I, the transmigrated villain, please wait, gentle master.

Chapter 9 You're admiring the scenery from high above, while I'm seeing the King of Hell.

In a bustling town somewhere in the human world.

Two unusual people arrived at the noodle stall, and the owner, not daring to neglect them, invited them to sit down.

Soon, a steaming bowl of plain noodles was placed in front of Li Tingyun.

The aroma of the oil is almost overflowing from the screen.

Wang Laoliu, who was behind the system control panel, stared intently, and tears welled up in his eyes.

I wanted to cry but couldn't, I wanted to speak but couldn't.

[Sobbing...]

Li Tingyun picked up her chopsticks. "What's wrong with you now? I'm already covered in goosebumps."

Brother, you have no idea how terrible my situation is right now.

I'm all alone in this dark room, even my basic human needs like eating, drinking, and relieving myself have been taken away. Unless I complete the mission to fix the novel's timeline, I won't even have the freedom to defecate; I'm bound to become depressed sooner or later.

[As a man, to be deprived of the freedom to defecate is truly an injustice, so unfair...]

Wang Laoliu complained a couple of times, then his voice gradually faded as he seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that Heaven's justice is not impartial, which is why it doesn't favor us.

Li Tingyun: "6."

He added vinegar to the bowl of noodles with gusto, showing no disrespect to the heroic spirit of this native of Shanxi.

Stir it with chopsticks, and it smells delicious.

Immediately afterwards, he wolfed down the noodles, even picking up the bowl and not letting a drop of soup go to waste.

The food was devoured in a whirlwind, but we weren't full.

Mei Shiyu sat opposite him, not touching her chopsticks, but watching as the bowls and plates on the corner of the table piled higher and higher.

The third, fourth, fifth... seventh bowl...

Little did they know that the noodle shop chef's arms were already flaming with energy.

The university student's astonishing appetite gave everyone present a slight shock.

Li Tingyun was busy talking, but that didn't stop him from communicating with the system in his mind:

"Mei Shiyu is going to the territory to retrieve the Fenjing Sword. This part of the story is relatively late in the original text."

"Sixth Brother, I remember in your original setting, the Fengdu Ghost Realm was governed by the Ten Kings of Hell, who were in charge of the eighteen levels of hell. Above them was the Fengdu Emperor, who was definitely not easy to deal with."

"Everyone else cultivates the path of immortality, but he cultivates the path of demons."

As the saying goes, "The three realms are Heaven, Earth, and Man," meaning the three realms are the celestial realm, the human realm, and the earth realm. Since Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between Heaven and Earth in ancient times, the celestial realm has been completely cut off from the human and earth realms.

All living beings in the human and earthly realms who wish to enter the celestial realm and enjoy the same age as the heavens and the sun and moon have only two paths to follow: cultivate immortality or cultivate demonic power.

Generally speaking, humans cultivate immortality, while ghosts cultivate demonic arts. Immortal cultivation sects occupy the most spiritually abundant places in the mortal realm, establishing protective barriers and dojos to isolate themselves from the mundane world; this is commonly known as the "immortal cultivation world."

Most ghosts and monsters are the souls of people or cultivators after their deaths and spiritual dissipation. They are unwilling to enter the cycle of reincarnation and fear the yang energy of the human world, so they gather in the mortal realm to cultivate the demonic path.

[Monsters and spirits mostly follow the demonic path, because cultivating immortality is difficult for them; they must first transform into human form to continue their progress. If they cultivate demonic arts, there are fewer restrictions. Even righteous people who cannot maintain their Daoist heart can fall into demonic ways.]

Li Tingyun: "Now that you mention it, the threshold for cultivating demonic arts seems quite low, but the Great Emperor of Fengdu is at least a thousand years old, and he hasn't become a demon yet?"

Cultivating demonic arts may seem to have a low barrier to entry, but in reality, it's easy to get started but difficult to exit; easy to begin but difficult to succeed at. Everything comes at a price; things that are easy to learn are often difficult to master, and even more difficult to succeed at.

In the world of cultivation, someone will ascend to immortality every thousand years; in the mortal realm, it takes ten thousand years to cultivate even one demon lord.

Li Tingyun: "Can one cultivate both the immortal and demonic paths simultaneously?"

You're blatantly lying; aren't you a living example yourself?

"I just can't understand why the original owner of this body wanted to cultivate both the immortal and demonic paths?"

"The Dao heart cannot be disturbed by demonic energy, and the demonic heart cannot be bound by the righteous path. So why was the original owner able to approach the Great Completion in such a muddled way, just one step away from ascension?"

"Isn't this the fault of the conflict you set up?"

Just one step away, and it's failure. Throughout history, there are countless examples of those who succeeded but failed at the last hurdle.

[It can only be said that Li Tingyun's original self was a genius of unparalleled talent, a genius among geniuses. He could cultivate two paths simultaneously to their extremes, but he couldn't take it any further because his starting point was wrong.]

He was too confident; he thought he could control two powers simultaneously. In reality, he was caught in a profound internal conflict, in a chaotic, torn, and incoherent state of madness, ultimately leading to his defeat at the hands of the protagonist.

