Everyday I Get Up To See The Villain Stealing The Show Chapter 40

"We must make everyone believe that the cult killed Xian Yue. If there isn't enough evidence, we can make more!" One of the old men called out, the same one who wanted to vilify the Tianning Cult. 

Elder w.a.n.g Yue was surprised. "Shuo Yue, you mean… falsifying evidence?"

Shuo Yue was vicious. "That's right!"

"Isn't this wrong?" The sect head asked, hesitating. 

"How could it be?" w.a.n.g Yue asked. "If we were exposed by the Wulin…"

Shuo Yue interrupted him. "Xian Yue was most likely killed by the demonic cult! Let's take a step back to think this over. If our moon sword technique falls into the hands of the demonic cult, well, at least they won't spread it."

"But," He went on, "If it fell into anyone else's hands, our sect will be finished! As soon as the news gets out, even if someone else took the secret script, the demonic cult will be after it. The whole cult is the Wulin's public enemy! Who wouldn't want to take part in exterminating them? If anyone knows any clues about Xian Yue's murder, they will immediately come to us!

Furious, it took every ounce of Han Changsheng's strength to keep from taking off his shoes and beating people with them. Those famous people were tired of living and asking for trouble. How dare they plan to implicate his demonic cult like that?!

Gi Mingxiao held down his hand, signalling for him to keep listening. 

The elders argued over what to do for a long time. It was getting late before their sect head finally called, "Okay, stop quarreling! I'll go back to think about it. We'll discuss the matter tomorrow. Don't disturb the Xian Yue's peace!"

The elders looked at each other, then sighed and left. 

Han Changsheng and Gu Mingxiao found a hiding place. Staying hidden until the people of Mingyue Sect were gone, Han Changsheng panted with rage, "If they dare use the Tianning that way, I'll kill him! I'll kill him without leaving a trace! It won't be unjust!"

"They're all gone," Gu Mingxiao said. "Let's go have a look."

"A look?" Han Changsheng frowned. "There's just a dead man left. Why look?"

"I will open the coffin for a postmortem examination."

Han Changsheng blinked. He was going to open the coffin for an autopsy? What secrets did a dead old man's body hold? Gu Mingxiao surely had his reasons. Han Changsheng shrugged, following the hall master into the ancestral hall. 

The Elder Xian Yue's body was in the innermost part of the ancestral hall. It had been three or four days since he died, and people of Mingyue Sect transported ice to store the corpse. It was still in good condition. Han Changsheng monitored the door while Gu Mingxiao opened his coffin. 

After a while, Han Changsheng asked, "Have you found anything?"

Gu Mingxiao shook his head, closed the coffin, and sighed. "A long knife killed him. Death in one stab, right through his liver. He didn't have any other injuries, so it's hard to infer who did it."

"Since he's an elder, he wasn't weak, but he was still killed in one stab. Maybe someone sneaked upon him and he didn't defend himself? Maybe he was up against someone even better than he was, and he didn't have a chance to fight back?"

Han Changsheng curled his lips and asked in disdain, "Are you going to help them find the murderer? I will get my hands on their moon sword script. I'll send the script back to them at the Wulin a.s.sembly, so they can't possibly dare to attack our Tianning Cult again!"

Gu Mingxiao sighed. "If this is the only thing, I'll take care of it. It's not the first time."

"Not the first time?" Han Changsheng asked, a little breathless. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go talk."

It was already dark by the time they left the Mingyue Sect's ancestral hall. No one else was around, only cicadas and birds. 

Gu Mingxiao and Han Changsheng walked side by side. Finally, Gu Mingxiao spoke. "Didn't you ask Xiaoqing and Xiaobai to check on the Tianyuan villa? Isn't this the same technique?"

Han Changsheng came to an abrupt halt. "What did you say? The Tianyuan villa?"

"Word has been spreading in the Jianghu." Gu Mingxiao frowned. "Our Tianning Cult killed the former leader of the Tianyuan villa. Isn't that why you're here?"

Shocked, Han Changsheng asked, "You mean, we didn't kill that guy, Huangfu Tugen?"

"It's been circulating," Gu Mingxiao said. "I wanted to seek proof from my master. You were there when it happened."

Han Changsheng had no explanation. "I… was?" 

He had no memory of it. 

Gu Mingxiao nodded. "Fifteen years ago, when you were only four or five. The old master took you on a trip, and my master followed you." 

Gu Mingxiao's master was Gu Ziqi, the head of the Ziyu Hall. 

"My master said that the Huangfu villa master was so arrogant that he called on the whole of Wulin to eradicate our Tianning Cult. The old cult leader wanted to go along the way to show Huangfu Tugen just what he felt about that." Gu Mingxiao paused, then said, "You cried and shouted to be taken to a more beautiful path with blooming flowers, so the old master finally took you on the path that went around the Tianyuan villa."

"Somehow, the old cult leader died, but you didn't even go to the villa."

"After returning to the mountain, I heard rumors that our cult had killed Huangfu Tugen. The old master and Shifu thought it was one of their subordinates. They didn't pay attention to the Tianyuan villa and didn't investigate."

"Back then, the Tianyuan villa's sword technique wasn't outstanding, but they had an internal mental skill called "a hundred blooming roses". They said with the essence of letting a hundred roses bloom, you could cultivate several conflicting internal mental skills at the same time. But, after Huangfu Tugen's death, the technique disappeared from the Jianghu." 

Han Changsheng was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth. 

