Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 4: Blood Spirits

“Ah! Master, please forgive our sins!” The two Origin Realm experts quickly knelt on the floor, banging their foreheads into the ground.

Mu Rong Lin circulated his spiritual power and lifted the two of them, speaking in a dumbfounded manner, “I am not blaming you, it is because I have a new task.”

After a miraculous encounter at 15, Mu Rong Lin obtained a series of resources that included 《Bloody Heaven Art》, and he started to groom his own organisation – Blood Spirits.

Due to his cultivation method, to increase his strength and procure medicinal pills, the scale of his need for human blood had increased exponentially. Unable to gather it himself due to his status, he had no choice but to slowly raise his influence using his own resources that would work under his command.

And “Blood Spirits” did not disappoint his expectations, the organisation grew from dozens of men to its current state, with over thousands of underlings. In these four years, they had killed over a hundred thousand humans for their blood, and within Yan, there was only a population of over a billion lives. Blood Spirits’ murders and crimes had pushed it up to the ninth position on the wanted list.

The top eight spots consisted of separatist parties that slaughtered more than a million lives.

It was quite humourous, the first prince’s “Tai Bai Bandits” that was used to gather wealth were in fifth place, and the Mu Rong Clan’s “Lin Nan Rebels” used for scheming and sowing discord was ranked second.

In this world, good and evil meant nothing in the face of power.

The four blood paladins in “Blood Spirits”, were known as “Murder”, “Plunder”, “Butcher” and “Marauder”. All of them were at the first layer of the Origin Realm, but because they were forcefully strengthened with Blood Human pills, their true strength was not comparable to other experts of the same level of cultivation. The two before him were “Blood Paladin Butcher” and “Blood Paladin Murder”, while the other two were still busy with massacring and procuring pills.

After that, they were divided into 32 dioceses, each having a bishop at the Crystalline Realm with the jurisdiction of hundreds, if not a thousand parishioners creating bloody storms in different counties. ¹

By limiting the massacres committed by “Blood Spirits” within the countryside, Mu Rong Lin did not have any risk of exposing himself as the cult leader.

Excluding the four blood paladins that had unwavering loyalty towards him, the only person in the world that knew the true identity of the cult leader was old man Bai.

Despite his pale face and bloody aura, not many would suspect a third prince to be involved with the Blood Spirits.

“What new task does master have?” The two blood paladins asked respectfully.

“Follow the information on this and assist me in investigating as much as you can.” Mu Rong Lin threw a handbook that was on the desk to the two, it was the records of protagonistic traits that he had spent his afternoon writing, filled with hundreds of protagonistic characteristics and variations.

“Yes.” The two blood paladins did not ask further, and there was not even a hint of curiosity or hesitation in their expressions, their respectful faces delightful to the eyes.

“Focus on investigating rural towns, outer courts in sects, or in remote areas. Understood? Go.”

“Yes! Master.”

“Cult leader.”

“Yes! Cult leader.”

“Yes yes yes.” Mu Rong Lin spoke in a helpless tone.

With a flash of their figures, the two blood paladins disappeared from the study, only leaving the smell of blood lingering in the air.

Picking up the white porcelain bottle in the room, Mu Rong Lin opened it with interest and looked at the round, red-coloured medicinal pills through the thin bottleneck.

It was the Ten Thousand Human Blood pill.

A higher Black level medicinal pill.

A medicinal pill refined with the blood of ten thousand human sacrifices.

But it wasn’t exactly ten thousand people, but at least ten thousand.

“What a pity, such a crude refining method.” Mu Rong Lin glanced at the pills as he circulated his spiritual power with disinterest, prompting the Bloody Poison Insect to crawl out from his Bloody Poison Acupoint.

As his forehead reddened, wisps of blood emerged to eventually form a poison insect the size of a fingernail.

Its body was a bright red colour, except for a streak of black on its back, emanating a bloody smell. With its eyes tightly shut, six of its slender limbs wriggled as its two red wings fluttered as if it had smelled the Ten Thousand Blood Human pills.

“Eat it.” Mu Rong Lin gave his permission.

The Bloody Poison insect immediately fluttered its wings, instantly appearing within the white porcelain bottle.