[This is one of the most plausible ways for a villain to die, as outlined in my synopsis.]

Li Tingyun: "This reason sounds reasonable, but—"

Doesn't this mean that he's very likely to die like this in the future?!

Chaos, madness, and near-failure.

Unless he can find a way to balance the two forces.

[That's all a long way off, host. You should consider your current situation first.]

Looking at the ten bowls of noodles piled high in front of him, and the empty vinegar bottle, Li Tingyun swallowed hard, suppressing the burp that was about to escape his throat.

Chao Mei Shi Yu gave an embarrassed smile.

"Master, I'm done eating."

Thanks for the feed.

Mei Shiyu nodded, paid the bill, and led him out of the noodle shop.

He thought to himself, "I must strictly supervise my apprentice to learn how to fast before my wallet is completely empty."

Li Tingyun stretched his limbs, rested his head on his arms, and said swayingly, "The bowls in the southern towns are too small. What they call a 'washbasin' is what we call a proper bowl for a meal in my hometown."

Mei Shiyu smiled and said, "Che'er, you've become quite talkative these days."

"Really? So I'm a talkative person?"

Li Tingyun didn't reflect on his actions at all. "It must be because someone like Master is very comfortable to be around. I feel very relaxed when I'm with Master. It's just..."

Mei Shiyu: "Hmm? Just what?"

"I would be even happier if Master stopped calling me 'Che'er' from now on."

"If I don't call you 'Che'er,' then what should I call you?"

“You can call me ‘Yuanbao’. That’s the nickname my mother gave me. She’s called me that since I was little, and I’m used to it.”

"Ingots?"

Mei Shiyu couldn't help but laugh.

"Disciple is here. What are your orders, Master?"

“I was just trying to call you, I didn’t give any instructions.”

“Master, you may call me at any time. I will be there whenever you call, even at the cost of my life.”

Li Tingyun was careless and fearless, saying whatever came to mind.

[Hey, host, it's not my fault for reminding you, but your character is way too out of character! Some of the things you say don't sound like they'd come from the protagonist at all.]

Yuan Che is naturally taciturn and reserved; he's modeled after Guo Jing.

【You're almost turning Brother Jing into Wei Xiaobao!】

[Be careful, or you'll completely ruin your plans.]

Li Tingyun strolled behind Mei Shiyu, leisurely holding a blade of grass in his mouth, and mentally retorted:

Do you think that if I take this role-playing game seriously, it will make a difference?

"The system said I would definitely meet the real protagonist in Fengdu. It was destined that my identity as an imposter would be exposed."

"It's just a matter of time."

【You can't just give up! It's dangerous for you to be like this. If Mei Shiyu finds out halfway through, you won't make it to Fengdu, the mission will be ruined, and you might even die.】

Upon hearing this, Li Tingyun immediately threw away the foxtail grass, caught up with Mei Shiyu, and walked up to him, asking:

"Master, can't we fly on swords? How long would it take us to get there on foot?"

Mei Shiyu stopped in his tracks, drew his sword from its sheath, and gripped the hilt of the Green Frost Sword tightly.

A handsome face was hidden behind a cloak, and his expression was somewhat inscrutable.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Tingyun said to the system:

"Sixth Brother, you're right. We should get to Fengdu as soon as possible. The underworld is a place that doesn't welcome cultivators, but it's relatively tolerant of mortals. In Fengdu, we might be able to think of a better way to escape."

Mei Shiyu examined the blade of the Green Frost Sword and sighed almost inaudibly.

The flying sword immediately soared into the air.

He casually grabbed his "apprentice" by the collar and tossed him behind him.

They only let go of him after making sure he had a firm footing.

Unexpectedly, my waist tightened.

The boy clung tightly to his waist, his arms trembling slightly.

"Yuan Che?"

Li Tingyun steeled his heart and opened his eyes. "What's wrong, Master?"

Mei Shiyu turned to him and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine."

Li Tingyun looked down and saw the bustling scenery of the world below. Although he couldn't see it clearly through the hazy mist, he was still amazed.

He certainly couldn't let this opportunity, which was something modern people would kill for, slip away. However, the dizziness he felt looking down at the earth from high above was still lingering and the experience was far from pleasant.

It was even a little disgusting.

Feeling lightheaded and unsteady, as if my body had no footing.

Even though he was firmly standing on the Qing Shuang sword, he felt as if he were walking on a pile of cotton, stumbling and swaying unsteadily, and could only hold on tightly to Mei Shiyu.

[Host, are you afraid of heights?]

"Maybe... I don't know, but I do feel a bit dizzy from swords."

The scenery below is beautiful; take a few more looks, and you might just desensitize yourself.

"What you see is scenery, what I see is the King of Hell."

"I don't know why, but I'm so sleepy, it feels like... I can't keep my eyes open..."

[Host! Host! Hey, wake up! You absolutely can't fall asleep—]

Mei Shiyu suddenly felt a loosening around her waist.

He had a bad feeling in his heart, and his body reacted as quickly as possible.

He scooped the boy behind him into his arms and held him firmly.

Oh no, we're doomed.

Wang Laoliu was left alone, bewildered in the wind.