Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

At this exact moment, far away from the chaotic and cliffhanger-induced distress of Ye Hongyan’s private sanctuary, the atmosphere inside the grand parlor of the Falling Blossom Villa in Leaf Green City was absolutely buzzing with an entirely different kind of energy.

The air was filled with laughter, the clinking of porcelain tea sets, and the unmistakable aroma of high-grade spiritual incense.

”Alright, boys and gals, place your bets! Place your bets!” Huo Yue declared loudly, her voice ringing out across the spacious hall.

She was smiling in pure glee at the absolute goldmine of an opportunity to rake in more academy contribution points from her peers.

With a theatrical flourish, she reached out and patted the large black wooden board she had dragged out from who knows where, positioning it right behind her to serve as an official ledger for the evening’s gambling activities.

Just earlier, the moment they had all returned to the villa after the day’s classes had concluded, she simply couldn’t contain herself.

She had immediately gathered the inner circle and told everyone, down to the very last juicy detail, about Haoran’s outrageous plan to seduce their aloof homeroom teacher.

Then, wanting to get some quick cash and exploit the situation to its absolute maximum, she had decided on a whim to open a formal betting pool.

”One thousand points,” Shen Jian grinned, leaning back in his armchair with his hands clasped behind his head, thoroughly enjoying the sheer audacity of the wager.

Everyone couldn’t help but stare at him.

However, Shen Jian didn’t even hesitate for a single second. ”At the end of this month, the young master will undoubtedly be able to bring that woman back here to this very villa. Mark my words.

”Gotcha!” Huo Yue began to write it on the board.

”One thousand points, one and a half months,” countered Shen Cai, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ”Let’s be realistic here. The teacher is a peak Profound Saint Realm master, no? To reach that level of cultivation, she must’ve lived for at least a thousand years, accumulating centuries of wisdom and emotional fortitude. There is simply no way she’d easily get seduced by a teenager’s smooth words in a mere four weeks. It’s going to take time to crack that armor.”

”Ond a half month for our resident explosive maniac!” Huo Yue wrote it down on the board.

”One thousand points, three months,” said Shen Bai, shaking his head with a cynical snort as he crossed his arms, looking entirely unconvinced by the group’s optimism. ”Most female Master Teachers are absolute prudes. They spend their entire lives locked away studying ancient texts and lecturing disciples on morality. It will probably be quite a while before the young master can successfully break down her defenses and seduce her.”

”Agreed,” Shen Ji nodded, chiming in immediately to support his brother’s conservative estimate. ”Besides, that woman seems so serious, right? The moment she walks into the classroom, she looks like she’s about to execute someone for breathing too loudly. She’s definitely a massive stickler for the rules, so it’ll be incredibly hard for the young master to find a vulnerability to exploit and seduce her. So, count me in for one thousand points for three months as well.”

”Three months! Daring today, are we?” Huo Yue grinned, writing it down.

”Well, I think you boys are severely underestimating him. I believe Haoran can do it in less than a month. Say, three weeks max,” said Luo Mingye as she smiled beautifully, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

She had experienced the sheer, terrifying efficacy of Haoran’s charms firsthand, and she had absolute confidence in his methodology.

”I’d willingly bet a thousand points for that exact timeframe.”

”I’m with Mingye on this one,” Xia Mengyao smiled gently, shaking her head in soft amusement at the sheer absurdity of the bet, though she wasn’t about to pass up on the fun. ”One thousand points, three weeks. When Haoran sets his mind on a target, time tends to accelerate.”

”Three weeks for these two friends!” Huo Yue wrote it down, ”It seems anyone who slept with him is very confident with his abilities.”

Xia Mengyao immediately turned bright red as she slumped on the table, covering her face as everyone looked at the two of them.

Luo Mingye, however, just laughed, feeling incredibly proud of the fact.

Qian Yunxi stared at everyone, her piercing blue eyes slowly scanning their expressive faces one by one as she remained seated in a quiet corner of the room.

She thought deeply for a silent moment, weighing the arguments, before she spoke up in her characteristically calm tone. ”One month, one thousand points. It is the most statistically probable outcome.”

”Another one month!” Huo Yue once again, wrote it down.

”Three weeks, one thousand points,” said Ling Luochen, chiming in right after her as she thought of joining in on the fun.

A playful smile danced on her lips, eager to see how the grand master teacher would handle the impending storm.

”Oh, very daring. Alright, who’s next?”

However, after Ling Luochen’s declaration, the room fell into a temporary lull, and no one placed a bet anymore.

”What? Any of you?” Huo Yue looked around the room, her chalk held high, her eyes darting toward the remaining girls who were simply watching the spectacle unfold. ”You’re not gonna bet? Ziyan? Xiansu?”

Zhu Ziyan just smiled shyly, a deep blush dusting her cheeks as she shook her head rapidly, waving her hands in refusal to participate in such a scandalous wager.

