The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

The crackling sound of firecrackers echoed through the gates of the Yuan family mansion, and a crowd gathered, surrounding the head of the Yuan family.

Despite the absence of a festive occasion, joy was already upon them. Yuan Feng, the head of the Yuan family and the current commander of Yanzhou under the Great Zhou Dynasty, wore an unyielding smile.

There's no other reason than that the Yuan family has been a military family for generations, with most of their sons holding military positions. But today, they have finally produced a scholar.

Hearing the congratulations from the crowd, Yuan Feng smiled broadly:

"If my late brother knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be smiling!"

Yuan Feng's deceased brother, Yuan Kong, left behind only one son. Yuan Feng treated this nephew with more care than his own children, and he always put the needs of this nephew first when it came to daily expenses.

After entertaining a large number of guests, Yuan Feng realized that the main character of the day was not there, so he summoned the old butler and asked:

"Where is Liu Lang?"

"Sixth Brother should still be studying at the small cottage behind the mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Feng wanted to send someone to fetch his nephew, but after thinking about it, he said instead:

"Sixth Brother prefers quiet. Although he has passed the imperial examination, he will still need to study hard for the next spring examination. Let him stay in the small house in the back mountain. There's no need to trouble him with such formalities."

"Here you go!"

……

Back Mountain Cottage

Yuan Xiu sat in a chair, and although it was not yet autumn, he was already wearing a thick cloak.

Yanzhou is located in the frigid north. Although it does not face the direct attacks of the northern barbarians like Jinzhou and Xiazhou, it is by no means a safe place. Members of the Demonic Sect often disguise themselves and infiltrate the prefecture and county, waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble.

Therefore, among the soldiers and civilians of the six northern prefectures of the Great Zhou Dynasty, most practiced martial arts, while those who pursued literary pursuits were rare.

Contrary to his uncle's expectations, Yuan Xiu was not currently worried about the upcoming imperial examinations.

Yuan Feng's son, Yuan Xiu's third brother Yuan Cai, was sitting opposite him, urging him to drink.

"Sixth Brother, you've passed the imperial examination! I'm so happy for you, brother! Cheers!"

Since her third brother was so eager, Yuan Xiu couldn't refuse and drank cup after cup.

In the midst of their drinking and becoming increasingly animated, Yuan Cai, his face flushed with intoxication, said:

"Sixth Brother, I had a dream last night!"

"Dreaming? What did Sanlang dream about? Could it be the girl next door?"

Yuan Xiu joked, and Yuan Cai laughed too. But behind that smile lay a hint of bitterness, and he sighed:

"I dreamt about my past life."

"Your previous life?"

Seeing Yuan Xiu's confusion, Yuan Cai nodded and explained:

"In your previous life, you didn't study. Instead, like me, you learned martial arts. Thanks to the grace of our ancestors, the imperial court summoned members of the Yuan family to the capital to serve as officials. Our Yuan family has guarded Yanzhou for the Great Zhou for generations, but this grace could only be given to one person. In the end, your father chose you."

At this point, Yuan Cai seemed to have unspeakable resentment in his heart, and painfully drank a cup of wine.

"I do not resent this. After all, if it weren't for my uncle's loyalty to the country and his death on the battlefield, this favor should have been yours."

Yuan Xiu sensed something amiss in the tone of the voice and advised:

"Sanlang's had too much to drink; how can he take a dream seriously!"

Yuan Cai, usually quite magnanimous, was unusually stubborn at this moment. He tugged at Yuan Xiu's sleeve and said in a commanding tone:

"Let me continue!"

Regardless of what Yuan Xiu thought, Yuan Cai continued to pour out her heart:

"I don't mind that you took away the future that was rightfully mine, but why did you have to take You Niang away from me?"

His voice carried a hint of hidden anger.

"A wandering maid?"

"Yes, you don't know, you never knew. She was the woman I loved most in my life, but she would rather be your concubine than look back at me."

"What nonsense are you spouting, Sanlang!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Cai stood up, his expression one of condescending disdain.

"Fortunately, this life is different. The future that originally belonged to you will be mine this time. You Niang will never love a scholar; in this life, her gaze will finally fall on me. And you, a scholar..."

At this point, Yuan Cai chuckled to himself.

