The Villainous Shizun Is As Beautiful As A Flower

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T/N: Two announcements to make! One good and one bad! Let’s start with the good one ◉‿◉ (I have quite frankly grown very fond of these silly text emojis after seeing so many from dear reader LicoLico lolol). Major thank you to dear reader Ana for their support and ko-fi donation! I hope your pillow is cold on both sides at night! (and of course I wish the same for all my lovely readers as well).

Now for the bad news… sigh… as all translators must face in their translating careers, I must unfortunately announce that a fellow website (COUGHWuxiaWorldEUIamlookingatyouCOUGH) is stealing translations in broad daylight! They even steal my thirsting over Ling Ye!!!!!!!!

Now I must remind all my dear readers (and here comes the nagging) that you must read on safe websites ۹(๑`^´๑)۶!!! Please ensure you are only clicking on translation websites that are safe, such as Knoxt, Foxaholic, Exiled Rebels etc etc, and NOT dodgy ones that may potentially steal your data… such as… well you know what example I am going to use. Anyways, stay safe whilst reading! End of the nagging!

After his subordinates left, Wenren Qin picked up a bunch of grapes from a jade plate and ate them while heading back to his room.

Xiao Qi followed behind, moving step by step. “Big brother doesn’t hit me or dislike me. I really like him.”

Closing the door, Wenren Qin took out a handkerchief and spread it out, meticulously wiping off the grape juice from his fingertips.

Once he was done, he lifted his eyelids slightly. “Come here.”

Xiao Qi approached him, muttering, “Did Big Brother do a good job tying my buns? It’s been a long time since Mother tied my braids. They’re all messy.”

He grabbed the offered hand and in the next instant, turned into a phantom and merged into Wenren Qin’s body.

Wenren Qin’s dark eyes flickered slightly in the shade. His sea of consciousness gained some fragments.

The memories from the first part were rather boring. As usual, he was beaten and scolded as if he had committed some unforgivable wrongdoing, with everyone wanting to tear him apart.

He also saw Zuo Ling and You She, one whipping him mercilessly with a whip while the other attempted to pierce his throat and eyes with sinister needles. They kept saying, “The City Lord hates mixed-bloods the most.”

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Truly, they were two considerate subordinates.

Regardless of what he saw, Wenren Qin maintained a seemingly smiling expression. He only showed a slight change in his demeanor when a folding fan blocked the sinister needles. The smile gradually faded from his lips.

He thought to himself: This demon cultivator has a high cultivation level.

When he opened his eyes again, Wenren Qin saw the face of the person who had taken off the pig-faced mask. His hand, which had been spinning jade beads, unconsciously stopped.

This demon’s eyebrows were as black as ink, and his phoenix-like eyes were exquisite and beautiful. He was truly good-looking. Upon seeing him awake, his long and dark eyelashes trembled slightly. He extended a white hand, offering a pill.

Although the Yang Yan pill was not considered precious, it could easily heal the burns on his face. However, no one had ever been willing to give him one before.

This demon picked him up and placed him in a bathtub. At the moment when they were closest to each other, Wenren Qin could sense a clean aura emanating from him.

He couldn’t determine what kind of demon he was.

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Xiao Qi’s restlessness surged within him and he quickly reappeared in the room.

He touched the two small buns on top of his head, his red hair bouncing. He wore a smile that had been missing for a long time. “I want to go find big brother.”

Wenren Qin lowered his eyelids, quietly watching him.

His expression was inscrutable, and it was difficult to discern whether it was cold loathing or sorrowful pity.

After a moment, he reached out and pressed Xiao Qi’s head, causing him to transform into a ball of black flames and vanish into the air. “Don’t try to butter me up just because I’ve given you something sweet. I don’t need it.”

…

Xu Xingchen finished eating a segment of the sweet orange, his gaze falling on the pig-faced mask facing him. Unable to resist, he reached out and pulled it off. “Why are you here?”

Shen Liuxiang opened his folding fan and saw Xu Xingchen’s sweat sliding down his face. He couldn’t help but fan him. “If I didn’t come, you’d be roasted.”

“What’s a little suffering,” Xu Xingchen coldly snorted, then his brows lifted with a sense of pride as he reported his achievements, “Although I haven’t found the scroll’s whereabouts, I’ve thoroughly searched the entire southern part of the city. I’ll conduct a search from the north later.”

Shen Liuxiang sighed helplessly, picked up a dry twig, and drew a circle on the ground. “This is Qilin City.”

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“How does that matter?” Xu Xingchen questioned.

Shen Liuxiang’s finger gently moved, pointing at the center of the circle.

“The person who could alert my father isn’t an ordinary individual. The strongest figure in Qilin City is undoubtedly the Seventh King. My father also said, start your investigation with the Seventh King. Why aren’t you starting your search from his mansion?”

Xu Xingchen’s expression changed. He hadn’t considered that point, only focused on the carpet-style search, leaving no corner unturned to find the scroll.

Shen Liuxiang put his mask back on and pulled Xu Xingchen along. “Let’s take a look at the Seventh King’s mansion.”

Upon closer inspection, they found that Emperor Yunyu’s hair had indeed moved when they approached the Seventh King’s mansion.

Xu Xingchen’s face turned pale, and he immediately wanted to go inside.

