Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 958: Crimson Shark's Plan

The sun hung high above the azure expanse of the Myriad Reefs Sea Domain, casting glittering diamonds of light upon the restless waves. Cutting through the clouds like a celestial sword was the massive warship of the Fragrance Melody Sect. It was a vessel of white spirit-wood and gold filigree, humming with the power of wind-attribute arrays that propelled it forward with silent, majestic speed.

On the prow of the ship stood Hua Ling. The Young Sect Mistress looked nothing like the terrified girl who had been nearly captured months ago. She was clad in a suit of form-fitting silver light armor that accentuated her developing curves while offering robust defense. Her long black hair was tied back in a warrior's ponytail, and her eyes, once soft and uncertain, now held a glimmer of martial intent.

In her hands, she held a jade zither, smaller and more portable than the massive instrument her mother wielded, but no less deadly.

Behind her, leaning against the main mast with her arms crossed and eyes closed, was Chen Ying. The swordswoman's presence was a silent anchor for the entire expedition. Though she appeared relaxed, her spiritual sense was a razor-wire net cast over a ten-mile radius.

Beneath the ship, deep under the waves, a massive shadow glided effortlessly, matching the vessel's speed. It was the Black-Scaled Flood Serpent, a Fifth Order Spirit Beast equivalent to an Early Stage Core Formation cultivator. Its terrifying aura radiated outward, a primal warning that kept the myriad First and Second Order beasts of the ocean scrambling for the safety of the depths. It acted as a filter, scaring away the nuisances while allowing the stronger prey to remain—prey worthy of testing the Young Mistress.

"Target sighted," Chen Ying said, her eyes snapping open. She didn't shout, but her voice carried clearly over the wind. "Three o'clock low. A pack of Coral-Spine Lizards. Third Order."

Hua Ling took a deep breath, steadying her Qi. "I see them."

Below, on a jagged reef jutting out of the water, a dozen massive lizards basked. Their scales were a riot of neon colors, and their spines dripped with paralytic venom. As the shadow of the ship passed over them, they hissed, shooting spines of calcified bone into the air like ballista bolts.

"Descend!" Hua Ling commanded the helmsman.

The ship dropped altitude. Hua Ling didn't wait for it to dock. She leaped from the railing, her spiritual energy coalescing under her feet to slow her descent.

"Melody of the Shattered Wave!"

Her fingers danced over the zither strings. A chord rang out—sharp, discordant, and powerful. The sound waves manifested as translucent blue blades of energy, raining down on the lizards.

The lizards roared, their natural earth-attribute armor flaring. The sonic blades chipped their scales, drawing blood, but didn't kill them instantly.

"Focus, Young Mistress," Chen Ying's voice drifted down from the deck. She hadn't moved to help. "Do not attack the shell. Attack the senses. They are beasts; they rely on instinct."

Hua Ling nodded, correcting her approach. She shifted the melody. The music changed from a bombardment to a piercing, high-pitched screech.

"Tune of the Disoriented Soul!"

The lizards thrashed, clawing at their own heads, their coordination shattered. Seizing the opening, Hua Ling drew a slender spirit sword from her waist—a secondary weapon Wang Jian had insisted she learn—and charged.

She moved with grace, weaving between the disoriented beasts. Her sword flashed, piercing eyes and soft underbellies. It was a dance of death, elegant and efficient.

Within ten minutes, the reef was silent. Hua Ling stood amidst the carcasses, breathing heavily, sweat glistening on her forehead. She wiped her blade, a smile of triumph breaking across her face.

"Well done," Chen Ying said, landing softly beside her. She walked over to the largest lizard and skillfully extracted the beast core with a dagger. "Your rhythm was slightly off in the second measure, but your transition to the sword was flawless."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Chen," Hua Ling beamed. "I feel... stronger. My Qi is boiling."

"Recover first," Chen Ying advised, handing her a pill bottle. "Junior Brother Wang prepared this specifically for you. The Spirit-Condensation Jade Pill. Take it while your meridians are still expanded from combat. It will help you consolidate your gains."

Hua Ling took the bottle, her cheeks flushing slightly at the mention of Wang Jian. She sat down on a clean patch of rock, swallowed the pill, and entered a meditative trance.

