Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

A few days crawled by inside the hidden canyon. It was kinda weirdly peaceful, actually. Wang Jian spent most of the time locked away, probably meditating or whatever cultivators do to patch themselves up after getting smacked around.

Chen Ying did the same, vanishing into her own little corner, her chilly vibe somehow getting even colder. Liu Ruyan kept busy, fussing over the piles of herbs and pills they’d nicked, looking like a proper little alchemist. Yue Lingshan practiced her array stuff, sometimes helping the rescued disciples who were still jumpy as hell.

Finally, Wang Jian decided they’d chilled long enough. He strolled out into the main cavern area, looking mostly healed up, though still a bit pale. That godly aura of his was back, though.

”Alright, folks, pack it up,” he announced, his voice echoing a bit. ”The immediate danger’s gone, yeah, but this whole area’s unstable. Hanging around here longer doesn’t do us any good.”

He gathered Yue Lingshan, Chen Ying, and the group of rescued disciples, including his new collection of very grateful, very scared maids.

”Lingshan,” he started, turning to his main girl, ”you’re heading back. Escort these disciples towards the sect territory. Take your ape, and the eagle – that thing’s fast, should keep you safe from any random trouble.”

He then looked over at Bai Qingzhu, Li Meiying, Liu Xiangfei, and the others, his expression turning formal, unreadable. ”Bai Qingzhu, Li Meiying, Liu Xiangfei, and the rest of you,” he addressed his freshly acquired sluts, ”your journey with Deacon Yue begins now. Your duty is clear. Serve her well. Understand?”

They all bowed deeply, almost pressing their foreheads to the ground. ”Yes, Master!” their voices chorused, a mix of fear and utter subservience. Yue Lingshan didn’t seem to notice the ’Master’ part, probably thinking it was just extreme gratitude.

Wang Jian turned back to Yue Lingshan, his tone softening again. ”When you get back to our place, focus on beefing up the defenses. Use the stuff we looted from those Hundred Beast Manor idiots. Dig into those manuals you found. More importantly, I need better concealment. The illusions we have are okay, but not great.”

His gaze then shifted, landing pointedly on Chen Ying who stood silently nearby. ”Senior Sister Chen,” he said, using the formal address, his tone respectful but firm, ”Your grandfather... he’s a big shot with formations, right? A master? Any chance he might have a top-shelf concealment array lying around? Something stronger than the smoke and mirrors we’re using now?”

Chen Ying met his gaze, her expression as cold and unreadable as ever. ”My grandfather does possess such arrays,” she replied, her voice clipped. ”But they are treasures, not trinkets to be handed out freely. He guards them closely. If Junior Brother Wang requires one... then perhaps you’d be willing to offer some... appropriate compensation?” She paused, letting the implication hang. ”Maybe... a steady supply of pills? Foundation Establishment breakthrough pills, perhaps? For myself, naturally.”

Wang Jian had to hide a smile. Clever girl. Using the situation to bargain for her own benefit, even as his slave. He liked that. ”A fair request, Senior Sister Chen,” he agreed easily. ”Very reasonable. Consider it done. Soon as I get back from this little trip to the Crimson Pill Sect, I’ll cook up whatever pills you need. You have my word.”

”Very well,” Chen Ying nodded curtly, the deal struck. ”I’ll head back to the sect first, retrieve the array plans and whatever materials he’ll give me from my Ancestor. I’ll meet Deacon Yue at the dwelling shortly after she arrives.” Without another word, she turned, summoned a sleek, sword-shaped flying artifact – clearly a personal, high-speed treasure – and shot out of the canyon, disappearing into the misty concealment array.

With Chen Ying gone, Yue Lingshan turned to Wang Jian, her earlier confidence replaced by a soft worry. She stepped close, wrapping her arms around him tightly. ”Jian, please be careful,” she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. ”That place... the Crimson Pill Sect... it sounds like a mess. And with just Junior Sister Liu Ruyan... Send word. Often. Let me know you’re safe.”

He held her close, stroking her back, playing the part of the loving, reassuring husband perfectly. ”Don’t you worry about me, my love,” he murmured soothingly. ”I’m just going to help an ally, maybe peek at some rare herbs. What trouble could I possibly get into?” He gave her a smile that was meant to be comforting, but held a hidden, predatory edge she didn’t see. ”Focus on your cultivation, strengthen our home. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He gave her one last, long kiss, then gently pushed her towards the large, sturdy flying boat artifact they’d salvaged from the loot – perfect for transporting the group.

