The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Liannie, go back to your room," the man suddenly said, pointing at the little girl.

"Oh," the little girl whispered in agreement and went back into the inner room.

Watching the little girl enter the house, the man angrily grabbed Ye Xiao's clothes, but he found that Ye Xiao was like a stone block, holding onto the clothes but unable to budge her no matter what he did, so he gave up. He just grabbed her collar and said in a vicious low voice, "You, I don't care which family or gang you are from, I have already told you that I will not do those messy things again!"

"I just want to live a normal life with my sister, can you please stay away from us?!"

"Dude, if I were really a gang member, judging from your tone, my hand would have been broken by now," Ye Xiao said helplessly.

"You think you can threaten me?" The man loosened his collar and took a few steps back. "I've kept all those filthy things you don't want others to see. If anything happens to me or my sister, someone will help us expose them so that the entire Stormport and the Sanctuary can see the disgusting faces of you guys!"

"If you hadn't kept such a distance from me, those words would have been quite imposing." Ye Xiao straightened his collar.

He wasn't angry because of what the other person said. People struggling to survive at the bottom of society, if they don't have some sharp edges, will soon be swallowed up by this cruel world.

"Dingling bell~"

As they were talking, the bell at the shop entrance rang again.

This time, however, came in three burly men.

"Little Jenny, Little Jenny." The burly man at the head of the group looked menacing, a hookah dangling from his lips, revealing a set of rotten teeth yellowed from cheap alcohol. "You should pay your bill for this week, shouldn't you?"

Wow, such a classic plot?

The informant refused to provide information, and in the midst of the tension, thugs appeared to collect protection money from the informant. The protagonist quickly dealt with them, and the informant's goodwill towards him skyrocketed, leading him to obediently hand over the information—Ye Xiao had seen this plot seventeen or eighteen times in popcorn movies.

So he raised an eyebrow, thinking he could quickly skip the complicated conversation and get straight to the point: "Dude, I'll take care of these idiots for you, and then you can do me a favor."

"Huh?" Before the man called Jenny could react, Ye Xiao had already punched the burly man in the face, breaking the hookah pipe in two.

Then, with a swift movement, he effortlessly kicked the two people behind him together, sending them flying against the wall and leaving a double "pancake" on the surface.

The action was swift and concise, taking less than two seconds in total.

"Well, now that I've helped you, you can help me too, right?" Ye Xiao clapped his hands. In order to leave a better impression on the man, he even kicked the two big men against the empty wall to prevent them from hitting the store shelves.

The man's face first showed shock, then turned to grief. He staggered and collapsed onto the burly man lying on the ground, his voice trembling as he cried out:

"uncle!!!"

Chapter Thirty: Pisces Meeting

"I have to admit, I might have been a bit reckless." Ye Xiao crossed his arms and looked at the burly man lying on the chair, his face swollen like a pig's head and missing two teeth. "But you have to believe me, I really meant no harm."

"Consider this money and medicine my compensation. I can also buy some of your store's little toys... Hey, wait, brother, why are you crying?"

Seeing the tears streaming down the burly man's wrinkled face, Ye Xiao was speechless.

It's one thing for a beautiful young girl to be punched and cry her eyes out, but why is a big, burly man like you crying?

If he hadn't looked like an ally, Ye Xiaobao would have probably punched him twice more.

“I’m just… a little touched… Little Jenny… Little Jenny has finally made a friend.” The big man wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. “Ever since his parents passed away, he’s become very withdrawn…”

"Then there might be some misunderstanding between us." Ye Xiao quickly waved his hand. "I can only be considered a... uh, customer?"

"Uncle!" Jenny, who had just come out of the inner room with bandages, interrupted his uncle as he began to recount his backstory.

Then he saw Ye Xiao again, and was furious. "What are you still doing here?!"

“I’m a responsible person,” Ye Xiao shrugged. “I have to take some responsibility for my mistakes.”

“Oh, little Jenny, I’ve brought you all the parts you wanted,” the burly man said, rubbing his eyes. His voice was a little lisp. “Remember to give the money to your Uncle Hans.”

"Can you please stop using such childish terms? If you want to call me Jenny, just call me Jenny. If you want to call me nephew, just call me nephew." Jenny pouted as he took a small bag of jingling props from the burly man's hand, opened the bag, and inspected it inside.

Ye Xiao also leaned over to take a look. "These little toys are all rusty. The quality isn't very good."

“It’ll be usable once you grind off the rust.” Jenny closed the bag. “No, shouldn’t you be leaving by now? Don’t just stay here. I can’t even feed myself, let alone you.”

"Don't rush." ​​Ye Xiao casually took another birdcage from the shelf, which seemed to be assembled from brass parts. Touching the hooks on it for hanging, he gently pressed them, and the bottom of the birdcage suddenly opened and then folded together into a circle of metal pancakes. "The design is quite detailed. Release the pigeons first and then fold the birdcage."

"...You know magic tricks?" Jenny was taken aback.

“I’ve seen a version where the bottom doesn’t open,” Ye Xiao unfolded the folded birdcage, straightened it, and put it back on the shelf. “You just flatten the pigeons inside, so there won’t be any flaws when you’re performing.”