The medicinal energy of the pill exploded in her stomach. It wasn't just a recovery pill; it was a catalyst. It rushed through her system, repairing micro-tears in her muscles and forcing her spiritual energy to compress.

The bottleneck she had been facing for weeks—the barrier between the Initial and Middle Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm—trembled. Fueled by the combat, the pill, and her own determination, she pushed.

Crack.

A soft sound echoed from within her body. Her aura flared, expanding outward, scattering the dust on the reef. The spiritual pressure radiating from her doubled instantly.

She opened her eyes. They were clearer, deeper.

"I... I broke through!" Hua Ling gasped, standing up and looking at her hands. "Middle Stage Foundation Establishment!"

The elite female disciples on the ship cheered, waving their weapons. "Congratulations, Young Mistress!"

Chen Ying nodded approvingly, a rare, faint smile touching her lips. "Good. Junior Brother Wang said you were ready. He was right."

"He... he knew?" Hua Ling asked, clutching the empty pill bottle to her chest.

"He knows everything," Chen Ying said simply. "He prepared the pill with Elder Lianhua specifically for this moment."

Hua Ling looked towards the distant horizon, back in the direction of the sect. "He is so strong... and so kind. To think of me even when he is busy managing the sect's affairs... You are lucky to be his Senior Sister, Chen Ying. To have grown up with him."

Chen Ying's expression didn't change, though internally she scoffed at the 'Senior Sister' title. In the privacy of the Cloud-Peak Pavilion, her position was usually on her knees or bent over a table, serving the man Hua Ling thought was a saint.

"He is everything," Chen Ying replied, her voice filled with a heavy, fanatical devotion that Hua Ling mistook for sibling affection. "His vision is absolute. Following him is the only path to power."

They spent the next hour harvesting the valuable parts of the lizards—poison sacs, spines, and cores. Then, they boarded the ship and turned back towards the sect.

The return trip was uneventful. The Black-Scaled Flood Serpent ensured that no other predator dared to approach the warship. It was a smooth, victorious sail back to paradise.

When they docked at the Isle of Whispering Petals, Sect Leader Hua Yimei was waiting. She sensed the change in her daughter's aura immediately.

"Ling'er!" Hua Yimei cried out, rushing forward to embrace her daughter. "You broke through!"

"Yes, Mother!" Hua Ling laughed, spinning around to show off her new strength. "We fought a pack of Coral-Spine Lizards! Senior Sister Chen guided me, and the pill Elder Wang gave me worked perfectly!"

Hua Yimei looked at Chen Ying, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Chen Ying. You protected her well."

Then she looked up towards the Cloud-Peak Pavilion, her heart warming. "And that man... he truly cares for our sect's future."

"Sister Mu," Hua Yimei said later that evening, sharing tea with Mu Lianhua in the Orchid Palace. "I cannot thank you enough. Lending your Fifth Order beast... treating my daughter like your own... I have no words."

Mu Lianhua smiled politely, sipping her tea. The irony was delicious. She knew exactly what Wang Jian planned for the "daughter" she was grooming. She was fattening the lamb for the slaughter, polishing the gem so her Master could enjoy it more thoroughly.

"It is my pleasure, Sect Leader," Mu Lianhua said smoothly. "Hua Ling has great potential. This is just the beginning. She should continue these expeditions. To stabilize her new realm, she needs to fight different types of beasts. I suggest a weekly rotation."

"Agreed," Hua Yimei nodded enthusiastically. "Whatever you suggest, Sister Mu."

For the next few weeks, the routine was established. Hua Ling, accompanied by Chen Ying and the terrifying presence of the Flood Serpent, ventured out to hunt Third and even Fourth Order beasts. The sect settled into a rhythm of growth and optimism, believing the dark days of the Iron-Blood Hall invasion were a nightmare of the past.

But beneath the surface of the ocean, in the dark, sunless trenches where light dared not go, a new nightmare was stirring.

Deep in the territory of the Abyssal Trench Coalition, in a cavern illuminated only by bio-luminescent moss and the glow of blood-red crystals, a meeting was taking place.

This was the lair of the Blood Shark Hall.

Su Ning, still undercover as the poison mistress, stood in the shadows, her expression impassive as she listened.

