I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

“小杂碎还挺能跑。” The cultivators of the dark arts were completely unaware of the fate that awaited them.

—

60 Please Forgive Me

— The Great Zhou Dynasty

Ye Yong followed Zhou Yunqi into the Eastern Palace, where the atmosphere buzzed with activity. Zhou Yunqi explained that it was usually quite quiet, but with Ye Yong’s arrival, many princes had hurried back from afar. Ministers of the dynasty, noble families, and envoys from foreign lands flocked to pay their respects, and the servants were naturally busy tidying up the various residences.

The Eastern Palace could be further divided into five districts: East, West, South, North, and Central. The East District served as the residence for the princes, while the South, West, North, and Central were designated for guests.

Ye Yong and his companions first arrived in the West District, a realm boasting at least a hundred opulent mansions, each adorned with gardens and flowing waters. The sheer size of the Eastern Palace was staggering.

Yet, upon reflection, it was hardly surprising. The Great Zhou Dynasty was one of the three major dynasties, overseeing thousands of kingdoms and sects. During festivals or tribute days, a multitude of envoys would arrive. Zhou Yunqi further elaborated that during her father’s thousandth birthday celebration, a grand national event, the Eastern Palace and the guest halls were filled to the brim. Even the homes of ministers could not accommodate everyone; some envoys from smaller nations and sects had to find lodging in inns.

“Though I was still young at the time, I remember that night when my fifth brother invited his friends to stay in an empty guest palace. When my father found out, he flew into a rage and locked my brother in the confinement chamber for a whole year. Later, we learned that it was meant for Lord Ye Wen.”

Ye Yong nodded, recognizing this as a detail unknown in the tales.

Zhou Suren and Ye Wen had not seen each other for over a hundred years. The higher one’s cultivation, the longer the periods of seclusion. It was clear that during Zhou Suren’s thousandth birthday, Ye Wen was either in seclusion or preoccupied with other matters, unable to attend.

To be angered merely because a reserved palace was occupied by a prince’s friend, despite not being present, spoke volumes of their close bond. It was no wonder that after the fall of the Ye family, Zhou Suren would relentlessly target the protagonist, even risking his own standing.

“I have met the Eleventh Princess.” Not long after Ye Yong and Zhou Yunqi entered the West District, several middle-aged men in splendid attire, clearly nobles, approached to pay their respects.

“This must be Young Master Ye Yong, am I right?” Their intentions were transparent; they quickly began to engage Ye Yong, seeking to ingratiate themselves.

“My apologies, esteemed sirs. Princess Yunqi is here on behalf of our father to show Young Master Ye around the palace. There are still many places to visit, and idle chatter would waste time. If our father were to blame Yunqi for not hosting Young Master Ye properly…”

“Please, Eleventh Princess, do not mind us. We have intruded upon your time.” There was no need for further clarification; the nobles were not foolish. They immediately understood that this was the Emperor’s way of granting the princess a chance to be alone with Ye Yong. If they continued to linger, it would not be the princess who faced the Emperor’s wrath, but rather themselves.

As they continued to encounter more ministers and nobles, Zhou Yunqi used the same reasoning to send them away. Eventually, feeling quite exasperated, she was about to lead Ye Yong away when she spotted Zhou Suren emerging from the East District.

“Father, what brings you here?” Zhou Yunqi was taken aback, for in her memory, Zhou Suren had never visited the residences of his children; he always summoned them to his presence for any matters at hand.

The people around, upon seeing the Emperor, hurriedly bowed in respect.

“You’ve come at just the right moment, Ye Yong. Come with me to Fan’er; I shall have him apologize to you face to face.”

“No need, no need. Prince Feifan has not offended me in any way,” Ye Yong replied, noticing the flush on Zhou Suren’s face. It was not hard to guess that he had just engaged in some ‘fatherly’ act.

“How could that be? The more I think about it, the angrier I become. His rudeness and arrogance towards you cannot be overlooked. Come now.” Zhou Suren had never struck his own children, yet today he had given Zhou Feifan a beating, and inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

He intended to pass through the central and western districts, to see who had arrived and greet the guests. He did not expect to encounter Ye Yong; since they had met, it was only natural for Zhou Feifan to apologize in person.

