Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 885: Private Dwelling

The parting at the edge of Jade Dew Market was as discreet as their meeting. Liu Ruyan, her heart a chaotic symphony of guilt and thrilling anticipation, adjusted her veil, her gaze lingering on Wang Jian for a moment longer than necessary before she mounted her Flying Leaf and soared towards the distant peaks of the Crimson Pill Sect. She carried with her the memory of his touch, the taste of his lips, and a dangerous, life-altering secret.

Wang Jian watched her go, a faint, unreadable smile on his handsome face. He then turned, his own Serpent Scale Soarer rising silently into the air, carrying him back towards the looming, mist-shrouded mountains of his own sect.

His return to the Mystic Peak Sect was a quiet affair. His promotion to the status of a Deacon upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm was already known among the sect’s upper echelons. The news had caused a stir, of course, but the explanation was simple and, to them, perfectly logical.

The Spirit Cleansing Pool.

It was a legendary treasure, and it was well-known that both the talented Princess Yue Lingshan and the prodigious alchemist Wang Jian had spent time within its purifying waters. The elders, including Ancestor Chen, simply attributed their shockingly rapid breakthrough to the pool’s miraculous effects, believing it had washed away their mortal impurities and perfectly refined their foundations, allowing for a smooth, swift ascension. They were pleased, seeing it as a great fortune for the sect, and didn’t question it further.

Wang Jian sought an audience with a Core Formation Elder in charge of land allocation, a stern-faced man named Elder Wu. He made his request with practiced humility and clear logic.

"Esteemed Elder Wu," Wang Jian began with a respectful bow. "This disciple has been fortunate enough to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"The sect is aware of your progress, Deacon Wang," Elder Wu replied, his tone neutral. "It is a commendable achievement."

"Thank you, Elder. It is precisely because of this breakthrough that I have come with a request. My understanding of alchemy requires an environment of extreme stability and rich, natural spiritual energy. The standard cave dwellings, while adequate for Qi Condensation, are... lacking for the more volatile refinements I wish to attempt."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I have surveyed the lands outside the sect’s main peaks, near the Azure Stream Valley. I found a location with a pleasant density of spiritual energy. I wish to request the sect’s permission to establish my own private cave dwelling there, outside the main protective formations."

Elder Wu frowned slightly. "Outside the formations? That carries risks, Deacon Wang. The wilderness is not entirely safe."

"I am confident in my ability to handle any minor threats, Elder," Wang Jian replied with a calm that brooked no argument. "And the seclusion is paramount for my success in alchemy, which I hope will continue to benefit the sect."

He had, of course, neglected to mention the true prize of the location: a hidden, powerful Spiritual Eye, a natural convergence point of the world’s energy, which would create a cultivation environment ten times richer than even the inner sect. Such a treasure was valuable even to a Core Formation Elder; revealing its existence would only invite complications.

Elder Wu considered it. Wang Jian’s value as an alchemist was already proven. Giving him what he needed to continue producing top-grade pellets was a wise investment.

"Very well, Deacon Wang," the Elder conceded. "Your request is granted. A plot of land in the Azure Stream Valley will be allocated to you. But be warned: your safety outside the sect’s protection is your own responsibility."

"I understand, Elder. Thank you."

A few days later, Princess Yue Lingshan, now also a newly minted Deacon, made a similar request. She cited her need for a larger, more secluded area to practice the complex, large-scale array formations from the manuals Wang Jian had bought for her. Her request, backed by her talent and royal status, was granted with even less hesitation.

The stage was set. Their new home, a private sanctuary of their own making, was now officially sanctioned.

Chen Ying did not make a formal request.

She stood before her grandfather, Ancestor Chen, in his private, opulent study, her expression a mask of cold, ambitious resolve. The memories of her humiliation at Wang Jian’s hands were a constant, burning fire in her soul, but that fire was now being channeled, focused into an all-consuming desire for power.

"Grandfather," she said, her voice steady, "I have decided. I will no longer remain within the sect’s confines."

Ancestor Chen looked up from an ancient scroll, his obsidian eyes sharp and assessing. "Ying’er? What is this?"

