The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 9: I Want His Boundless Potential, And I Want His Youthful Brilliance Even More

　　Si Yao was stunned. She never expected her favorability with Jiang Shuo to rise at a time like this. Looked like helping him more often really did make those points go up faster.

　　She pushed down the joy bubbling in her chest and kept her expression calm as she faced Yun Xiao.

　　“As you can see, I follow Jiang Shuo because I have my eyes on him.”

　　“I want his boundless potential, and I want his youthful brilliance even more.”

　　Her voice was crisp and lovely, like pearls falling onto jade. It echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

　　Jiang Shuo’s heart stirred when he heard her.

　　Si Yao smiled sweetly. She lifted a pale jade-like hand to rest her chin on it, a playful glint in her eyes. Her light-blue robes swayed as she wandered around the pile of rare treasures in the hall, her steps graceful and lively.

　　“Whether or not I have the ability to keep pace with Jiang Shuo, even if I’m only in the early Foundation Establishment stage, he would still choose me over Yun Xiangxiang.”

　　Her smile turned sly. Her voice was beautiful, but every word carried a clear challenge.

　　On this matter, Si Yao had absolute confidence. Jiang Shuo hated being manipulated more than anything, no matter the method.

　　Trying to tie him down with Yun Xiangxiang? Impossible.

　　That was the one thing that would always make Jiang Shuo bristle.

　　“Miss Yun is certainly gifted and beautiful, but I hope everyone here understands that not all people will be drawn to her.” Si Yao added lightly.

　　“At the very least, Jiang Shuo won’t be.”

　　The elders of the Yun clan erupted with fury, their beards bristling and eyes blazing red. Yun Xiangxiang was their shared pride, the clan’s shining prodigy, absolutely untouchable. Even hearing someone simply say they were uninterested in her was something they could not tolerate.

　　Yun Xiao nearly lost control on the spot. A mere early Foundation Establishment nobody dared challenge him to his face?

　　He let out a cold snort. The pressure belonging to a peak Nascent Soul cultivator burst forth at once. If he let this girl walk out unharmed, the Yun clan’s reputation would hit rock bottom.

　　No one expected Yun Xiao to attack without warning. The crushing force of a Nascent Soul expert slammed down like a falling mountain. Si Yao’s brows twitched, and she tasted blood in her throat, almost coughing up a mouthful right there.

　　“You have a death wish?”

　　At that moment, Jiang Shuo’s icy voice rang out. The suffocating pressure on Si Yao vanished as suddenly as it came. She lifted her gaze toward him and saw sparks of anger burning in his dark eyes, bright enough to spread into a blaze.

　　His voice was cold, each word sharp enough to cut. He looked at Yun Xiao with calm indifference, yet the aura rolling off him made the entire hall seem small.

　　Yun Xiao’s heart trembled. Jiang Shuo hadn’t even taken a single step, yet the sheer force of his presence alone made it difficult to breathe. Staring into those burning eyes, an instinctive fear clawed its way up his spine. It felt as if Jiang Shuo could separate his head from his body the very next second if he so wished.

　　Jiang Shuo’s strength… far exceeded anything he had imagined.

　　“Young Hero Jiang, you misunderstand. The Yun clan never intended such a thing.” Yun Xiao forced out the words, swallowing his terror. He never expected Jiang Shuo to turn on the Yun clan over a mere Foundation Establishment girl.

　　It seemed that this girl held a far more unusual place in Jiang Shuo’s heart than he had believed.

　　“The people by my side are not yours to judge.”

　　Jiang Shuo tossed out the sentence without a hint of warmth and strode toward the exit. Throughout the entire moment, he never once glanced at Si Yao, yet she could feel a gentle stream of spiritual energy flow into her body, soothing her turbulent qi and nourishing her meridians.    

　　It was Jiang Shuo’s power.

　　She saw him walking away and hurried after him.

　　The Yun clan no longer dared to say a word. They could only watch the white and blue figures retreat into the distance. Only when the two finally disappeared did they dare to breathe again.

　　Cold sweat beaded on Yun Xiao’s forehead. Jiang Shuo’s presence was terrifying, far beyond anything the Yun clan could ever control.

　　—

　　Si Yao followed Jiang Shuo out of the Yun residence. He walked ahead, and she trailed behind him obediently.

　　With her head lowered, Si Yao sorted through the plot in her mind.

　　The story was now entering the middle to late stage. Jiang Shuo still had a few final bosses left, and those last bosses were all ancient monsters. Fierce, old, and ridiculously strong. With his current strength, he probably wasn’t a match for them yet.

　　Her job from here on was simple. Stay by Jiang Shuo’s side, raise his favorability, help him fight bosses, and correct the storyline so it followed its original trajectory.

　　But the favorability increase just now really caught her off guard. In the original story, Yun Xiangxiang died from poison, and Jiang Shuo brought her body home. The Yun clan used Yun Xiangxiang’s death to manipulate Jiang Shuo, repeatedly making unreasonable demands.

　　Not only that, the Yun clan later dragged him down whenever he was fighting bosses. But now that Yun Xiangxiang was still alive, Jiang Shuo would never be controlled by them. Which meant pushing future bosses and fixing the plot would be much easier.

　　The more Si Yao thought about it, the more she felt like a little genius. Everything was in the palm of her hand.

　　Lost in her brilliant plans, she didn’t notice that Jiang Shuo had already stopped walking. She kept going and walked a few more steps before bumping straight into something solid.

　　Si Yao rubbed her sore nose, brows knitted. She puffed up angrily and lifted her head to see who was standing there so blindly in the middle of the path.

　　When she looked up, she saw a familiar white robe first. Only then did she realize she had walked straight into Jiang Shuo’s chest.

　　She tilted her head back, and her gaze met his deep black eyes. There was no familiar coldness, nor the sharp hostility he had shown earlier. Instead, a faint and unreadable emotion lingered quietly in his gaze.

　　That look… it reminded Si Yao of ten years ago, when Jiang Shuo would always look at her the same way.

　　Once she realized it, she quickly broke eye contact and took a step back.

　　Jiang Shuo still didn’t speak. He simply turned and walked into the lavish, towering tavern beside them.

　　Si Yao hurried after him.

　　The moment they stepped inside, a waiter froze mid-task and rushed over with a bow. “Honored guests, please come in.”

　　Jiang Shuo said nothing. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the waiter a spirit stone that shimmered with an otherworldly glow. The waiter took one look and immediately straightened up, leading them forward with even more enthusiasm.

　　He guided Jiang Shuo and Si Yao into an ornate private room, then backed out respectfully.

　　Si Yao really did not want to be alone with Jiang Shuo when his emotions were this unreadable, but for the sake of finishing her task sooner, she forced herself to follow him. She needed a chance to raise his affection value.

　　She had just moved to sit down when Jiang Shuo’s cold voice cut through the air.

　　“Si Yao, it has been years, yet your talent for spouting nonsense has grown quite a bit.”

　　The words had barely left his lips when the system prompt chimed in her mind.

　　【Target’s Favorability -10】

 

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