Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist

Chapter 912: Checking Upon The Loot

The silence that fell upon the canyon was heavier and more suffocating than the previous roar of battle. It was a dead quiet, punctuated only by the soft, wet dripping of blood from the rocks and the pathetic, whimpering cries of the few surviving, now ownerless, spirit beasts.

The scene was a gruesome masterpiece of a slaughter. The bodies of over a hundred Hundred Beast Manor cultivators were strewn across the canyon floor like broken dolls, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles, their beast-hide armor stained a dark, glistening crimson. The air was a thick, gag-inducing cocktail of fresh blood, spilled guts, and the faint, lingering, and strangely sweet scent of Liu Ruyan’s alchemical poisons.

Wang Jian stood in the center of the carnage, his breathing still slightly ragged, but his eyes were clear and cold. He looked at the scene not with horror, but with the deep, quiet satisfaction of a farmer surveying a bountiful, bloody harvest.

Yue Lingshan, however, was not so detached. She stood beside him, her beautiful face pale, a hand held over her mouth and nose. ”Gods, Jian... the smell. It’s horrible. So many... so many dead.”

Chen Ying, wiping a single, stray splash of blood from her cheek with a cold, indifferent finger, scoffed. ”It is the smell of victory, Junior Sister Yue. You should get used to it.”

Liu Ruyan said nothing. She simply stood a respectful step behind Wang Jian, her veiled gaze fixed on his back, her only concern his well-being and his approval.

Wang Jian ignored their differing reactions. His mind was already moving on to the next, most important phase. ”Don’t just stand there gawking,” he said, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. ”The job’s not done. Lingshan, take some of the array flags from their pouches. The higher-grade ones. Secure the entrances to this canyon. I want layers of concealment and warning arrays. I don’t want some lost spirit beast or wandering cultivator stumbling upon us while we work. We process the spoils here.”

”Right away, Jian,” Lingshan said, grateful for a task to focus on, to distract her from the carnage.

With the perimeter being secured, the grim but necessary task of looting the corpses began in earnest. Chen Ying was a natural at this, a cold and efficient vulture. She moved from body to body with a detached professionalism, retrieving the storage pouches she had already collected during the battle and expertly, almost contemptuously, stripping the remaining corpses of anything and everything of value.

It was a staggering amount of loot. They piled the storage pouches in the center of the canyon, a small mountain of ill-gotten gains. There were hundreds of them, from the simple leather pouches of the Qi Condensation disciples to the high-grade, embroidered silk pouches of the five Foundation Establishment deacons.

”Alright, let’s see what these paupers were carrying,” Wang Jian said, picking up the pouch that had belonged to the leader, Xiong Shan. He sent a wisp of his spiritual sense inside. A low, appreciative whistle escaped his lips.

”Not bad, not bad at all,” he murmured. ”He had a mid-grade defensive artifact, an ’Earthen Shell Vest’. Useless to any of us, but it’ll fetch a good price on the black market. And... oh, a nice set of ’Gale Force Boots’. Speed-enhancing. Might be useful.” He tossed the items onto a growing pile of artifacts. ”And a healthy stash of about three thousand mid-grade spirit stones. A decent haul for one man.”

He began to quickly sort through the other deacons’ pouches, his spiritual sense a whirlwind of efficient triage. The pile of treasures grew at an alarming rate. Defensive shields, offensive claw-like artifacts, speed-enhancing boots, and a small mountain of glittering spirit stones.

Liu Ruyan, her initial shock at the carnage giving way to an alchemist’s professional excitement, began to sift through the pouches containing pills and herbs. Her hands trembled slightly as she pulled out a jade bottle. ”Jian! Look!” she exclaimed, her voice a happy, excited whisper. ”This is a pouch full of high-grade Beast Nurturing Pills! These are incredibly difficult to concoct! And... by the heavens, is this a Dragon’s Blood Herb? A young one, but still... its value is immense!”

Even Chen Ying showed a flicker of interest as she found a set of finely crafted, beast-bone daggers, each one humming with a faint, dark energy. ”These are imbued with a trace of soul-attacking Qi,” she stated, her voice holding a rare note of approval. ”Useful.”

They found dozens of beast-taming pouches, many of them still containing subdued or injured spirit beasts, a ready-made army for anyone with the skill to command them. The potential for expanding their own power was immense.

But it was among Xiong Shan’s personal possessions that Wang Jian found the most interesting prize. Tucked away in a hidden compartment of his storage pouch were three encrypted jade slips.

’Maps?’ his mind raced. ’Communication logs? Or perhaps... details about their sect’s operations, their smuggling routes... or even, if I’m lucky, something about this hidden alliance of elders.’ He pocketed the slips. A project for later.

