Not Being The Villain? So Good! GL [System] - Chapter 1

In the sixth year of Emperor Tianruo’s reign over the Great Jin Dynasty, Empress Si Linlin, who had ascended the throne at the age of seventeen, now ruled over vast territories. The people lived and worked in peace and prosperity, and the realm was a picture of flourishing peace.

Folk culture and entertainment had also begun to thrive.

If there was one topic the people of Great Jin never tired of discussing, it was the jianghu. And nothing delighted them more than gathering around to hear about the many clashes between the heroic martial artists of the jianghu and the evil sects.

Whenever even the smallest scrap of news from the jianghu spread among the people, storytellers could twist it into a thrilling tale full of twists and turns, leaving everyone listening with rapt attention and great relish.

There was a small two-story establishment called Yongle Teahouse.

The place was packed to bursting with guests who had come to hear stories. Even a single bench could somehow squeeze in seven or eight backsides, bearing such a tremendous burden that it was a wonder it survived at all. Worse still, whenever the story reached an exciting part, some listeners would get so worked up that they wriggled their hips, making the poor benches wobble until their innocent wooden frames finally collapsed into pieces.

The storyteller onstage slammed down his wooden block.

The originally noisy crowd immediately fell silent in perfect unspoken understanding.

“Since the founding of Great Jin three hundred years ago, every generation of emperors has devoted itself tirelessly to governing the realm, bringing peace beneath the heavens and raising the nation’s strength to unprecedented heights. Foreign enemies fear us so greatly that none dare invade.”

With that, the storyteller snapped open his folding fan.

Four large characters were written across it:

The Martial World of Great Jin.

“Yet there is one thing that even Emperor Tianruo herself has been completely helpless against—the infamous evil cult of the jianghu known as Chonglou Palace.”

“It is said that the Palace Master of Chonglou is neither quite man nor quite woman.”

“And according to rumor, not a single person who has ever seen this individual has lived past midnight.”

“Thus, the great demon of Chonglou has earned the sinister title: the Life-Claiming Yama.”

“Some say the great demon’s surname is Cui, and so this person is also known as Yama Cui.”

Every guest below listened with complete concentration, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the storyteller.

The storyteller continued, “This Yama Cui comes and goes like a ghost. During the day, they never step outside the palace gates, but once midnight falls, they become active.”

“There was a high-ranking official here in the capital who, for reasons unknown, somehow offended this person.”

“In a single night, the official’s entire household was slaughtered. The incident threw the whole capital into an uproar, leaving the common people terrified and uneasy.”

“The imperial court dispatched troops to suppress Chonglou Palace five separate times, yet they could not even locate the great demon’s palace. In the end, they could only return empty-handed.”

“When the martial world heard about this, righteous sects everywhere, determined to uphold the righteous path and chanting that evil could never prevail over good, launched three expeditions against Chonglou Palace. Each time, fewer people returned than before.”

“And when the various sects finally made their way back home, they discovered that their mountain headquarters, compounds, and estates had all been utterly wiped out.”

“That thoroughly enraged the righteous sects. Together, they elected a new Martial Alliance Leader to lead the campaign against Chonglou Palace.”

At this point, the storyteller once again slammed down his wooden block.

He said, “Everyone, we’ll stop here for today. If you wish to know what happens next, come back for the next installment.”

The moment the crowd realized he had suddenly stopped telling the story, they sprang to their feet in agitation and shouted,

“Sir! Sir! Don’t leave! Finish the rest first!”

“That’s right! What happened to the new leader of the righteous martial world?”

“What’s their name? Tell us already!”

“What kind of nonsense is stopping halfway through? Sir, quit keeping us in suspense!”

Everyone began complaining indignantly.

The storyteller looked at the crowd helplessly and said, “It isn’t that this humble storyteller refuses to speak. I simply have to save the second half for tomorrow. Otherwise, what am I supposed to tell you then?”

“No! We’ll pay extra! Tell us now!”

At once, the wealthier guests pulled out the purses at their waists and tossed them onto the stage. Someone even wealthier simply threw up a rare piece of mutton-fat Hetian jade.

Within moments, the floor around the storyteller’s feet was covered in copper coins and bits of silver, piled so thickly that he could barely find anywhere to stand.

He grinned from ear to ear as he stared at the money, figuring that with this much, he could probably stop storytelling for half a year and enjoy himself for a while.

And so, the storyteller coughed a few times.

“It is said that the righteous martial world elected a leader the likes of whom had never been seen before and would never be seen again.”

“Most importantly, she came from the Yao family—a martial arts clan with a history spanning a hundred years.”

“And this unparalleled Martial Alliance Leader… was actually a woman.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in startled cries.