“That kind of person doesn’t deserve to be called a magician.” Jenny frowned.

"If you're interested in these little tricks, why don't you just study for a real mage profession?" Ye Xiao clapped his hands, and after picking up the birdcage, his hands were covered in dust, showing that these things hadn't been used much since they were made.

Are you serious about this?

"Never mind, I didn't ask." Ye Xiao shrugged.

Without the help of the World Tree system, for a true native to become a mage, they need three things: magical talent, acceptance by an orthodox mage school, and sufficient resources.

Unfortunately, for most people at the bottom of society, all three points are difficult to achieve.

This is why Ye Xiao previously thought that the self-taught Besolini was very talented.

“But I can help you,” Ye Xiao then added.

"How can I help? You can't possibly enhance my talent, can you...?"

Before Jenny could finish speaking, Ye Xiao pulled out a gold coin.

The shimmering light made Jenny's throat bob, as if beckoning him to the abyss of sin.

But his gaze quickly hardened again, “…No! I can’t…”

Ye Xiao took out another gold coin.

“…This is the last time.” Jenny took Ye Xiao’s two gold coins and put them in his pocket. But then, feeling uneasy, he took a small, locked metal box from the shelf, carefully put the gold coins inside, and ran into the inner room. After fiddling around for a while, he poked half his body out of the door again. “Come with me.”

Ye Xiao bypassed the burly man who was playing with Lienie and walked towards the small room inside the shop.

Inside was a small bedroom, with a simple workbench and a wooden bed as the only furniture.

There were strange props on the ground, such as a doll duck sewn together from rags, which would whistle-like squeals if Ye Xiao's shoes accidentally brushed against it.

"Be careful," Jenny warned.

"You've already thrown it on the ground, and you still have the nerve to tell others to be careful?" Ye Xiao picked up the little screaming duck and threw it on the bed, finally following Jenny closer to the workbench on the inside of the room.

Jenny opened a drawer and took out a stack of scrap paper. "So, what do you want to know?"

"You just casually pile up your intelligence in a drawer like that?" Ye Xiao asked in surprise.

“Who told you this was intelligence?” Jenny fiddled with the stack of papers. “These are just some design drafts. What you want to know is in my head.”

“Okay.” Ye Xiao shrugged. He noticed that there were ink words printed with photocopying spells on the back of the design drafts of different sizes. They were probably some unwanted tabloids or something. “The depletion of holy water in the Ocean Sanctuary, and some recent activities of the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group and the Malz family.”

"What exactly do you do? Why are you going against the two biggest local powers right off the bat?"

"Do not ask."

“Okay.” Jenny nodded knowingly. “The holy water thing started about three months ago, but the specific reasons have not been announced by the sanctuary. But I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, their archbishop also changed positions three months ago.”

Ye Xiao also knew about this.

“Former Bishop Beverly Shelley claimed to have retired due to illness, but in reality, no one has seen her since,” Jenny continued.

"Then his sister Vanessa Shelley succeeded him. She had previously been just the lead singer of the choir and was said to have only average talent in faith and magic, but she was recommended by a group of elders."

"After three consecutive months without receiving holy water, the believers harbor some resentment towards the new bishop of the Ocean Sanctuary. However, apart from that, this year's seafood harvest is much better than last year's. For most ordinary fishermen, a good harvest is enough."

"As a result, the local church believers gradually split into two factions. One faction, mainly composed of lower-class fishermen, supported the new bishop, believing that the great water goddess Undine had turned the holy water, originally intended for blessing, into a means of fertility so that more people could enjoy her blessings. The other faction, mainly composed of local nobles, did not support the new bishop and advocated that the imperial authorities should intervene and investigate the abnormal situation of the Ocean Church."

"In this godforsaken place, the nobility mostly control the discourse. The factions that support them, which are spontaneously formed by the lower classes, are often suppressed. Therefore, they have secretly formed a faction called the 'Pisces Society' to promote the idea that the current Archbishop Vanessa is the true daughter of the sea god."

Chapter Thirty-One: Horn Village

"The Pisces Association?" Ye Xiao's first thought was Pisces, one of the twelve zodiac constellations, but after thinking about it, he felt it was probably a coincidence. "What is the origin of this name? Is it because the fish population has doubled compared to before, hence the name 'Pisces'?"

“Maybe. That’s all I know about their markings.” Jenny said, taking a angular piece and scratching it on the mottled table. It was a rather abstract hand-drawn line mark, roughly a fish head with two tails extending out. “People at the bottom usually can’t afford paper and ink. My scrap paper and ink pens were leftovers from others that my uncle got for me. But you should be able to see such markings occasionally in some places in the harbor area.”

"Hmm..." Ye Xiao felt that it was somewhat familiar, and he had some impression of this thing in this world, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

“That’s all I know about the Holy Temple. As for the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group and the Malz family, to be honest, if you saw the performance on the bridge last night, you should know what you need to know.” Jenny continued, “If I had to mention some other gossip recently, it seems that Wind Chaser Keep is preparing some kind of banquet. My friend who works as a servant there told me that they’ve been moving a lot of wine and cream recently.”

