Villain: The Play of Destiny

Sunday, August 19th, 2046

Old Market, Old District, Hangzhou

A black Mercedes arrived in the parking lot next to the public park, and it did attract attention from the people, even though it wasn't some ultra-luxurious car.

There were a few more cars of the same value in the parking lot, but the reason why people paid attention to it was because this car did not belong to anybody they knew in their District.

However, as soon as the door opened and a tall young man stepped outside of the vehicle, a strange phenomenon happened.

Everyone who was looking in the car's direction suddenly looked away, focusing on whatever they had been doing before it showed up there. By the time the two beautiful ladies stepped out, not a single person was paying attention to them anymore.

"How convenient." Feifei grinned when she sensed no eyes on them, and Rouxi curiously looked at Keith before taking a good look around the place.

Though the place was not as dilapidated as one might expect, it did not belong to modern times at all.

It was not a planned district, and even decades after the underground utility lines were introduced to Hangzhou, the long-gone utility poles in the rest of the city were still present on the streets here. And they looked like messy.

"This place isn't so bad," Feifie commented, and Rouxi nodded her head.

"But it needs to catch up with time. Or the lives of these people will be affected and they would be looked upon as outcasts more than they already do." The Child of Destiny lightly smiled.

Feifei simply shrugged at her words, not really interested in what happened to the people here or this place, and then she grinned as she happily walked over to Keith and locked her arms with his.

"Let's go!"

Rouxi smiled at her behaviour, and the week that she had spent around Keith, she had dropped all her reservations against him.

He was sincere to her best friend, and the smile that crept on his lips at her antics was a testament to it.

Rouxi reminisced about the week which had been quite eventful for them. And it was amazing how her life had suddenly changed out of nowhere.

She now had another good friend in Qingyue, a bigger circle of people she liked spending time with, and the best part was that her health was improving a lot.

And it was only because she was forced by Feifei and Qingyue to get as much sleep as she could manage in their busy days.

Rouxi was actually very happy today, and the reason for it was that Keith had agreed to train her along with Feifei. Now, all she wanted to do was get done with the business they were here for and then return home to get some sleep before their evening lessons.

She never thought that one day she would end up taking as much interest in Cultivation as she did now, and she might never have if she had not witnessed the girls around Keith pull off absurd feats.

However, the thing that was motivating her the most right now was the urge to manifest her Aura-Soul like Keith, Qingyue, Yingying, Ayesha, and Iseul could do.

They were nearly the same age as her, perhaps just a year or two older even though they did not look like it, and they were already at the pinnacle of Mortal Realms.

Her inborn competitiveness was raging now, and she wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve the same.

"Hey, Rou."

She heard Feifei call out to her and broke out of thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You seem lost." She smiled.

"I am fine. Let's go." She shook her head and then started walking, leading them into the Market.

A subconscious smile crept on her face when Keith started walking by her side, and she glanced at him before focusing her eyes all around them.

The reason why they were here was to talk to the Matron of the old Orphanage in this place. They had an appointment with her, and since Rouxi was planning on showing her sincerity to the people here, she had decided to come in person to discuss things with the old woman.

It was a fifteen-minute walk from the park to the Orphanage, which was situated right next to the main food street of the market, and as soon as they arrived, they witnessed a commotion taking place.

A few goons were harassing a local stall of fried meat skewers, and both Feifei and Rouxi frowned a little as they looked at the owner of the stall.

The man was tall for a Chinese man, but not tall enough. His face could be considered borderline handsome, but he was a far cry from the man who was by their side. The clothes he was wearing were even worse than the other people who had stalls next to him, but strangely enough, he was the first person you would notice in this crowded place.

"He's dangerous," Feifei commented, and it was now clear to Rouxi that this man was not normal.

She instinctively turned to look at Keith, and she found him wearing a very light smile on his face as he watched the commotion unfold.

"Boy, you must pay up the rent or you are not allowed to do business on this street." A big and rowdy man grabbed the young seller by the collar, and he was rough enough to tear it.

