, followed the same hierarchy of quality: Spirit, Earthly, Heavenly, and Supreme.

Ao Long adjusted his torn robes, his expression thoughtful. "Well, I secured a High Tier Heavenly Grade Defensive Array. Although it isn’t quite as valuable as the manual that thief made off with, it is a foundation-level treasure. It’s enough to ensure my kingdom can be protected from any foreign threats for ten thousand more years."

Defensive Arrays, or rather, arrays themselves, can be considered as Battle Techniques of nature, personally formed and crafted by Formation Masters.

However, if Battle Techniques were a single blow, Arrays were a dense, spiritual mechanism.

Formation Masters used mystical runes to tap into the natural Qi of the environment, turning the very landscape into a weapon or a shield within a specific, governed area.

"Nice," Jin Pei said, giving a thumbs up. "But don’t let that thief get away. A High-Tier Cultivation Technique is pretty much the highest level of treasure we can get in Central Region, not counting the Imperial Capital. If he manages to slip through your fingers, you can be damn well sure that I’ll be the one to hunt him down and take that manual for myself."

"Hm," Ao Long nodded coldly. "Unfortunately for you, you won’t get the chance. I will not let him escape Blue Wind alive."

The two princes finally arrived back at the Great Hall, where the massive staircase led toward the altar of the Emperor.

They looked up and saw Shen Haoran, seated in a meditative posture on the 999th floor, bathed in a terrifying, golden-purple light.

The two immediately fell silent, and at this moment, their rivalry, their greed, and their pride vanished in the face of that sovereign aura.

They cupped their hands, bowed deeply in a show of absolute respect to the heir of the Shen Clan, and then turned to leave.

They had emptied out every side chamber they could find; there was no reason to linger in the presence of a dragon.

Not to mention Ao Long still needed to find Yun Li, and more importantly, he needed to return home and inform his father that the political landscape of the Eastern Region was about to be set ablaze.

He had actually searched the nearby halls for the "trash heir," but the boy was nowhere to be found, so he assumed that Yun Li must’ve already fled the realm to hide his spoils.

As the sound of their footsteps faded, Shen Haoran suddenly opened a single golden eye, observing their retreating backs for a fleeting second before closing it again, returning to the depths of his cultivation.

And just like that, time flew by, and a few minutes later, the silence was broken by the arrival of Luo Mingye and Xia Mengyao.

Both women—one still disguised as a man—had flushed faces, their breaths slightly hitched from the strange and intimate conversation they had just shared in the armory.

They stood at the base of the stairs, their eyes traveling upward until they rested on Haoran.

They observed the way his blonde hair caught the silver light, gently swaying from the rhythmic flicker of his golden purple Qi, and also the way his robe fluttered, giving him an even more majestic feeling.

They were utterly mesmerized, caught in the gravity of his presence.

"Go ahead and paint me; it’ll last longer," Haoran said suddenly, his voice smooth and teasing.

"Ah!" The two jumped, startled by the sudden break in the silence.

They began to stammer, their faces turning various shades of crimson as they tried to construct coherent excuses that wouldn’t come.

Haoran opened both eyes, staring down at them with an amused gaze. "Do the two of you need something? Or did you just come back to admire my presence? If it’s the latter, then I don’t blame me. Admire me as much as you like."

Although he doesn’t usually show it, but Haoran had always, and absolutely believed, that his body was more perfect than even the most perfect diamond.

This belief is so absolutely that he once walked around the Imperial Palace completely naked after having some fun with a neglected Imperial Princess.

He didn’t mind other people’s gaze, nor was he feeling shame, after all, there is nothing shameful about his body.

"N-N-N-Nothing!" Mingye stuttered, her face as red as a sun-ripened tomato.

Mengyao facepalmed internally.

’With a response like that, you make us look even more guilty,’ she thought, her heart racing.

Then, to save her friend from embarrassing herself further, she steeled herself as she stepped forward. "Young Master Shen... there is something I wanted to know. Is it alright if I ask a question?"

Haoran offered a small nod of permission.

"It’s about our... condition," Mengyao said, her voice dropping. "Is it possible to have someone from the Shen Clan examine us? You see, something unexpected happened in the armory..."

Haoran’s eyes suddenly narrowed before it glowed with a brilliant, piercing gold.

