Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Shen Haoran lay casually on his massive king sized bed, his arms folded behind his head as he stared intently at the intricate golden formations etched into the high ceiling, seemingly lost deep in profound, strategic thought.

The soft, ambient glow of the protective arrays illuminated the sharp, noble angles of his handsome face, making him look like a slumbering deity resting after a grand cosmic war.

Or, at least, that was exactly what it appeared to be to any outside observer.

In truth, hidden beneath the thick locks of his brilliant, shimmering golden hair, there was a remarkably small, highly sophisticated crescent-shaped communication artifact hooked securely onto his left ear.

A faint, near-invisible ripple of encrypted spiritual frequency vibrated through the device.

He was currently engaged in a highly confidential, cross-dimensional vocal transmission with his mother, Chu Xueyu, as she quietly and meticulously informed him of the sudden, chaotic situation unfolding within the ancestral borders of the Shen Clan Domain.

Apparently, because of his action of taking all those graduating students and killing of Tai Yuhao earlier that afternoon, the overall luck pool of their lineage had spiked so violently that the foundational Concealment Array had suffered a momentary, dangerous destabilization.

To mend the crack and keep the blind eyes of the Heavens firmly blocked, the ancient, reclusive Supremes of his clan could no longer be casually deployed to the outside world, their vast cultivation essence entirely locked into the formation’s core.

Furthermore, with the heavenly dao now highly alert and actively shifting fate to protect its remaining playthings, hunting down and plundering the future chosen ones would undoubtedly become exponentially harder and more treacherous.

”I see. I understand, mother. Then, under these new constraints, I should probably drastically slow down my pace, exercise extreme caution, and plan my future moves much more carefully,” Haoran said smoothly, his deep voice carrying a tone of rational calculation as he analyzed the current situation and his future plans.

But the exact second the suggestion left his lips, the sharp, authoritative, and fiercely protective voice of his mother crackled through the communication artifact, instantly shattering his cautious line of reasoning.

[No. Don’t change a single thing from your plans, Haoran.]

Haoran raised an eyebrow, but didn’t interrupt her.

[I think I already told you before, didn’t I? Run as wild as your heart desires. Do absolutely whatever you want. Even if your actions cause the very heavens to violently fall apart, your mother can easily hold the sky up for you with my bare hands. You never have to be cautious or careful in this pathetic world; just ruthlessly do whatever you think is the best for your path.]

Haoran paused mid-breath at that fierce, unconditional declaration of maternal backing.

Then, a slow, genuinely warm, and beautifully confident smile gradually spread across his handsome face, the tension completely draining from his eyes. ”I understand completely, Mother. I won’t disappoint you.”

[Good. A young master of the Shen Clan should never, ever be afraid of causing a little bit of trouble. Anyways, that is absolutely all I am going to say to you tonight. Your aunts and I still have a massive mountain of administrative arrays and clan preparations to handle, so I’ll be officially ending the call here.]

”Alright. Take good care of yourself, Mother,” Haoran murmured softly.

With a final, comforting hum, the spiritual frequency snapped shut, and the voice vanished, leaving the luxurious bedroom in absolute silence once more.

Haoran slowly reached up, unhooking the sleek, crescent-shaped communication artifact from his left ear, and with a casual wave of his wrist, he tossed it safely back into the deep spatial recesses of his high-grade storage ring.

He smoothly sat up on the edge of the mattress, running a hand through his golden hair, and was just about to get up to pour himself a cup of refreshing spiritual water when a soft, hesitant, and highly rhythmic knock was suddenly heard against the thick wood of his bedroom door.

”Come in,” he commanded smoothly, his voice returning to its usual tone of calm, effortless authority.

*Click.*

The heavy double doors slowly swung open, and the energetic figures of Huo Yue and Ning Xueli walked inside the spacious room.

However, they weren’t alone; the two girls were actively, mischievously pushing a thoroughly paralyzed, incredibly red-faced Zhu Ziyan through the threshold.

The cat-eared girl was dressed from head to toe in a breathtaking, incredibly intricate silk maid outfit that beautifully hugged every single curve of her slender yet highly voluptuous figure, the crisp white apron contrasting sharply against the rich black fabric of her dress.

Haoran raised a sharp, elegant golden eyebrow at the bizarre sight, a flash of pure amusement gleaming in his eyes. ”What exactly do you think you are doing?”

”Haoran, we’re about to leave for the auction house right now,” Huo Yue grinned widely, a deeply devious, playful glint flashing across her eyes as she crossed her arms proudly. ”And since you look so exhausted from your little fight against that old Saint earlier, we believe you probably won’t be interested in coming along with us tonight. So, after a brief democratic discussion at the dinner table, we unanimously decided to leave Ziyan right here behind with you to properly take care of your needs!”

Huo Yue’s grin widened into a massive, mischievous smirk as Ning Xueli gave a soft, high-pitched laugh, forcefully pushing a trembling Ziyan a few steps further into the plush bedroom.

Ziyan was completely incapable of looking up.

She just submissively lowered her head, her fingers tightly twisting the fabric of her white apron as a deep, burning crimson blush colored her cheeks, the intense flush vividly visible through the soft, silver moonlight filtering in through the grand balcony windows.

