MD Ch 2 Part 1

This is truly wonderful. So incredibly comfortable. Being enveloped in warm water felt amazing.

Especially wonderful was the fragrant water. I couldn’t distinguish whether it was a floral or fruity scent, but it made my body feel languid. As I closed my eyes, my mind grew hazy.

Huh?

Wait a minute.

Water? Fragrance? Comfortable?

Confused thoughts surfaced; something felt off. I quickly pulled myself together and abruptly opened my eyes, only to freeze like a statue underwater.

Where am I?

All I could see was a hazy mist and a massive bathtub. Warm water flowed from the mouths of beast heads adorning the four corners of the pure white jade tub.

I was submerged in the water, naked, my hair loose. How long have I been here? My long, wet black hair clung to my back and pale skin, an unpleasant sensation. I lowered my head and looked at my reflection in the water, then abruptly closed my mouth.

Whoa. Who is this person?

The reflection in the water was breathtakingly beautiful.

Slender eyebrows, elongated eyes, a captivating shimmer in the cool gaze, a sharp jawline, cherry lips, and a face flushed like a sunset from the warm water.

I reached down and touched my lower body hidden beneath the water, sighing in relief as I felt the familiar form.

Oh, thank goodness. At least I’m not a woman.

Ignoring this ridiculously stunning appearance, I seemed to be in the wrong place.

Removing my hand, I ran it over my naked body again. The skin was smooth, without any wounds, and my body felt brimming with power.

Relieved, I rested my arms on the edge of the tub, letting out a sigh.

It was a shame I hadn’t returned to reality, but at least I now possessed the healthy body I had always dreamed of. Everything was perfect, except for perhaps being too pretty. And judging by the size of this bathtub, I seemed to be quite wealthy.

Good, good. Excellent.

“My Lord, are you pleased with this incense?”

Just as I was praising this unbelievably perfect life, a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind me. A low, clear voice. Although slightly melancholic, it was calming and warm.

“My Lord, it’s me. Gu Jincheng.”

As the voice from reality overlapped perfectly with the one in my memory, a sudden chill ran through me, accompanied by a sharp pain. With a sense of dread, I turned my head, and sure enough, there he was. Even my eyesight seemed to have improved, as I could clearly see Gu Jincheng standing respectfully in the distance amidst the hazy mist.

Dressed in neat black robes with his black hair tied back, he looked every bit the bodyguard. Gu Jincheng without the human skin mask was even more handsome. He was attractive enough to charm countless women in my palace.

My palace? If I still couldn’t figure out who I was by now, I’d be an idiot.

I had gone in a circle and ended up back where I started. Now, I just wanted to say one thing:

I am Yu Ke, and Yu Ke is me.

The unfortunate favorite, the damned villain.

Yes, I am Yu Ke.

Honestly, I never imagined Yu Ke would look like this.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but as a writer who, despite achieving some success, always struggled with a limited vocabulary, I had described Yu Ke’s face in the novel with just three words:

‘Exceptionally beautiful man.’

Yu Ke loved the color red and was extremely image-conscious. Regardless of age or gender, if someone caught his fancy, he would take them by force, regardless of their status.

In truth, with his power, taking commoners was as easy as pie. He could have chosen anyone within the Nine Regions of the Demon Palace. But his tastes were unique and far from ordinary. He specifically targeted disciples of cultivation sects. According to his twisted logic, their inherent righteous energy was too tempting, depriving him of sleep and making it impossible for him to resist.

The Sect Leader of Qingcang Sect’s wife, the Second Young Master Jin, the Young Master Mo… countless victims were rendered speechless.

These characteristics merely served to illustrate Yu Ke’s immense power but didn’t adequately explain the deep-seated hatred the cultivation sects held for him. So, I added another line to his character profile:

‘Pathologically obsessed with murder and annihilation.’

Only then did he become a truly complete villain.

Now, having shot myself in the foot, I could only lament my own actions.

“My Lord?”

Gu Jincheng called out again when I remained silent for a long time.

I quickly collected myself, cleared my throat, and imitated Yu Ke’s manner of speaking.

“It’s good.”

“It pleases this servant to hear that My Lord is satisfied.”

Wow. Is this really the same Gu Jincheng I knew?

