I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 1274:

1635. A New Trial for more than just Xi Yuan Shengnv; A Dangerous Feast?

Mist drifted through the pavilion like a translucent silk veil, dancing softly in the breeze. Within this ethereal haze, the silhouette of Xi Yuan Shengnv emerged, her waist so narrow it seemed a man could circle it with a single hand.

With Chu Xin Yue’s exit, the pavilion was left to only Gu Changge and the Saintess.

Xi Yuan Shengnv had been startled by Gu Changge’s audacious entrance; his casual air suggested he held very little reverence for her position. However, their previous clash had taught her a harsh lesson: his Cultivation far surpassed her own.

Consequently, she knew it was wiser to avoid open defiance. Despite the irritation simmering in her heart, she kept her expression unreadable, quickly regaining her characteristic poise. Sitting behind the swaying veil, her slender, pale fingers toyed idly with a jade wine cup.

“To what do I owe the honor of Master Gu’s visit today?” she inquired, her tone flat and detached.

“Must there be a specific reason for me to drop by?” Gu Changge replied with a thin smile, adjusting his robes as he took the seat opposite her.

Xi Yuan Shengnv lifted her gaze to meet his, yet she found his intentions impossible to decipher.

Her pride had taken a significant blow during their last meeting when her attempt to enchant him failed utterly. Even though she had observed Gu Changge’s temperament and habits through countless simulations in the Mirror of Reincarnation, the reality of the man proved far more complex than the reflections.

In those mirrored visions, her death was of no consequence. In the physical realm, however, falling at his hands meant true extinction—there would be no second chances. Facing an entity as enigmatic and terrifying as Gu Changge left her feeling stifled, unable to leverage her usual strengths.

As Gu Changge spoke, Xi Yuan Shengnv fell into a brief silence, her mind racing once more.

She realized her initial approach had been too desperate and clumsy, allowing him to see through her act and seize the initiative. Yet, despite his previous threats, he hadn't truly moved to destroy her yet.

“Master Gu, if there is a matter at hand, please be blunt. A man of your standing does not make social calls without an agenda,” she said, her voice returning to its cool, indifferent state as she regained her focus.

Gu Changge gave a small shake of his head. “It appears the Saintess remains incredibly wary of me. I had hoped our last interaction might have cleared some of those prejudices.”

At those words, the Saintess's face clouded. Her grip tightened around the wine cup.

Had he not mentioned it, she might have maintained her calm, but the reminder brought back the sting of humiliation—the moment she was tossed onto the bed like a common girl, her image of a pure, untouchable goddess shattered.

More than the shame, it was the genuine terror she had felt, fearing she would be truly defiled by him.

“Master Gu is known for such kindness and gentleness; how could I possibly harbor ill will?” she replied, her voice strained as she forced the words through clenched teeth.

Gu Changge let out a soft laugh. “And yet, just moments ago, who was it that wished I hadn't entered?”

Finding herself without a retort, Xi Yuan Shengnv fell silent. She began to sip her wine behind the gauze veil. Without her usual face covering, her movements lacked their typical elegance, looking almost as if she were using the cup to hide her face.

Gu Changge paid her no mind.

He had come primarily to observe how the Immortal Chu Hao Tu intended to handle the Saintess and what schemes they were brewing.

When Chu Xin Yue had departed earlier, her eyes had betrayed a hidden conflict. It was obvious to him that after dealing with the Saintess, the Immortal Chu Hao Tu would likely turn their sights toward him.

Still, the specifics of Chu Xin Yue’s plan remained a bit murky to him.

If the Chu family believed they could simply charm or manipulate Xi Yuan Shengnv, they were gravely underestimating her resolve.

She had already peered into the threads of fate using the Reincarnation Mirror. She was far too intelligent to be a mere puppet for the Immortal Chu Hao Tu.

“Word has reached me that the Immortal Chu Hao Tu might be preparing to move against you, Saintess,” Gu Changge remarked, watching her through the veil with a faint, knowing smile.

The comment caused her hand to freeze, the shimmering cup suspended in mid-air.

She doubted the Immortal Chu Hao Tu possessed the audacity for such a strike. But hearing Gu Changge voice the warning made her wonder if he was genuinely trying to alert her.

