I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 183 - Life Is Like A Play

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“Old man, don’t look down on me. Do you even know who I am?” Little Gui snorted proudly.

“I don’t. And I don’t need to,” the old man replied calmly.

With a casual wave of his hands, the air around them rippled as boundless spiritforce surged.

A small spatial portal opened before them.

The old man reached into it and pulled out a wine jar that was completely black.

Then the portal closed, and everything returned to normal.

“Blazing Flame Burnthroat Wine,” the old man said as he placed the jar on the table. “This was personally brewed by the Flame Emperor back in the day. The spice level is unbearable for most, just one sip could burn anyone below the Imperial Meridian Realm to ashes. It has no practical use… except that it contains the Flame Emperor’s understanding and insights into the Dao Realm. Price: Any one of the Battle Physique Pearls from the Hundred Battle Physiques.”

Upon hearing that, Little Gui was silent for a moment. Then he forced a dry laugh and said, “Well, if anyone below the Imperial Meridian Realm can’t drink it, I’ll have to pass.”

After that, he walked to the wine shelf and picked the cheapest jar available.

All the wine here was exchanged for rare items, and even the cheapest one was the only one that could be bought with spirit crystals.

Even so, it cost over ten thousand spirit crystals, a price far beyond the reach of commoners.

As Little Gui sat down at a table with his jar of wine, the old man said nothing. He simply put away the rare wine and slumped back over the counter to sleep.

...

“Come on, Brother Xu, tonight we drink till we drop!” Little Gui laughed, holding up two wine bowls.

The two sat across from each other, downing the strong liquor.

The fiery wine burned their chests but left their bodies warm and relaxed, their meridians and bones tingling with heat.

“This is good stuff,” Xu Zimo chuckled.

Half the jar disappeared in an instant. Faces flushed, they were well into their cups, and spirits ran high.

Xu Zimo pointed out the window and shouted:

“In the past, Grand Emperor Zhen Wu opened the Imperial Era, Grand Empress Hongtian reigned over entire epochs. Some stood atop the heavens and shouted, ‘Heaven’s Will is mine alone!’ Some swung a sword and cleaved a canyon, turning to see the world split behind them. Some stood alone and brought down entire races. Throughout history, so many heroes, so many epic tales and legends, all eventually lost to the fading of time. Yet the river of life never stops flowing. The fire of existence passes on through generations. The old era is bound to fade. Countless geniuses will rise and fall, but someone, someday, will usher in a new glory. It’s been over a thousand years since the Mortal Emperor ascended. Brother Zhang, tell me: In this era, who can be called a hero? Who is worthy of destiny’s favor? Who can lead the arrival of a new age?”

Hearing this, Little Gui smiled and downed his bowl of wine in one gulp.

“In the Western Region, there's the Divine Sun Sacred Ground, where a young man named Xuanyuan Xuantian was born with one of the Hundred Battle Physiques, the Golden Emperor Physique. Backed by an imperial lineage, could he be a hero?”

“A loser from the grand tournament. Not worth mentioning,” Xu Zimo said with a shake of his head.

“I heard in the Eastern Continent’s core, the Dan Imperial Clan, where the Alchemy Emperor once reigned, has a youth who inherited the Heavenly Star Hundred-Pill Physique. They say his alchemy is as easy as frying beans. Could he be a hero?”

“Overhyped,” Xu Zimo said again, shaking his head.

“There’s one named Hua Qianqiu, a master of brush and ink. With one stroke of his wolf-hair brush, he can paint all things. They say his life is a splash of ink, seeking the Dao through human nature. Hero material?”

“He can be called a genius. But a hero? Still far,” Xu Zimo said.

“I’ve never been to the distant Middle Continent either, but as for the Eastern Continent, I truly can’t say who qualifies as a hero,” Little Gui replied, shaking his head.

“A true hero,” Xu Zimo said with a grin, “should possess great ambition, a mind to encompass the universe, and a heart to swallow the heavens.”

“Then who qualifies as a hero?” Little Gui asked, puzzled.

Xu Zimo pointed to himself, then to Little Gui, and declared loudly: “Today, the only heroes under heaven are you and I, Brother Zhang!”

“How do you mean?” Little Gui blinked, intrigued.

“I may have been born ordinary, but I’ve never submitted to anyone. I rose from a small village, all my achievements, earned with my own hands,” Xu Zimo proclaimed.

“As for you, Brother Zhang, you were born with the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, ranked seventy-second among the Hundred Battle Physiques. Your future is limitless. There is a place for you in this era’s battle for the Heaven’s Will!”

“Well said!” Little Gui slapped the table, then downed several more bowls of wine. His head was starting to spin.

He shouted:

“A true man, born in troubled times, should wield a three-foot sword and achieve immortal glory. My goals are still unfulfilled, how can I let others outshine me?”

As he finished, he pulled a glowing orb from his pocket.

It was jade-green, pulsing with immense energy.

As it floated in midair, waves of energy rippled through the room.

At that moment, the old man at the counter snapped awake, staring coldly at the orb.

“Brother Xu, I won’t lie to you,” Little Gui said, his drunken voice slurred. “This is the Azure Cloud Battle Physique Pearl. Once I break into the True Meridian Realm, I’ll fuse with this. Not only will I fully awaken the battle physique, I’ll also use the power of the pearl to break into the Paragon Meridian Realm.”

“You should put it away. Walls have ears,” Xu Zimo quickly warned.

“It’s fine. Nobody comes to this tavern anyway,” Little Gui said with a hiccup. “Let me tell you something else, not only do I have the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, I even know where the Scarlet Flame Imperial Physique, ranked third among the Hundred Battle Physiques, is located!”

He said this while stowing the pearl back into his pocket.

They went to pour more wine, but the jar was empty.

“Buzzkill,” Little Gui muttered. “This place is great, but the wine’s too damn expensive. Let’s find somewhere else. Tonight, we drink until dawn!”

“Sure,” Xu Zimo nodded.

After paying, the two of them stumbled out, leaning on each other for balance.

...

The old man watched them leave, his gaze deep and unreadable.

Once they were outside, Little Gui let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Senior Brother, that old man is definitely not normal,” he said. “Just one look from him, and I swear the blood in my body nearly froze.”

“The bait has been set,” Xu Zimo said with a smirk. “Azure Cloud Battle Physique... and the third-ranked physique too. Let’s see if the fish takes the hook.”

“As for that old man… of course he’s not normal. Even after suffering a massive defeat during the Great Cataclysm, those people still have power not inferior to any Imperial Lineage.”