They had never imagined that after the dynasty produced a brilliant and capable female emperor, even the martial world would now have a female alliance leader.

“It is said that after the eldest young lady of the Yao family took over as Martial Alliance Leader, she did not immediately set off to eliminate that great demon.”

“Then what did Alliance Leader Yao do?”

“Surely she didn’t become alliance leader for nothing!”

“Exactly!!!”

A wave of doubtful murmurs rose from the guests below.

“Everyone, calm yourselves and listen to me.”

The storyteller waved his fan, the breeze lifting the long beard beneath his chin.

“There is naturally no need to question Alliance Leader Yao’s strength. But as the saying goes, two fists cannot defeat four hands, and even a fierce tiger fears a pack of wolves.”

“During the selection for Martial Alliance Leader, Alliance Leader Yao fought eight martial arts experts at once and defeated them with ease, winning the unanimous recognition of all the great martial arts clans.

“As for why Alliance Leader Yao did not immediately set out to destroy Yama Cui…”

“It was because of one particular matter!”

“And that matter was also related to Chonglou Palace!”

Halfway through, the storyteller deliberately stopped to whet everyone’s appetite.

Sure enough, the guests were beside themselves with curiosity and immediately began pressing him.

“What matter?! What matter?!”

“Sir, stop tormenting us!”

“Hurry up and tell us!”

“You’re killing me with suspense!!!”

The storyteller shook his head theatrically, wearing an unfathomably mysterious expression as he said,

“Alliance Leader Yao went to break off her engagement!”

“Booooo—!!!”

The crowd broke into an uproar.

“Since ancient times, we’ve heard of men breaking engagements and women remarrying, but who has ever heard of the woman going to the man’s family to cancel the engagement? How strange!”

“The man’s side definitely wouldn’t agree. They’d have to preserve their dignity!”

Several guests looked rather dismissive. They were unanimously convinced that the woman would never succeed in breaking the engagement, because the man’s family certainly would not agree. Even if only for the sake of a prestigious clan’s reputation, they would never yield.

Yet none of them expected the storyteller’s next sentence to leave every last person dumbfounded.

“The man’s family happily agreed.”

“And they could hardly wait to sign the papers. It is said that on the very day their son’s engagement was broken off, the family even presented Alliance Leader Yao with two chests of jewels as an apology.”

“Hiss—”

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

Two whole chests of jewels!

And they had actually paid the woman after their son was dumped?

Was the man an idiot?

The storyteller struck an exaggerated pose and said, “The man’s family may appear foolish, but in truth, they simply wanted to sever all ties with the Yao family.”

“Because…”

“Because what?”

The storyteller had dragged out the suspense so badly that the guests were nearly ready to roll up their sleeves and beat him.

Yet they couldn’t bear to.

If they beat him up, who would finish telling them the story?

The storyteller realized he had pushed things too far.

Clearing his throat, he said, “It was all because that great demon of Chonglou Palace suddenly went mad for some unknown reason and sent a challenge letter to the man’s household. And in that letter, four words were written with unmistakable emphasis—Young Lady of Yao.”

“The young master of that family happened to have been betrothed to Alliance Leader Yao since childhood. Since those four words clearly suggested that the great demon had taken a fancy to Alliance Leader Yao, his family suddenly found themselves facing imminent bloody disaster.”

“Alliance Leader Yao had no choice. For her fiancé’s sake, she could only break off the engagement.”

“It is said that because of this, that young master cried, made a scene, and threatened to hang himself just like some young maiden. He was absolutely devastated!”

“Now tell me—shouldn’t that great demon of Chonglou Palace be eliminated?”

“As the saying goes, better to demolish ten temples than destroy a single marriage. Yet this Yama Cui massacres entire households, tears apart engagements, and even opposes the imperial court. There is simply no evil this person won’t commit! Utterly devoid of conscience!”

At this point, the storyteller suddenly became carried away by his own emotions and declared passionately,

“Even this humble storyteller wishes I could enlist in the army and destroy Chonglou Palace on behalf of the imperial court!”

The moment he finished speaking, a black boot suddenly flew through the crowd and smacked squarely into the storyteller’s face.

“Ow! Which little brat ambushed me?!”

The storyteller toppled backward onto the ground, arms and legs flailing into the air.

“Sir! Sir, are you all right?!”

Everyone hurried forward to help him.

But there were simply too many people. Someone lost their footing and accidentally shoved the person in front of them. A whole cluster of people went crashing into the railing at the center of the stage, and half the storyteller’s platform instantly collapsed beneath the pressure.

The storyteller, who was already sprawled on the stage, had someone’s backside land directly on his face.

