I am the villain in the book

Chapter 86: People's Expectations Always Differ

Half an hour later.

The night sky over Zhongling County returned to silence, the stars yawning in the sky, and the moon falling into a deep sleep.

The thin county magistrate left, filled with gratitude, presumably to deal with the aftermath of the villagers' misfortune.

The hundred-odd blue-armored soldiers had returned to camp, and Liang Zhen and Cao Shu had also returned to their rooms.

In the courtyard of the inn, only Wei Changtian and Liang Qin sat side by side under the eaves.

“Changtian-gege, I’m sorry……”

Liang Qin hadn't changed her clothes; although there was no blood on her, a faint smell of blood lingered.

The evening breeze gently brushed her hair, leaving a trace of coolness.

It was a bit unbelievable that someone who had just been charging in and out of the bandit ranks was now constantly rubbing the corners of her clothes like a child who had done something wrong…

“It’s okay, I understand.”

Wei Changtian turned his head to look at Liang Qin’s embarrassed appearance and smiled, “Besides, what you said is also correct. It does seem like I’ve gone a bit too far compared to before.”

“Before, I was just bullying ordinary people, but now I even dare to kill a prime minister, hahaha.”

The abrupt laughter echoed in the courtyard, and Liang Qin stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Wei Changtian originally wanted to tell a joke to ease the atmosphere, but now he ended up looking like an idiot.

“Cough, not funny, huh.”

He awkwardly touched his nose, feeling a burst of embarrassment in his heart.

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while, until Liang Qin said quite seriously, “Changtian-gege, you’ve really changed a lot compared to three years ago… Sometimes I feel like I don’t even recognize you anymore.”

This was the second time Liang Qin had said this. Wei Changtian thought to himself that your “Changtian-gege” was no longer the “Changtian-gege” from before, but he deliberately teased, “Really? A handsome man like me should be unforgettable after just one meeting.”

“Changtian-gege……”

Liang Qin opened her small mouth in surprise, “You never used to say such self-praising things before.”

“The past is the past, and besides……”

Wei Changtian waved his hand and asked seriously, “Am I not handsome?”

“……”

Liang Qin stared blankly at Wei Changtian, then suddenly blushed and lowered her head, admitting in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

“You are handsome……”

“That’s the end of it.”

Wei Changtian leaned back, supporting himself on the steps behind him with his elbows, and looked up at the crescent moon above his head, like a silver thread.

“Even the moon changes every day, so why shouldn’t people change?”

“But no matter what, after thousands of years, the moon is still the same moon.”

“……”

Liang Qin closed her eyes, enjoying the tranquility and peace of the late night, and murmured with some longing:

“Changtian-gege, sometimes I think… how wonderful it would be if there were no demons or bandits in this world, and everyone could live in peace……”

“.”

Good heavens, don’t let this woman’s small chest fool you, her aspirations are quite grand.

However, a young lady from an official family who has been pampered since childhood may never understand why so many people are willing to become bandits even if it means risking their lives.

Wei Changtian didn't speak immediately, nor did he mock Liang Qin's sentiment, which was somewhat reminiscent of "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

At the very least, this vision was good.

The night was as cool as water, and the new moon was like a bow.

After a while, he slowly sighed…

“When will the world be full, when will the world be bright?”

……

After separating from Liang Qin, Wei Changtian went directly to Yang Liushi's room.

With all the commotion outside in the first half of the night, the latter had indeed not fallen asleep, and was now draped in a thin cloak, leaning by the window and looking at the moon.

“Gongzi……”

Seeing Wei Changtian enter, Yang Liushi gently closed the wooden window, turned her head, and asked with a smile, “What did Gongzi talk about with Liang-guniang?”

“Matters of state.”

Wei Changtian rolled his eyes at her, plopped down at the table, and beckoned, “Come here.”

“Gongzi……”

The cloak slowly slipped off, and Yang Liushi crawled over to the bedside on her knees, softly reminding, “There’s a bed here……”

“……”

Good heavens, do I look that indecent?

Wei Changtian’s face darkened, and he sternly shouted, “Put your clothes on! I have serious business to ask you!”

“Hmm?”

Yang Liushi was stunned for a moment. Seeing that Wei Changtian didn’t seem to be joking, she put her cloak back on.

“What does Gongzi want to ask?”

“We went to suppress bandits just now, and we encountered a spider demon……”

Wei Changtian took out the deep blue demon core and casually tossed it to Yang Liushi. After briefly explaining what had just happened, he asked:

“……Why was this spider demon able to transform into human form after only sixty years of cultivation? Do you know the reason?”

“Hmm……”

Yang Liushi looked at the demon core and thought for a while before answering, “Under normal circumstances, it is indeed impossible to transform into human form. This demon most likely obtained some fortuitous encounter.”

“In fact, there are quite a few spiritual medicines in the Ten Thousand Mountains that can help us demons transform into human form ahead of time. This is not uncommon.”

So, it's just good luck.

Nodding, Wei Changtian then asked, “How does your strength change after you demons transform into human form? Why was this spider demon, despite having a considerable cultivation level, killed by me with a single strike?”

“Giggle, that’s because Gongzi acted too quickly, and she didn’t have time to react.”

Yang Liushi covered her mouth and smiled, “However, a demon’s strength does indeed decrease significantly once it transforms into human form. The main reason is the loss of its tough hide.”

“For example, this spider demon. If she had still been in her demon form just now, Gongzi would probably have had difficulty breaking through her defenses with a single strike.”

“I see……”

After listening to Yang Liushi’s explanation, Wei Changtian understood somewhat, but he was still a bit puzzled.

“That’s not right. Didn’t you say before that there’s no difference in the cultivation methods of demons before and after transformation?”

“Since transforming into human form doesn’t help with cultivation and even causes a drop in strength.”

“Then why do you all want to transform into human form?”

“This……”

Yang Liushi couldn’t answer immediately this time, and instead showed a thoughtful expression.

This was the first time she had considered this question.

As Wei Changtian said, since there are only disadvantages and no advantages after transforming into human form, why does everyone still strive for it as a goal?

Could it be to better hide themselves and not be discovered by humans?

But it’s clearly safer to hide in the deep mountains and old forests……

Yang Liushi thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out a reason. But just as she shook her head and looked at Wei Changtian again, a vague answer suddenly appeared in her heart.

“Perhaps… it’s to understand the taste of love, hate, and grudges in this world.”

“. Is that so?”

Wei Changtian nodded, not committing himself to an opinion: “Then you’ve been transformed for so long, have you understood it now?”

“I wouldn’t dare to say anything else, but this word ‘love’……”

As Yang Liushi spoke, she removed her cloak for the second time: “Nujia already knows what it tastes like……”

“Hiss!”

Looking at the expanse of white in front of him that seemed to merge with the moonlight, Wei Changtian cursed three words in his heart—fox spirit!

Today, I’m not only going to let you understand what ‘love’ is, but I’m also going to let you understand what ‘romance’ is!

“Pa!”

With a flick of his finger, the candles in the room were extinguished in response.

Yang Liushi’s gaze paused slightly.

“Gongzi, you’ve reached the sixth rank… Ah!”

“Hmm… cough cough.”