This Villain Ch.236

Chapter 236: For the sake of Big Brother, I can even stop being the villain

Lu Gong came to the same realization almost immediately: the terrifying demon who had instantly annihilated a swarm of his rats was on the same side as the two individuals holding his grandson hostage.

He couldn’t win this fight. In the blink of an eye, he assessed the situation, weighed the strengths of both sides, and promptly decided to surrender.

Survival had always been his priority, and it was his flexibility—his willingness to yield—that had kept him alive this long.

As Yu Yin emerged, stepping softly onto the ground alongside the black threads, Lu Gong’s expression shifted to one of pitiful submission. He threw himself forward in a deep bow, utterly disregarding his pride.

“It was my ignorance and shortsightedness that led me to overlook a godlike figure such as yourself! Please, forgive this lowly creature! If you can spare my life, I am willing to serve you faithfully, to follow your every command!”

This sudden display of groveling caught Ming Yu off guard, making him wary.

He turned to the newly arrived Yu Yin and cautioned, “Be careful, Yu Yin. This is the rat demon Lu Gong. Keep your distance—his show of weakness is likely a ploy to lower your guard and launch an attack!”

An awkward silence settled over the scene.

Even Lu Gong froze momentarily, blinking at the misunderstanding.

Mu Yi, watching the interaction, felt speechless. Who would attack whom here?

Lu Gong, this coward who valued his life above all else, had already been scared out of his wits by the mere presence of the demon Silk Nest. Couldn’t Teacher Ming Yu see that?

Lu Gong: Who could I hurt? If I could hurt him, would I still be kneeling here begging for mercy?

However, he couldn’t show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he had to act even weaker and more harmless. His wrinkled face took on a bitter, pitiful look as he said,

“It’s really a misunderstanding. How could I dare to act against any of you? I only panicked because my grandson was captured.”

As he spoke, his gaze flitted to the cloth bag in Mu Yi’s hand. His lowered eyes concealed a glint of malice.

He committed everything that happened today to memory. If he managed to escape, he would take his time plotting revenge. Only by killing these two could he resolve his humiliation from today!

Lu Gong’s pleas poured out freely, his pitiful demeanor making it seem like the three young men were bullying an old man.

Among those present, only Ming Yu seemed unclear about the situation. He glanced at Lu Gong, then at Yu Yin, his confusion evident in his eyes.

He wasn’t stupid, but like Wu Jin, he had an ingrained impression of Yu Yin as weak and frail. He couldn’t wrap his head around why the demon they had just fought was now begging for mercy from someone “so fragile.”

Yu Yin ignored Lu Gong’s tearful pleas and reached out to Mu Yi.

Mu Yi felt his scalp tingle as he realized what Yu Yin meant. He stepped forward, handed over the cloth bag holding the rat-child, and then quickly retreated to stand behind Ming Yu.

Yu Yin grabbed the struggling rat-child with his hand, causing Lu Gong’s fake expression of pleading to reveal genuine panic.

A few black threads snaked into the head of the furious rat-child. He stopped struggling, his expression turned blank, and he obediently stood by Yu Yin’s feet.

Seeing Yu Yin take control of his grandson, Lu Gong almost failed to suppress a menacing look. The rats gathered in the corners of the room glared with glowing red eyes, their bodies tensed and ready to spring.

Yu Yin paid no attention to Lu Gong’s agitation or fury. Resting his slender hand on the rat-child’s head, he spoke through the child’s mouth:

“You ran really fast, but I still have questions for you.”

Lu Gong looked at his grandson, lowered his head, and forced a flattering expression back onto his face. “Ask away. As long as you’re willing to spare me and my grandson, I’ll tell you everything I know without holding anything back.”

“You’ve been in Chazhou City for a long time, mingling among the aristocratic families. You must know—besides the Zhen family—who else wants my elder brother dead, and who’s plotting against him.”  

Lu Gong didn’t hesitate for a moment and spilled everything about his former collaborators.

Not only did he reveal their schemes against Yu Guang, but also their dissatisfaction with Yu Guang killing the Dragon Lady. He detailed their past dealings with the Zhen family, leaving nothing out.

However, he carefully avoided mentioning his own involvement and the suggestions he had made during those dealings.

“Is that all?” Yu Yin asked.

Lu Gong couldn’t see Yu Yin’s expression, and his mind raced to interpret the question. What did he mean by that?

He had already listed nearly all the major families in Chazhou City. Could Yu Yin still think it wasn’t enough?