Mengyao and Mingye immediately felt a sudden chill, as if their very souls were being stripped naked and laid bare under a microscope.

This was Clairvoyance, one of the core skills of a Seer.

Though Haoran only possessed a rudimentary grasp of the Six Great Professions, his innate talent made his "dabbling" more effective than most people’s life work.

And through this, he saw the crimson thread and the way their fates had been knotted together by the twin swords of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

"Your fates are intertwined," Haoran said, his eyes returning to their normal golden hue. "This bond is absolute. Unless both of you reach the Heavenly Saint Realm and sever the karma yourselves, it is impossible to break without causing a total collapse of your cultivation foundations. No one in the Shen Clan, not even our Elders, can help you with this."

Of course, his clan’s powerful Seers and Supreme Emperors can sever this, but it’s too much trouble for two little girls that for him, doesn’t have as much worth as Xueli.

"As expected..." Mengyao sighed, her shoulders slumping in helpless resignation.

"No..." Mingye groaned, clutching her head. "Am I really going to be single for the rest of my life because of a sword?!"

Haoran raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. "If you’re so worried about being single, just marry the same person. That would solve the karmic conflict and satisfy the bond of the swords."

"Then, Young Master Shen! Please marry us!" Mingye blurted out.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Mingye’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as she realized she had just let her truest, most hidden thought escape.

Mengyao stared at her friend in absolute shock, stunned by her sheer, reckless boldness.

Haoran’s expression shifted, a slow, playful smile spreading across his face. "Hoh? Then tell me... why should I do that?"

’Damn it, the arrow is already in the air. I have to bite the tip,’ Mingye thought desperately. "Um... although we aren’t on the level of the geniuses from the Imperial Capital... I think we are still qualified to be called geniuses in our own right! Not to mention... we are considered peerless beauties!"

Silence reclaimed the hall for several agonizing seconds.

Then, Haoran began to laugh.

"Hahahaha! Ah, it’s been a while since I laughed that hard." He wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye, his gaze sharpening once more. "Geniuses? So what? Peerless beauties? And then? In my world, those are as common as grains of sand, and in my eyes, you both are currently nothing more than ordinary people.."

His face turned deathly serious. "As long as the two of you do not possess any qualities that I find interesting, you will remain nothing more than a pair of skin and bones. Leave now. You currently possess nothing that interests me."

Mingye went quiet, her head bowing low as she felt a bitter, dejected sting in her chest.

’You kept a woman from this Desolate Region by your side...’ she thought, thinking of Xueli. ’How is she better than me?’

"Then... you’re saying there is a chance? Is that it, Young Master Shen?" Mengyao asked, her voice steady as she patted her friend’s shoulder.

Haoran looked at her, his smile unreadable. "Maybe."

With that, he closed his eyes, the conversation over.

"I see." Mengyao nodded respectfully. She turned to Mingye. "Stop moping around. Let’s go back."

"O-Oh." Mingye’s liveliness returned in a flash as she processed his last word.

A chance! He said maybe!

But she remained silent, hopping in joy as she walked beside her friend.

And as they walked back through the silver corridors, Mingye couldn’t help but whisper, "I didn’t know you also wanted to marry Young Master Shen, Sister Mengyao."

"I don’t," Mengyao sighed, her voice weary. "But... haaa. Now I have to find a way to explain to my junior brother that I can’t be with him. The swords won’t allow it."

Mingye blinked. "Err... are the two of you Dao Companions?"

"No," Mengyao shook her head. "But we made a promise and I told him that once he made a name for himself and caught up to me, we would get married. It was a goal for him."

"This... I’m so sorry," Mingye said, feeling a genuine pang of guilt.

"No need to worry," Mengyao said, forcing a small chuckle. "Although I care for my junior brother, it was always platonic on my end. I was just swept up in the moment when he made that promise to me and I agreed. This bond... it simply makes the choice for me."

"Still... I’m sorry for dragging you into this," Mingye whispered.

"Hey, don’t be like that," Mengyao said, bumping her shoulder. "At least this way, we can be like real sisters. Always together, right?"

Mingye offered a small smile, but she remained silent, her mind already drifting back to the golden-haired youth sitting at the top of the world.