"The Seven Absolutes Sword Art requires a whetstone of blood and battle to be truly mastered," she stated, her voice echoing the cold logic Wang Jian had so brutally beaten into her. "I will establish a private dwelling in the wilderness. From there, I will hunt. Demonic cultivators, treacherous beasts... I will hone my combat skills on their lives. It is the only way I will be prepared to break through to Foundation Establishment with a truly flawless foundation."

A flicker of pride shone in Ancestor Chen’s ancient eyes. This was the ambition, the ruthlessness, he had always hoped to see in his granddaughter. He had worried her pride might make her brittle, but this... this was the forging of steel.

"A dangerous path, Ying’er," he said, though his tone was one of approval. "But a worthy one for the future leader of our sect."

"I am prepared for the danger, Grandfather," she replied, her gaze unwavering.

"You will not go unprepared," he declared. He rose and went to a hidden compartment in the wall, retrieving several items. He gave her a stack of high-grade, powerful assault talismans capable of threatening even a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert. He bestowed upon her a defensive artifact, a beautiful, shimmering hairpin named the ’Ice Soul Ward’, which could project a powerful protective barrier. Finally, he gave her the jade slip for a Core Formation level concealment array.

"This ’Misty Veil of a Thousand Illusions’ formation will hide your dwelling from all but the most powerful spiritual senses," he explained. "Be safe, my child. And return... stronger."

"I will, Grandfather," she promised.

Chen Ying then secretly established her own cave dwelling in the untamed wilderness, in a secluded cliff face just a few miles from the Spiritual Eye where Wang Jian and Yue Lingshan were building their new home. She worked tirelessly, carving out her sanctuary, then set up the powerful array her grandfather had given her. Her cave vanished from sight, hidden behind a shimmering, undetectable veil of mist and illusion. She had become the hidden neighbor, the shadow waiting for her Master’s call.

Weeks passed, and the new cave dwelling in the Azure Stream Valley became a true home, a paradise of cultivation and romance. Wang Jian, with his profound understanding of formations, had expanded the simple cave into a multi-chambered manor, complete with living quarters, a dedicated alchemy lab, and a vast, central garden.

And it was in this garden that he performed his first true miracle of the Primal Universe.

He stood in the center of the garden, the soil beneath his feet thrumming with the potent energy of the hidden Spiritual Eye. Yue Lingshan watched, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Watch closely, my love," he said, a faint, emerald green glow beginning to emanate from his body.

He channeled the Verdant Eternal Spring Essence. It was no longer just a passive healing force within him; he had spent weeks learning to actively control it, to project its incredible life force. A wave of pure, vibrant vitality washed over the garden.

He had planted the seeds and roots of the legendary spirit herbs he’d acquired from the Forbidden Ground. Now, under the influence of the essence, they began to grow at a rate that defied all logic.

Yue Lingshan gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

A tiny seedling of the Nine-Cycle Spirit Ginseng sprouted, grew, and formed its first, second, then third ring in a matter of hours.

A small cutting of a Celestial Jade Stalk, which should have taken decades to mature, grew into a full, glowing stalk in a single day.

"Jian... this is..." she was speechless.

Within a few short weeks, their private garden was a breathtaking spectacle. Dozens of what should have been thousand-year-old spiritual herbs thrived in abundance, their potent aromas filling the air.

Wang Jian had also brought Chen Ying to the garden, in secret. She had stared at the scene, her beautiful face pale with shock, her mind reeling. The sheer value of this garden... it was enough to make entire sects go to war. Her earlier thought echoed in her mind with even greater force. Submitting to this man... was not a bad idea at all. It was an opportunity beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Wang Jian’s days were spent in this idyllic routine. He would cultivate, his Foundation Establishment realm solidifying at a terrifying pace. He would practice alchemy, turning his miraculously grown herbs into pellets of divine quality.

And he would spend his time with Yue Lingshan. Their love, nurtured in this private paradise, deepened. He would help her with the complex array manuals, his insights unlocking their secrets with ease. She, in turn, would share her gentle companionship, her unwavering devotion a soothing balm to his often-cold, calculating soul. Their lovemaking was frequent and passionate, a celebration of their shared life and ambition.

But when the moon rose, his duality would re-emerge.

He would slip away, a shadow moving through the night, to the hidden cave where his other woman waited.