Yue Lingshan took a deep breath, nodded, and led the group of survivors, now officially her maids, onto the flying boat. With a final, lingering look back at Wang Jian, she activated the artifact. It rose slowly, clearing the canyon walls, and then accelerated, heading north towards the distant peaks of the Mystic Peak Sect.

Wang Jian and Liu Ruyan stood alone in the now-empty canyon, the silence broken only by the faint trickle of water somewhere in the rocks. The misty concealment array still shrouded them, hiding them from the outside world.

He watched the flying boat disappear into the northern sky. He kept his gentle, concerned expression perfectly in place until the boat was completely out of the range of even his powerful spiritual sense.

Then, slowly, deliberately, the mask dropped.

The gentle warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a raw, consuming, predatory hunger. A slow, dark, demonic grin spread across his face.

He turned to Liu Ruyan.

She was standing nervously a few feet away, clutching her hands together, her heart pounding like a drum against her ribs. She had seen that look in his eyes before. It terrified her and thrilled her in equal measure.

He didn’t speak. Words weren’t necessary now.

He simply moved. He closed the distance between them in a single, fluid step and pulled her fiercely, almost brutally, into his arms. Her soft gasp was swallowed by his mouth crashing down on hers.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was a kiss of ownership, of pent-up desire unleashed. It was deep, possessive, demanding, a kiss that stole her breath, melted her bones, and sent wildfire racing through her veins. He lifted her effortlessly, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, clinging to him as if he were the only solid thing in a spinning world.

He carried her like that, their mouths still locked together, towards the sleek, black Serpent Scale Soarer waiting nearby.

They boarded the artifact, and the moment it lifted silently off the ground, accelerating like a black arrow towards the southeast and the Crimson Pill Sect, he sat down hard on the deck, pulling her down firmly onto his lap. Her soft, generous buttocks pressed intimately against the hard ridge of his already-raging erection through their clothes.

His hands, which had been tangled in her hair, immediately began their brazen exploration. They slid under the layers of her elegant green robes, finding the soft, warm, trembling skin beneath. He cupped her large, soft breasts, his thumbs finding her nipples through the thin fabric of her inner clothes, teasing them, rolling them until they were hard, aching peaks.

”Jian... ah...” Liu Ruyan gasped, her head thrown back, her carefully maintained composure shattering into a thousand pieces. Her earlier nervousness, her lingering guilt about Yue Lingshan, it was all forgotten, burned away in the overwhelming tide of his touch, his scent, his sheer, undeniable power. ”We... we are... flying... someone might see...” she protested weakly, her voice a breathless moan.

He growled, a low, possessive sound deep in his chest. ”Let the heavens watch,” he snarled, his mouth finding the delicate, vulnerable curve of her neck. He bit down, gently, marking her as his, before licking the spot soothingly. His hand slid down her back, cupping her surprisingly plump buttock, grinding her down against his hardness. ”You are mine, Liu Ruyan. Understand? Everywhere we go is my bedchamber. Anyone who dares look... I’ll gouge their eyes out.”

She shivered, a thrill of fear and excitement racing through her at his possessive words.

He pulled down the collar of her robes slightly, just enough to reveal the enticing, creamy swell of her cleavage. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses to the soft skin, licking and biting gently, driving her absolutely wild. ”So soft... so perfect... Did you miss this, my sweet fairy? Did you ache for it while I was playing the doting husband?”

”Yes... ah... Jian... please...” she whimpered, her hands clutching at his shoulders, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Their journey became an extended, exquisite torture session of pure foreplay. He kept her pinned on his lap, his prisoner, his plaything. His hands were relentless, constantly touching, caressing, squeezing, exploring every inch of her body through her clothes. His mouth was a weapon, kissing her deeply one moment, nibbling on her earlobe the next, whispering lewd, filthy promises into her ear that made her blush crimson and moan helplessly.

He kept her perpetually on the very edge of arousal, a hair’s breadth from climax, but never allowed her the release she craved. He was deliberately building the tension, the anticipation, making her ache, making her beg for the complete fulfillment he had promised her back at the canyon. He wanted her desperate. He wanted her utterly consumed by her need for him when they finally reached their destination.

After two days of this relentless, pleasurable torment, they finally neared the borders of the Crimson Pill Sect’s vast territory. The air began to change, growing richer, sweeter, filled with the complex, intoxicating fragrance of a million different spirit herbs.

