Villain: You Want Me to Follow the Plot and Die? I’m Done Pretending - Chapter 36:

Chapter 36: I Run My Business with Integrity:

Ling Xue felt utterly humiliated. Her mouth was stuffed, and she couldn’t speak.

Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks as she looked at Gu Feng, disbelief filling her eyes.

Sensing her gaze, Gu Feng turned his head and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, you won’t die.”

Relying on the female lead’s luck, she would survive better than anyone else.

At this moment, the system couldn’t contain its curiosity any longer and asked, [Host, aren’t you afraid the female lead will turn evil after this?]

“She can turn as evil as she wants. What does that have to do with me?” Gu Feng replied indifferently. “In fact, it’s even better if she does. Since the Heavenly Dao’s attention is focused on her, it won’t notice me. Doesn’t that make things safer for you, the mastermind?”

His words were laced with sarcasm, causing the system to fall silent. The host was clearly still upset about unfulfilled promises.

However, Gu Feng paid no mind to what the system thought. He believed that his actions had multiple advantages. The female lead had dug up someone’s ancestral grave—a morally wrong act. By handing over the criminal, he was demonstrating a sense of justice while also building a good relationship with the Snow Tribe. The Snow Tribe held a shocking secret, and by doing this, Gu Feng could accomplish multiple goals at once.

Simply brilliant.

The beast search squads had mostly returned to their nests to sleep after a day of searching. The Snow Tribe’s chief, Chunyu Xinxiang, sat in his high seat, his expression dark. No one in the room dared to make a sound.

“Still no news?” Chunyu Xinxiang toyed with the jade ring on his finger. His face gave away no emotion, but the calmer he seemed, the more it made people tremble.

Finally, a man at the front stepped forward and bowed. “That woman seems to have a way of sensing where the snow apes are. She might have a special artifact, so…”

“That’s no excuse,” Chunyu Xinxiang leaned back, half-closing his eyes. “Left Guardian, the passage to the Spirit Source Realm will only remain open for a month. In that time, eliminate all those who enter the secret realm. They have gone too far.”

A sudden burst of laughter echoed in the hall. “Haha, Chief of the Snow Tribe, aren’t you afraid of retaliation with such ruthless measures?”

Everyone looked toward the entrance, where a young man in dark robes stood, smiling brightly.

“Who are you?” the Left Guardian shouted, his gaze sharp.

Swish!

A golden sword gleamed, embedding itself half an inch from the Left Guardian’s toe.

“I’m talking to your chief.” Gu Feng said with a smile, walking forward.

Chunyu Xinxiang, unable to determine the stranger’s strength, stood up cautiously. The young man’s aura was concealed, making it difficult to discern his true power.

“Who are you?” Chunyu Xinxiang asked, his tone guarded.

“Gu Feng of Zhengyuan Sect,” the young man replied casually.

Zhengyuan Sect?

Chunyu Xinxiang searched his memory but couldn’t recall the name. His eyes fell on the sword embedded in the ground. “Are you here to return the stolen sword, or do you have another purpose?”

“I’m here to make a deal,” Gu Feng said as Ling Xue, bound hand and foot, was dragged out. Her face was still covered in dirt, but that didn’t stop the Snow Tribe from recognizing her immediately.

“It’s her!” The Left Guardian’s face twisted with rage as he stepped forward to attack, but Chunyu Xinxiang stopped him.

“Given your sincerity, you must want something significant,” the chief said, growing more wary. The Snow Tribe had always been secluded, only rarely interacting with the outside world. Now, in just two days, they’d been visited by two intruders. First, a woman had defiled their ancestral tombs and stolen a sacred artifact. Now, this mysterious young man had appeared, returning both the thief and the sword. The situation was suspicious.

Noticing Chunyu Xinxiang’s wary gaze, Gu Feng knocked Ling Xue unconscious with a single slap and sealed her senses for good measure.

“I want access to the passage to the First Realm.” Gu Feng said.

As expected!

Chunyu Xinxiang clenched his throne’s armrests until they cracked.

“Impossible,” he said, his voice thick with anger. “Absolutely impossible!”

“Don’t be so hasty,” Gu Feng replied calmly. “I can save your daughter.”

Gu Feng raised his hand, and the system automatically placed a jade box from his storage space into his palm. The box appeared out of thin air, immediately catching Chunyu Xinxiang’s attention.

“The only thing that can save my daughter is the Sheng’an Flower from the Fifth Realm. You, a mere—”

Before he could finish, Gu Feng opened the box, revealing a flawless, glowing flower. The air filled with the overwhelming scent of life force, causing everyone who inhaled it to tremble with awe.

“This…” Chunyu Xinxiang stumbled down from the platform, nearly falling in his haste. The Left Guardian quickly reached out to support him, but the chief’s eyes were fixated on the flower in Gu Feng’s hand.

“You…” He stammered.

“Trust is the most important part of doing business,” Gu Feng said with a smile. “This Sheng’an Flower is my token of goodwill. Now, Chief Chunyu, are you interested in making a deal?”

Moments ago, Chunyu Xinxiang had thought Gu Feng was merely mysterious. Now, all he wanted to do was kneel and bow to him. The Sheng’an Flower from the Fifth Realm was an incredibly rare treasure—something cultivators spent their entire lives searching for and often never found. It was a true heavenly material. Just smelling it could extend one’s lifespan.

For countless generations, the Snow Tribe had sought the flower, but their people could only travel as far as the Fourth Realm. And that was the tribe’s greatest secret: they guarded a passage between the lower realms.

Now, standing before him was a man with a flower that his people had dreamed of for centuries.