Not Being The Villain? So Good! GL [System] - Chapter 3

As for sneaking into the Yao Residence, Lin Baixi figured that with their martial arts, the three of them could infiltrate the place in minutes.

The problem was—they had no idea where the secret manuals were kept.

The Yao Residence was completely unfamiliar territory to her, much less whatever secret chamber the family used to store their treasures.

“Chonglan, this Palace Master is going to the Yao Residence to take a martial arts manual. Do you have any plan?”

Lin Baixi sat inside the carriage. Hearing the cries of vendors outside selling candied hawthorn skewers meant they had already reached the streets.

Next came getting inside the Yao Residence.

Driving the carriage outside, Chonglan analyzed the situation point by point.

“Master, the three most important members of the Yao household are currently absent. According to this subordinate’s intelligence, the eldest young lady of the Yao family is still staying with her fiancé’s clan. It seems something has delayed her there.”

“Oh. Probably something to do with the engagement.”

Lin Baixi showed absolutely no trace of guilt.

Chonglan continued, “I’ve already prepared for our entry into the residence.”

With that, he raised the sleeve of his green robe and brushed it across his ordinary-looking face.

In an instant, his appearance changed into that of the carriage driver.

Only then did Lin Baixi remember that this subordinate of hers had another title.

He was known as—

The Masked Gentleman.

As for Chongyu, what he excelled at most was his superb blade work, especially skinning things, coupled with his tendency to let his villainous instincts run completely out of control at any given moment.

When Lin Baixi had played along with Chongyu earlier, trading lines back and forth, Chongyu had clearly been completely serious while she had merely been teasing the boy and keeping him under control.

Thinking of that, before entering the Yao Residence she deliberately reminded him,

“Chongyu, once we’re inside, don’t act impulsively.”

“Yes, Master!”

Chongyu answered excitedly.

Seeing how hyped up his younger brother was, Chonglan immediately knew…

His hyperactivity was about to flare up again.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the rear gate.

The moment it stopped, a plainly dressed servant cautiously opened the door and whispered,

“Young Master, you came back so early today?”

Chonglan said, “The young master is tired. He also brought back some poor unfortunate soul.”

He pointed toward Chongyu, who was staring curiously at the plaque hanging over the rear gate of the Yao Residence.

The servant hurriedly nodded.

“Young Master is showing his great compassion again. Brother Niu, you’ve worked hard. Hurry inside!”

“The steward is almost ready to start looking for Young Master. If he discovers Young Master isn’t here, he’ll definitely send a carrier pigeon to inform Master.”

“All right!”

Chongyu drove the carriage straight inside.

Just like that, the three of them successfully entered.

After closing the gate, the Yao servant led Chongyu away to arrange some work for him.

Chongyu reluctantly followed him toward the woodshed.

At least the kitchen cleaver in his hand would finally have a chance to prove useful.

Chonglan stayed inside the residence, while Lin Baixi slipped into a room that looked extremely luxurious.

The room contained an old-fashioned carved wooden bed decorated with phoenixes and mandarin ducks. One look was enough to tell that it was very expensive.

It was probably the bedroom of the head of the Yao household and his spouse.

“Master, the courtyard on the left has elegant plants, a small bridge, and understated scenery. The owner seems to have excellent taste.”

“It should be the private residence of the Yao family’s young lady.”

Chonglan had barely finished observing the place when a man in his fifties hurried over.

His clothes were slightly finer than those worn by the ordinary servants.

He pointed at Chonglan and said urgently,

“Ah Niu, come with me. Something happened in the front courtyard.”

Chonglan guessed, “Steward… what happened?”

“Hurry. The young master’s cousin owes money to a gambling house, and the creditors have come straight to our door.”

“He wants to borrow money from the accounts office. Remember to testify for this old man.”

As he spoke, the steward eagerly dragged Chonglan away.

And then…

Only Lin Baixi was left.

She slipped into the courtyard Chonglan had mentioned and saw several large gold-painted characters on the plaque over the gate:

Peach Blossom Studio.

“Why does that sound like a nunnery where Buddhist nuns meditate?”

Lin Baixi complained under her breath.

She quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

The first thing she noticed was a light, sweet fragrance of osmanthus.

Osmanthus fragrance inside a place called Peach Blossom Studio.

This woman really did have unusual taste.

Lin Baixi complained inwardly and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets in search of the secret manual.

After searching for quite some time, all she found were jewelry, some pretentious old scholar’s poetry collections, a short sword hanging on the wall…

And behind the curtains, a high-quality guqin.

There didn’t seem to be anything else.

No.

This was wasting too much time.

She might as well ask the system for help!

“System, hurry up and come out. Where’s the manual? Help me find where the secret manual is.”

Lin Baixi suddenly called out.

Boss System: “….. What does the host require?”