The blackened Gu Jincheng I saw before dying had suddenly reverted to the white-lotus Gu Jincheng adored by so many fans. It was like finding a perfectly ripe, incredibly sweet watermelon – a delightful surprise.

“My Lord, the Young Master Mo we brought in a few days ago is ready. Shall I bring him in?”

My train of thought was interrupted again, and I glared at Gu Jincheng in annoyance. His words entered my left ear and were about to exit my right when I suddenly snapped to attention, shocked.

WTF! I’ve already violated Young Master Mo? That means… how much time has passed here…?

Despite being submerged in warm water, I felt a sudden chill. My heart plummeted to my stomach, and my body trembled. Looking at Gu Jincheng’s calm face, I forced my mouth open, and an unfamiliar, husky voice echoed in the room.

“Have I annihilated the Song Clan?”

Gu Jincheng looked at me, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. But he couldn’t delay answering my question, so he responded respectfully,

“You did, three months ago.”

As I suspected.

In my previous life, I died at the hands of Song Qiyuan. If this life followed the same storyline, there would be no turning back. It was a feud fueled by annihilation. If my memory served me correctly, Song Qiyuan was currently imprisoned within my Demon Palace, living a life worse than livestock.

Back then, in the novel, to solidify Song Qiyuan’s strong character, I had Yu Ke force him to watch the annihilation of his clan before bringing him back to the Demon Palace to be tortured and humiliated. This deepened Song Qiyuan’s hatred, driving him to abandon all weakness and vow revenge. It was from that point on that he began taking on disciples and gathering a harem, embarking on his path to godhood and vengeance against Yu Ke.

I suddenly recalled Song Qiyuan’s words to me:

‘I will repay you for the pain of annihilating my clan, severing my meridians, cutting off my limbs, and blinding my eyes.’

D*mn it! It was definitely my writing, but even I thought it was too much. No wonder he went crazy later on.

Thinking back, even during that short week of torture, all I wanted was to die. But Song Qiyuan had been imprisoned in the Demon Palace for three months already. Three months!

Yu Ke had already severed Song Qiyuan’s arteries to prevent him from cultivating, cruelly cut the tendons in his hands and feet, blinded him, and then locked him in a cage next to the monstrous beasts.

Those beasts, filled with murderous intent, would have clawed at Song Qiyuan’s cage every night, their howls piercing the air.

Come to think of it, how did a blind Song Qiyuan even survive? What must have been going through his mind?

As a writer of Xianxia novels, I simply wrote whatever came to mind, never truly considering the rationality of the plot.

I never believed this world truly existed. When I wrote, the lives of these characters were merely experiences woven from joy and sorrow at my fingertips.

“There’s no need to bring Young Master Mo. Bring me my clothes. I’m going to see Song Qiyuan.”

The novel was already written, and the events had already transpired. Words were useless now. This time, I had been reborn at the point where the feud between Yu Ke and Song Qiyuan began. Though late, I was determined to seize this opportunity.

I wanted to pull Song Qiyuan out of this vicious cycle of hatred. It would be stranger if someone who spent their entire life consumed by hatred didn’t become twisted!

In my previous life, Song Qiyuan, who rarely smiled, only laughed heartily when he witnessed my torture, but even that, heartbreakingly, was a false smile.

Gu Jincheng dressed me and led me out of the steam-filled bathtub. Outside the door, a long, intricate, cruciform corridor stretched out before me, a scene both foreign and familiar. Although Yu Ke was murderous, lustful, and arrogant, his palace, devoid of vibrant colors, had a dreamlike quality.

In truth, I hadn’t put much thought into Yu Ke’s character design initially. I depicted him as stubborn, arrogant, and powerful, but I never elaborated on why he became this way, what caused his personality to warp.

I simply glossed over those details with vague settings.

The fact that no fatal errors had occurred in this world meant there were corresponding events to compensate for those bugs. So, what kind of experiences shaped Yu Ke’s personality in this world? I didn’t know why I had not only transmigrated but also regressed, and I had no memories of the protagonist after arriving.

Unlike before, I now had a certain advantage in this world. Knowing the upcoming storyline, I wouldn’t be caught off guard as I was before.

“My Lord, this way.”

Gone was the torturer from before; Gu Jincheng now exuded an air of unwavering loyalty. I couldn’t tell which was his true face.

Considering everything, I was surrounded by danger and couldn’t let my guard down for a moment.

 

***