Of course, in her mind, there was little difference between the threat posed by Gu Changge and that of Chu Hao Tu.

“Oh?” Her crimson lips parted slightly into a smirk. Setting the cup down, she stretched with a deliberate, languid grace that was both relaxed and provocative.

“To think Master Gu would go out of his way to inform me. One might think you actually care for my well-being,” she teased.

“I wouldn't call it care. I simply find it inconvenient for you to fall into their traps. If they succeed in their designs on you, it would complicate my own future arrangements,” Gu Changge countered smoothly.

Xi Yuan Shengnv rose, her pale hand parting the gauze. She stepped toward him, a playful smile dancing on her lips. “But how can I be certain, Master Gu, that you aren't the one weaving the web around me?”

Gu Changge met her gaze with visible amusement. “My intentions shouldn't concern you. You need only remember that if I truly wished to dispose of you, I wouldn't have spared you last time.”

Her eyes sparkled with a kaleidoscope of light. Tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder, she gave him a coy, sidelong glance. “Master Gu, your words cut deep. Here I am, showing rare goodwill, and you treat me with such coldness.”

His expression didn't flicker, though his curiosity remained. “I warned you before, Saintess: if you cannot truly master the art of seduction, do not practice it on me. Next time, I will not be so lenient.”

“Are you testing me, perhaps? Seeing if my threats are empty?” As the last word left his lips, the air blurred. In a flash, his hand moved.

A ripple of complex Dao patterns erupted, and the surrounding space seemed to grind to a halt.

Xi Yuan Shengnv, having anticipated a strike, smiled and raised her hand to intercept him.

But Gu Changge’s palm wasn't aimed at her. Instead, the shifting symbols coalesced as he snatched her delicate, supple wrist with unerring precision.

“What is the meaning of this, Master Gu?” she asked. Though she appeared to be in her original spot, she was now standing directly in his personal space.

She gave a soft smile, lifting the wrist he held. Her eyes burned with intensity as she leaned her body toward him.

“Cease these tests. You are ill-suited for the role of a temptress. If you adopted a more commanding aura, I might actually find myself intrigued.”

Gu Changge smiled and abruptly let go of her arm, returning to a composed sitting position. He was genuinely surprised by her persistence. He had assumed his previous display of power would have ended these "childish" attempts at manipulation.

He wondered what the Reincarnation Mirror had shown her that made her believe such basic honey traps would work on a man like him.

To a commoner, perhaps. But to Gu Changge, beauty was a mere facade; beneath the skin, everyone was just a collection of bone and Qi.

Xi Yuan Shengnv showed no shock. She reverted instantly to her icy, distant persona. “It seems my appearance is insufficient to move Master Gu’s heart today.”

This exchange only solidified what she had suspected.

Her previous tactics had been a mistake. Gu Changge was not a man swayed by lust or charm.

Yet, this realization left her feeling adrift.

The version of him in the mirror was a monster of whim and cruelty, far more erratic than the man before her. Currently, it seemed there was no direct clash between her Saintess Hall and his Heavenly Alliance.

She felt a sudden urge to return to her Sect and consult the Reincarnation Mirror again to chart her next path.

“This is a golden page, inscribed with my divine signature. Should you find yourself in a dire situation, you may activate it,” Gu Changge said.

“As long as you remain within the borders of the Immortal Chu Hao Tu, I will be able to reach you.”

With a strange glint in his eyes, he gestured, and a sheet of golden paper bathed in divine radiance manifested. It was covered in complex, glowing patterns that hummed with a vast, overwhelming power.

Leaving the artifact floating in the air, Gu Changge rose and walked away.

Xi Yuan Shengnv blinked, coming back to her senses. She opened her mouth to speak, but he had already vanished into thin air.

“Why give me this? Does he know something I don't?” she wondered, looking at the golden page with deep suspicion. She couldn't fathom why he would suddenly act so helpful.

She worried it might be a Trojan horse, hiding some hidden trap within its power.

She picked it up, noting its gossamer-thin weight. The material was unrecognizable, and the markings weren't standard script but ancient, primordial totems—the kind used by lost civilizations to worship the heavens.

