An Extra Villain in Cultivation World-Chapter 67: “Stop Staring at Me!”

Yanmei’s gaze shifted between both of them before she asked, "What exactly kept both of you so occupied?"

Instead of answering the question Lingling stepped closer, taking Yanmei’s hand in one smooth motion before she could react and then reaching back to catch Xuanyan’s, pulling both of them forward as if the matter was already settled.

"Lingling— what are you doing?" Yanmei protested under her breath, her usual composure slipping for a fleeting instant as she found herself dragged along without warning. Being dragged like this was uncomfortable enough; doing it in front of junior brother Xuanyan only made it worse.

Lingling continued walking, the corners of her lips lifting faintly. Yanmei’s eyes flicked toward Xuanyan, a silent accusation flashing in her gaze, as if blaming him entirely for the situation.

Then their eyes met. A trace of quiet amusement flickered across Xuanyan’s expression—subtle, but unmistakable before he looked away, as if the whole situation had nothing to do with him.

Yanmei caught sight of it, her cheeks flushing with warmth. She turned her head away immediately, tightening her grip for a heartbeat before she forced herself to relax, trying to hide her blush. Resisting further would only make her more embarrassed, and that was the last thing she wanted.

A few steps later Lingling asked casually, "Where is Mother?" That question finally gave Yanmei the opening she needed. She slipped her hand free from Lingling’s grip and answered calmly, "Inside. She’s refining something for an elder. She’ll be out soon."

The moment Lingling heard that her mother was still refining pills, her expression immediately turned annoyed. She looked toward Yanmei and waved one hand impatiently in the air.

"Sister Yanmei, take care of Brother Xuanyan for a moment. I’ll go bring some tea... and if Mother still refuses to come out, I’ll drag her out of that refining chamber myself." Before Yanmei could respond, Lingling had already turned around and walked away.

Yanmei stood there for a moment, slightly stunned by how quickly everything had happened. Then she turned her gaze toward Xuanyan and let out a small huff.

"Why are you still standing there? Follow me."

She turned and walked inside without waiting, her long snow-white hair swaying lightly behind her as she moved forward. Xuanyan simply sighed and followed after her.

*******************************

After reaching the room, Xuanyan and Yanmei sat across from each other. Yanmei kept her expression composed, deliberately avoiding any attempt to start a conversation with Xuanyan.

Meanwhile Xuanyan was lost in his own thoughts. Only then did he realize he actually didn’t know much about alchemy. Aside from refining a basic Qi Condensation stage cultivation pill, he barely understood the fundamentals of alchemy.

He didn’t know the proper names of many ingredients, their exact uses, or why certain herbs were combined together. Even where those materials usually appeared in the cultivation world was information the system had never given him.

But Xuanyan wasn’t in a hurry to buy that knowledge from the system. After using it several times before, he had already noticed that the system consumed a large number of points whenever it transferred ordinary knowledge.

The last time alone he had spent five hundred system points just to learn how to refine a single cultivation pill. Five hundred points for only one basic pill recipe was definitely not a small price.

Yet strangely, when it came to rare things that cultivators normally couldn’t obtain easily—such as talent or aptitude raising treasure—the system seemed to consume far fewer points than expected.

Xuanyan had asked the system about that at the time. The system simply replied that it wasn’t because fewer points were used, but because Xuanyan’s current cultivation level was still low.

Xuanyan soon dismissed the thought. Spending points on basic knowledge clearly wasn’t worth it. If anything, targeting those so-called protagonists brought far greater returns. The system always seemed to reward things connected to fate far more generously than ordinary effort. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Besides, knowledge about herbs and pill formulas could always be learned later through books or elders inside the sect. What truly mattered right now was seizing opportunities tied to fate.

Lingling was the perfect example. In the original storyline, she had been one of Tang Lishen’s most important connections. Yet the moment Xuanyan took that connection for himself, the system rewarded him with Major Alchemy Talent, instantly raising his alchemy attainment to the level of a master—something ordinary cultivators might spend decades pursuing without ever reaching.

Compared to that, spending hundreds of system points on ordinary knowledge felt almost laughable. If he continued interfering with those destined opportunities... who knew what other rewards might appear next? Another passive attribute, perhaps. Or even another major talent.

His gaze slowly returned to Yanmei. She tried to appear calm, avoiding his eyes and refusing to start any conversation. But Xuanyan didn’t bother hiding it this time, watching her openly until the silence between them became unbearable.

"What?" she finally asked, unable to ignore it any longer. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I was simply appreciating the view. It’s not every day I get to sit this close to someone as beautiful as Sister Yanmei," he said. A faint smile appeared on his lips. "But I didn’t expect you to be so sensitive. Most people would feel flattered if someone looked at them like that."

Yanmei’s expression stiffened instantly. "You’re shameless," she muttered. "Who taught you to talk like that?" And "Flattery won’t work on me," she said, folding her arms. "If you’re trying to make me talk, you should find a better method." Yet even as she said that, her gaze still refused to meet his.

Xuanyan chuckled softly at her reaction, clearly not offended. "Since flattery won’t work, I’ll ask something else."

"You look at Lingling like someone who cares about her," he continued. "But the way you speak to her makes it seem like the opposite."

Yanmei’s brows tightened slightly. The question clearly caught her off guard, but she didn’t answer immediately.

"You don’t actually hate Lingling, do you?"