I’ll Definitely Play the Stand-in Villain

Chapter 17: The Seed of Suspicion

Wu Ruyue dazedly received it.

Opening it, she saw a few characters written with powerful, flowing strokes—“Monitor Shen Tian.”

Having trained in the Demon Suppression Army for many years, she naturally had seen the handwriting of the Demon Suppression King.

Especially that sharp intent hidden within the brush and ink, as if it sought to pierce through the page.

This was, of course, not a decree left by the Demon Suppression King himself, but something Shen Yanzhou had personally forged.

In order to deal with today’s situation, he had prepared it well in advance, even wasting several sheets of paper in the process.

In his past life, for the sake of pursuing a girl from the classical literature department, he had practiced calligraphy for months.

He never thought it would come in handy now.

Furthermore, to match the Demon Suppression King’s aura of unrivaled sharpness, Shen Yanzhou had even hidden a trace of his Sword Heart within the brush strokes.

Unless the Demon Suppression King himself were present, no one would be able to tell it was fake.

“Indeed, it is the Demon Suppression King’s decree. Within it is hidden a faint yet boundless sharp aura, as if it could sever all things.”

Wu Ruyue gently stroked the paper, then fell into silence.

“I know Miss Wu holds feelings for that Shen Tian, but this concerns the survival of the realm and its people. With Miss Wu’s nature, you should be able to distinguish between personal feelings and greater priorities. What happened yesterday at the Wu Residence was a last resort. Today’s banquet was arranged solely to sincerely apologize to you.”

Shen Yanzhou smiled faintly, stood up, lifted the warm wine already prepared, and raised his cup toward Wu Ruyue.

“You are too courteous, Young Lord.”

Wu Ruyue still felt a little dazed.

The amount of information she had learned today was truly overwhelming.

Hearing Shen Yanzhou’s words, she subconsciously raised her cup in return.

“My identity is special, and my reputation is vile. If I were to recklessly interact with Miss Wu, it would certainly arouse suspicion from those watchful in the capital. Moreover, Shen Tian is not a fool; he would likely notice something.”

“Thus, I could only resort to this plan, so that Miss Wu would meet with me under such circumstances.” Shen Yanzhou sighed softly, explaining.

Hearing this, Wu Ruyue began to understand.

The trace of vigilance she had held in her heart faded somewhat.

Still, there remained a strange feeling in her heart.

Before attending the banquet, she had been wondering if Shen Yanzhou would use this chance to raise some excessive demands.

After all, his notorious reputation for lechery had spread throughout the capital.

Yet, she never expected that upon meeting him, things would turn out this way.

Soon, under Shen Yanzhou’s initiative, the two of them drank several cups.

The stiff atmosphere from earlier eased considerably, becoming more relaxed.

Wu Ruyue did not know if it was because of their earlier conversation, but now, seeing Shen Yanzhou sitting upright, every gesture radiating a refined and noble air, she felt he truly matched her image of the Demon Suppression King’s heir.

Gentle in speech, handsome and elegant, utterly different from the debauched persona he had always shown in public.

Even his temperament was completely different.

Or perhaps, had her prejudice against him been too deep all along?

The son of the Demon Suppression King was not some arrogant, hedonistic wastrel, but someone who had long concealed his brilliance and sullied his own name?

After all, how could a tiger sire a dog?

Shaking her head, Wu Ruyue tried to clear her thoughts, unable to resist asking, “All these years, Young Lord, have you been deliberately defiling your name, ruining your own reputation?”

Shen Yanzhou set down his cup and smiled.

“That is a good question. If Miss Wu were in my position, what would you do?”

Wu Ruyue had not expected Shen Yanzhou to throw the question back at her.

Thinking about it, she realized she truly did not know how to answer.

After all, the Demon Suppression King held immense power, guarding the southern border, revered as the War God of the Great Qian, the one who preserved peace within the realm.

Yet Shen Yanzhou, the heir, lived in the capital, under the Emperor’s watchful gaze.

To call him the heir was little different from calling him a hostage.

Otherwise, how could His Majesty rest easy in entrusting military authority to the Demon Suppression King?

“The more incompetent I appear, the more useless I seem, the more at ease the one in the Hall of Virtuous Enlightenment will be.

The capital will remain stable, and I will live longer.”

“Of course, when one must appear weak, one must appear weak.

But that does not mean one is truly weak.”

“Miss Wu, do you understand my meaning?”

Shen Yanzhou tapped lightly on the table, then raised a slender finger.

At once, it was as if an invisible breeze passed through the private room.

With a sharp swish, the ink painting hanging on the wall suddenly split cleanly in two and fell silently to the floor.

Wu Ruyue looked at Shen Yanzhou’s smiling, refined face, then at the painting so neatly severed.

