Chapter 5: Saving the White Moonlight Senior Brother
What the hell—is your brain broken?! Did you throw yourself at the wrong man?!
I'm your Senior Brother Lin Xiao, the depraved scum villain you all hate! Did you forget?!
The moment Lu Yingying flung herself into his chest, Lin Xiao's entire body went rigid, his scalp prickling with alarm.
A long, dreadful silence followed.
The three of them stood in absolute stillness, the atmosphere tense to the breaking point. Of all terrors in the world, few surpassed the sudden quiet before a script collapse.
Eventually, someone broke the silence.
It was Ye Chen, who cleared his throat, forcing composure into his voice. "Miss Yingying… may I ask, this gentleman is—?"
But Lu Yingying didn't even glance his way. Her gaze remained fixed, unblinking, on Lin Xiao's face—on that familiar countenance that stirred emotions too vast to name.
Her voice quivered slightly as she whispered, "Forgive me, Senior Brother. I've been secluded, refining the Five Phases Beast Taming Art for too long. It's just… after not seeing you for so long…"
"I missed you."
"…Huh?"
Lin Xiao's pupils contracted violently. His breath hitched.
Among all his junior sisters, wasn't she the one who most loathed his existence?
The one who idolized Ye Chen to the point of blind obsession? The one who called him trash, pervert, disgrace—day in, day out?
And now—what the hell was this?
His brain blanked.
System! Get your damned ass out here! What the hell is going on?!
Fourth Junior Sister's character arc has collapsed! I remember the original storyline perfectly—this is not how it goes!
No response.
The dog system once again chose to play deaf.
Lin Xiao clenched his fists beneath his sleeves, suppressing the twitch in his temple.
Fine. Even if the heroine had gone rogue, he, the professional villain, would do what he must. He had a plot to uphold, a system to feed, a world to escape.
He shoved Lu Yingying away with a cold glint in his eyes, sword-brows arched with disdain.
"Don't get familiar with me. Who is this man you've brought? Speak clearly. Don't make me lose my temper."
His voice carried venom, his expression dark as storm clouds, every word oozing the ruthless arrogance of a degenerate villain.
And yet—
Lu Yingying's face flushed pink, her eyes misty with affection as though he'd just professed undying love.
Senior Brother saw me walking with another man and got jealous… Is that what this is?
Could it be… I'm the one he truly cares about most?
Then that mirror stone he secretly installed in the bathhouse—maybe… maybe it wasn't for the other sisters, but to see me…?
Oh gods… I've always been his treasure…
Two sweet dimples bloomed on her cheeks as a smile tugged at her lips, bright as spring dew on blossom petals.
Lin Xiao, meanwhile, had long since lost control of his internal equilibrium.
No. No, something's seriously wrong with this girl.
Forget it. My lines are delivered. If I linger, who knows how far the script might spiral—
Retreat. Now.
"Hmph! This Senior Brother still has matters to attend to. Handle this yourself."
"If I see this man anywhere near Shenluan Peak tomorrow… you can suffer the consequences."
Throwing down those harsh words, he turned and summoned his sword, vanishing into the wind with cold elegance.
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host. You have completed the current character arc."
"Reward: Pill Refining +3, Charm +10, Root Bone +1."
Ding!
"Plot Evaluation: S-Rank. You have received an additional reward: 100 Years of Cultivation."
"Commencing reward infusion… please remain still."
"Infusion complete. Cultivation advancement: Qi Condensation → Mid-stage Innate Realm."
As he soared through the night sky, system prompts echoed like thunder in his sea of consciousness.
The next instant, a majestic vortex of qi erupted within his dantian, flooding every meridian and bone with transcendent force.
Lin Xiao's breath caught.
He could feel it—every inch of his flesh growing tougher, every vein more responsive, his spiritual sea vast and crystalline. His very soul felt light enough to ascend.
A qualitative leap—not just one stage, but several!
This…
This wasn't supposed to happen!
In the original novel, the villain Lin Xiao only reached Innate early-stage—and even that took him until the moment before his suicide!
The whole script's in chaos! Shenluan Peak is a boiling pot of lunacy now!
—
Back at the foot of the peak.
Ye Chen stroked his chin, forcing composure into his voice.
"Miss Yingying, your Senior Brother… quite the domineering presence."
His tone cooled. "Judging by his qi signature, he's barely stepped into Foundation Establishment. If not for my mercy just now, I might've crushed him on the spot."
"But don't worry. With me by your side—"
Smack!
A slap rang out, crisp and unrelenting.
Ye Chen froze.
His face burned, the left side swelling visibly as he looked up in disbelief.
Lu Yingying's eyes were cold as ice. She stood beneath the moonlight like a shadowy specter, the air around her chilling to the bone.
Her presence, once delicate and soft, now radiated a deathly, suffocating intent—like a goddess of blood, reborn from hell.
Her voice was frost-sharp.
"If you dare slander my Senior Brother one more time…"
"I will make you wish for death. And I know at least a hundred ways to do so."
"One hundred."
Mounting her crimson-plumed lion-eagle, she flew off without another word.
Ye Chen stood in place, lips trembling, fury festering behind his eyes.
"You… woman… you've succeeded in drawing my attention…"
—
"Little friend—this is bad! This is very, very bad!"
The voice of Elder Shi resounded urgently from within the black ring.
"We must leave immediately! This place—this Qinglan Sect—is a nest of misfortune!"
"Leave? Elder Shi, have you lost your mind?! You said yourself—this sect holds my fate, my opportunity!"
Ye Chen gritted his teeth, eyes blazing.
"Hmph. The Heaven-Divining Chopsticks have never failed before, but now…"
The old voice faltered, confusion evident.
"Enough! I don't care what your calculations say. That girl…"
"That girl will kneel before me one day."
"The Qinglan Sect—one day, it shall kneel as well!"
"Three decades east, three decades west—never underestimate a poor youth's rise!"
"Up the mountain!"
Fists clenched, eyes cold as death, Ye Chen strode forward, body bursting with murderous intent.
He was, after all, the Chosen Son of Destiny.
His true cards had yet to be played.
—
At that very moment.
Two feminine figures, each cloaked in silence, advanced along separate paths up Qinglan Mountain.
They had never met.
And yet their purpose was the same.
No matter whether the script in their minds was illusion or fate, they had resolved themselves.
They would kill Ye Chen.
They would shatter the destined story.
And save the only light in their lives—the man who had never once betrayed them.
Their white moonlight.
Their Senior Brother.