In truth, Ye Yong did not need an apology; he merely required Zhou Feifan to behave as a decent person and not provoke the protagonist. However, with the Emperor extending an invitation, he could not refuse and had to follow behind, arriving at Zhou Feifan’s residence.

Zhou Feifan, as the Emperor’s most favored son, resided in a grand palace. Two fierce stone beast statues stood at the entrance, capable of suppressing any evil spirits below the Nascent Soul stage. An excellent gathering array effectively concentrated the spiritual energy of the dragon vein; living here, one need not even cultivate, as one’s cultivation would naturally rise. If one were to cultivate independently, it would be even more effortless. Of course, abundant spiritual energy was one thing, but talent was another. Without talent, forcing dense spiritual power into one’s body would be as futile as letting it escape like gas, achieving nothing.

“Long live the Emperor…” Upon seeing Zhou Suren return, the eunuchs and palace maids immediately knelt, puzzled as to why the Emperor had returned, for it was clearly not the right time. Prince Zhou Feifan was inside, smashing things; if the Emperor were to find out, the prince would surely face dire consequences again.

Just as a eunuch was about to announce the Emperor’s arrival to alert Zhou Feifan within, Zhou Suren preemptively silenced them.

As a powerful figure of the Transformation Stage, Zhou Suren had keen hearing and naturally caught the sounds of clattering from within the palace. He instructed Ye Yong and Zhou Yunqi to wait outside for a moment before stepping inside.

Instantly, the palace fell silent—one could say it was devoid of any sound, likely due to a soundproofing array being activated.

A few minutes later, Zhou Suren sent a message for Ye Yong and Zhou Yunqi to enter.

Upon their entrance, the hall was spotless—literally, there was nothing left, not a single chair or ornament in sight.

“That rebellious son will bring out chairs soon; please stand for a moment,” Zhou Suren said with a friendly smile to Ye Yong. Before long, Zhou Feifan emerged, his face ashen, struggling to carry an extremely heavy wooden chair.

On the surface, he bore no visible injuries, but his awkward gait and the way his body swayed suggested he had taken a beating.

Zhou Feifan cast a resentful glance at Ye Yong, then set down the wooden chair and returned to his room to continue moving things.

As for why he didn’t use a storage ring to bring everything out at once, it was clearly a punishment from Zhou Suren. After three chairs were brought out, Zhou Suren gestured for everyone to sit, while they continued to watch Zhou Feifan haul out tables and other items.

The palace was vast, with many rooms, and there was no shortage of tables and chairs. As for where the original furnishings of the hall had gone, it was obvious they had been reduced to fragments.

After enough tables and chairs were moved out to accommodate guests, Zhou Feifan attempted to sit down, but at a glance from Zhou Suren, he immediately straightened up, only to wince slightly as he moved, clearly suppressing the pain.

“What do you have to say?” Zhou Suren asked coldly.

“Forgive me.”

“Are you speaking to me? Do not look at me.”

Zhou Feifan finally turned his gaze to Ye Yong, a hint of reluctance in his voice as he spoke, “I truly apologize for what happened before. I was too arrogant, too dismissive. Please forgive me.”

—

61 Now It’s Fine

Whether Zhou Feifan was willing or not, for someone as proud as him to lower himself and apologize indicated that he had come to respect Ye Yong, at least a little. Otherwise, he would have stubbornly clung to his pride, putting on a show of defiance until the bitter end.

Ye Yong never sought the approval of villains; he only wished to live in peace, without dragging himself or those around him into turmoil. To be honest, he didn’t dislike Zhou Feifan, nor could it be said he liked him. At most, he felt grateful for the rare opportunity to slap someone’s face with his own brilliance. As a fellow antagonist, the chances of such an event happening to him early on were slim. The pain of cultivation and the bitter taste of medicine made the occasional taste of protagonist treatment quite a relief.