“All right, all right, enough nonsense. Just tell me. Searching everywhere myself is way too troublesome. I’ve thought it over—you should scan the Yao Residence for me and find out where they’ve hidden the secret manuals.”

Lin Baixi sat down on a stool and poured herself a cup of tea.

After taking a sip, she discovered that it was honey water.

It was so sweet it nearly shot straight up her nose.

“Good grief! That’s way too sweet!”

Lin Baixi clutched her throat, her entire face scrunching up.

Was the owner of this room some kind of sweets fanatic?!

How could anyone like something this sweet?

Wasn’t she afraid her blood sugar would spike?

Boss System: “Host, it is recommended that you search on your own. If you request assistance from this system, a fee will automatically be charged. Friendly reminder: each use of the system’s location function costs 200 points.”

“Th-Thanks. Just deduct the points.”

Lin Baixi couldn’t find any plain water in the room, and the cloying sweetness had already left her throat dry and uncomfortable.

Boss System: “The host must not be lazy and rely on others. However, considering that the host is still a beginner, the system can provide a hint this first time. The secret manual is in the third study room of the neighboring courtyard. There is a mechanism beside a large vase.”

“The host’s current balance is now -200 points.”

“Negative points must be cleared within seven days. Otherwise, the host will be required to carry out a punishment mission.”

Expressionless, Lin Baixi asked,

“Shouldn’t I have had some points to deduct from in the first place? And what kind of punishment mission is it? Self-destruction? Self-harm? You systems are so cheap. You only ever have these same old tricks. Don’t think I don’t know.”

“In my previous life, I read an entire basketful of system novels.”

“You systems can be summed up in one word: scams!”

Boss System: “The host thinks she had points? You’re overthinking it.”

“Furthermore, this system resides inside the host’s body and will not cause you harm.”

“It is merely a small punishment.”

Lin Baixi was stunned.

She had actually thought she possessed some starting points.

“I seriously don’t have any points?! Forget it. Better than making things troublesome. Deduct them if you want.”

“Host, this system reminds you that in the future, you are very likely to encounter an expert with a martial power value of 100!”

Lin Baixi raised an eyebrow and responded bluntly,

“Someone as powerful as this Palace Master?”

Boss System reminded her, “The punishment mission offers the host three options. You may choose any one.”

“One: exterminate an entire household.

“Two: slaughter an entire mountain stronghold.

“Three: kill every hypocritical dog beneath the heavens.”

Lin Baixi stared coldly at the system.

…..

It really seemed like the villain settings attached to this thing were becoming more and more extreme.

“Choose my ass!!! If I actually did any of those things, those people would burn my lair to the ground!”

It was exactly the kind of over-the-top behavior she remembered from villain stories.

She rolled her eyes and asked,

“What if the host refuses to carry it out?”

Boss System: “The system will automatically activate and seal the host’s century of internal power within ten seconds.”

Holy shit.

That was vicious!

If she lost her internal power, the righteous martial artists would kill her in minutes.

What was her current identity again?!

Palace Master of Chonglou Palace!!!

The most evil great demon in the entire martial world of Great Jin—

Yama Cui.

A villainous boss everyone wanted beaten or killed, even the imperial court.

Although she herself had absolutely no idea how she had ended up with such a title.

Despite possessing a full century of deep internal cultivation, the most she had ever killed was several hundred chickens.

Last time, that high-ranking official had clearly been the one embezzling money himself. He had falsely claimed that Chonglou Palace had stolen funds meant for public works, causing everyone to point the finger at her.

Unable to stand it, she had broken into the official’s residence, slaughtered a few of the little animals they kept there, and smeared a few hundred bloody footprints across the walls.

That was all.

Unexpectedly, the corrupt official had become so frightened that he turned himself in.

Now the man was already sitting inside a prison cell.

It had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Lin Baixi wiped away her sweat and steadied her usual cold expression.

“The study in the neighboring courtyard, right?”

“I’ll go, I’ll go. Since I already chose the shortcut, I just need to finish the mission quickly and earn some points. Then the punishment mission will disappear too.”

Sure enough, convenience always came at a price.

For the sake of preserving her internal power, she would risk it.

She entered the study directly.

Not long after she stepped inside, she heard footsteps approaching.

Lin Baixi had no choice but to crawl beneath the table and hide.

Fortunately, whoever it was only hurried past without entering.

Once there was no more sound, she crawled back up from the floor.

She moved the huge vase.

The bookshelf immediately shifted aside, revealing a pitch-black passage.

Without wasting another second, Lin Baixi entered.

She took out a fire striker and blew a tiny flame to life, using it to illuminate the way forward.

Before she had gone very far, she saw golden light glittering from an inner chamber ahead.

She walked inside and immediately saw the floor covered in gold and jewels.

