Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 74: Ye Feng

Luo Mingye stared at the leather-bound book in her lap, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

The silver-white glow of her Yin sword, hidden deep within her soul, seemed to shimmer faintly in the air, reacting to her agitation.

Her fingers trembled as she peeled back the cover, the parchment feeling neither like paper nor skin, but something ancient and immutable.

The first lines she read were written in a script that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

[What a beautiful day]

[I, Ye Feng, actually transmigrated in a novel I once read, not to mention as a minor young master villain who would die at the hands of the protagonist because I looked at his woman]

"Eh? Transmigrated?" Luo Mingye’s brow furrowed, her green eyes narrowing in confusion. "Could it be an old Supreme who decided to take over another person’s body? A ’Possession’ case?"

The term was familiar in the legends of the Central Region, or rather, it’s actually a very common thing for an ancient supremes using Soul Seizing to cheat death.

But the rest of the sentence made her head spin.

"Novel? Young master villain? Protagonist? Is he writing a play? Is this some failed scholar’s script?" She was confused, what is this Supreme was doing?

Not only was he writing these things, but also sending it to her?

She continued reading, her curiosity overriding her skepticism.

[Thankfully, I have a system with me, and this system forces me to write diaries everyday, and in turn I would get rewards. Honestly, writing a diary is pretty embarrassing, I mean, what kind of person would even write a diary? But I have no choice, if I have to survive in this world where people just casually pluck stars and use it as a bonfire, I need to keep writing and get the rewards!]

"Hah? Writing diaries gives you rewards?!" Luo Mingye’s mouth fell open, her composure momentarily forgotten. "Is there such a good thing in this world? I’ve spent years playing zither and swinging a sword until my palms bled just to touch the edge of Sword Intent! I’ve sat in freezing caves to temper my physique! And this... this Ye Feng gets rewarded for writing down his daily thoughts? I want to write diaries too!"

Her indignation flared, but it was quickly replaced by a cold shiver as her eyes skipped to the next paragraph.

[Speaking of survival, I need to stay away from those lovestruck heroines! That Luo Mingye, a stupid woman who sold herself to the protagonist and even helped them count the money, I must stay away from her! The protagonist already thought of her as his possession, and I will certainly die if I get close to her]

The air in the pavilion turned ice-cold.

"Stupid woman? Me?" Mingye was stunned, her face flushing a deep crimson from anger that clashed with her green hair. "How did this ’senior’ know my name? And who thought of me as a possession?"

She closed her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks as she began to hum a low, discordant note—a habit when she was deep in thought.

She scanned her memories, searching for anyone who fit the description of a "Protagonist."

"A protagonist... the focal point of a story... someone who defies the heavens..." The only person she could think of was Young Master Shen.

He was born from the most distinguished clan, possessed a face that could make goddesses weep, and held talent that suppressed an entire generation.

"This... Could Young Master Shen actually think of me as his property?!" Her heart skipped a beat, and a strange, fluttering sensation rose in her chest. "That’s... actually very exciting!"

She shook her head violently, her green hair whipping around. "Wait, no! I’m still not sure if it’s really Young Master Shen! I shouldn’t jump to conclusions just because he’s handsome!"

She looked back at the diary, her eyes hardening as she read the next entry.

[In the future, she even caused the annihilation of her clan because she supported the protagonist who was more than willing to use her clan so he can survive and complete his revenge, and she didn’t even blame the protagonist for using her clan!]

[What a crazy woman! Just thinking about her is making me shiver, there are actually people like that!]

"Impossible!" Luo Mingye roared, the sound echoing off the white jade pillars of the pavilion. "Me? Allow someone to use my clan and bring about its annihilation?! I would never do that! I am a daughter of the Luo Clan! My sword protects my kin!"

She breathed heavily, her large chest bouncing as she heaved in sheer, unadulterated anger.

The mental image of her father, her elders, and her cousins lying in a mountain of corpses because of her "lovestruck" stupidity was an insult she couldn’t swallow.

"What a Ye Feng, how dare you slander me?!" she shrieked. "Just you wait, I’ll make sure to find you and teach you a lesson that you’ll never forget! I’ll carve those words into your skin!"

Just then, she felt a sudden, violent electric shock coursing through her meridians.