"Then a few days ago, the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group seemed to have sent quite a few people to search for something at the docks, causing several ships to be delayed. I don't know if they found it or not, since the people there were basically sent to see the God of Light by the Holy Maiden."

"Oh, speaking of which, I also have some news about the Holy Maiden of Light. Are you interested?"

“…Tell me about it.”

“I heard from some friends from the capital that she is an evil god who usurped the throne of God.” Jenny leaned closer, head down. “During the pilgrimage festival, many people saw her using evil magic.”

"Don't believe that nonsense, it's just a rumor." Ye Xiao waved his hand.

"Hiss... You're so sure, you're not a member of the Holy Church, are you?" Jenny suddenly became wary. Oh no, if he really was a believer, then he might have said something wrong.

But then I thought again, this person looks so carefree and irresponsible, what kind of believer would be like this in a church?

"of course not."

"Look at how confidently you're talking, you probably just blindly believe her because she's pretty, right?" Jenny leaned back in his chair dismissively. "She killed the Archbishop of the Loren Sanctuary, saying it was due to the corruption of an evil god; she also killed the Second Prince of the royal family, saying it was also due to the corruption of an evil god; and on her very first day here, she wiped out the entire Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, saying they were colluding with evil spirits. What the hell is going on with the chosen ones of Light killing people like this?"

Well, all I can say is that I didn't want to either. Ye Xiao scratched his head.

"But the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group did a great job. For that alone, even if they were evil gods, I would have to sing their praises."

"It seems this gang has a terrible reputation."

“There’s no gang around here with a bad reputation.” After searching for a while, Jenny finally took out a design draft and placed it on the table, stuffing the rest back into the drawer. “Alright, that’s all I can tell you. Goodbye.”

"The Maltz family," Ye Xiao said, resting one hand on the table. "If I want to get in, is there any way I can get in?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I didn't say it was me going."

“There are often job openings in the harbor area for delivery workers to Zhufengbao. I’ll give you an address, you can try your luck.”

Ye Xiao took the small note handed to him, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he glanced at the young man with a few freckles on his face and asked, "Won't anyone else know about today's events?"

“You’re my last order.” Jenny turned his head away and started fiddling with the parts on the table.

Ye Xiao nodded and walked out of the room.

"Little Jenny's friend, come and play often, hahaha!" The burly man, whose speech was slightly slurred, was still teasing the little girl when he saw Ye Xiao walk to the shop entrance, so he looked up and waved.

Ye Xiao glanced back, smiled slightly, waved casually with one hand, opened the door, and left.

The bell on the door frame rang.

……

As the midday sun began to slant slightly, outside Storm Harbor, Ella and the Septians' team were about to arrive at their destination.

A group of about twenty people rode horses and marched in a grand procession along a tributary of the Horn River toward the mountains and plains.

The departure of so many people from the city could not be hidden from the eyes of those in Stormport, so Ella did not bother to conceal herself. She wore a pure white cloak and let her two silver ponytails fall to her waist, swaying slightly with the steps of her gray horse.

As wisps of smoke rose into the sky above the boundless wilderness, a village came into view.

White stone walls, thatched huts, and gray-yellow paths wind through the village. Several wooden fences surround a few cows grazing on the grass, and there are scattered figures of people. It is clear that this village is not very large.

Ella's cavalry was quite conspicuous, and a few villagers in rough clothes looked over curiously from a distance.

Even in the most remote villages, the distinctive clothing style of the Church of Light makes it difficult to go unrecognized.

Therefore, before Ella and the others even reached the village entrance, several strong and healthy farmers helped an elderly man walk out with faltering steps.

"Holy...Holy Maiden, your presence in our humble village is an unparalleled honor!" The old man's voice trembled and he was breathless. He and the villagers at the crossroads bowed down in worship.

Since merchants from Storm Harbor sometimes visited, the villagers were already familiar with the appearance and rumors of the Holy Maiden of Light, so their sudden encounter with her was understandably alarming.

Ella quickly dismounted and helped the trembling village chief to his feet, afraid that his frail body would collapse from kneeling before her.

The Templars' reputation was known to all, and usually, those high-ranking Templar Knights rarely appeared in these poor villages.

Once such an event occurs, it is often either to arrest people or to burn down the village, which explains why the village chief's eyes held both awe and fear.

“No need for formalities, everyone. This is Horn Village, isn’t it?” Ella waved her hand, indicating that the other villagers didn’t need to bow anymore.

"Yes, Your Holiness... I am the village chief here," the village chief said in a trembling voice. "Is... is there anything I can do for you?"

"Village Chief, did the priests from the Ocean Sanctuary visit your village a few days ago?" A voice as clear as a spring rang out, making the tense villagers relax a little.

“Oh, oh,” the old village chief nodded, visibly relieved. As long as they weren’t here to burn and kill, that was good. “Indeed, a few days ago, some adults from the Ocean Sanctuary came to the village to inquire about some things.”

"Would you mind informing us? We are also here on behalf of the Ocean Sanctuary to continue our investigation into this matter."