Skilled at reading people, Lu Gong cautiously began to mention other, smaller families.

“Although these people haven’t harbored ill intentions toward your elder brother, they’re not exactly saints. In the past, they scrambled to offer tributes to the Dragon Lady and even sent their own family members to serve her…”

With an army of rats as his eyes and ears, Lu Gong knew almost every secret and rumor in Chazhou City.

From murder, arson, and schemes to petty quarrels, illicit affairs, and secret rendezvous—he knew it all.

Yu Yin listened to this flood of sordid tales and finally nodded in satisfaction.

Good. If he dealt with all these families, it would give him legitimate reasons to explain everything to Yu Guang when he returned.

That way, his elder brother would understand that killing these people wasn’t an act of malice.

“That’s enough. You’ve done well,” Yu Yin said, releasing the rat-child’s head.

When it came to gathering and uncovering secrets, Lu Gong was indeed quite useful. He was smart, quick-witted, and obedient enough to get the job done.

Lu Gong’s face lit up with joy as he said, “It’s my honor to be of help to you. As long as you’re satisfied, that’s all that matters.”

Mu Yi could also sense Yu Yin’s satisfaction, but he frowned, hesitating to speak.

In his previous life, Lu Gong had been a subordinate of the demon Silk Nest. Was Yu Yin planning to recruit Lu Gong again this time?

This guy was cunning and harbored malicious intent. If not handled properly, he would only bring greater calamities.

Just as Mu Yi furrowed his brows, his expression suddenly froze. His widened eyes reflected the sight of Lu Gong being wrapped in silken threads.

The very next moment, the demon Silk Nest, who had just been praising Lu Gong moments ago, killed him outright—along with the controlled rat-child.

Yu Yin calmly sensed the movements of Lu Gong and his grandson, from their futile struggles to their deaths, before retracting the now-satiated silk threads.

Killing Lu Gong was a pity, but anyone who dared to plot against Yu Guang could not be allowed to live.

After waiting for Yu Yin to finish his task, Ming Yu finally spoke up. “Yu Yin, what’s going on? Why are you here alone? Where are Big Brother and Wu Jin?”

Yu Yin gestured for Mu Yi to come closer.

Mu Yi twitched his lips in annoyance but reluctantly stepped forward, only to have Yu Yin press his hand against his head.

Mu Yi’s expression suddenly changed drastically as he exclaimed, “You’re saying that Big Brother was tricked by the Zhen family and buried in the mines of Hui Lian Mountain?”

Moments later, Ming Yu rushed off toward Hui Lian Mountain, leaving Mu Yi to stay with Yu Yin.

As Mu Yi watched his teacher’s hurried figure disappear into the distance, he felt a growing sense of frustration.

What did Ming Yu mean by saying he couldn’t trust Yu Yin to handle the numerous powerful families in Chazhou City alone and that Mu Yi needed to stay by his side to help?

The mighty demon Silk Nest needed his help?

After witnessing Lu Gong’s death just now, how could Teacher Ming Yu not see how terrifying Yu Yin was?

Despite his internal complaints, Mu Yi had no choice but to follow his former enemy, now his unlikely ally, as they set off to raid the influential families of Chazhou City.

The Fang family, consisting of hundreds of men, women, young, and old, turned out to be a den of evildoers, with many having blood on their hands.

If faced with such a situation, Mu Yi and his companions might have agonized over how to deal with it. But for Yu Yin, the solution was simple.

Kill them all, then implant puppet threads to make them continue “living” in a state neither alive nor dead.

The courtyard filled with reanimated puppet-like figures terrified the remaining survivors who had escaped death.

Yu Yin turned his gaze toward the corner where a group of ornately dressed survivors huddled together. He let out a cold, disdainful laugh.

“You’ve lived all these years without committing a single evil deed? What’s the point of your existence?”

Hearing the regret in his tone, Mu Yi was speechless. Not being able to find crimes to justify killing everyone—was that really disappointing to him?

Listening to the pitiful sobbing of the survivors, Mu Yi sighed and added, “Don’t worry. You haven’t done any harm, so you won’t be killed.”

The group remained silent after witnessing Yu Yin effortlessly dispatch over a dozen Fang family members. But now, reassured by Mu Yi’s words, a small child wearing a gold collar lifted his head and glared at him with hatred.

“Hypocrite! You wicked people killed my family. You will definitely face retribution!” the child cried out tearfully.

Mu Yi: “…” Great. Now I’m the villain.

Yu Yin walked over, and the child flinched, falling silent as his mother pulled him tightly into her arms.