And it was the moment that something unexpected happened.

A knee kick landed into the gut of the big man, and second by second, he let go of the collar and started coming down to his knees, clutching his abdomen and seemingly struggling to breathe as he failed to cope with the pain.

Tension rose in the air when the man finally screamed out in agony, lying on the street, and then the startled goons immediately rushed at the young man to teach him a lesson.

It was one of the most spectacular sights the crowd had witnessed in all their lives. A scene straight out of some movie.

The young man dealt with the attackers swiftly, making it seem ridiculously easy, and in a matter of half a minute, it was all over.

The cheers rose when they watched the young Stall Owner drag the bodies of the unconscious goons towards the trash bins and put them there. And some people, who had been holding resentment against these goons, braved up and helped him put the rest of the bodies next to the bins.

"It was about time someone finally put them in their place, Feng'er." An old man, whose stall was right next to the young man's stall, happily patted his shoulder.

The boy named Feng smiled at his words, but then his instincts suddenly kicked in, and his eyes darted towards the direction of the Orphanage.

A wave of cold chills ran up his spine when he saw a familiar face standing next to the door of the gate, smiling at him.

And then he watched the man say something to the girls by his side before they entered the institution, not giving him another glance.

"Is something wrong, Feng'er?" The old man asked and looked in the direction the boy was looking in, but he found no one of particular interest there.

"It's fine, Old Dai. Let's get to work." The young man replied and then silently returned to working on his stall.

However, neither his heart nor his mind was at peace anymore. A strange sense of unease was pressing on his nerves now.

On the other side, Rouxi and Feifei both looked at Keith when they entered the Orphanage, and the latter immediately asked the question on her mind.

"You know that man?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Who is he?" She frowned and asked.

"Someone who does not belong to this place." He chuckled and then directed their attention to the group of people who were hurriedly approaching them.

"Miss Qin!" The old woman, who was shocked to see the President of the Qin group come in person, immediately greeted her with a bow and then fell into a trance when she looked at the young man by her side.

"I hope we are not early, Miss Bai." Rouxi smiled at the Matron, breaking her out of her trance, and watched the woman immediately shake her head.

"Of course not. You are right on time. Please, come with me." She politely asked them and then led them to her office, leaving everyone else outside.

She was immensely relieved in her heart when she watched the three youngsters take their seats without any hesitation, seemingly not minding her run-down office.

And she took note in her heart that they were not some haughty high-borns but were quite humble. Or, at least, they understood how to show respect and be successful in the society.

"I would like to thank you for your generosity, Miss Qin. Your offer is not something we could have ever expected. Even the government did not show as much care as you do for our children here."

"It's the duty of the adults to provide the best environment to the youngsters in their society. And I hope you don't mind me saying a thing, but this place is not healthy for young and impressionable minds" Rouxi seriously said. "We just witnessed a fight in the food street, and a lot of children were cheering on as they watched it happen. I am sure a wise woman like you understands that the environment plays a key role in the development of a kid's personality."

"This..." The Matron was at a serious loss for words now, and Rouxi cut the chase and got straight to the point.

"So, do we have a deal or not?" She asked, and the old woman, who was prepared to negotiate some more, understood that the businesswoman she was dealing with was not some indecisive lady who was going to let her emotions get in the way of this deal.

It was already a very lucrative deal, and it benefited not just the kids, but everyone working in the orphanage as well.

"We have a deal." She nodded, took out the papers that she had received yesterday from the drawer, and proceeded to sign them.

Rouxi did the same before she took her set of copies and stood up.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Bai. I have a lot of work today, but I will invite you to tea in the coming days."

"I understand." The old woman nodded and shook Rouxi's hand, and then she subconsciously bowed to Keith before seeing them off.

"So, who is that man?" The Child of Destiny curiously asked, making Feifei giggle and Keith smile.

The reason why she had hastily dealt with the old Matron was because their conversation had been interrupted.

"He's a Mortal God. The Inheritor of Hades." He informed the two of them, and they were stunned at his words.