Transmigrated as the Villain’s Sword - Chapter 45

Observing Guan Luowei’s bewildered expression, Ling Chenyan decided not to press the issue. After all, this woman knew nothing; she probably didn’t even understand the implication behind that line of questioning.

Ling Chenyan sat back on the reclining chair and asked leisurely, “Was His Majesty looking for Your Highness because of this Eternal Night covering the Demon Realm?”

The change in topic was so abrupt that Guan Luowei hesitated for a second before reacting. She lowered her raven-feather lashes to hide the obscurity in her eyes. “Yes, and no.”

“So, it’s not just that?” Ling Chenyan’s eyes darted around. “What does Your Highness plan to do, then?”

Breaking this technique was actually easy. The System had told her that as long as they had the Heart-Seeking Mirror, the technique would vanish instantly. However, the mirror was currently in the hands of the Demon King Medusa—that cold, elegant, and noble “Snake Beauty” from the original story.

Ling Chenyan couldn’t help but feel expectant, telling the System: [A Snake Beauty, eh? I really want to see her.]

[Host, you are so fickle, inconsistent, and half-hearted. I look down on you.]

[What? I’m just curious about what she looks like. I didn’t say I’d do anything. Besides, maybe the Big Villain likes looking at beauties too?]

Guan Luowei heard every word of her inner thoughts. Her gaze darkened slightly, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she brought up something else: “Aside from the method to break the Eternal Night, His Majesty mentioned another matter.”

“Hmm?” Ling Chenyan lay back on the soft cushions of her chair like a relaxed sage. “What matter?”

A flash of shyness crossed Guan Luowei’s features. She bit her lip and stole a look at Ling Chenyan’s expression, saying flatly, “He hopes I will choose a husband as soon as possible.”

Ling Chenyan, who had been lying comfortably, could no longer remain still. She sat up straight. “That fast?”

On second thought, Ling Chenyan figured it was likely because of the Demon Realm’s “nightmare” spell; the Old Demon Emperor’s guilt toward Guan Luowei’s mother had transformed into a deep worry for Guan Luowei herself.

Guan Luowei lowered her gaze and nodded slightly. “Mm.”

“And did you agree?” Ling Chenyan asked, then immediately shook her head and lay back down with a sense of security. “I assume not.”

Guan Luowei had intended to tease the girl back by keeping her in suspense, but she hadn’t expected the girl to guess her reaction so easily. She felt a slight sense of frustration at being so “readable,” yet she found she couldn’t get a read on the girl at all. Finally, she just glanced at her. “How do you know I wouldn’t?”

“A guess.” Ling Chenyan giggled. “Of course, I know Your Highness has no one else in her heart right now, so I’m certain.”

Guan Luowei’s expression was neutral, her voice devoid of emotion. “You are quite clever.”

Seeing her get up to leave, Ling Chenyan asked curiously, “Highness, where are you going?”

Guan Luowei didn’t slow down, her cool words drifting in the air: “I’m going to look at the list of candidate husbands His Majesty prepared for me.”

Ling Chenyan: “…”

[Sys, what’s up with the Big Villain?]

[How should I know? I’m a heartless System, remember?]

[…I feel like she’s acting out of spite. Is it just my imagination?]

[Probably. Why would the Big Villain act out of spite?]

Ling Chenyan thought the System made sense, but it still felt wrong. She decided to follow Guan Luowei to see where she was actually going.

In the Demon Hall, the Old Demon Emperor was so worried he was practically pulling out his beard. He didn’t expect Guan Luowei to return so soon, and even less expected her to ask for the list of candidate husbands he had prepared.

Beyond his surprise, the Old Emperor was overjoyed. He hurriedly handed the roster to her, then turned his gaze to the girl sitting beside Guan Luowei with a brooding expression.

The Old Emperor patted his head and laughed. “I wondered why you suddenly wanted to come back; turns out you were going to fetch a helper. It makes sense; girls are more meticulous. With Yinye helping to vet them, I can rest easy.”

The Old Emperor didn’t mind Ling Chenyan’s presence at all; in fact, he warmly invited her to help Guan Luowei review the names. Ling Chenyan propped her chin on her hand and leaned close to Guan Luowei as she turned the pages.

The roster was a booklet. With every page turned, demonic energy would coalesce into an image of the candidate before the text appeared.

The first page was Tong Di.

Ling Chenyan’s eye twitched. She asked as if casually, “Who made this roster?”

The Old Emperor chuckled. “Tong Di. Not bad, right?”

Ling Chenyan looked at the description column for Tong Di:

Tong Di, Male, Division Chief of Guards. Handsome, elegant, suave, dashing, wildly uninhibited, humorous…

After a long string of praise, the “Weaknesses” section read: Weakness: Too perfect; an excellent match for Her Highness.

Ling Chenyan: “…” It is indeed ‘well done,’ as if he’s terrified someone won’t realize he wrote it himself.

