Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 872: Veiled Intentions in a Glacial Heart

The month that followed their departure from the Cinderwaste Caldera was a blur of relentless progress and quiet conquest. Wang Jian’s group became a highly efficient, roving force of acquisition within the Blood Forbidden Ground. Their days were a meticulously planned dance of hunting, harvesting, and exploration.

They ventured into the Whispering Willow Mire again, this time not as wary travelers, but as systematic harvesters. Liu Ruyan’s alchemical knowledge proved invaluable; she could identify the subtle signs of nutrient-rich soil that indicated the presence of the elusive Mirebloom Lotus, while Yue Lingshan’s mastery of the Nightwind Terror Fan created localized whirlwinds that parted the thick, cloying mist, revealing hidden patches of the valuable flora.

The beasts that guarded these treasures, once a significant threat, now seemed like mere obstacles. A high-level First Rank Giant Mire Toad, whose disorienting croak might have troubled them weeks ago, found itself silenced mid-croak as Liu Ruyan hurled a ’Muting Dust’ pellet, while Yue Lingshan’s Azure Serpent Strike wrapped around its legs, allowing Wang Jian to dispatch it with a single, contemptuous slash of Glacial Bite.

Nothing was wasted. The beast corpses were methodically collected. Wang Jian claimed the majority, his mind already formulating designs for powerful inner armor crafted from Stone-Skinned Ape hides and defensive robes woven with the resilient fibers of Thornbacked Boar pelts. Liu Ruyan, too, began collecting specific beast parts – venom sacs, fire-aspected glands, particular types of resilient bones – materials crucial for her more advanced alchemical recipes.

Their teamwork was seamless, their power growing daily. But beneath the surface of this efficient alliance, a more subtle, complex dynamic was unfolding.

During their rest periods, often in the quiet security of a temporarily claimed cave, Wang Jian would engage Liu Ruyan in deep, probing discussions about alchemy.

"Fairy Liu," he would begin, his tone one of earnest scholarly inquiry, "the formula for the Inferno Heart Pill is fascinating. The way the Crimson Sun Grass interacts with the powdered beast core... it suggests a principle of forceful energy fusion. I wonder, does the Crimson Pill Sect have recipes that utilize a more... gentle, harmonizing approach for fire-aspected pellets?"

Liu Ruyan, her initial professional reserve having long since melted away in the face of his undeniable talent and disarming charm, would engage ardently. She found his insights into alchemy profound, his questions probing depths she herself hadn’t considered. Their discussions became the highlight of her days, a meeting of two brilliant minds.

"You are correct, Senior Brother Wang," she’d reply, her melodious voice filled with enthusiasm as she retrieved a jade slip. "Our sect does have a parallel path, the ’Gentle Flame’ refinement method. It yields fewer pills, but their energy is far purer, with fewer side effects. For instance, the ’Sunstone Soothing Pellet’..."

It was during one such discussion, as she explained the intricate Qi pathways for a complex recipe, that Wang Jian expressed his ’regret’.

"Alas," he sighed, shaking his head with feigned sorrow. "To possess such profound knowledge, yet lack the proper formulas... It is like a master painter being given only three colors to work with. My own sect’s alchemical heritage is... lacking in comparison."

Liu Ruyan’s heart stirred with sympathy. It seemed a great injustice that a talent like his should be so constrained. After a moment of internal conflict, she made a decision. "Senior Brother Wang... what I am about to share must remain a secret between us. It cannot be traced back to me, nor can you reveal it to your sect without my express permission."

She passed him another jade slip, this one containing several advanced Core Formation level recipes, sect secrets that would have cost a fortune in contribution points. "Consider it... an academic exchange between fellow alchemists."

"Fairy Liu... your generosity is as boundless as your talent," Wang Jian said, his voice laced with profound gratitude.

Their bond deepened. Liu Ruyan found herself increasingly drawn to this mysterious, powerful man. His strength was a shield, his intelligence a stimulant, and his occasional, warm smiles were a fire that threatened to melt her serene composure. She knew, with a woman’s intuition, that her dear friend Yue Lingshan harbored deep feelings for him. She saw the way Yue Lingshan’s veiled gaze would soften when she looked at him, the possessive undertone in her voice when she referred to him, even formally. This knowledge held Liu Ruyan’s own burgeoning feelings in check, a tangled knot of loyalty, admiration, and a desire she dared not act upon.

But Wang Jian was a master of exploiting such subtleties.