Listening to Gu Mingxiao, he was afraid that, according to the Dog Lord's original life path, Huangfu Tugen should have died at the hands of the Tianning Cult. Because of his childhood whims, he changed the path of fate. They didn't kill Huangfu Tugen. So, who did?

"Because of this," Gu Mingxiao went on, "I've been suspicious. In the past two months, I've investigated several cases that are claimed to be by our Tianning Cult. Only one or two are in doubt, but it's all killing people and stealing their secret scripts. I've sent others to investigate, too."

Han Changsheng was silent. He remembered the day the Black and White Impermanence deities told him that everything in the Jianghu was in chaos. How many people were affected? Even the immortals had to check everything slowly, so they couldn't tell him how to handle it for the time being. He thought the Black and White immortals would be able to tell him everything. Was it true?

It was late. Finally, Gu Mingxiao asked, "Do you want to go back to the Tianning Cult with me to investigate?"

Han Changsheng shook his head. "I have other unfinished business. I can't go back yet."

Gu Mingxiao looked at him, a depth to his gaze. 

He knew Gu Mingxiao wasn't easy to fool. He was afraid he'd ask about his grand scheme, so he smiled and said, "Xiao Xiao~~ just let me go for three months! Give me another three months, I promise, and I'll be back!" 

Gu Mingxiao shook his head. "Why won't you tell us what your plan is?"

"Three months," Han Changsheng said, holding up three fingers. "Three months from now and you'll know! Really!"

Gu Mingxiao looked at him in silence. 

Han Changsheng scratched the back of his head. He was thinking hard about how to get away. Finally Gu Mingxiao sighed and said, "Whatever. Just go."

"Really?" Han Changsheng asked, his eyes widening. "Then, I… I'll go!"

Gu Mingxiao only nodded. 

For fear of Gu Mingxiao having second thoughts, Han Changsheng hurriedly reached for a gift to give him. Unable to find anything else, he handed over a pair of newly purchased underwear. Righteously, he said, "Don't look for me. I've been thinking about everyone! I even remembered to buy you a pair! Well, this is for you. Don't be too moved. I'm leaving. Bye!" 

Without another word, he disappeared into the forest. 

Gu Mingxiao looked down at the floral underwear in his hand. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Watching Han Changsheng's back as he retreated, he sighed and said, "That child is old. He doesn't need me to be in charge of him anymore. Alas!"

The little white cat stuck his head out from Gu Mingxiao's arms and reluctantly watched Han Changsheng leave. Gu Mingxiao flicked his head. "Don't be so heartless like him when you grow up!"

Han Changsheng mended his makeup on his way back to the valley. Thinking An Yuan might have already gone to bed, he decided his task of balancing his internal force could wait until morning. 

Creeping up to the bamboo house, he had just opened the door when a sharp blade glimmered from its depths. Startled, he jumped away just in time to avoid it. 

The sword came after him. 

Drawing his sword to fight, Han Changsheng crossed seven or eight moves in the blink of an eye. Bamboo fell to the ground all around him, one after the other. 

Angrily, Han Changsheng said, "What made you go mental?!"

In the past two months, An Yuan's sword had improved a lot, different from his time in the Yuehua Sect. An Yuan was a celestial descendant. His talent was outstanding, and Han Changsheng was at a loss, compared to him. Before, though, An Yuan didn't have the right opportunity to learn. His skills stayed dormant, all that time. 

Stealing the opportunity An Yuan was originally fated to have, Han Changsheng had to be brave and turn himself into an opportunity for An Yuan. Under his guidance, An Yuan made rapid progress and was ready for sword integration. 

Taking up his sword, An Yuan's voice was chilling. "Where have you been?"

Unable to see his face for the depth of night, Han Changsheng knew he was angry from his tone, alone. "Where I go is none of your business?"

An Yuan was silent, then smiled grimly. "Did you think it wouldn't matter if you didn't have me around these past two months?"

Over the past two months, Han Changsheng's internal power had stabilized after An Yuan started a.s.sisting his respite each day. At least he wouldn't go into Qi deviation with the littlest movement. However, he had reached a bottleneck that lasted for over a month. Only part of the internal power had been integrated, just a fraction more than what he once had. He was still far from absorbing all the old man's power. 

He still wasn't sure if An Yuan planned to keep helping him. At this rate, it would take two years to conquer his internal power. 

Han Changsheng was not in the mood to fight with him. His conversation with Gu Mingxiao left him in a strange disposition. He thought he'd be able to put an end to everything in three months when he sent the Dog Lord to the Wulin conference. However, the old case of the Tianyuan villa had come up again. Nothing was so simple. 

Shifting the topic, Han Changsheng said, "Go rest. We can talk tomorrow."

Walking past An Yuan, he heard him say, "Unless I let you go, you can't think…"

An Yuan was silenced when Han Changsheng put something in his hand. He lowered his head, bringing the object closer to his eyes. Under the faint moonlight, he saw that Han Changsheng had given him a pair of embroidered underwear. 

Patting him on the shoulder, Han Changsheng said, "You see, I think of you all the time. Don't be too moved. Go to bed. I have something to tell you tomorrow." 

An Yuan: "…"

Translator(s): Empress
TL Check: Teo
Editor(s): Nadialuxxor
Proofer(s): Dark

It's Bet's birthday! As someone very near and dear to my heart, I wanted to celebrate with her as well as all of our readers. Once you finish this chapter, you can move right on to the next one~ 

That's right, you guys get two updates this time! 

I hope you enjoy them, and I hope she has a fantastic birthday this year. After all, she's the one who created our little corner of the internet, here at Betwixted b.u.t.terfly!