It wasn’t just physical; it felt like her very soul was being lashed, causing her to flinched in agonizing pain, her knees buckling.

"W-What was that?!" she gasped.

Normally, her "special physique" would have turned that kind of pain into pleasure, but this time, her body offered no resistance.

It felt as if the world itself had struck her.

Just rhen, new ink began to bleed into the page she was holding, forming sharp, crystalline letters.

[Warning: Those who possess the diary must not harm the owner, nor reveal the existence and contents of the diary to outsiders. Those who violate these rules will be struck and eventually annihilated by Divine Lightning.]

"What?! What the hell kind of rule is this?!" She gritted her teeth, the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. "So I couldn’t even get revenge on that guy for slandering my character? I have to just... sit here and read how ’stupid’ I am?"

Her temper flared again. "That’s it, I’ll just destroy this cursed thing!"

Luo Mingye channeled her full Golden Core cultivation into her hands, her palms glowing with a frigid, bright emerald light as she gripped the edges of the diary and pulled, intending to rip it into a thousand pieces.

But surprisingly, despite her strength—strength that could crush boulders into dust with a simple palm—the pages didn’t even crinkle.

It was like trying to tear the fabric of space itself!

Frustrated, she summoned her sword, Mo Ye.

The Saint Grade artifact hummed with a lethal edge as she brought it down in a vertical cleave directly onto the open book.

Clang!

...There wasn’t even a scratch!

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped from shock. "What the—?! Not even a Rank 9 Saint Grade Artifact can scratch it?!"

She knew she couldn’t bring out the full, world-shattering power of a Saint Grade weapon yet, but even at 10% capacity, it should have turned any mundane object into atoms, yet the diary didn’t even lose its luster.

She stared at the book, frowning deeply.

If this book was genuine, then this was a treasure beyond her comprehension, something that the mysterious supreme Ye Feng had given her to slander her.

Or, perhaps that Ye Feng was Seer and have peeked into rivers of time and space, seeing through past, present, and future, and was using this to warn her.

...but, from how he writes, he doesn’t seem to have any idea that she can see the contents of his so-called diary.

Finally, she let out a long, tired sigh, the will to destroy this thing draining out of her as she called her sword back into her soul, the silver light receding.

She sat back down on the bench, staring at the diary as if it were a poisonous snake.

"Well," she muttered to herself, trying to find a silver lining. "I can at least say that the ’Protagonist’ mentioned here isn’t Young Master Shen. After all, the Shen Clan is far too strong; they pretty much rule the Imperial Capital in the shadows, making even the Imperial Family afraid of them. He wouldn’t need to use my clan for ’revenge’ or survival like thus Ye Feng said."

She nodded to herself, finding comfort in the logic. "So who could it be? Who is this man that I supposedly destroy my family for?"

She thought of her good friend, Xia Mengyao.

They had already made a secret pact—a "shared" goal to be with Young Master Shen in this life.

It was a pragmatic and emotional choice, after all, with their relationship, if they don’t find someone to marry, then they’d really spend the rest of their lives with each other!

She couldn’t help but shiver.

So with that said, there was no way she would go wandering off to find some "avenger" to fall in love with.

"I’m not a bad girl," she whispered, her fingers tracing the edge of the diary. "There is no way I’ll hop around man to man like those strumpet from Blissful Immortal Coupling Palace."

Blissful Immortal Coupling Palace, or known as Blissful Palace, is a kind-of, sort-of, legitimate sect.

An all female sect infamous for humping uglies to get stronger. However, because their Cultivation technique isn’t really harmful, they weren’t declared a Demonic Sect, but they were still frowned upon, with no one wanting to associate with them.

However, it is said that those who practiced their Cultivation technique and resisted the urge to mate would actually be able to reach Immortality by cutting off their seven emotions and six desires.

Their current Sect Leader, the terrifying woman known as the Temptress Of The Crystal Palace was someone who resisted that urged and reached the peak of Heavenly Saint Realm, becoming one of the Top Ten Strongest Saints alongside Chu Xueyu, the matriarch of Shen Clan and the Ruthless Empress Who Commands Heavens Kneeling.

Mingye flipped a page, her heart racing as she wondered what other slanders or secrets this damn Ye Feng is willing to call her.