I Am Actually the Main Villain in the Novel

“Yu Tong” Pawnshop.

Behind the high counter, an old man was looking at Xu Qingwan, his expression quite uninterested.

Most women dressed like this couldn’t produce anything good, probably just some broken trinkets.

But business was business, and even a small gain was still a gain, so he politely asked, “What do you want to pawn, miss?”

“This knife.”

Xu Qingwan hesitated for a moment before handing over Jiuti, her face slightly anxious.

“Oh, let me take a look.”

The old man took Jiuti, glancing at the knife handle before his pupils suddenly constricted.

A hundred-year-old Huanghuali wood!

Although the knife handle made from this wood is not particularly valuable, a knife with a handle made from this material must be extraordinary!

After examining the scabbard, he slowly drew out a section of the blade.

“Whoosh~”

The sound of the blade being unsheathed was as clear as a yellow oriole’s cry, without a single extraneous noise.

Some withered fingers brushed against the cold blade, and in the next second, the old man’s face changed drastically, his eyes wide as he stared at Xu Qingwan.

“This knife… how did you acquire it?”

“What’s the point of asking that?”

Xu Qingwan’s face revealed caution: “How much can it be pawned for? If you can’t tell, I’ll go to another shop.”

“No, no, no!”

The old man hurriedly waved his hand and stood up: “Please wait, young lady. This matter requires me to consult with the boss.”

He didn’t even wait for Xu Qingwan’s response, immediately taking the knife into the inner room. It took him a full quarter of an hour to come out.

“You’ve waited for a long time, young lady.”

The old man carefully placed the knife on the table, then surprisingly ordered his assistants to close the doors and refuse customers.

After all the doors and windows of the pawnshop were closed, he finally looked at Xu Qingwan and slowly stretched out three fingers: “Young lady, if you want to pawn this knife, we can give you this price.”

“Three hundred taels?”

Xu Qingwan was greatly shocked.

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Ordinary military blades on the market usually sold for a few silver coins, and even precision-crafted “official weapons” like the willow leaf knife only cost a few taels.

This knife was equivalent to a hundred willow leaf knives, no wonder she was so astonished.

Xu Qingwan didn’t understand what kind of precious knife could be worth this price, but before she could think it through, the old man shook his head with a complex expression and corrected her in a soft voice:

“Young lady, it’s three thousand taels.”

“Three… three thousand taels?”

Xu Qingwan’s eyes widened in shock: “This… this knife is worth three thousand taels?”

“It’s not worth three thousand taels, it can be pawned for three thousand taels.”

The old man took a deep breath, his gaze at the knife like he was looking at a beauty who had just stepped out of a bath.

“One knife is worth a thousand gold, this knife is at least worth ten thousand silver taels.”

“Ten thousand…”

Hearing this unprecedented price, Xu Qingwan seemed to have become a repeater, unable to say anything, only repeating “ten thousand” in a daze.

The old man didn’t rush her, waiting for a while until Xu Qingwan’s emotions had somewhat subsided before asking:

“Is this price acceptable to you, young lady?”

“If you want to sell, that’s even better. Our shop can immediately provide the silver ticket.”

“…… I don’t want to pawn or sell it.”

Xu Qingwan shook her head bitterly: “I originally just wanted to ask how much it was worth…”

“What?”

The old man was taken aback, his face soon turning angry: “There’s no such rule! If you want to take the knife back, it’s not impossible, one hundred taels for appraisal…”

“Clang~”

A black token suddenly fell onto the counter, not silver, but a black command token.

The old man’s face turned bright red, as if he had been choked, and it took him a long time to force out a smile: “I see it’s an official from the Suspended Mirror Agency, I’ve made a grave mistake, please don’t take it to heart…”

Soon, Xu Qingwan left the pawnshop with the knife.

Her face didn’t show the joy of making a big profit, but instead looked worried and anxious.

10,000 silver taels, it’s so expensive…

I only have over 1,000 silver taels now, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to save up enough to pay him back…

Looking down at the “Wū Jī” characters on the scabbard, I tightly clenched my small fist.

Xu Qingwan suddenly revealed a determined expression, waving her small fist as if to encourage herself.

Keep earning money! I can do it!

…

Just as Xu Qingwan took on the massive debt of 10,000 silver taels, Wei Changtian, the creditor, had returned to the Wei Manor, where he was listening to Li Yang and Wang Er’s work report.

The preparations for the Chun Shen Bookstore were almost complete. Li Yang had bought a courtyard with a storefront and warehouse, which could be used as a bookstore in the front and a printing factory in the back.

The staff had been recruited, the printing equipment was in place, and Lu Jingyao had already handed over the manuscript of “Journey to the West (Part One)” to Li Yang.

Everything was ready, with the grand opening set for August 28th.