As they stood amidst the mountain of their bloody gains, the four of them were a perfect portrait of their individual natures. Yue Lingshan, her face still slightly pale, looked disturbed by the sheer, brutal totality of their victory. Chen Ying stood impassive, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, a silent, deadly guardian of their spoils. Liu Ruyan looked only at Wang Jian, her eyes, even from behind her veil, shining with a pure, simple adoration.

And Wang Jian... Wang Jian felt only a cold, deep, and utterly profound satisfaction. This was the way of the cultivation world. The strong ate. And today, they had feasted.

”Alright, let’s sort this junk into something useful,” Wang Jian declared, taking charge of the organizational chaos. He sat on a large, blood-free rock, the piles of loot arranged around him like a dragon on its hoard. ”Artifacts here, pills and herbs there, manuals in that pile. Spirit stones, consolidate them all into one of the larger pouches.”

The women obeyed instantly, the grim work of sorting through the possessions of the dead proceeding with a quiet, methodical efficiency.

His gaze then turned to the other survivors of the battle: the dozens of trapped, ownerless spirit beasts that were now milling about the sealed canyon in a state of confusion and fear. Some of the smaller ones were whimpering pitifully, while the larger, more aggressive ones snarled and paced, their bestial minds unable to comprehend the sudden disappearance of their masters.

”What about them, Jian?” Yue Lingshan asked, gesturing to the chaotic menagerie.

Wang Jian’s expression was cold, his voice even colder. ”Cull the weak. Harvest their cores. Subdue any that show even a hint of potential.”

Chen Ying didn’t need to be told twice. Her form blurred, her sword a flash of cold light. She moved through the lesser beasts like a phantom, her strikes clean, precise, and instantly fatal. It was not a battle; it was a harvest.

”Wait,” Wang Jian’s voice cut through the air. ”Those two. Leave them.”

He was pointing at a pair of sleek, grey wolves. They were only Third Grade, but their fur crackled with a faint, almost invisible lightning energy. As Chen Ying had approached, they had moved in perfect, terrifying concert, their movements a mirror of each other.

”And that one,” he added, pointing to a peculiar, unassuming tortoise that was trying, and failing, to hide in its shell. The shell itself was a strange, deep grey, and its surface was covered in a series of faint, complex runes that seemed to be a natural part of its carapace.

”Those two wolves... notice the faint lightning patterns on their fur?” he explained to the others. ”Those are Thunderclap Wolves. Fast as hell, and they hunt as one. And that tortoise... its shell has natural defensive runes. Very interesting. Potentially a descendant of an ancient Spirit-Shell Tortoise.”

He looked at Chen Ying. ”Senior Sister Chen,” he said, his tone formal and respectful for Yue Lingshan’s benefit. ”You have more than earned your pick of the spoils. Those wolves would suit your style.”

Chen Ying’s cold eyes gleamed with a flicker of genuine interest. She had seen it too. Their speed, their pack tactics... they were a perfect complement to her own assassination arts. ”Their speed will be a useful asset, Junior Brother Wang,” she stated coolly, a formal acceptance of his gift.

With the lesser beasts dealt with, Wang Jian then turned his attention to the two true prizes, the two magnificent, still-ensnared Fourth Grade beasts that lay weakened but defiant in the center of the canyon. The eight-headed Black-Scaled Flood Serpent and the colossal Sky-Ripper Eagle.

He walked first to Yue Lingshan, who was happily stroking the fur of her new Jade-Eyed Ape.

”Lingshan, my love,” he said, his voice a warm, affectionate murmur. ”Your little ape shows great potential, but its strength is still developing. It is a companion, a pet. But you... you deserve a true queen’s mount. A companion that matches your own magnificent spirit.”

He gestured to the Sky-Ripper Eagle. ”Its speed and aerial dominance would grant you unparalleled mobility in your array-crafting, and a devastating offensive power from the heavens.”

He then placed his hand on the great eagle’s head, performing the same dark, soul-branding taming ritual. The magnificent, proud beast, which had been struggling against its bonds, suddenly went still, its fierce, golden eyes now filled with a look of pure, fearful submission. He then offered it, his new, magnificent slave, to her.

Her joy was a palpable, radiant thing. To have such a powerful, majestic beast as her own... it was a dream come to life.

He then turned to Liu Ruyan, a warm, reassuring smile on his face. ”Junior Sister Ruyan,” he said, his voice gentle. ”Your Blood Spirit Flame is a potent, terrifying weapon. But as we saw, it leaves you vulnerable, a stationary target. You need a guardian.”

He gestured to the eight-headed Flood Serpent. ”This creature possesses formidable defenses. Its scales can repel most common artifacts. And its venomous attacks will provide you with a powerful offensive capability, a wall of death to protect you while you work your alchemy.”

He tamed the serpent with the same brutal, efficient ease, and offered the now-subservient, eight-headed monster to the shocked, overwhelmed alchemist.