Sitting on a throne made of shark jaws was a man who radiated a terrifying, bloody aura. He was huge, his skin a mottled grey, his teeth filed into points. He wore robes of crimson silk and a necklace of shrunken Foundation Establishment skulls.

This was Old Monster Crimson Shark.

He was a Middle Stage Core Formation cultivator, but his combat power was rumored to rival the Late Stage due to his mastery of beast taming. He had recently crushed the remnants of the Iron-Blood Hall, absorbing their survivors and resources into his own faction, aiming to create a new superpower in the demonic coalition.

"The Fragrance Melody Sect," Crimson Shark rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "They have become... troublesome. Their pills are flooding the market, strengthening the Righteous Alliance. And those Beast Tamers... they killed my rival."

"Hall Master," a subordinate hissed. "We cannot attack them directly. That Alchemist woman... she has a cauldron that can crush mountains. And they have four Fifth Order beasts."

"I know that, fool!" Crimson Shark roared, smashing the armrest of his throne. "I am not suicidal. But I want what they have. That Zither... and the Alchemist herself. If I can force her to make pills for me, I will rule the seas."

He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with cunning.

"We need leverage. We cannot crack the nut, so we must make the nut crack itself."

Su Ning stepped forward slightly. "Hall Master. If I may."

"Speak, Poison Mistress."

"The Sect Leader, Hua Yimei, has a weakness," Su Ning said, her voice smooth and treacherous. "Her daughter. Hua Ling."

Crimson Shark's eyes lit up. "The young beauty? I heard she has been leaving the sect frequently."

"She has," Su Ning confirmed. "Hunting expeditions. She is guarded, yes, but she leaves the safety of the Grand Array."

"If we take the daughter..." Crimson Shark mused, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "The mother will do anything. She will surrender the Zither. She will surrender the Alchemist. She will open the gates."

"Exactly," Su Ning said. "We don't need to fight the beasts. We just need to snatch the girl."

"Set the watch," Crimson Shark commanded. "Monitor their movements. The next time the little princess leaves her castle... we will be waiting. I will lead the ambush personally."

Su Ning bowed low. "As you command, Hall Master."

As she retreated into the shadows, her fingers brushed against a transmission talisman hidden in her sleeve.

In the Cloud-Peak Pavilion, Wang Jian sat in his study, the message from Su Ning glowing in his mind.

He read the report, and a slow, delighted smile spread across his face. He didn't look worried. He looked like a man who had just been dealt a royal flush.

"Old Monster Crimson Shark," Wang Jian mused. "A beast tamer. Middle Stage Core Formation. Ambitious. Violent. Perfect."

He analyzed the board.

"So, they want to kidnap the princess to blackmail the queen," he whispered. "It's a classic move. Crude, but effective against a sentimental leader like Hua Yimei."

He tapped his finger on the desk.

Normally, a protector would stop this plot. He would warn the sect, ground Hua Ling, and reinforce the patrols.

But Wang Jian was not a protector. He was a conqueror.

"If I save her again," he thought, "it's repetitive. Hua Ling is already mine; she just needs the final push. But the mother... Hua Yimei is still out of reach. She is grateful, yes, but she is still a Sect Leader. She still has her pride."

He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the Orchid Palace.

"But if the mother has to come out to save the daughter... and they both fall into a trap..."

His eyes gleamed.

"If they are cornered. If they are beaten down. If they feel absolute, crushing despair... and then I appear."

He calculated the strength of Old Monster Crimson Shark. The man had several Fourth Order beasts and one Fifth Order beast—a Blood-Maw Megalodon. He was strong enough to threaten Hua Yimei, especially if he ambushed her.

"I won't stop it," Wang Jian decided. "I will facilitate it."

He summoned his harem immediately. Yue Lingshan was excluded; she was too pure for this phase of the plan. She needed to remain the innocent wife waiting at home.

Chen Ying, Liu Ruyan, and Mu Lianhua gathered in the secret chamber.

"We have a new objective," Wang Jian announced. "The Blood Shark Hall is planning to kidnap Hua Ling."

Chen Ying's hand went to her sword. "I will slaughter them."

"No," Wang Jian said sharply. "You will not. You will let them try."

The women looked at him, surprised but attentive.

"We will arrange for Hua Ling to leave the sect again in three days," Wang Jian outlined. "We will create a pretext. A rumor of a rare Moon-Shadow Orchid blooming on a remote island? Yes, that will work. She needs it for her mental cultivation."