Wang Jian finally, reluctantly, eased his assault, though he kept Liu Ruyan firmly pinned on his lap. ”Alright, playtime’s over for now,” he murmured, his voice still thick with desire. ”Time to become ghosts. We switch artifacts now. Yours. I can’t exactly announce my arrival flying a Mystic Peak Deacon’s personal ride.”

Liu Ruyan, flushed, trembling, and aching with unfulfilled need, nodded weakly. She retrieved her own flying artifact from her storage pouch. It was a graceful, elegant, lotus-shaped boat carved from pure, milky-white jade. It was slower, much less conspicuous than the aggressive-looking Serpent Scale Soarer, and it blended perfectly with the aesthetic of the Crimson Pill Sect.

Wang Jian landed the Soarer in a dense, hidden grove of ancient trees miles from the border, carefully concealing it with a simple illusion array before storing it away. He then turned to Liu Ruyan, a strange, focused look in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, and his entire presence seemed to... change. He demonstrated a technique she had never seen before, something profound and deeply unsettling. The ”Void-Merging Breath.”

His aura, usually so powerful and distinct, simply vanished. His physical form seemed to flicker, like a candle flame in a strong wind, then fade, merging seamlessly with the surrounding light and shadows. One moment he was standing before her; the next, he was simply... gone. She couldn’t see him. She couldn’t sense him. It was as if he had ceased to exist.

”Impressive, isn’t it?” his voice whispered, seemingly coming from the air right beside her ear, sending a fresh wave of shivers down her spine. ”I will ride with you, unseen. A ghostly passenger. Lead the way directly to your dwelling. Avoid unnecessary contact. Don’t talk to me unless absolutely necessary. Just act normal.”

”Y-yes, Jian,” she stammered, still reeling from his vanishing act.

They boarded her lotus boat, and she guided it across the border. The landscape below transformed into an alchemist’s paradise. Vast, meticulously tended gardens carpeted the rolling hills and mountainsides, filled with glowing, multi-colored medicinal plants arranged in intricate patterns. Rivers ran clear as crystal, their banks lined with rare, shimmering water-element herbs. Even the clouds drifting lazily overhead seemed to carry a faint, pleasant, and vaguely sweet medicinal aroma.

Wang Jian, though invisible, was keenly observing, his senses drinking it all in. His Verdant Eternal Spring Essence vibrated with excitement, sensing the incredible variety and potency of the life force below.

’Incredible!’ his mind buzzed with pure, unadulterated greed. ’Is that Spirit Consolidation Grass just growing wild by the roadside? And that patch over there... are those actual Seven-Star Soul Flowers? Enough to refine a dozen Soul Nourishing Pills! This place isn’t just a sect; it’s a treasure trove beyond measure! I must acquire seeds. Roots. Specimens. Everything. My garden needs these.’ His alchemist’s heart pounded with a covetous desire.

They flew past elegant outer sect pavilions, their architecture often incorporating living, sculpted trees and flowing water features. Smoke, carrying complex herbal scents, curled from the chimneys of dozens of alchemy workshops. Cauldrons, both massive and miniature, seemed to be a common decorative motif, etched onto walls and gates. The disciples they saw below moved with a quiet, focused purpose, their green and white robes clean and neat, their expressions serious.

Liu Ruyan navigated the familiar territory, her heart pounding with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Bringing him here, her secret lover, her demonic master, into the heart of her ’righteous’ sect... it felt like the ultimate transgression, the ultimate thrill.

As they approached the core area, a series of beautiful, secluded valleys where the Deacons and personal disciples resided, Wang Jian’s invisible voice whispered his final instructions in her ear.

”Take me directly to your dwelling. Ensure it is secure. Once I am safely inside and hidden again, your work begins. Go gather information. Find out everything. The exact situation with this Elder Fu. Your Master’s plans. The rules, the stakes, and the participants of this ridiculous pill refinement competition.”

His voice dropped, taking on that familiar, predatory edge that made her tremble. ”Then... invite some guests. A few of your beautiful Senior or Junior Sisters. Tell them you wish to catch up after your long mission, exchange insights on the Dao of Alchemy before the competition heats up. You know the type I prefer. Choose wisely.”

Liu Ruyan understood his unspoken desire perfectly. He didn’t just want intelligence. He wanted entertainment. He wanted new flowers for his collection. A thrill, mixed with a pang of jealousy she quickly suppressed, ran through her.

”Yes, Jian,” she whispered back, her voice filled with a tremor of forbidden excitement. ”I understand. I will choose... the most beautiful, most captivating flowers in our entire sect. For you.”