As she probed it, she felt a terrifying surge of energy that made her heart race. It was undeniably a defensive treasure of the highest order. Most cultivators below the Grand Dao would likely be obliterated by its activation.

However, given her own level of Cultivation, she didn't fear most Dao Realm experts.

While the page was clearly a priceless treasure that any Dao Realm cultivator would covet as a life-saving trump card, to her, it felt like a redundant toy.

“He really looks down on me, doesn't he? Expecting me to come crying to him for help? How insulting,” she muttered, her teeth grinding in annoyance as she tried to parse his motives.

Unable to find a clear answer, she settled on the idea that he simply underestimated her strength.

Still, she couldn't take any chances. To ensure Gu Changge couldn't track her or use the item against her, she placed several powerful seals on the paper. She then buried it deep within her Xumi space, weighed down by ancient artifacts to neutralize any hidden functions. Only then did she feel secure.

Over the next two days, Chu Xin Yue visited the Saintess frequently, acting as a humble student seeking guidance on the Dao.

Mindful of Gu Changge’s warning, Xi Yuan Shengnv stayed on high alert, watching for any sign of a trap from the Immortal Chu Hao Tu.

Yet, Chu Xin Yue remained the picture of propriety. She sat respectfully behind the curtain, asked her questions, and left immediately. She never mentioned the Chu family’s politics, appearing solely focused on her Dantian and Meridians.

This lack of action only deepened the Saintess's confusion.

She began to think the threat had passed, but on the third day, Chu Xin Yue finally changed the subject. She mentioned that her father, Chu Gucheng, was hosting a private banquet that evening. Elder Jin was the guest of honor, and the invitation was extended to the Saintess as well.

The stated goal was reconciliation. Chu Gucheng hoped to mend the bridge between the Saintess and Elder Jin after their public spat at the birthday celebration. He argued that since Elder Jin was a renowned figure in the Cang Mang realm and a friend of her master, Elder Xi Nu, it would be unwise to let the grudge fester.

Xi Yuan Shengnv had no desire to go, but the mention of Elder Jin changed things. To snub a banquet where a senior of her master’s standing was present would be a massive breach of etiquette. It would be seen as a declaration of war against a venerable pillar of the realm.

Since the other side was offering an olive branch after she had embarrassed them publicly, she felt she had little choice.

After a moment of thought, she gave her consent.

“Wonderful. I’ll let my father know. He will be so pleased to see you and Elder Jin make peace,” Chu Xin Yue said with a bright smile before bowing and making a quick exit.

Watching her go, Xi Yuan Shengnv felt a nagging sense of dread. She couldn't see the trap, but her instincts were screaming.

She reasoned that the Immortal Chu Hao Tu wouldn't dare harm her. To do so would bring the full wrath of the Saintess Hall and the entire Xi Yuan civilization down upon them.

As dusk fell, a group of figures gathered on a desolate, silent peak far outside the capital of the Immortal Chu Hao Tu, hiding behind a massive boulder.

“Is the Lord certain that Han Feng will be lured into this ambush?” a burly, dark-skinned man whispered. He gripped a massive purple-golden dragon whisk hammer that hummed with destructive lightning.

The others gathered there were equally formidable, each possessing a terrifying aura. One among them even radiated the vast, crushing pressure of the Dao Realm.

“My calculations are never wrong,” replied Chu Bai, his form flickering within the void. “With the Madam dead and the Lord occupied with the Demon Court at the front, he cannot return personally.”

“He will undoubtedly dispatch his most loyal agents to investigate the Madam’s death and hunt down the killer,” Chu Bai continued, his voice low and cold.

These were the elites of the Immortal Chu Hao Tu, Chu Bai’s comrades-in-arms. Some were blessed with immense luck, while others possessed terrifying natural talents.

They all shared a bond with the Champion Hou, having bled beside him in battle and received his patronage.

The news of the tragedy at the Champion Hou’s manor—the humiliation and subsequent suicide of the Madam—had sent them into a murderous rage. They were determined to find the culprit.

Yet, despite their efforts, no clues had surfaced. Even the palace's most powerful Grand Dao masters, experts in divination and secret arts, had been unable to see through the fog surrounding the incident.