The smell knocked him unconscious.

…..

Outside the teahouse stood a woman dressed entirely in red.

She possessed an extraordinarily handsome beauty, with a pair of alluring peach-blossom eyes that glittered like brilliant stars in the night sky. Her brows, eyes, and entire bearing exuded a cold aloofness that kept others a thousand miles away. Coupled with her red dress, her breathtakingly bewitching face seemed almost otherworldly. Ink-black hair cascaded from her shoulders like flowing clouds, spilling all the way down to her waist.

She carried a trace of languid carelessness, yet her bearing was elegant and refined, like an exiled immortal who had descended into the mortal world.

Despite obviously being someone of extraordinary status, this conspicuous woman was sitting at an inconspicuous roadside stall, instantly turning the humble place into the center of attention.

Beside her sat two… men in long green robes.

One of them glanced at his master’s bare right foot and, clearly accustomed to such things, said,

“Master, I’ll go buy you a shoe.”

“Mm.”

The woman in red answered lazily.

After the man left, the remaining green-robed man could no longer restrain himself. Leaning closer, he asked,

“Palace Master, when did you slaughter that official’s entire household? How come this subordinate knew nothing about it?”

“But Palace Master, you’re incredible. You killed all three hundred members of an entire household in a single night.”

The woman in red raised an eyebrow.

“Next time, remember to bring this subordinate along. Let me have a proper killing spree too.”

The corner of the woman’s mouth twitched.

“This subordinate wants to enjoy himself too. Palace Master, what martial art did you use to kill three hundred people in one night?”

The green-robed man gazed at her in worship.

At this point, the woman in red, who had remained composed until now, suddenly developed a throbbing vein on her forehead.

The teacup in her hand cracked with a crunch beneath her grip.

Finally, she could no longer maintain her composure. Her lofty, icy image shattered on the spot.

“When the hell have I ever killed anyone?!”

“An entire household, my ass! How did it somehow turn into hundreds of human lives once it came out of that storyteller’s mouth?!”

Seeing his master get angry, the green-robed man asked somewhat nervously,

“Then, Palace Master… what actually happened with that high-ranking official and those righteous sects whose households were supposedly exterminated?”

The woman in red clenched her fists through gritted teeth and shouted,

“Bullshit! What I slaughtered… were obviously the three hundred chickens they kept at home!!!!”

The green-robed man’s face filled with black lines.

…..

……

……

“Then what was that storyteller talking about?”

“He made it up! Haven’t you heard that the more exaggerated a story is, the more people want to hear it?”

“Then what about Alliance Leader Yao breaking off her engagement?”

At this point, she abruptly regained her lofty, cold demeanor.

“This Palace Master merely… accidentally sent the challenge letter to her fiancé’s house.”

The green-robed man: ……

So you really did break apart a perfectly matched couple?!

The woman’s expression changed instantly, as though the person whose dignified image had just completely collapsed had never been her in the first place.

The man broke into a cold sweat as he listened, momentarily at a loss for words.

In the end, his face turned red as he forced out a thoroughly insincere sentence:

“Palace Master is mighty!!!”

This woman in red was none other than Lin Baixi, Palace Master of Chonglou Palace.

The two green-robed men beside her were Chonglou Palace’s Left and Right Protectors. The one who had just gone to buy her a shoe was Left Protector Chonglan.

The curious little fellow who remained behind was Left Protector Chongyu.

And the woman in red had another identity…

She was a masterless wandering soul who had transmigrated into this world only three months ago.

“Ding—Big Boss System activated.”

“The host’s challenge letter has already been delivered to the leader of the righteous martial world. Within ten days, please carry out one successful sneak attack.”

“And successfully steal one of the Yao family’s martial arts manuals.”

“A successful sneak attack will be rewarded.”

“Failure will automatically activate the Fa-Lun-Gong Sacrifice Method.”

Once the mission announcement ended, Lin Baixi tilted her head back and desperately forced the tears threatening to burst from the corners of her eyes back inside.

Damn it~

I became the big boss!

Seeing his master’s eyes suddenly turn red, Chongyu could not help asking worriedly,

“Palace Master, what happened to your eyes?”

“Chongyu, tell me. What should someone do when they’ve been misunderstood and falsely accused?”

“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, of course! Palace Master, who offended you? I’ll go kill them!!!”

“It’s nothing. Who would still dare offend this Palace Master nowadays?”

Lin Baixi fought back the bitter tears gathering in her eyes.

Chongyu: ……

Then why are you, a great demon, crying?

Even little children became so frightened at the mere mention of the name Yama Cui that they stopped crying.

Was there anyone under heaven more terrifying than you?!