Xu Xiansu sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she shook her head in mild exasperation. ”I don’t gamble, Huo Yue. Especially not with academy points, and especially not regarding the romantic entanglements of our instructors.”

Shen Tao and Shen Fei nodded at that. Indeed, such a waste of time and resources.

Didn’t they know that gambling produces more dopamine than sex? If you can get addicted to sex, you’d be more addicted to gambling.

”Alright, I’ll bet.” Said Shen Hei, ”10 points, two weeks.”

”Ten points?” Huo Yue looked at him, ”What the hell? Who cares about ten points? Or rather, who even bet for a mere ten points? I give homeless people more money than this.”

Shen Hei shrugged.

”Fine,” Huo Yue grumbled, but she still wrote it down.

She turned towards Shen Xinye and Shen Xun’er, who immediately shook their heads.

They have no interest in this type of thing.

”Alright, enough.” Xu Xiansu suddenly said, before she turned her gaze towards a specific purple haired woman sitting comfortably with them on the velvet couch, smiling silently as she observed the chaotic household.

Xu Xiansu’s expression immediately shifted into one of pointed curiosity. ”And can we please focus on the important thing for now? Like, for example, why is she here?”

She pointed a finger directly at Gu Xunyi, who was currently sipping a cup of premium spiritual tea with an air of complete belonging. ”Doesn’t she have her own luxurious place to stay within the academy grounds?”

Gu Xunyi smiled radiantly, entirely unbothered by the blunt questioning. ”Ah, well, I figured I’d hang out with you guys since the atmosphere here is always so lively. And besides, Yue was very adamant that I join you guys for dinner tonight. I simply couldn’t refuse such a passionate invitation.”

”And you absolutely should stay!” Huo Yue smiled brightly, stepping away from the blackboard to defend her guest. ”Let me be completely honest here—Xu Xiansu’s only redeeming quality in this entire world is her spectacular cooking. Since you’re here, you should definitely try it. It’s life-changing.”

Xu Xiansu gave her a prominent middle finger in response to the backhanded compliment.

Of course she had great cooking skills.

She was a rank 10 Gourmet Hunter in that other life. After her mother’s death, she wandered the world alone, and if she couldn’t cook, she would’ve already starved to death and died on a ditch before she can even rise!

Just then, the heavy double doors of the villa swung open, and the subjects of the hour, Shen Haoran and Ning Xueli, finally arrived back from their little excursion to the city.

”We’re back,” Ning Xueli called out to the room at large, her voice carrying a casual, relaxed tone as the two of them immediately headed straight for the kitchen, clearly hungry after a long day of date.

However, the very second Haoran walked into the kitchrn and his eyes locked onto the elegant form of Gu Xunyi sitting on his couch, he immediately clicked his tongue in pure annoyance.

”What is that crazy woman doing here in my house?”

”I love you too, Haoran,” Gu Xunyi laughed melodically, blowing him a playful kiss without a single shred of shame.

”I invited her!” Huo Yue grinned from ear to ear, entirely proud of her matchmaking and social engineering skills. ”Well, now that the two of you are finally here, let’s stop wasting time and eat! Xiansu, go bring out the dishes before the food gets cold!”

Xu Xiansu glared at her with enough intensity to incinerate a lesser cultivator, but she stood up anyway, dust-wiping her hands on her apron as she headed toward the kitchen to fetch the meal.

Haoran and Ning Xueli immediately found an open seat at the massive dining table and sat down side by side.

Gu Xunyi immediately caressed his legs with her feet under the table.

Haoran glared at her, and she just chuckled, but didn’t stop.

Beside him, as Ning Xueli settled in, her sharp eyes immediately noticed the large black wooden board covered in chalk names and point values standing near the wall.

”What’s that for?” asked Ning Xueli, pointing a finger toward the ledger.

”Betting pool,” said Huo Yue, leaning over the table with a mischievous glint in her eyes. ”Want to bet, Xueli? We’re currently betting on exactly how long it will take for Haoran to successfully seduce our beautiful homeroom teacher.”

Ning Xueli gave Haoran a highly amused, knowing side-eye, silently recalling their conversation from earlier regarding the ”live-action adaptation” and the scandalous novel he purposely left on the desk, before she turned back and grinned widely at Huo Yue.

”Oh, is that so? Then, write me down for one thousand points, three weeks. I happen to know he has a very potent head start.”

”Alrighty!” Huo Yue cheered, her eyes lighting up as she began to write the new entry furiously on the board with her chalk.

Just then, the kitchen doors swung open again, and Xu Xiansu returned to the dining hall holding a truly massive, steaming clay pot using thick spiritual insulated gloves, carefully placing it right in the center of the wooden table.

The rich, savory aroma of stewed spiritual beast meat and rare medicinal herbs instantly flooded the entire room, making everyone’s mouth water.

”Alright, enough of that nonsense,” Xu Xiansu declared, clapping her hands together to command attention.

”Let us eat.”