Because You're the Protagonist and I'm the Villain

But when he saw the energy cost listed for each Soul Bone, it was like a basin of cold water poured over a fire, extinguishing his excitement completely.

Even the left and right leg bones cost a hundred thousand energy points.

Let alone the most powerful torso bone.

Disappointed, Zhao Su was about to look at the Soul Rings and find four suitable ones for his newly awakened Emperor Seven Kill Sword.

Then his gaze happened to sweep over the very last Soul Bone.

According to its description, it was an External Soul Bone, not part of the Holy Angel Set.

It lay all alone in the last slot on the Soul Bone page.

"Huh? Only ten thousand energy points?"

Zhao Su checked the required energy first. Once he confirmed that he could afford it, he read the description carefully.

[External Soul Bone, obtained by killing a Sky-Splitting Demon Butterfly. After the host absorbs it, a pair of wings can grow from his back, allowing him to ride the wind!]

Zhao Su couldn't help smiling at this.

This could make up for his inability to fly.

Aside from flying-type Martial Souls, other Martial Souls couldn't fly, and even flying-type Martial Souls couldn't sustain flight for long.

But the Soul Bone dropped by this Sky-Splitting Demon Butterfly allowed him to ride the wind without any time limit.

Besides, External Soul Bones could evolve, so their quality didn't matter all that much.

With that thought, Zhao Su stopped hesitating and immediately exchanged his points for the Sky-Splitting Demon Butterfly's External Soul Bone.

He began fusing with it.

Once the fusion was complete, a pair of butterfly-like wings appeared on Zhao Su's back.

With a gentle flutter, a powerful force carried him into the air.

Afterward, Zhao Su selected four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings for the Emperor Seven Kill Sword, each costing twenty thousand energy points.

Including the External Soul Bone he had just purchased, that left him with only five thousand energy points.

In one fell swoop, Zhao Su had been sent back to square one.

Still, that was fine. If he ran out of energy points, he could always earn more.

Just as Zhao Su was thinking this.

The system's voice rang out.

[Ding, new mission unlocked: find a way to approach Ning Rongrong and coax information about Bone Douluo Gu Rong out of her.]

[Mission reward: Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring ×1, ten thousand energy points!]

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring? Not bad!"

Seeing the mission reward pop up, Zhao Su nodded in satisfaction.

Then he walked out of the courtyard.

With only five thousand energy points left, he needed to find a way to earn more.

His method of earning energy points was actually quite simple.

He killed people, but only bad people.

Aside from Evil Soul Masters who preyed on ordinary civilians, his targets were evildoers steeped in wickedness, people who deserved death a thousand times over.

But just as Zhao Su stepped out of the courtyard, he spotted Tang San nearby, walking past with Xiao Wu skipping along beside him.

At the sight of them, the corners of Zhao Su's mouth rose, and a few "evil" ideas stirred in his mind.

He quietly followed them.

Soon, Zhao Su saw Tang San and Xiao Wu enter a shop bearing the Spirit Hall emblem.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this crystal?"

The moment Tang San entered, his eye fell on a shabby, murky crystal tucked away in an inconspicuous spot.

He addressed the old man lying on a recliner.

"A hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

The old man on the recliner opened his eyes, glanced at Tang San, and answered.

At that moment, Zhao Su entered the shop too, pretending to be a passerby.

When the old man-Flender, founder of Shrek Academy and one of the Golden Iron Triangle-saw Zhao Su, his eagle-like eyes abruptly narrowed.

"I'll pay two hundred Gold Soul Coins. I'll take that crystal."

Zhao Su tossed two bags of Gold Soul Coins to Flender and reached for the crystal ball in Tang San's hands.

"Don't you understand first come, first served? We got here first! Why should you get it?"

Tang San said nothing, but Xiao Wu rushed forward first and slapped Zhao Su's outstretched hand aside.

With her hands on her hips and a fierce glint in her eyes, she angrily rebuked him.

"It goes to whoever pays more. Don't you understand something that simple?"

Zhao Su gave a contemptuous smile.

As Zhao Su understood it, villains in novels who got slapped down by the protagonist usually started out outrageously arrogant, stealing something from him.

Or they harassed a beautiful woman at the protagonist's side.

Then the protagonist stepped in, slapped the villain down, and successfully showed off.

Since Zhao Su was the villain, he felt that he ought to do the same.

But Zhao Su intended to do both.

"What a waste, having such an adorable little rabbit follow a useless fool!"

With a faint, meaningful smile, Zhao Su looked Xiao Wu up and down and spoke with a hint of regret.

Hearing Zhao Su's words and seeing the meaningful look with which he examined her, Xiao Wu couldn't help retreating a step in alarm.

"What do you want?"

After Zhao Su's repeated provocations, Tang San finally lost his patience and stared at him coldly.

At the same time, his right hand rested on the Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night at his waist, ready to launch a hidden weapon at any moment.

Flender also noticed the belt around Tang San's waist.

Naturally, Flender recognized that belt. He looked at Tang San, wondering whether he should intervene.

The powerful aura Zhao Su had released when entering the shop had sent a tremor of alarm through even Flender, who had already reached the rank of a level seventy-eight Soul Saint.

He didn't dare make a move rashly.

Zhao Su wasn't afraid of making him angry. If anything, he was afraid Tang San wouldn't get angry.

Only when he got angry would things become fun.

Otherwise, what was the point of showing off here all by himself?

"Angry? Planning to shoot me with your Silent Sleeve Arrow?"

"Who exactly are you? Why are you picking a fight with us?"

At Zhao Su's words, Tang San was shaken to the core, and a trace of fear actually appeared in his eyes as he looked at him.

"Just an ordinary person! I'm not picking a fight with you. I'm here to buy something too. We just happen to want the same thing!"

Zhao Su spoke casually.

That was what he said aloud, but inwardly, he thought offhandedly, Because you're the protagonist, and I'm the villain!

A villain's role was to deliver himself to the protagonist's doorstep to get slapped down.

But if Tang San himself wasn't strong enough, he couldn't blame anyone else.

"Xiao Wu, let's go."

In the end, Tang San swallowed his anger, took Xiao Wu, who was hiding behind him, by the hand, and hurried away.

As Tang San understood it, a hidden weapon that someone had seen through was no longer a hidden weapon.

It was an openly revealed weapon instead.

Such a hidden weapon had already lost its original purpose.

Tang San also knew that he was no match for Zhao Su, so he could only endure it for now.

As the saying went, a gentleman could wait ten years for revenge.

Watching Tang San and Xiao Wu leave, Zhao Su couldn't help revealing the wicked smile that only a villain would wear.

"Not bad. Once you're a little older, you'll be even more perfect."

Zhao Su murmured softly, then turned to Flender.

The instant Zhao Su fixed his gaze on him, the fear in Flender's heart deepened further.

"Sir, this crystal doesn't cost that many Gold Soul Coins. A hundred is enough!"

Flender returned one of the two bags of Gold Soul Coins Zhao Su had just tossed him.

"No need. Consider the other hundred my donation to Shrek Academy!"

With that, Zhao Su turned and left before Flender could react.

As he left, he didn't forget to take the murky-looking crystal ball with him.

"Could he be a genius from some great clan or sect, out gaining experience?"

Flender watched Zhao Su leave, his sharp, eagle-like eyes filled with puzzlement.