Yu Yin grabbed the child by the chin and lifted him out of his mother’s embrace.

Amidst the heart-wrenching cries and shouts, an expressionless old puppet next to Yu Yin spoke:

“Child, you’re absolutely right. Evildoers do face retribution. That’s why I’m here—I am your family’s retribution.”

Yu Yin looked directly at the boy and said in a chillingly calm voice, “Tell me, do you want to take revenge on me? If you do, make sure to come after me. When you do, you’ll end up just like your grandfather and father—dead, but still able to walk. Won’t that be fun?”

The child stared at Yu Yin’s mask, so terrified that he didn’t even dare to cry or speak.

Yu Yin casually tossed him back into the group and paid no further attention to the survivors, heading toward the next household.

Mu Yi followed silently behind him.

Yu Yin’s actions were always precise, never crossing the line into indiscriminate slaughter. Yet, the sheer number of people he dealt with and the chillingly ruthless methods he employed left an unsettling impression.

As the number of gray-eyed puppet people grew, Mu Yi finally couldn’t hold back his question.

“Aren’t you afraid that Big Brother will blame you when he comes back for going this far?”

Without turning his head, Yu Yin continued walking, but one of the puppet people beside him twisted its neck to look at Mu Yi.

With a sinister and mocking grin, it said, “He’d better return soon. Otherwise, if I lose my patience, I won’t be this restrained anymore.”

Yu Yin tilted his head slightly, looking toward the distant, faintly visible peaks of Hui Lian Mountain. Behind his mask, his expression darkened.

‘Big Brother, you’d better come back soon.’

‘If not, an unchained demon will only bring destruction.’

*

At the Hui Lian Mountain gold mine, a group of people were working fervently aboveground, digging at the collapsed mine. Beneath the rubble, another figure was tirelessly digging through the dirt and clearing the fallen rocks.

Boulders that would normally take several people to lift were easily picked up and moved aside by this man.

In the larger chamber of the mine, the floor was littered with unconscious bodies. Aside from the sound of Yu Guang clearing rocks, there was only the faintest of other noises.

A young girl squatted near the edge of the chamber, staring blankly at the people lying on the ground. Without realizing it, she sucked in a small breath, her mouth watering.

The sound of her swallowing echoed loudly in the mine, startling her. She quickly glanced at Yu Guang to see if he had noticed. Seeing no reaction, she relaxed and wiped her mouth quietly.

Among the unconscious figures, one person groaned weakly in pain as they began to wake.

The girl quickly ran to Yu Guang’s side, timidly calling out, “Big Brother, someone is waking up.”

Yu Guang dropped the rock he was holding and strode over to the waking individual. Without hesitation, he grabbed them and knocked them unconscious again with a single hand.

He wore only a vest, and the sweat on his skin shimmered like tiny crystals under the faint light of the mine, just like the brightness in his eyes.

“Xiao Shi, come here,” he called.

The girl quickly ran up to him.

“Are you hungry?”

Xiao Shi quietly swallowed her saliva again but shook her head repeatedly, shyly whispering, “I’m not hungry. I ate a few days ago. It was the food Big Brother threw to me from his horse. I’m full now and not hungry at all.”

Yu Guang pulled a flatbread and half a jug of water from behind a rock and handed them to her. “Eat.”

Xiao Shi clasped her hands behind her back and shook her head. “Big Brother, you eat. I don’t need it.”

“It’s okay. Go ahead and eat,” Yu Guang said, placing the flatbread in her hands. “When we get out, I’ll make you something hot and tasty.”

Holding the cold, dry flatbread, Xiao Shi’s dark eyes lit up with a faint glimmer, and a hopeful smile appeared on her thin face.

Yu Guang patted her on the head and warned her, “If you’re hungry, tell me. But don’t eat people, understand? Once you start, there’s no going back.”

“I definitely won’t eat people! I promise I won’t!” Xiao Shi nervously reassured him again and again.

Seeing her frightened expression, Yu Guang suddenly chuckled.

“When we get out, I’ll have Youngest toughen you up a bit. He’s the bravest—when he’s hungry, even I look like food to him.”

After saying this, Yu Guang stood up and resumed moving rocks.

I have to hurry and get us out. Otherwise, Youngest will surely turn the outside world upside down.

And when he throws a tantrum, he’s really a handful to deal with.

They hadn’t even escaped yet, but Yu Guang was already feeling a headache coming on.

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**TN

Xiao Shi – Little Persimmon (she’s the future Locust God)