However, Guan Luowei only glanced at the name before flipping to the next page.

Ling Chenyan: [Pffft-hahahahahahaha!]

The next page featured a demon man she hadn’t seen before. He looked wildly uninhibited with a rather “alt-style” hairstyle. The Old Emperor stroked his beard, looking quite satisfied. “This kid Ling Tian isn’t bad either. He’s been devoted to you since childhood, I know. Though he and Shao You are currently out training with disciples and haven’t returned, if you like him…”

Before he could finish, Ling Chenyan interrupted critically: “Your Majesty, I’m afraid this one won’t do.”

The Old Emperor looked up in confusion. “Why?”

Guan Luowei also stole a glance at her with interest. “Why?”

“I’ve studied the art of divination. I just performed a quick calculation and found that his horoscope is incompatible with Your Highness’s. If you stayed together, I fear it wouldn’t end well. Furthermore, he’s always out training—who knows if he’ll run into some ‘wild flowers’ out there? Too unpredictable.”

A hidden smile tugged at Guan Luowei’s lips. She thought her grandfather would never believe such a thing.

To her surprise, the Old Emperor pondered for a moment and said, “That makes sense. If he gets dazzled by the prosperity and glamor outside, it wouldn’t be good. This one won’t do. Weiwei, let’s look at the next one.”

Guan Luowei: “…”

She caught the fox-like glint of mischief in the girl’s eyes and silently flipped to the next page. It happened to be Shao You, the one the Old Emperor mentioned was out with Ling Tian.

Ling Chenyan shook her head and sighed. The Old Emperor wanted to advocate for him, but remembering Ling Chenyan’s previous logic, he shook his head too.

Guan Luowei, however, didn’t flip the page quickly. She looked at the blue-haired, gentle-looking man on the page. “Shao You has grown to be much more handsome than when he was a child.”

“Really?” The Old Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Actually, I think Shao You is quite good. Good looks, good brains, good strength. Most importantly, he has a good temper. Although he’s far behind you, he’s a candidate I approve of.”

Ling Chenyan stared at the inconsistent Old Emperor, her teeth feeling “sore” with annoyance. The Old Emperor clearly had no opinion of his own; as long as Guan Luowei showed a hint of interest, he went along with it.

Ling Chenyan gritted her teeth and spoke again: “This type that looks ‘gentle and handsome’ usually plays the field the hardest. Besides, Your Highness is such a peerless figure; how can she be paired with someone so far beneath her? It has to be the very best person possible.”

Although the Old Emperor didn’t necessarily agree with the first half, he fully agreed with the second. “Yinye is right. The one with our Weiwei must be a top-tier man.”

Guan Luowei gave Ling Chenyan a half-smiling look and flipped the page. The face that appeared was… Zong Xian’s!

Ling Chenyan stared with wide eyes at the Old Emperor. “This—this—this…?”

Is the Demon Race really this open-minded?

The Old Emperor frowned in thought, then sighed. “Actually, a woman wouldn’t be a bad idea. In some ways, a woman is more thoughtful and can take better care of Weiwei. As long as Weiwei likes them, I support whoever it is in the Demon Race.”

Ling Chenyan was dumbfounded. She looked at the Old Emperor’s face full of paternal love, then at Guan Luowei’s serious, interested expression. Just as she was about to pick a flaw, a woman’s voice rang out from outside the hall.

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

“Wait a moment,” the Old Emperor said dismissively. Then he looked at Guan Luowei, who was carefully reading the info. “Is it Zong Xian?”

The clear voice of a woman came from outside: “Yes.”

For reasons unknown, the Old Emperor waved his hand. “Come in.”

A “Yes” followed, then the sound of footsteps. Soon, Zong Xian appeared. Seeing the group together, she was surprised and bowed. “Your Majesty, Highness, Miss Yinye.”

“Stand there and wait a bit,” the Old Emperor said.

Zong Xian was puzzled but stayed put. Her gaze uncontrollably drifted to the woman sitting with her back to her, her hidden feelings swirling.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar description. Looking closer, she realized Her Highness was looking at the candidate roster for a “spouse”—and her own profile was currently laid out in full before Guan Luowei.

Zong Xian’s heart jumped into her throat. She finally understood why His Majesty had let her in.

Ling Chenyan was in a bind; she couldn’t find a flaw to pick without sounding unreasonable, so she could only seethe in silence as Guan Luowei read the info. Guan Luowei stopped at a certain line, curled her lips, and said, “Impressive, to jump three ranks and become a Division Chief within a year.”

Behind her, Zong Xian’s ears turned red as if she’d received the ultimate praise, the flame in her eyes burning brighter. Ling Chenyan ground her teeth, her glare sharp enough to burn a hole in Guan Luowei.

Even the Old Emperor was delighted. “So, this candidate…?”