“…It’s roughly like that. I’ve also arranged for the brothers from the Gong Ji Society to blend in with the normal staff, making it impossible for ordinary people to notice anything.”

Li Yang hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Brother Wei, I have an idea about selling books, and I’d like you to take the lead.”

“What idea?”

Wei Changtian nodded in satisfaction: “Just say it, Brother Li. No need to be polite.”

“Alright, I’ll say it directly.”

Li Yang scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed: “I think we should sell ‘Journey to the West’ together with the playing cards you invented.”

“Playing cards are a completely new item, and I believe they’ll be extremely popular if promoted correctly.”

“Now that we have our own printing workshop, we can keep the production cost of the playing cards very low. If we bundle them with ‘Journey to the West’, not only can we greatly increase sales, but also…”

Li Yang tentatively explained his “new idea”, while Wei Changtian grew more and more astonished.

Wow, isn’t this just bundling sales?

You’re playing with such modern concepts?

“Brother Li, I think it’s feasible!”

Wei Changtian quickly gave his full affirmation: “Just go ahead and do it. This move will definitely be a huge success!”

“Really? Then, Brother Wei, listen to my other ideas.”

With Wei Changtian’s confirmation, Li Yang became very excited and poured out all his thoughts from the past few days.

In the following time, Wei Changtian heard the shadows of various modern marketing strategies, such as “hunger marketing”, “celebrity endorsements”, and “brand packaging”, some of which were already very similar.

Damn, you’re not also a time traveler, are you?!

“Brother Li, you’re truly a business genius!”

Wei Changtian looked at Li Yang as if he were an alien, praising him sincerely: “If you were born a few decades earlier, you would’ve definitely been the richest man in Da Ning!”

Li Yang was both shocked and delighted: “Brother Wei, you’re making me blush.”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. From now on, you can make all the decisions regarding the bookstore’s business. You don’t need to ask me anymore!”

Wei Changtian patted Li Yang’s shoulder, then suddenly said, “Qí biàn ǒu bù biàn!”

???

Li Yang looked confused: “What did you just say, Brother Wei?”

“Haha, nothing…”

Wei Changtian laughed twice, raising his teacup as if to take a sip.

However, just as the cup touched his lips, he suddenly blurted out again, “Hydrogen, helium, lithium, boron!”

Li Yang: “……”

Wang Er: “……”

Judging from Li Yang’s reaction, he wasn’t a transmigrator or anything.

This was quite normal, as Li Yang hadn’t shown any overly “modern” behavior before.

But actually, Wei Chang Tian had been hoping to hear a phrase like “symbolic limit” just now.

If that were the case, it would mean he had found someone from the same world, and perhaps he wouldn’t feel so lonely.

It’s difficult to adapt to a completely new environment, but if there’s someone from the same place as you, things would become much simpler.

And who knows, that person might even be a scientist? Perhaps they could help him achieve the technological revolution he couldn’t complete.

Hmm? Should he spread the phrase “strange changes, no changes” as a riddle, offering a hefty reward to anyone who could come up with a matching phrase?

As he thought about this, Wei Chang Tian suddenly remembered a joke from his past life.

It was about four roommates who transmigrated to ancient times, one of whom became an emperor. He then issued a decree seeking someone who could come up with a phrase to match “five-year high school exam.”

Using this method, he quickly found two brothers, but the last one remained silent for years.

After a few years passed, he thought the last roommate must have died, until one day, after getting intimate with a new concubine, he suddenly heard a phrase in his ear – “three-year simulation.”

“Hahaha!”

Wei Chang Tian couldn’t help but burst out laughing, while Li Yang and Wang Er looked like they had seen a ghost.

“Wei, brother Wei, are you okay…?”

“Is it possible that you’ve been injured by that demonic creature? I’ll go find a doctor…”

“Come back here!”

Wei Chang Tian’s face turned dark: “I’m fine!”

“But…”

“I just felt happy to have someone like Brother Li to help me, that’s all.”

Li Yang and Wang Er exchanged a glance, reluctantly accepting this explanation.

After the brief interlude, the secret discussion continued, with the three of them discussing the Alliance of Justice.

Currently, the Alliance’s members were mostly from the prisoners awaiting trial at the Ministry of Justice.

Li Yang provided the list, Wang Er conducted the initial interviews, and Wei Chang Tian finalized the list before handing it over to Li Kan, thus allowing these people to regain their freedom.

As for the flow of personnel, there were two main channels: one was the “Spring Deep Bookstore” staff, and the other was the morning’s discussion with the officials at the Liu Ye government office.

After all, it was a secret organization, and they needed a normal identity to cover their tracks in daily life.

They chatted for about an hour before Li Yang and Wang Er left to attend to their own matters, while Wei Chang Tian brought up the system interface.

After Chapter Hong Wen was beheaded, he earned 150 points, plus the 50 points from Yang Liu Shi, making a total of 200 points.