It was then that Yue Lingshan, her joy slightly tempered by a sudden flicker of confusion, leaned close to him, her voice a soft, concerned whisper that only he could hear.

”Jian...” she murmured, her brow furrowed slightly. ”A Fourth Grade beast... for Junior Sister Ruyan? Isn’t that... a bit much? Is it wise? She is... an outsider, after all. And her combat prowess is... well...”

Wang Jian turned to her, his expression a perfect mask of earnest, pragmatic logic. He whispered back, ”Think pragmatically, Lingshan. You are right. Junior Sister Ruyan, as an alchemist, is indeed weaker in direct combat. That is precisely why she needs a guardian of this power. This serpent ensures her survival, which, in turn, makes her a far more reliable and useful ally to us.”

He then played his trump card, an appeal to their future gains. ”Furthermore,” he added, his voice dropping even lower, ”think of the political implications. A gift of this magnitude... it cements her loyalty to us, not just to her sect. Imagine the rare pill recipes, the alchemical secrets from her Sect Master’s private library that she might ’share’ with us in gratitude. She is not just an ally, Lingshan. She is a valuable trade partner. This is an investment in our future.”

His logic was, as always, flawless. Yue Lingshan’s momentary suspicion was completely assuaged, replaced by a renewed admiration for his sharp, strategic mind. She nodded in agreement.

Liu Ruyan, who had overheard snippets of the conversation, her heart hammering in her chest, felt a wave of pure, ecstatic devotion wash over her as she looked at the magnificent, eight-headed serpent that was now hers. He had not only gifted her an unimaginable treasure; he had defended her, championed her, in front of his own Dao Companion. He truly, truly valued her.

With the spoils divided and the beasts handled, Wang Jian gave his next command. ”This place is a bloody mess, and we can’t leave immediately. I am still recovering, and we all need time to properly sort and absorb these gains. This canyon will serve as our temporary base.”

He turned to his array master. ”Lingshan, I need you to turn this shithole into a fortress. Use the array flags and materials we just looted. I want layers of concealment, warning, and defensive arrays. Make this place invisible and impregnable for at least the next few days.”

Yue Lingshan’s eyes lit up. This was a challenge she could sink her teeth into. She eagerly began to sift through the looted array equipment, a happy, excited cry escaping her lips. ”Jian, look! This is a complete, high-grade Hundred Beast Manor ’Guardian Golem’ set! I’ve only ever read about these in the manuals! They can create four semi-sentient earth golems to patrol the perimeter! And these... these are ’Misty Veil’ concealment flags! The quality is superb!”

She immediately set to work, her hands a blur of motion as she planted array flags in strategic locations, buried dozens of high-grade spirit stones in hidden energy nodes, and etched temporary, reinforcing runes directly into the canyon walls.

She layered the arrays with a skill that was growing more impressive by the day. First, she set up the ”Misty Veil Concealment Array,” a thick, spiritual fog rolling in to fill the canyon, making it completely invisible from the outside. Within that, she embedded a ”Silent Sentinel Warning Grid,” a network of invisible tripwires that would alert them to anything that passed through the fog. And finally, as the main defense, she activated the ”Guardian Golem Defense Matrix,” the ground itself groaning as four massive, ten-foot-tall golems of rock and earth rose up, their glowing crystal eyes scanning the perimeter with a silent, tireless vigilance.

Wang Jian watched her work, a proud, approving look on his face. He would occasionally offer a quiet, almost casual suggestion that would solve a complex energy-flow problem she was struggling with. ”Angle that Sentinel flag three degrees to the east, my love. It’ll catch the blind spot from that overhanging rock formation.” His insights were always perfect, reinforcing their image as true partners in both love and war.

He then assigned the other roles. ”Senior Sister Chen, you’re our eyes and ears. Take your new wolves. Patrol the perimeter, outside the concealment array. Nothing gets within a mile of this place without us knowing.” Chen Ying, with a curt nod, vanished into the mist, her two new Thunderclap Wolves moving like silent, grey shadows at her heels.

”Junior Sister Ruyan,” he said, his voice softer. ”You have a great task. Sort through all these herbs and pills. See what’s useful for creating more poisons, and what we can use for healing and recovery. Your knowledge is invaluable here.” Liu Ruyan, eager to please, immediately set to work, her alchemist’s mind finding a calm, happy focus in the familiar task of cataloging her new treasures.

Within a few short hours, the bloody, corpse-strewn canyon had been transformed. It was now a hidden, heavily fortified, and completely invisible temporary base. The entrance was sealed, the air inside was cleansed by a simple purification array, and a sense of temporary, hard-won security finally descended upon the group.

Wang Jian nodded in satisfaction. He looked at his small, but terrifyingly efficient, team. They now had safety. They now had immense wealth. And most importantly, they now had time. Time to heal, time to grow stronger, and time for him to plan his next, audacious move.