The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 183 (Patreon)

Chapter 183

In the past few days, An Ning and the Red Dust Swordsman had reconciled, yet a certain distance remained between them. They had planned to complete an achievement together today, so naturally, she couldn't afford to be late again. Although she was somewhat concerned about the boy who had offered her his umbrella that day, An Ning still held a good impression of her master in the game.

An Ning finished her exam early and left the examination hall, only to realize at the bottom of the stairs that she had left her phone on the lecturer's desk. Hurrying back to retrieve it, she didn't notice someone approaching around the corner and collided with them forcefully.

"The female lead has quite the strength," Ling Chunann steadied himself, rubbing his sore chin, and looked down at An Ning with a smile. "Classmate, are you alright?"

Still a bit dazed, An Ning regained her senses upon hearing Ling Chunann's voice. She looked up to meet his smiling eyes, her face instantly flushing red. She stepped back timidly, glanced at Ling Chunann, then bashfully lowered her head, "Sen... Senior, I'm sorry, I was running too fast and bumped into you."

Being quite petite, An Ning stood at around 1.6 meters tall, giving Ling Chunann a noticeable height advantage. Patting her on the shoulder, Ling Chunann reassured, "It's okay, just be more careful when walking. It's good that I caught you, otherwise, you might have fallen down the stairs."

An Ning turned to look at the stairs, feeling a delayed fright, and then noticed Ling Chunann's hand that had just pulled back, her face reddening further as she stammered, "Got it, understood."

"Alright," Ling Chunann nodded, "I'll be going then."

"Okay, alright," An Ning responded, still somewhat stunned.

As Ling Chunann descended a flight of stairs, An Ning called out from behind, "Senior, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" Ling Chunann asked, looking back.

Hesitating for a moment and gathering her courage, An Ning finally asked the question that had been on her mind, "What's your name?"

"Feng Lan."

After Ling Chunann left, An Ning repeated his name several times to herself, somehow recalling the name of her Seventh Show Sect Ancestor in the game, Feng Lan, which sounded identical. Could there be a connection? Dismissing the thought, An Ning shook her head; it was impossible. Her Sect Ancestor was a girl, and how could such a coincidence exist? She realized she had forgotten to ask for the senior's contact information, and she still had his umbrella...

Exiting the academic building, Shu Yiheng, who had been waiting, greeted her, "Baby, did the exam go well?"

Ling Chunann warmed his hands in Shu Yiheng's embrace, "Of course, no problem."

Shu Yiheng rubbed Ling Chunann's still slightly red chin, "What happened here? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, just a small bump," Ling Chunann explained, "Let's go back, I don't have any exams this afternoon."

The exam week quickly passed, and during these days, Ling Chunann would occasionally encounter the female lead at school. However, she was usually too shy to say what she intended to, until the last day before vacation when she finally mustered the courage to ask Ling Chunann for his QQ number.

Of course, Ling Chunann gave it to her.

"Host, is it okay to give your QQ number to the female lead?" 098 worried, aware that the original owner's space was filled with game screenshots.

"It's fine, it would be good if she recognizes it," Ling Chunann said, "But I don't think she will."

As it turned out, 098's concerns were unfounded. After adding Ling Chunann on QQ, An Ning, out of shyness, did not check his space. Moreover, since Ling Chunann had changed his online name, she never associated him with the game, and their conversations revolved mostly around school and exams.

With the onset of the winter vacation, the snow finally ceased, but the cold remained. Ling Chunann entered a state of hibernation. Fortunately, he had finally overcome his bottleneck, and his special abilities began to operate normally, significantly improving his physical condition. This development pleased Ling Chunann greatly.

Ling Chunann would log into the game from time to time. Although the male lead no longer mentioned forming a bond, he became much more attentive, even offering to provide Ling Chunann with Xuanjing stones. To fulfill this promise, the male lead even started raiding dungeons.

As the second-in-command of the Haoqi Alliance guild and a renowned strategist, the Red Dust Swordsman's pursuit of a relationship with the character Xuemei quickly became the talk of the server, making Feng Lan's ID famous as

well.

Wherever Ling Chunann went in the game, players would message him, praising the Red Dust Swordsman and urging him to cherish the relationship.

"Host, is the male lead trying to pressure you into compliance with public opinion?" Even 098 could see through the male lead's tactics, "Please don't be fooled."

"Do you think I'd be swayed that easily?" Ling Chunann glanced at the chat, "I aim to become the faction's goddess."

The first step to becoming the faction goddess: increase popularity.

Ling Chunann's popularity was already quite good. Despite wearing what seemed to many as a simplistic sect uniform, he received numerous confessions of love, mainly from members of opposing factions.

Then, a familiar name popped up in the message notifications, belonging to the commander of the Valley of Villains, a Cangyun class player but with a loli avatar.

[Whisper][Cliff Saber] whispered: Sister Xuemei, interested in forming a bond?

[Whisper][Cliff Saber] expressed joy thrice.

Ling Chunann, looking at the little loli holding a sword and shield in front of him, fed her several candied haws.

[Near Chat][Cliff Saber]: Thank you, Auntie Feng Lan.

