The improved female villains regained their memories.

She's grown taller, but also a bit thinner; she's blossomed into a graceful young woman.

"Xiao Han." Finally, he spoke, "It's been a long time."

"Yes, my elder brother is so cruel. He not only left, but he also erased Xiaohan's memories."

The girl smiled, and the thick dark clouds parted to match, making her smile somewhat eerie under the full moon's glow.

"Did Xiaohan do something wrong to upset your elder brother?"

"Xiao Han hasn't stolen anything or robbed anyone. As my elder brother said, Xiao Han respects his teachers and loves his friends, helps those in need, and lends a helping hand to the weak. Xiao Han has done all of these things. Now, the Jade Cauldron Sect is full of praise for Xiao Han. The sect leader even said to others, 'I am the pillar of the Jade Cauldron Sect, the leader of the new generation of cultivators.' Xiao Han has done everything my elder brother wanted, so why did my elder brother leave?"

"Xiao Han can't understand it. Is it because of this woman?"

Mingren moved even closer.

Xiao Yu's face showed pain, and Yang Pingsheng was anxious to see it. He immediately said, "Xiao Han, put down the knife first, let's talk things over."

"Speak properly..."

Wen Shihan licked his red lips, his dark eyes brimming with desire.

"Alright, then Xiao Han should have a good chat with her elder brother."

Boom!

The light rain that had stopped and the scattered dark clouds have now all gathered together again.

The thunder dragon rolled in the dark clouds, illustrating the wrath of the heavens.

"...Is it time yet?"

Wen Shihan snorted coldly, then smiled gently.

"It's alright, elder brother. I will come again, and next time, we will definitely have a proper reunion."

"No matter the cost..."

A gust of cold wind blew by, sending a chill through the bamboo forest.

As Wen Shihan disappeared, Xiaoyu almost collapsed to the ground. Yang Pingsheng rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

A red mark had appeared on her fair neck.

"...Young Master."

"It's alright now."

Yang Pingsheng held Xiaoyu and comforted her, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Why did Wen Shihan remember everything?

At that time, clearly...

The time of his first life was so long ago that Yang Pingsheng was somewhat dazed.

But he still clearly remembers the assurances the system gave him at the time.

There's no reason for the system and the will of Heaven to wrong him; making the female villain change is probably their wish.

Then why...?

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke.

"Light rain."

"What's wrong, young master?"

"Can you... contact the system?"

---------------------

Wen Shihan suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ha ha……"

She was breathing heavily, clutching her chest.

The air in the sealed room was oppressive, with only a few torches burning, and a mysterious figure in a hooded suit standing there.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

With a flash of light, Wen Shihan vanished from the bed. She appeared before the mysterious man as if by teleportation, holding the knife to his neck.

"You called me back at a crucial moment?"

"You need to understand one fact." Even with the murder weapon in front of him, the mysterious man remained fearless, his tone still calm. "I've already explained to you the amount of time you have left in that world; it's your own fault for not cherishing it."

"Tell me, how do I get to that world?"

"So that's how it is. You're really willing to give up all of this." The mysterious man chuckled softly. "Wen Shihan, your definition is quite accurate: a climber who will stop at nothing to climb to the top."

"Stop talking nonsense."

As the blade drew near, the pressure in the secret chamber instantly increased. Anyone else present would have been astonished; this so-called leader of the new generation of cultivators had already far surpassed the young talents of his time and could even rival those old monsters.

"Whatever your purpose is, just tell me how to get there, and I can give you anything you want."

What do you want?

The mysterious man tilted his head, revealing a radiant smile in the unseen shadows.

"That's great, Wen Shihan. See, that's it. We don't need to clash because our goals are the same."

The mysterious man raised his hand, pressed down the short knife that was lying in front of him, approached, and slowly spoke, like the whisper of a demon.

"How about we kill the female protagonist of this world first? What do you say?"

Chapter Four: Obsession

The wind is cold tonight; it had just rained, and the air was a bit chilly.

Yang Pingsheng was dreaming.