One evening, as they rested near a crackling campfire, Yue Lingshan was a short distance away, meticulously setting up a perimeter of small, almost invisible trapping arrays, her focus absolute.

Liu Ruyan was explaining a complex herbal interaction to Wang Jian, leaning slightly closer to point at a diagram she had drawn in the dirt.

"You see, the chilling essence of the Frozen Moon Root must be introduced at this precise moment to stabilize the volatile..."

Her words caught in her throat.

Wang Jian’s hand, seemingly by accident as he leaned in to look at the diagram, had brushed against her waist. But it didn’t move away. Instead, his fingers, warm and confident, subtly slipped beneath the sash of her medicinal green robe, his fingertips making direct contact with the soft, smooth skin of her midriff.

It was a shocking, electrifying touch.

Liu Ruyan froze, her breath hitching. A wild flush of heat spread from the point of contact throughout her entire body. Her mind screamed at her to pull away, that this was improper, a betrayal of her friend. But her body... her body was paralyzed by the audacious, thrilling intimacy of the gesture.

She risked a glance at him. His eyes were still on the diagram, his expression one of deep scholarly concentration, as if he were completely unaware of what his hand was doing. But she saw the faint, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a chaotic drumbeat of fear, excitement, and guilt. She didn’t pull away. And in her silence, in her stillness, Wang Jian received his answer. The seed was planted.

Their journey eventually led them north, towards the desolate, icy expanse known as the Glacial Heart Wastes. It was here, amidst towering crags of blue ice and plains of windswept, spectral snow, that they encountered another group.

Four female cultivators, their robes the pale blue of the Mystic Peak Sect’s inner circle, stood before a massive, shimmering barrier of crystalline ice. The barrier sealed the entrance to a vast ice cavern, and from within, a palpable aura of ancient, powerful energy leaked out.

The leader, her posture regal and her unveiled face an exquisite mask of cold, focused beauty, was Chen Ying.

"Senior Sister Chen," Yue Lingshan greeted with a respectful bow.

"Senior Sister Yue. Junior Brother Wang," Chen Ying acknowledged, her gaze cool and assessing. Her eyes flickered briefly towards Liu Ruyan. "And a Fairy from the Crimson Pill Sect. An unexpected alliance."

"Fairy Chen," Liu Ruyan replied with a graceful nod.

The three other inner sect disciples with Chen Ying, all at the Thirteenth Stage of Qi Condensation, regarded the newcomers with expressions ranging from cold indifference to outright suspicion.

"What brings you to this desolate place?" Chen Ying asked, her tone direct, leaving no room for pleasantries.

It was Wang Jian who answered, stepping forward. "Senior Sister Chen, we were tracking a rare Glacial Serpent, hoping to acquire its core. The trail led us here." He lied with effortless ease.

Chen Ying’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. She knew of his prodigious alchemical talent; the news had reached even the inner sect. "The serpent is of no consequence," she stated flatly. "A far greater opportunity lies before us."

She gestured towards the shimmering ice barrier. "My grandfather, Ancestor Chen, provided me with ancient records. Within this cavern lies a wonder of this Forbidden Ground: a Spirit Cleansing Pool. Its waters are formed from condensed, purified spiritual energy. Bathing in it can wash away impurities from a cultivator’s body, strengthen their meridians, and significantly increase their chances of a successful breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan gasped, their eyes wide with astonishment. A Spirit Cleansing Pool! Such a treasure was the stuff of legends.

But Wang Jian watched Chen Ying’s face. He saw the flicker in her eyes, the subtle tension in her jaw as she spoke of the pool. She was hiding something. The story was believable, but it felt... incomplete. His experience in reading people, honed over lifetimes of manipulation and intrigue, told him this was only part of the truth. The ’Spirit Cleansing Pool’ was likely real, but it was a cover for her true objective.

"However," Chen Ying continued, her voice turning grave, "the pool is not unguarded. Its potent, leaking aura has caused the guardian beasts to evolve beyond their natural limits. Three Frost-Maw Devourers, beasts that should be at the peak of the First Rank, have mutated. They are now true Second-Rank Beasts."

A chill went through the group. Three Second-Rank Beasts, equivalent to low-grade Foundation Establishment experts, with bodies far more resilient. This was a threat beyond their capabilities.

"Even my grandfather did not anticipate this," Chen Ying admitted, a flicker of frustration in her cold eyes. "He believed the guardians were still at the First Rank. They must have absorbed the pool’s leaking energy over the last decade."