[Near Chat][Cliff Saber]: Auntie Feng Lan is the best.

[Near Chat][Cliff Saber]: Thank you, Big Sister Feng Lan.

[Near Chat][Cliff Saber]: ...[Disdain]

Pleased with the automatically assigned sister title by the loli, Ling Chunann leisurely replied to the whisper.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Cliff Saber]: Love cannot cross faction lines.

[Whisper][Cliff Saber] whispered: Oh, then wait a moment!

After sending this message, the little loli who had been standing in front of Ling Chunann vanished instantly, presumably having logged off.

098: "...Host, isn't this person a bit strange?"

Ling Chunann: "Maybe he has a crush on me."

Before 098 could object, another message arrived for Ling Chunann.

[Whisper][Thousand Autumns Snow Cover] whispered: Sister Xuemei, can we form a bond now? [Joy][Joy]

Recognizing the name as belonging to a guild member who frequently inquired about his whereabouts, 098 realized, "Host, isn't this the spy from your guild?"

Unsurprised, Ling Chunann calmly accepted the spar challenge from the player standing before him.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Thousand Autumns Snow Cover]: Beat me, and I'll consider it.

As a Tian Ce class playing Ice Heart, Cliff Saber was confident in his skills. Encouraged by Ling Chunann's challenge, he eagerly accepted the spar request and mounted his horse.

[The duel will start in 5 seconds.]

[4 seconds...]

[3 seconds...]

[2 seconds...]

[1 second...]

In the final second, Cliff Saber couldn't wait to charge at Ling Chunann with his lance.

However, before he could execute his skill, he was knocked off his horse and lost a quarter of his health to a Sword Break.

This outcome made Cliff Saber much more cautious, but he hadn't anticipated that the first round was no fluke. In the ensuing fight, whenever he prepared to attack, Ling Chunann would suddenly distance himself, masterfully maintaining the gap and seemingly predicting Cliff Saber's moves. By the end, Cliff Saber's health bar was depleted without having landed a single hit on Ling Chunann.

A top-three Tian Ce class professional player was effortlessly defeated by a newly graduated Ice Heart with full health.

Cliff Saber couldn't understand what went wrong.

After replenishing his health, he challenged Ling Chunann to another duel.

Over the next several rounds, Cliff Saber was systematically defeated by Ling Chunann in various ways, constantly drinking tea until the fifteenth time when Ling Chunann declined the challenge.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Thousand Autumns Snow Cover]: No more, my hand is sore.

[Whisper][Thousand Autumns Snow Cover] whispered: Can I become your disciple?

Seemingly enlightened by the defeat, he even wished to become Ling Chunann's disciple. Considering his identity, 098 couldn't help but speak up, "Host, he's the commander of the villains. Taking him as a disciple could help with your mission."

"Uh-huh," Ling Chunann nodded while replying to the message.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Thousand Autumns Snow Cover]: I'm not taking disciples.

098: "..."

Seeing Ling Chunann's refusal, Cliff Saber was naturally not content.

[Whisper][Thousand Autumns Snow Cover] whispered: Why? Is it because of the Red Dust Swordsman? To be honest, he doesn't deserve your kindness. Others in

the guild might not know, but I've seen how the Divine Sword Pavilion grew, and the funds for guild construction were all from you, right? And the never-ending supply of medicinal herbs and Five Elements Stones in the guild was also your doing. Yet, how did he treat you? He didn't even offer you a vice-leader position; you're still just a hall master.

[Whisper][Thousand Autumns Snow Cover] whispered: Sorry, I didn't mean to speak ill of him, but he's really not a good person. Forming a bond with him will only hurt you.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Thousand Autumns Snow Cover]: I understand, thank you.

[Whisper] You whisper to [Thousand Autumns Snow Cover]: But still, no disciples.

[Whisper][Thousand Autumns Snow Cover] whispered: Then, how about forming a bond? [Joy][Joy]

Although Ling Chunann didn't agree to take him as a disciple or form a bond, he offered some advice, allowing Cliff Saber to land a few hits on him, though defeating him remained unlikely. This outcome thrilled Cliff Saber, who, if not for the lack of formal discipleship, might have declared to the world how formidable his master was.

Observing the once-commanding faction leader turn into a fervent admirer, even 098 refrained from expressing surprise.

In the following days, whenever Ling Chunann logged on, Cliff Saber was the first to team up with him, always staying by his side, whether Ling Chunann was AFK or on a mission. This led other guild members to joke about the guild leader being a bit too devoted, though they dared not say so in front of the Red Dust Swordsman.

The Red Dust Swordsman only learned of this when the New Year was approaching, sparked by a conversation in YY where a new guild member expressed a desire to find a Tian Ce class partner. The Red Dust Swordsman recommended Thousand Autumns Snow Cover, leading to the offhand remark, "Isn't that Tian Ce already bonded with our guild's incredibly skilled Ice Heart sister?" Given the scarcity of Ice Heart players, especially skilled ones, in the Divine Sword Pavilion, it was clear they were referring to Ling Chunann.

-------

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>

• Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

• You can also check out the other Novels I'm currently translating by clicking HERE.