"Sanlang, what are you laughing at?"

"Do you know how much I paid to get you to abandon martial arts and pursue literature? Now, it's time to collect the profits!"

After laughing, Yuan Cai suddenly sprang into action, unleashing all his inner strength, and struck Yuan Xiu on the forehead with a palm strike.

This palm strike, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, did not shatter Yuan Xiu's mind as Yuan Cai had imagined; instead, he caught it easily.

Yuan Xiu formed a sword shape with his fingers, slightly blocking the attack. His true energy surged, making it difficult for the palm strike, which carried immense force, to advance further.

"So, it was you who orchestrated that vote with the Fu family's Xuan Tian Palm technique."

Yuan Cai did not use the Yuan family's sword technique, but instead used the Xuan Tian Palm of the Fu family of Jinzhou, whose reputation in the six northern states was no less than that of the Yuan family.

However, in the previous life, the Northern Barbarians invaded, and the Fu family declined under the siege of the Demonic Sect. They were later wiped out, and the Fu family's secret technique, the Xuan Tian Palm, disappeared.

The world suspects that the massacre of the Fu family is related to the evil cult.

Yuan Cai stared at this scene with disbelief on his face.

"you also……"

Yuan Xiu's face remained cold and stern as he said:

"Sanlang, Old Master Fu has treated you very well. The Fu family has over a hundred members. Can you really bring yourself to harm them?"

Yuan Cai suppressed his shock and regained his composure, saying:

"In this world of martial arts, it's all about the survival of the fittest. If he's weak, I'll eat him. What's wrong with that? You're no different today!"

Yuan Cai exerted all his strength, trying to end this absurd scene. However, he was unable to advance even an inch further.

Finally, Yuan Cai realized something and angrily said:

"I've been given a second chance at life and I work a hundred times harder, while you spend all your time studying... This is impossible!"

Yuan Xiu added three-tenths of his true energy, causing the Qi Sea in the room to churn. The utensils and food on the table were scattered all over the floor, and Yuan Cai was also blasted away.

His bones and muscles were injured by Yuan Xiu's true energy, and Yuan Cai knelt on one knee, unable to stand up, yet he still stubbornly said:

"You...it's impossible!"

Yuan Xiu put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

"Would I go around telling everyone I'm a martial arts prodigy?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Cai, who had been suppressing his injuries, could no longer control himself and involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yuan Xiu looked at his third brother and sighed:

"My uncle has been incredibly kind to me. You are his son, and I cannot bear to kill you."

Yuan Cai was overjoyed, but then Yuan Xiu's words plunged him into an icy abyss.

"Just kill yourself!"

……

As the sun sets, the small building returns to its original state.

Yuan Xiu looked at all this with a sense of melancholy.

In his previous life, just as Yuan Cai had said, he received the favor of his ancestors, entered the capital, and was granted an honorary title. After that, he rose through the ranks, becoming a highly sought-after figure in both the imperial court and the martial arts world, and eventually becoming the leader of the righteous path.

Now reborn, Yuan Xiu has lost the spirit of his previous life.

The moment Yuan Xiu realized that Yuan Cai had also been reborn, he chose to remain silent. Over the next few years, he secretly gathered intelligence and discovered that the situation in the six northern states and even the northern kingdom was different from his previous life; it could be summarized in four words—

The evil rises while the righteous decline!

If this is the case in one corner of the world, what about the rest of the land?

What Yuan Xiu couldn't understand was why he, the leader of the righteous path, was also reborn, since the villainous bosses from his previous life had all been reborn.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

"Rokuro, Sanlang's body has been arranged."

Yuan Xiu nodded as he looked at the servant who had been walking towards him, Yuan Cai's spies who had been by his side for the past few years.

"how?"

"Don't worry, Liu Lang, everything is ready. If others see it, they will only think that San Lang accidentally fell off the cliff while drunk."

Yuan Xiu nodded and said:

"That's not enough!"

"What does Liu Lang mean?"

As he spoke, Yuan Xiu unleashed a palm strike, carrying a chilling demonic intent, which struck the servant squarely on the forehead.

"You were a traitor who sold out your master for personal gain, but today I grant you a name of loyalty and righteousness in protecting your master. You have died a worthy death!"

……