Unbeknownst to him, he had returned to his first life. Back then, he had just started a mission, and his heart was truly set on the best interests of the girl.

The system said she was defined as evil, but he refused to believe it and wanted to change the girl's fate.

The year they met, he was fourteen and Wen Shihan was eight.

The system gave him very little money, barely enough to make ends meet in this world. Wen Shihan initially thought she had hooked up with some rich young master, but she was wrong; Yang Pingsheng was also pitifully poor.

Wen Shihan entered the immortal sect at the age of twelve, which means that the two helpless children had to survive for four years on their own.

They are each other's support.

At that time, Wen Shihan silently followed him, even though he didn't give her the best.

Memories, like sharp blades, tormented Yang Pingsheng's nerves. Tormented by his dreams, he couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

The first time the two had a conflict was on Yang Pingsheng's sixteenth birthday.

"Take it out."

Wen Shihan pursed her lips and remained silent. The ten-year-old girl lowered her head, avoiding Yang Pingsheng's gaze, but her entire being exuded stubbornness.

"I said, take it out."

Yang Pingsheng was unusually angry; the willow branch in his hand trembled as he wanted to hit him but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Take it out!!"

Wen Shihan's face turned pale, and her lips trembled. It was the first time she had ever seen her brother lose his temper, and Wen Shihan was terrified. But she remained stubborn, neither speaking nor making any move.

"Wen Shihan, I'm telling you to take it out!"

Snapped!

Red marks appeared on Wen Shihan's arm.

Yang Pingsheng lowered his hand, his anger inexplicably vanishing at that moment. Wen Shihan remained motionless, only letting out a soft hum.

With one lash, both of them felt the pain.

"Xiao Han," Yang Ping sighed, looking somewhat weary, and asked, "Why did you steal the money?"

"..."

"……say."

"Today... is my brother's birthday."

After a long pause, he said something completely unrelated.

But this stunned Yang Pingsheng.

He could no longer stay angry. He knelt down, cupped the girl's face in his hands, and saw a pair of eyes that had turned red. She hadn't cried when she was hit, but the words she uttered brought tears to his own eyes.

“Brother…you always make yourself so tired, but I…I can’t help you at all. There’s so much money to be made selling meat, stealing some wouldn’t hurt…”

Yang Pingsheng sighed softly and embraced the girl.

Wen Shihan's idea is definitely wrong, and I absolutely cannot support it.

But... when the girl said that, Yang Pingsheng realized that he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to scold her.

Today is his birthday, he knows that. He doesn't usually celebrate his birthday, not in his past life, and even less so now that he's broke. The reason he's thinking of buying meat today is less about celebrating his birthday and more about nourishing the young woman's body.

Because the butcher was constantly cutting meat, customers usually took their money and placed it in a bowl beside him, so both the money and the bowl were covered in grease. Yang Pingsheng didn't see the girl touch the meat on the cutting board at all, but he knew where she was standing. When he returned, he subconsciously noticed the grease reflecting off the girl's hands, became suspicious, and wanted to touch them. Unexpectedly, the girl's reaction suddenly became strong, thus discovering that she had stolen the money.

The shiny banknotes were clutched tightly in the girl's hand, and she wouldn't let go no matter what.

"Xiao Han, listen to me."

Unable to bring himself to reprimand her, Yang Pingsheng decided to reason with her: "The money you stole may not be much for the butcher, but that doesn't mean your actions were right. We may be poor, but we don't steal or rob. Every penny we earn is through our own hard work. A person must live with their conscience, understand, Xiaohan?"

The girl's lips paled slightly and twitched as if wavering. But in the end, she pursed them.

"Why should I..."

"I just want to live well, and I want my brother to be well..."

"I did nothing wrong..."

This child is exceptionally stubborn.

“You’re right to think that way, but you can’t use the wrong methods.” Yang Pingsheng patted her head and said earnestly, “Does it mean that you can make mistakes just to make yourself better off? Xiaohan, your thinking is wrong. Listen to me, come with me to return the money to them and apologize to them.”