Just as Zong Xian’s heart was pounding and Ling Chenyan was about to explode, Guan Luowei slowly flipped to the next page. She said flatly, “If all our demon people worked as hard as Chief Zong, the revival of our race would be just around the corner.”

The flame in Zong Xian’s eyes vanished instantly. Her racing heart fell. This is the second time Her Highness has rejected me.

The Old Emperor saw Zong Xian’s reaction and felt a bit awkward, realizing the situation was poorly handled. He gave a dry cough. “Weiwei is right. Chief Zong’s hard work is seen by both of us. We hope you will work even harder in the future.”

Zong Xian bowed her head, biting her lip. The flame was gone, replaced by a more resilient stubbornness. She wouldn’t give up—she must make Her Highness see her! She ignited her fighting spirit again. “Yes! Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty, Your Highness!”

The Old Emperor dismissed her. Ling Chenyan gritted her teeth, muttering to herself not to get angry. Finally, she snapped: “Your Majesty, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll head back first. Your Highness can take her time looking!”

Those last words were forced out through gritted teeth.

The Old Emperor looked in confusion at Ling Chenyan’s retreating back. He turned to keep accompanying his granddaughter, only to find that she had already closed the roster. “I suddenly remembered I have things to do as well,” Guan Luowei said. “I’ll look at this roster another time.”

With that, she followed Ling Chenyan out of the hall. The Old Emperor looked from one to the other, completely baffled. What is with these two?

Guan Luowei caught up to Ling Chenyan easily. She followed leisurely behind the girl, her pace unhurried, unlike the girl who looked like she was rushing back to commit a murder.

At the door of the palace, Ling Chenyan shoved the door open and sat down angrily at the table, pouring herself a cup of water. Guan Luowei, a trace of a smile on her lips, entered and sat beside her, pouring herself a cup as well.

Ling Chenyan drained three cups before she calmed down. But seeing Guan Luowei’s relaxed, leisurely posture, the anger flared up again.

“Why is Your Highness back instead of choosing a husband?”

Guan Luowei took a sip of tea to hide her smile. “I’m finished looking.”

Ling Chenyan gave a fake smile. “And did you find a husband to your liking?”

Knowing the girl was genuinely fuming, Guan Luowei didn’t want to provoke her further. She shook her head and refilled the girl’s cup. “No.”

Ling Chenyan fell silent. As if imagining she was biting Guan Luowei to vent, she drained the water in one go and said with a long drawl, “Oh.”

Guan Luowei found it rather amusing. After a silence, she asked, “So, how did you answer Tong Di?”

Ling Chenyan, having been so angry, almost forgot she hadn’t answered the question. But her brain quickly connected the dots. Could it be that because I was keeping her in suspense and even guessed her reaction to the Old Emperor, Guan Luowei felt the need to get even by looking at the roster?

The more she thought, the more likely it seemed. She almost laughed from the absurdity. Who would have thought Guan Luowei was the type to seek revenge for the smallest slight?

Ling Chenyan, realizing the cause and effect, propped her head on her hand with a sigh. “I didn’t answer him. Instead, I managed to get quite a lot of stories about your childhood out of him.”

It wasn’t the answer Guan Luowei expected. She felt a slight disappointment but kept her face neutral. “What stories?”

Ling Chenyan stole a glance at her. “Do you really want to know?”

Guan Luowei watched her quietly and nodded.

Thinking of what Tong Di had said—those difficult and “shameful” memories of her childhood—and how hard she had worked at such a young age, Ling Chenyan’s heart softened. Her gaze turned gentle as she met Guan Luowei’s eyes.

“He said you were very cute as a child, and strong, with amazing talent. You beat all those little brats who bullied you until they ran home crying to their daddies. He also said he actually felt for you back then, but he was too much of a smart-mouth to say it…”

The girl recounted those past events one by one. The messy, painful times of being insulted and cast down into the dirt, only to silently lick her wounds, became proof of her unyielding perseverance in the girl’s mouth.

Guan Luowei had actually forgotten most of those memories. Between her past and present lives, it had been two lifetimes; compared to what happened later, being bullied by peers was nothing.

But seeing the girl, who was clearly still unhappy, trying to use clumsy words to comfort her and soothe her heart, a warmth slowly rose in Guan Luowei’s chest.

She watched the girl quietly and suddenly asked, “Yinye, what name did you give yourself?”

Ling Chenyan’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing only curiosity in Guan Luowei’s eyes, she hesitated for a long while before saying, “Ling Chenyan.”

“Ling Chenyan?” Guan Luowei repeated the three words slowly. Then, with a smile in her eyes, she said, “The past is like dust and smoke (Chenyan), eventually drifting away. It is a good name.”

Guan Luowei looked at the girl and thought: So, this is her name in her homeland? After so long, she finally knew her name from the other world. Did this mean they were a step closer?