And strands of red slowly emerged from the three pills, slowly entering the body of the Bloody Poison Insect as it absorbed. At the same time, as the owner of the Bloody Poison Insect Acupoint, Mu Rong Lin gradually closed his eyes as he felt the strength entering his body from the Bloody Poison Insect.

His aura rose as he reached the peak of the third layer of the Origin Realm, only a step away from breaking through to the fourth layer.

After a long time, the white porcelain bottle was emptied, and the Bloody Poison Insect waited for a moment, reluctantly flying a few circles in the air before fluttering back into Mu Rong Lin’s body.

“What a pity, this Human Blood pill isn’t a long-term plan, must I rely on killing protagonists?” Mu Rong Lin sighed, he was quite greedy for the items in the system shop.

And his divine sense twitched, sensing that someone was coming closer to the house. It was the old man Bai.

“Enter.” Mu Rong Lin spoke.

“Chi.” The door opened, and the old man walked in respectfully, followed by two female servants that were forcefully dragging a struggling maiden.

“Your Highness, I have brought the person you wanted.” Old Man Bai spoke with a bent back.

Xiao Li was terrified.

As she was preparing dinner for brother Zhou Fan, a few of the bigshots of the palace had entered and informed her that the royal highness, the prince, had instructed her to serve him tonight.

Naturally, she was reluctant, but they didn’t say anything else as they dragged her to the bath. The female servants forcefully washed her and donned her into a clean dress.

Her dad wanted to defy them, but his actions were futile as he was promptly knocked out by a servant’s slap.

Xiao Li wanted to run away, but with her dad held hostage, brother Zhou Fan on night duty, unaware of what was going on, and the number of experts in the third prince’s palace that rivalled the number of clouds in the sky, how could a small female servant at the Flesh Refining Realm like herself escape?

There was a brief moment where she wanted to give up.

She had feelings towards brother Zhou Fan.

She had sworn to marry him when she became of age.

She did not wish to serve His Highness, the third prince.

Furthermore, the rumours of the third prince had always been negative, and none of the female servants that served him in his bed had walked out alive.

Her sisters had told her that the third prince was a human-devouring demon.

Help!

She did not want to be eaten!

Brother Zhou Fan, come quickly and save me!

Mu Rong Lin looked at the girl before him, who was too weak to struggle, and was intrigued.

Waving his hand, the old man and the other two female servants mindfully left the room. The two female servants even glanced at Xiao Li in sympathy.

“Chi.” The room door was closed.

Even without anyone subduing her, Xiao Li nevertheless did not dare to run away.

She did not even dare to raise her eyes to look at Mu Rong Lin.

Mu Rong Lin stood up and walked towards her, scrutinising this slender, shiny-haired girl before him. Her skin was white, and her tender body was covered in a loose, long dress. She held her beautiful jade-like hands at her chest, still trembling.

“No wonder you’re the woman of a protagonist.” Mu Rong Lin thought as he raised Xiao Li’s chin with his outstretched hand.

Instantly, Xiao Li’s face was revealed to Mu Rong Lin’s eyes.

Her chubby face was tear-stricken, and she had bright red lips, watery eyes and long eyelashes. Her cute features combined with her terrified and wronged expression intrigued Mu Rong Lin.

“System, does this woman have anything special?”

“Ding! According to the system’s evaluation, this woman has only been influenced by the effects of the ‘Little protagonist halo’, and she does not have any kind of talent.”

“A pity.” Mu Rong Lin sighed.

Xiao Li trembled even more, incapable of understanding what the third prince meant by that statement, she stuttered, “Your Highness, please, please spare me.”

Mu Rong Lin ignored her screaming as he circulated his red spiritual power, directly piercing her tendons.

Outside, dark clouds enveloped the skies as thunder roared.

At the same time, Mu Rong Lin’s two messages appeared on the system window.

“Ding! The protagonist, Zhou Fan’s ‘Little protagonist halo’ has started to shatter, his protagonist value has dropped by 50.”

“Ding! Congratulations to master for obtaining 50 villain value, you can use it to purchase the items in the system shop.”

1. The reason for the cult-like naming sense is mainly due to “会众” which was used to describe the members. 会 can be used to describe a cult or a couple other things, but 会众 is a term mainly used in a religious context. This naming sense is subject to change after further context, but it kind of works out because I personally feel that all of the terms perfectly fit the Chinese words used in describing his organisation.

I’ve updated Chairman > Cult leader in the previous chapter.