She could not help but feel a jolt in her heart.

In that instant, at her own martial cultivation level, she had sensed nothing.

She had not even felt the slightest ripple of inner force from Shen Yanzhou.

Did this not mean that his true strength far surpassed her imagination, perhaps even reaching the state of perfect unity between man and nature, where body and energy were seamlessly one?

At the very least, this was the realm of a Great Martial Master—fourth rank in martial cultivation, the Dragon Elephant Realm.

If he had attacked her in secret, she would not even have time to react.

Utterly shocked, Wu Ruyue stood up, her brows furrowing.

“Young Lord, to hide your strength so deeply, a hidden dragon lurking in the abyss—how could you so easily reveal this to another?”

Seeing her reaction, Shen Yanzhou knew his goal had been achieved.

With a serene smile, he waved his hand, signaling for her not to worry.

“I trust Miss Wu’s character. Otherwise, I would not reveal this. But since it concerns my father’s grand designs, I had to show you something that would earn your trust.”

“Young Lord speaks too seriously. I will keep this a secret.”

Wu Ruyue clasped her fists, though her heart grew even more complicated.

Surely, very few in the entire capital knew Shen Yanzhou possessed such unfathomable strength.

He had calmly revealed it to her, even at the risk of exposing years of careful concealment.

Just how much did he trust her?

Could it be… that Shen Tian truly was an infiltrator sent by Beiyu’s Ancestor Spirit to the path of Ghostly Communion?

…

When leaving the Yingchun Pavilion, Wu Ruyue looked distracted and dazed.

She fell into deep inner conflict, memories of her time with Shen Tian surfacing in her mind.

Shen Tian was warm and sincere, and during his time training with the Demon Suppression Army in the southern border, he had rushed into the frontlines again and again, risking his life.

More than once, he had thrown himself into danger to save comrades surrounded by beasts, staying behind to hold the line alone, returning covered in blood.

He was undeniably brave.

Because of this, though still young, he already held some prestige in the army, admired and respected by many.

Afterward, he entered the sight of the Demon Suppression King, who came to appreciate him, even taking him in as an adopted son.

“If Shen Tian truly respected my father so deeply, then no matter what, he would not so casually call me a wastrel. At times, the smallest slip of the tongue can expose one’s true nature.”

Wu Ruyue recalled Shen Yanzhou’s smiling words as they left the Yingchun Pavilion.

Perhaps there had indeed been a reason Shen Tian was slapped yesterday.

“Could it be that from the very start, Shen Tian entered the Demon Suppression Army and risked his life for the sake of catching Demon Suppression King’s attention?”

A trace of gloom appeared in Wu Ruyue’s eyes as she unconsciously tightened her grip on the jade talisman hidden within her sleeve.

…

“What a pity, I’ll be losing one good source of fleece.”

Only after Wu Ruyue left did Shen Yanzhou shake his head lightly and rise from the private room.

The negative emotions provided by Wu Ruyue were considerable, but for long-term plans, Shen Yanzhou had decided to first focus on disrupting Shen Tian’s mindset.

Compared to Wu Ruyue, Shen Tian was the real fat sheep.

When the Demon Suppression King eventually learned of what had happened in the capital, it would surely bring him plenty of negative emotions.

For now, though, it was crucial to earn Wu Ruyue’s trust.

As for whether she might ask the Demon Suppression King about this matter, Shen Yanzhou was not worried at all.

Leaving aside that the southern border was tens of thousands of miles away, the content of their conversation earlier was something that, with Wu Ruyue’s intelligence, she would not dare casually verify.

“This afternoon, nothing urgent. I’ll go to the pleasure quarter and listen to music.”

Shen Yanzhou casually called to Chunchao, who was waiting outside the Yingchun Pavilion.

“Young Lord, are you going to gather more intelligence again?”

Chunchao followed, sword in arms, the tassel swaying lightly with her steps.

“This Young Lord has other plans.”

Shen Yanzhou chuckled, keeping her guessing.

Chunchao rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly.

Negative emotions from Chunchao +3+2+2…

Thanks to his infamous reputation as someone despised by all, Shen Yanzhou needed only to stroll down Vermilion Bird Street to harvest a steady stream of negative emotions.

Most of the time, they were only +0.01, but sheer numbers added up.

Occasionally, he even ran into influential figures—just greeting them could earn him a windfall.

【Name: Shen Yanzhou】

【Techniques: None】

【Secret Arts: Selfless Sword Heart (Incomplete, Entry 1/4)】

【Realm: None】

【Available Basic Points: 0 (128.11/100)】

“Today’s goal: collect another 100 points of negative emotions. Then I’ll raise my Selfless Sword Heart to the next level.”

The Selfless Sword Heart was divided into four stages: Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection.