She then presented her proposal. "I possess a treasure bestowed by my grandfather – a set of ’Nine Heavens Formation-Breaker Cones’. They can weaken and eventually shatter this ancient protective formation. However, the process will take me a full hour of uninterrupted concentration. During that time, I will be completely vulnerable."

Her gaze swept over Wang Jian’s group. "My three sect sisters and I are not enough to hold off three Second-Rank Devourers for an hour. But with your group of three... seven of us, all at the Twelfth Stage or above... we might just have a chance."

She laid out the terms. "Assist us. Keep the Frost-Maw Devourers occupied while I break the formation. Once inside, the majority of the Spirit Cleansing Pool’s water will be collected for the Mystic Peak Sect. Your names, Junior Brother Wang, Senior Sister Yue, will be recorded as secondary contributors, earning you immense favor and contribution points when we return."

"As for you, Fairy Liu," she said, turning to the Crimson Pill disciple, "and for our two sect members, a small portion, less than ten percent combined, will be allotted for your personal use. A single gourdful each. It is a fair offer."

Yue Lingshan and Liu Ruyan looked towards Wang Jian. The offer was tempting. A share of such a legendary treasure, plus immense contribution points for Yue Lingshan and Wang Jian, would elevate their status in the sect immeasurably.

Wang Jian pretended to consider it, though his mind was focused on Chen Ying’s true motive. ’She wants the pool, yes, but there’s something else. She’s using the pool as a lure, a justification to get us to fight her battle.’ He agreed readily. "A most generous offer, Senior Sister Chen. Such an opportunity to contribute to the sect is an honor. We agree to your terms."

The alliance was formed, a temporary pact of seven powerful Qi Condensation cultivators against three formidable beasts.

They spent the next hour devising a plan. The three Frost-Maw Devourers were hulking, ape-like creatures covered in thick, white fur, with massive arms ending in claws of blue ice. Their most terrifying feature was their maw, which could open unnaturally wide to reveal rows of crystalline, razor-sharp teeth. They lurked within the cavern, their powerful auras a constant, menacing pressure against the formation.

Their strategy was simple, if dangerous. Chen Ying would begin the formation-breaking process. The other six – Wang Jian, Yue Lingshan, Liu Ruyan, and Chen Ying’s three inner sect comrades (named Lin Jing, a quiet swordswoman; Wu Qian, an arrogant array specialist; and Bai Mei, a gentle-looking but powerful healer) – would form a defensive perimeter, their task to intercept and hold back the three Devourers for a full hour.

As they moved into their positions, a tense silence fell over the group. The only sound was the howling of the glacial wind and the faint, humming crackle of the ice barrier as Chen Ying brought out the Nine Heavens Formation-Breaker Cones – nine exquisite, cone-shaped artifacts that pulsed with a powerful, disruptive energy.

She began her work, chanting low incantations, her hands weaving complex seals.

It was in this moment of tense quiet, as the collective spiritual sense of the group was focused on the beasts within the barrier, that Wang Jian felt it again.

A flicker. A subtle, almost non-existent ripple in the fabric of space nearby.

His powerful soul, ever vigilant, scanned the surroundings with a focus far beyond what any of the others could manage.

He found him.

Hidden behind a massive ice boulder a few hundred yards away, cloaked by what was likely a high-grade concealment pellet or technique, was the unmistakable aura of Ye Fan.

The average-looking boy from the Azure Sword Clan was here. He must have tracked one of the groups, or perhaps he, too, possessed some secret knowledge of this location.

Wang Jian’s lips curved into a very faint, very private smile.

The protagonist had arrived.

This confirmed it beyond any doubt. The Spirit Cleansing Pool was merely the appetizer. The true treasure, the ’fated opportunity’ that had drawn this child of destiny here, was something else entirely. Something Chen Ying coveted.

The game had just become infinitely more interesting. Now there were not one, but two other players with hidden agendas.

Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from within the ice cavern. Chen Ying’s cones had begun to visibly weaken the barrier. The three Frost-Maw Devourers, enraged by the intrusion, slammed against the shimmering ice wall from the inside, their immense power making the entire grotto tremble.

The battle was about to begin. And hidden in the wings, a protagonist waited for his moment. Wang Jian stood ready, his mind not just on the beasts before him, but on the complex, unfolding drama of fate, ambition, and conquest.