They were piled everywhere as casually as if someone had tossed out garbage…

“Holy crap. Evil ancient capitalism!!!”

Lin Baixi wiped away her drool, crouched down, picked up one piece, and slipped it into her clothes.

At the same time, she noticed a recess in the large pillar at the center of the chamber.

Resting inside was a blue-covered book bearing the words:

Jade Maiden Heart Method.

Found it!!!

Lin Baixi snatched up the manual and stuffed it into her clothes.

She quickly left the inner chamber, shut the mechanism behind her, and quietly slipped out of the study.

The moment she emerged, a commotion erupted from the side courtyard.

People seemed to be urgently chasing someone.

“Where did he go?!”

“He ran off carrying a kitchen cleaver!”

“Wasn’t that the person Young Master brought back? How did you fail to keep an eye on him?”

“I don’t know either! The kid saw the pigs in the pigpen and suddenly went crazy and started hacking at them.”

“How many did he kill?”

“Thirty-eight and a half.”

Lin Baixi: …..

She pressed a hand to her forehead, her head beginning to ache.

“That brat Chongyu lost control of his hands again.”

It looked like everyone in the Yao Residence could enjoy an all-pork banquet tonight.

Too bad she wouldn’t get any.

She immediately pulled out a signal flare, lit it, and fired it into the sky.

Bang!

A small puff of white smoke appeared conspicuously overhead.

Chonglan spotted it almost immediately.

He quickly left the accounts office and happened to see Chongyu, covered from head to toe in blood, vault over the wall and escape the Yao Residence.

Three or five experts dressed in blue immediately leapt over the wall after him.

Damn it!

Was that brat Chongyu deliberately luring them outside so he could kill to his heart’s content?!

No.

He needed to get out there too.

The Palace Master had already sent the signal.

He had to restrain Chongyu first. Otherwise, if the brat lost control and fell into qi deviation, they would expose their whereabouts.

……

At the same time, Lin Baixi had just used qinggong to leap onto a rooftop.

She rapidly skimmed across the courtyards of the Yao Residence.

Only a few more steps remained before she could escape this enormous estate.

Please, don’t let anything happen.

She was extremely anxious.

Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever she feared most was exactly what would happen.

Suddenly, the sound of plucked qin strings drifted from somewhere nearby.

Dong, dong, dong~

Who was playing the guqin?!

Ding-dong-dong-dong-dong~

Dong!! Weng!!!

The bright, melodious ancient notes surged like someone riding the wind above colorful clouds.

Then suddenly—

Whoosh!

The beautiful qin music transformed into blades of compressed air filled with killing intent, slicing toward her with the sharp force of thunder.

They struck directly against the roof tiles beneath Lin Baixi’s boots.

Boom!!!

Tiles shattered.

Cracks split across the roof, and half of it instantly collapsed.

Whoever was attacking certainly didn’t seem to care about destroying such expensive architecture.

Lin Baixi immediately twisted her body in midair and landed lightly on the ground.

“Who’s there?!”

she demanded coldly.

The moment she finished speaking and looked up at the newcomer…

Not far away on the rooftop stood a graceful figure dressed in blue, her clothes fluttering elegantly in the wind.

She cradled a redwood guqin in her arms.

The slender fingers of her left hand slowly swept across the fine strings.

Beautiful notes leapt from the instrument one after another, each sharp as a blade, forming an ancient melody.

From a distance, the tall beauty stood holding the qin, her entire figure outlining an elegant and captivating silhouette.

“Those who trespass into the Yao Residence and commit acts of theft…”

She paused.

Then the beauty’s gentle yet deep voice stirred through the air.

“Cannot be forgiven.”

That voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Lin Baixi rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

She swiftly leapt back onto the roof—

But the instant a heavy note crashed down from the qin, the roof beneath her split apart and collapsed.

This time, she didn’t remain standing on the rooftop.

She ended up on the floor below.

A trace of seriousness gradually entered Lin Baixi’s peach-blossom eyes.

She looked up again at the beauty dressed entirely in blue, almost like some kind of blue spirit, and considered that extraordinary sonic martial art.

She seemed to remember now.

There was a woman in the jianghu whose qin and flute always struck before she herself made a move.

Within a hundred paces, she could kill without leaving any visible trace.

Thus, whenever some extreme situation in the martial world required her intervention, people respected her, feared her, and kept their distance from her all at once.

As this realization struck her, Lin Baixi’s expression became completely solemn.

Her voice sank lower as she said,

“The Illusory Sound Flute, the Murdering Qin, and robes the color of the deep blue sea and open sky.”

“Spendthrift hands that throw away a thousand pieces of gold at once…”

“The newly appointed female Martial Alliance Leader of Great Jin.”

Finally, she enunciated each word with force and certainty:

“You are the eldest young lady of the Yao family!!”

“Yao Xian!!!”