"We will lure Old Monster Crimson Shark out. He will attack the convoy."

He looked at Chen Ying. "You will be the escort. But this time... you will be 'separated'. You will be 'held back' by the enemy's beasts. You must make it look convincing, but do not engage the Shark directly. Let him corner Hua Ling."

"And then?" Chen Ying asked.

"Then, Hua Ling will send a distress signal. Not to the sect generally, but a specific panic talisman linked to her mother."

Wang Jian's smile turned icy. "Hua Yimei will receive the news. She will panic. She will rush to save her daughter. She will likely bring Elder Mu."

He looked at Mu Lianhua. "You will go with her. But you will be... ineffective. You will be 'suppressed' by a strange formation, or 'poisoned'. You will let Hua Yimei fight alone against the Crimson Shark."

"You want her injured," Mu Lianhua realized.

"I want her broken," Wang Jian corrected. "I want her to fight until her Qi is dry, until she is bleeding, until she realizes she is powerless to save her daughter or herself."

"And then?"

"Then," Wang Jian said, leaning back, "I will descend. I won't fight the Crimson Shark—he's a useful idiot, too strong to kill quickly without revealing my full hand. I will use a diversion. An explosion. A flash of Stellar Qi."

"I will grab Hua Yimei. Just her. I will 'rescue' her from the jaws of death, claiming that I can only carry one."

"What about Hua Ling?" Liu Ruyan asked.

"Hua Ling will be fine," Wang Jian waved his hand dismissively. "Before the trip, Lingshan will prepare a specialized Phoenix-Fire Defensive Array Disc. Chen Ying, you will give it to Hua Ling when the attack starts. Once activated, that array can withstand a Core Formation attack for days. She will be trapped on the island, yes, surrounded by demons, terrified... but perfectly safe inside the turtle shell."

"So, the daughter is trapped in a box, safe but scared," Mu Lianhua summarized. "And the mother is injured, desperate, and in your arms, believing her daughter is about to die."

"Exactly," Wang Jian grinned. "I will take Hua Yimei to a 'safe' secluded place to heal her. A cave. An island. Somewhere private."

He turned to Liu Ruyan. "Ruyan, prepare the aphrodisiacs. The 'Yin-Yang Harmony Dust'. Make it potent. Make it smell like a demonic poison mist. When we 'escape', I will claim that Hua Yimei was hit by a lust-poison from the Shark's beasts. A poison that burns the blood unless... treated."

Liu Ruyan giggled, a dark, excited sound. "I understand, Master. I will brew a batch that could turn a stone statue into a wanton slut."

"Chen Ying," Wang Jian continued. "While I am... treating... the Sect Leader, you will stay near Hua Ling's barrier. You will have two extra Fifth Order beasts in your hidden pouch—the Earth Bear and the Python. If the demons actually manage to crack the shell, you slaughter them. But only then. Let Hua Ling watch the demons scratching at her shield for a day or two. Let the fear settle in."

"This plan..." Mu Lianhua murmured, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and admiration. "It is ruthless."

"It is necessary," Wang Jian said. "I am tired of playing the humble guest. I want the throne. And to get the throne, I need the queen."

He outlined the final steps. The timing had to be perfect. The fake injuries had to look real. The 'poison' had to be administered subtly during the escape.

"We move in three days," Wang Jian concluded. "Prepare the ship. Prepare the rumors. Prepare the stage."

That night, Wang Jian stood on the balcony of the Cloud-Peak Pavilion. He held a glass of amber wine, swirling it gently as he looked across the moonlit gardens towards the Orchid Palace.

The lights were still on in Hua Yimei's quarters. She was likely working late, reviewing the sect's prosperity, unaware that the architect of that prosperity was plotting her downfall.

Wang Jian raised his glass in a mock toast to the distant figure of the beautiful sect leader.

"Sleep well, Sect Leader Hua," he whispered to the wind, his voice a caress. "Enjoy your throne tonight. Enjoy your dignity."

He downed the wine in one swallow.

"Because soon, your only seat will be my lap. And your only title will be 'slave'."

The trap was set. The spider sat in the center of the web, and the butterflies were fluttering right into his mouth.