Wei Chang Tian wasn’t planning to spend them, but instead, he wanted to save up to buy the same golden finger as Xiao Feng.

【Demon Sealing: A special divine ability that allows the owner to absorb part of the demon’s cultivation, with the absorption rate determined by the owner’s realm, 300 points (plot-related item, 30% off)】

He still lacked 100 points, and he estimated that after Li Kan became the Minister of Justice, he would earn more points.

If he still didn’t have enough, he would have to take down Lu Jing Yao, the “piggy bank.”

Earning points was just too slow…

Wei Chang Tian scratched his head in frustration, and just then, he felt a warm sensation around his waist.

He always carried two mother-child jade tokens on him – one from the Liu Ye government office and one from Yang Liu Shi.

Since he was still injured, Kong Chang Gui wouldn’t give him any tasks.

So… it seemed Xiao Feng had finally found Yang Liu Shi!

…

It was almost midnight.

At this hour, most people had already gone to sleep, but Pingchang Pavilion was still brightly lit, with the sounds of birds chirping and people whispering nonstop.

Because this was the largest gathering place for courtesans in the entire capital city.

Regardless of whether you were a high-ranking official, a young scholar with great ambitions, a wealthy merchant, or a penniless warrior, this place could be your haven.

The spring nights here didn’t cost a thousand gold coins, not even a hundred gold coins; the cheapest would only set you back a few silver coins.

And if you had a special talent, such as writing poetry or being handsome, you might even get paid for your services.

How could men not be tempted by such an opportunity?

Among them, the most coveted place was the embroidered room on the top floor of the Phoenix Pavilion.

“Miss, someone got into a fight with mom downstairs again today because of you.”

“Really? How did it end?”

Yangliu Shi was sitting at her desk, combing her hair, and didn’t even turn her head when she heard this, as if she was already used to such incidents.

“Mom chased them away to another girl.”

The maid replied, then looked at Yangliu Shi, who was inserting hairpins into her hair, and asked curiously, “Miss, why are you dressing up so late at night?”

“I’m trying out my new accessories to see how they look… What do you think?”

“Hehe, Miss, you look good no matter how you dress.”

“Flattery! Alright, I’m tired, you can leave now.”

“Yes.”

The maid retreated obediently, and Yangliu Shi admired her beauty for a while before putting on a black cloak from her cabinet.

She blew out the candles, opened the window quietly, and jumped out.

Outside, there was a small river with many drunken patrons strolling along the bank.

Yangliu Shi grasped her cloak tightly and jumped down, while the few pairs of eyes watching from the shadows seemed to have seen nothing.

In their eyes, that window had never been opened from the start.

……

Two hours later.

At a riverside pavilion in the lower reaches of the Qingci River, Yangliu Shi finally met the tardy Wei Changtian.

From noble mtl dot come

“You’re late.”

She gently removed her hood, revealing a delicate face with a hint of poutiness.

Wei Changtian, however, was nonchalant, waving his hand dismissively and saying, “What’s the big deal if you wait a little longer? You’re not that busy.”

“Can’t you just give me a random excuse to soothe me?”

Yangliu Shi’s tone no longer had the nervousness and fear from their previous encounter on the flower boat, but rather resembled that of a wronged little wife.

“Enough, stop playing these mind games.”

Wei Changtian was not in the mood to flirt with her, sitting down on a stone bench and asking directly, “Did that Xiao Gongzi come to see you?”

Yangliu Shi’s face turned red as she hesitated for a while before nodding reluctantly, “Yes, he came last night.”

“Did he ask you to seduce Liu Yuanshan again? Did you agree to it?”

Wei Changtian asked consecutively.

“No.”

Yangliu Shi shook her head, “Xiao Gongzi said it’s not necessary for me to do that anymore.”

“Not necessary?”

Wei Changtian was taken aback, “Why? Tell me exactly what he said!”

“Uh, he said… “

Yangliu Shi thought for a moment before repeating, “Thanks to someone’s kick, this matter no longer requires Yang’s assistance.”

Someone’s kick?

What’s going on?

Wei Changtian furrowed his brow, thinking deeply for half a day, before suddenly having a bold guess.

“The guy” referred to himself! “One kick” referred to the kick he gave Liu Zhongliang on the flower boat!

Xiao Feng probably wanted to pull the Liu family in to deal with the Wei family, but the Liu family might have been hesitant at first, so he thought of using Yang Liu’s poem to add fuel to the fire.

However, after Wei Changtian kicked Liu Zhongliang half to death, the Liu family was thoroughly enraged, so there was no need to use Yang Liu’s poem anymore!

The more Wei Changtian thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense, and he continued to question Yang Liu after a while.

“What else did he say to you?”

“He said he wanted me to seduce someone else.”

“Who?”

“……”

Yang Liu smiled lightly, her red lips parting to utter a single word.

“You.”