Haoran let out a low, melodious chuckle, finding their actions rather amusing.

However, food is about to be delivered to your mouth, what kind of idiot would turn it down?

Moving with fluid, effortless speed, he reached out, grabbed Ziyan’s small, trembling hands, and with a sudden, firm tug, he pulled her soft body directly toward his position on the massive bed.

She let out a sharp gasp as she tumbled forward, with Haoran letting her lay comfortably across his lap while he lazily extended his fingers to caress her glossy hair and rub the sensitive bases of her furry cat ears.

”Ah...” Ziyan let out a soft, involuntary moan of pure bliss, her entire body shivering under his touch.

She immediately covered her burning face with both hands, her delicate ears twitching frantically with every gentle, rhythmic caress of his long fingers.

”Hahaha, enjoy your private evening, you two!” Huo Yue laughed loudly, backing toward the exit.

”I personally picked out the outfit and dressed her up myself! Make sure to give me a good review later, alright?” Ning Xueli said with a wide, chaotic smile of absolute glee.

Haoran offered a brief, satisfied nod of his head toward the two matchmakers. ”You all are leaving now?”

Huo Yue nodded her head firmly. ”Yep! Every single person is already waiting at the front gates. Only the two of you will remain inside the villa tonight, so you can go as incredibly loud and wild as you want without worrying about a thing! Anyways, we’ll be going now, bye!”

”Bye-bye!” Ning Xueli chirped.

With that final, chaotic farewell, Huo Yue and Ning Xueli quickly skipped out of the bedroom and pulled the heavy doors shut with a definitive click, leaving the two occupants completely alone within the quiet, moonlight-washed sanctuary.

Haoran looked down at the intensely shy, trembling cat-kin girl lying across his lap, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly, the vibrations of his chest rumbling against her shoulder.

”Sit up on my lap properly.”

Ziyan parted her slender fingers just a fraction of an inch, her purple eyes peeking up at his handsome face with absolute submission.

Then, moving slowly and with a fluid, mesmerizing grace, she rose up from her lying position and sat down directly across his lap, her body facing him completely as she straddled his waist.

Haoran smoothly placed his large, warm hands around her slender waist, anchoring her firmly to his body.

Ziyan let out a shaky breath, raising her arms to gently wrap them around his neck, her gaze locked onto his chest as she still looked completely, utterly embarrassed by the sheer proximity.

”I think I remember Yue mentioning some time ago that you actually possessed a proper cat tail before,” Haoran murmured smoothly, his golden eyes trailing down her back.

Ziyan nodded her head meekly, her voice a soft, breathless whisper. ”Y-Yeah... I actually do. It’s a fundamental trait of my lineage.”

Due to the flawed cultivation method of the Eastern Region, Zhu Ziyan’s family had their bloodlines altered through generations, giving them cat-like traits.

Although, since she started traveling with Huo Yue, she fixed those flaws, but her cat ears and tail can no longer disappear as it has become part of her lineage.

”I possess the ability to make them appear or disappear at will through my qi. I mainly choose to manifest them when I am moving at high speeds during combat, as the extra limb directly helps with my aerodynamic balance. D-Do you... do you want to see them?”

”Yes,” Haoran smiled beautifully, his hands tightening slightly around her waist.

Ziyan offered a soft, compliant nod and gently closed her purple eyes, taking a deep breath to steady her internal energy.

Slowly, a beautiful, deep purple spiritual light began to manifest right at the base of her lower back, swirling in a gentle vortex.

From the core of the radiance, her sleek, dark purple feline tail slowly appeared, stretching out into the air as if a celestial artist were drawing it into reality with a brush.

When the glowing purple light finally dissipated into harmless sparks, her long, glossy tail was gently swinging and curling behind her back, moving in perfect synchronization with her nervous heartbeat.

Haoran stared at it in wonder.

”I read that caressing a catcs tail can instantly trigger a highly intense, completely natural mating reflex,” he whispered darkly, his long fingers slowly trailing down from her slender waist, sliding smoothly along the length of her newly manifested tail.

The exact second his skin made contact with the ultra-sensitive fur, Ziyan’s entire body violently shivered from head to toe.

Her hands gripped the back of his neck tightly as she started breathing incredibly heavily, her lips parting as a sudden, intense wave of heat flooded her meridians.

Haoran smiled with absolute victory, seeing her physical reaction. ”So the legends were entirely true, then.”

”Y-Young Master... I... please...” Ziyan stammered, her purple eyes completely hazy with deep affection and submission as she looked at him.

Haoran didn’t waste another second on words.

He reached up, firmly grabbed her delicate chin with his fingers to lift her burning face, and without a single shred of hesitation, he leaned forward and fiercely captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

Ziyan’s eyes widened for an instant.

Her first intimate kiss(the one earlier doesn’t count!)...she had always thought after Tai Yuhao’s ’death’, she wouldn’t get the chance to experience this.

After all, she has been so focused on survival that she hasn’t even thought of finding herself a man.

Now, she was kissing a man, and not just any man, but her best friend’s fiance!

It’s honestly....exciting!