Chen Ying’s training was a brutal, relentless affair. Their sessions always began with sex. It was not the loving passion he shared with Lingshan, but a raw, dominant, and often humiliating conquest. He took her with a savage intensity that was designed to remind her of her place, to feed the dark, addictive pleasure he had branded onto her soul. She hated it, and she craved it, a paradox that left her perpetually on edge.

After he had sated his lust on her magnificent body, the training would begin.

"Again," he would command, his voice cold as he effortlessly parried her most powerful ’Seven Absolutes’ sword strike. "Your killing intent is scattered. You hesitate. You think of your grandfather’s approval, of the sect’s rules. A true sword master thinks of only one thing: the death of their enemy. Focus!"

He was a merciless teacher, but a brilliant one. He helped her harness the immense, chaotic power of her new sword art, teaching her to control its inherent killing intent, to prevent it from consuming her mind. He provided insights that were so profound, so far beyond what her Core Formation grandfather had ever taught her, that she found herself looking at him with a terrified awe that was slowly, insidiously, replacing her hatred.

"You are a monster, Jian," she gasped one night, after he had just finished taking her brutally on the floor of her cave, and was now calmly pointing out a fundamental flaw in her Qi circulation.

"I am your monster," he had replied with a smirk, his hand possessively squeezing her plump buttock. "And you are getting stronger because of it."

She couldn’t deny it. Fueled by his top-grade pellets and his unparalleled guidance, her cultivation soared.

Four weeks after they had settled into their new dwellings, she felt it. The peak of the Thirteenth Stage of Qi Condensation. Her dantian was full to bursting, her Qi so pure and dense it was almost liquid. She was ready.

That night, when he visited her, she told him. "Master... I am ready to attempt the breakthrough."

Wang Jian looked at her, a slow, appreciative smile on his face. He produced a single, exquisite pill from a jade box. It glowed with a soft, multi-colored light, radiating an aura of pure, foundational energy so potent it made the very air in the cave hum.

"A top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill," he said simply.

Chen Ying’s breath caught in her throat. She had seen Foundation Establishment Pills before, in her grandfather’s collection. They were murky, filled with impurities. This... this was a work of art, a divine treasure. His alchemical talent was not just prodigious; it was monstrous, otherworldly. The gap between him and every other alchemist she had ever known was not a gap; it was a cosmic abyss.

"With this," he said, placing it in her trembling hand, "failure is not an option. Your foundation will be flawless."

She looked at the pill, then up at him, her eyes a chaotic storm of complex emotions. The last vestiges of her hatred seemed to wither and die, replaced by a profound, terrifying sense of awe and a dawning, unwilling devotion. This man had broken her, humiliated her, and now he was gifting her a future of unparalleled power.

For the first time, she acted not out of fear or compulsion, but out of a new, strange, and proactive desire.

"Master..." she whispered, her voice a seductive purr that was all her own. She moved towards him, her hips swaying, her eyes locking with his. "After I emerge from my seclusion... after I become a Foundation Establishment expert... I wish to... celebrate. Properly."

The implication in her gaze was unmistakable, a promise of a willing, even eager, submission that was born not of terror, but of a new, twisted form of worship.

Wang Jian’s smile widened. "I will hold you to that, my dear," he purred.

The next day, Chen Ying entered a deep, two-month seclusion in her hidden cave, the top-grade pill dissolving in her dantian, beginning the painful, transformative process of forging her foundation.

Wang Jian and Yue Lingshan were left to their idyllic life. For a month, it was peace, cultivation, and romance. Then, the sect called.

Two shimmering talismans, carried by a messenger spirit-crane, descended from the sky. One landed at the entrance of Wang Jian’s official cave dwelling, the other at Yue Lingshan’s. The sect, still unaware they lived together, had sent them separate missions.

They met in their shared garden, examining the glowing talismans.

"A mission, Jian?" Yue Lingshan asked, her brow furrowed slightly.

Wang Jian read the inscription on his. "It seems so. I am to hunt and kill a demonic cultivator, a former Blood Fiend Sect disciple, who has been terrorizing mortal villages south of the Blackwood Forest."

Yue Lingshan read hers. "And I am to provide protection for a merchant caravan. They are transporting rare forging materials for the sect through the dangerous Serpent’s Pass."

Wang Jian looked at her, a familiar, adventurous glint in his eyes.

"Well, my beautiful fairy," he said, pulling her into his arms. "It seems our quiet vacation is over. Time to go earn some contribution points."