Each stage was subdivided into four levels.

Which meant that for Shen Yanzhou to advance from Beginner to Minor Accomplishment, he would need four basic attribute points.

…

Meanwhile, at the Wu Residence.

Inside the main hall, Wu Ruyue’s younger brother Wu Zhongxing knelt pale-faced on the floor, full of unease.

Only after his mother’s weeping account did he realize how much trouble he had caused this time.

At worst, they might face exile to the southern border; at best, their entire clan could be executed.

Wu Hong, too, wore a face full of regret, pacing anxiously.

The only outsider present, Shen Tian, looked utterly baffled.

No matter how much he asked, the members of the Wu family refused to tell him what had happened.

“Shen Yanzhou wouldn’t dare make things too hard for Ruyue, right…”

As they worried, the sound of footsteps came from outside the hall, and Wu Ruyue walked in.

Shen Tian immediately stepped forward, concern on his face.

“Ruyue, that wastrel didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

Wu Ruyue restrained the chaotic thoughts from the journey, her eyes carrying a subtle complexity as she glanced at Shen Tian, then returned to her usual calm demeanor.

She shook her head.

“He didn’t dare do anything to me. But there may be some trouble later.”

“Trouble later?”

Shen Tian froze.

Wu Ruyue nodded.

“Shen Yanzhou made two requests. First, that I marry him. Second, failing that, that I at least accept his pursuit.”

Her brows furrowed as she spoke.

In truth, these were words Shen Yanzhou had told her.

Wu Ruyue still could not understand why she had subconsciously repeated them just as he wanted.

Hearing this, Shen Tian’s heart surged with nameless fury, his fists clenching tight.

That wastrel, relying on his birth, truly dared covet Wu Ruyue.

“And how did you respond, Ruyue?”

Shen Tian’s tone grew hurried.

Wu Ruyue glanced at him.

“Brother Shen, you know that in this life I seek only the pinnacle of martial arts. Unless I achieve the Martial God realm, I will not consider romance. I would rather die than marry him.”

“So, I could only agree to his second request, as a temporary measure.”

Shen Tian felt an inexplicable sense of dissatisfaction.

Back in the army, he had once expressed his affection to Wu Ruyue, hoping to pursue her, but she had gently rejected him.

Now, that false heir had stolen a step ahead.

Though he knew she had no choice, an inexplicable possessiveness still left him restless.

“Ruyue, so the matter is resolved then?”

Wu Hong and the others did not dwell on these small matters.

To them, Shen Yanzhou, as heir of the Demon Suppression King, was merely a little lacking in character.

If Wu Ruyue could become his consort, it would be a blessing from their ancestors.

“It’s resolved, more or less.”

Wu Ruyue rubbed her brow, weary, and nodded slightly.

“Shen Yanzhou, you’re walking the path to death. To dare touch the woman I value most—you truly don’t know life from death.”

Shen Tian drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but inwardly he had already sworn—

The day he reclaimed his rightful identity and status, he would ensure Shen Yanzhou lived a fate worse than death.

…

Negative emotions from Shen Tian +24+31+33…

“It really has to be Shen Tian. His hatred for me only grows deeper. But the more you hate me, the stronger I become.”

Shen Yanzhou was strolling with Chunchao along Vermilion Bird Street.

Shouts of vendors echoed endlessly from both sides.

Stalls overflowed with rare spiritual herbs, mineral spirit stones, talismans, and magical artifacts—everything one could imagine.

“Young Lord, you seem in quite a good mood today?”

Chunchao followed with her sword in arms, step for step.

Seeing the faint smile lingering on Shen Yanzhou’s lips, she could not help but ask curiously.

“Naturally.”

Shen Yanzhou nodded with a smile.

Chunchao’s gaze grew even more curious, mixed with puzzlement.

Following his gaze, she soon understood.

“Young Lord, could it be you intend to go to the Dragon-Tiger Institute?”

At the far end of the street, hibiscus trees bloomed in profusion.

Their pale-purple petals drifted across the stone-paved road, serene and elegant.

There stood an academy, built with understated simplicity, courtyards and pavilions rising in neat rows.

At the entrance, only a dragon and a tiger stone statue stood, yet no one in the capital dared underestimate this place.

The Great Qian’s Dragon-Tiger Institute, founded at the very start of the dynasty more than 1,300 years ago, had weathered countless storms, nurturing generations of elites, sending new talent to every corner of the realm each year.

It could be said that this academy gathered countless heroes of Great Qian, a place countless students yearned and dreamed to enter.

“An institution like the Dragon-Tiger Institute, gathering all the prodigies of the realm, would never admit a wastrel like me.” Shen Yanzhou chuckled.

Even if the original body had talent, the political pressures both inside and out would never allow him entrance.