Shen Liuxiang grabbed him. “Don’t act recklessly.”

There was something off about this mansion. It had a lot of vegetation, yet it was completely silent, lacking even the sounds of insects. It was too quiet.

Xu Xingchen frowned. “The scroll is inside. What are we waiting for?”

Shen Liuxiang said, “Go back and find Miaomiao. He’s been to the Seventh King’s mansion before, and he’s skilled at concealing himself and gathering information. He’s more suitable for this than the two of us.”

Xu Xingchen contemplated for a moment, then nodded.

The two of them returned to the Cloud Pavilion, but they found that Zhang Miaomiao wasn’t there. Jin Xiaojiu said that at this time every month, the personnel from the Imperial Palace in the Demon Realm would gather in various places to exchange information and report to the Imperial Palace together.

As night fell, Zhang Miaomiao still hadn’t returned.

Xu Xingchen couldn’t hold back and said he would go look for him. Shen Liuxiang asked Jin Xiaojiu to accompany him, ensuring that Xu Xingchen wouldn’t directly intrude into someone else’s mansion. Afterward, Shen Liuxiang went out to search for Zhang Miaomiao.

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Not long after leaving, Shen Liuxiang noticed a puddle of blood on the ground. In the dim light of the crimson lanterns, the bloodstains meandered until they reached a dilapidated basket by the roadside.

Shen Liuxiang had a sense of foreboding and walked over to lift the basket slowly. His nose caught a strong scent of blood. Then, in the dim light, he saw a half-open, half-closed dark eye.

“Xiao Qi?!”

(Gentle reminder to read on knoxt.com to support original translators and editors for free)

Shen Liuxiang pushed the basket away, revealing the trembling figure beneath.

Xiao Qi’s injuries were even worse than during the day, to a horrifying extent.

His two small buns on top of his head were unraveled, his red hair matted with blood and dirt, making him look dirty and unkempt.

His formerly lively black eyes were now blinded in one eye, the area beneath the eyelids empty. Someone had gouged out his eye. The other eye blinked laboriously, as if emitting a faint signal, silently pleading for help.

His mouth was clamped shut with an iron muzzle, tightly restricting his ability to speak.

Shen Liuxiang’s expression turned dark instantly. He placed one hand on Xiao Qi’s waist, intending to lift him, but when he touched him, he felt the indentation in Xiao Qi’s waist.

He partially opened Xiao Qi’s tattered clothes, revealing the injuries on his flesh covered with scars. A piece of flesh was even missing.

Shen Liuxiang’s heart sank. He scanned his surroundings and noticed the gazes of various demon cultivators gradually converging on them.

He picked up Xiao Qi and vanished from the spot.

Inside the Cloud Pavilion, Shen Liuxiang removed the iron muzzle from Xiao Qi’s mouth and crushed it into powder. Then, he grabbed some ointment and applied it to the hideous scars on Xiao Qi’s cheeks.

“Who put this on you?”

Xiao Qi touched the eyepatch over his right eye and obediently replied, “A human uncle.”

Shen Liuxiang furrowed his brows slightly, growing more perplexed.

He examined Xiao Qi’s body and found that most of the injuries were old wounds, impossible to inflict in just an afternoon. However, at noon, Xiao Qi hadn’t had these injuries on his body.

Filled with doubt, Shen Liuxiang was about to ask more questions when Xiao Qi suddenly coughed up blood, spitting out internal organ fragments.

Xiao Qi blinked his left eye which was teary and moist, holding his abdomen with a painful sob.

“It hurts! It hurts so much!”

Shen Liuxiang placed his hand on Xiao Qi’s abdomen, channeling his spiritual energy. His expression changed in an instant.

Xiao Qi’s beast core was shattered.

The beast core had a significant impact on demons. Once it shattered, there was no way to recover.

Trembling from pain, Xiao Qi grabbed onto Shen Liuxiang’s sleeve and slowly moved forward, inch by inch, until he nestled into his embrace.

“It’s a bit cold, let Xiao Qi hug you.”

Shen Liuxiang reached out and rubbed the small head on his shoulder, suddenly reminded of Shen Bubu, who used to cling to him like this.

He whispered softly, “Alright.”

Xiao Qi buried his cheek in Shen Liuxiang’s neck, his breath faint and shallow, as if it could break at any moment.

After a while, he caught his breath and lifted his soft and gentle voice, “Big Brother is really good. He doesn’t eat Xiao Qi’s flesh, doesn’t gouge out Xiao Qi’s eyes, doesn’t hit or scold Xiao Qi, and doesn’t dislike Xiao Qi. It would be great if everyone could be like Big Brother.”

He paused, then looked up, his lone eye curved in a smile.

“But knowing that there’s still a Big Brother in the world, Xiao Qi is already content.”

With that, he buried his face back in Shen Liuxiang’s neck, his eyelids drooping. A single tear slipped from his left eye, then he vanished entirely.

Shen Liuxiang was briefly stunned, glancing around.

If not for the bloodstains on the bed, he would have thought that what happened earlier was just a dream.

He furrowed his brows, pondering over Xiao Qi’s situation. As he did, the door suddenly burst open with a bang. Jin Xiaojiu’s face was pale. “Something’s wrong! Young Master Xingchen is in trouble!”