Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

“?”

Han Lie paused, his back turned to the weeping woman. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

“No.”

“Is… is that so?”

Qian’er’s voice trembled, her tone dipping into profound dejection. She took a desperate step forward, her eyes pleading at his retreating figure.

“Then… if Daoist Han doesn’t mind… what Mu Feng failed to take from me, I am willing to give to you! Freely!”

“There is no need, Miss Qian’er.”

Han Lie didn’t even turn around. Her offer was entirely within his calculations.

The allure of the Pure Yang Sacred Body was simply too authoritative. It was a primal magnet. Even a woman like Qian’er—a songstress trained to feign affection and manipulate men—could not resist its innate charm.

However…

It didn’t matter if Qian’er was technically still a virgin. In Han Lie’s eyes, a woman who sold her company in the red light district was no different from a common prostitute.

He wasn’t a prude. He wouldn’t have minded a casual fling to pass the night. The problem was the aftermath. He feared that once he took her, she would cling to him like a leech, demanding affection he had no interest in giving.

That sort of trouble wasn’t worth the momentary pleasure.

After all, the current Han Lie was a man of status. He was no longer the desperate youth who had to scrounge for whatever scraps he could find.

“Daoist Han… you think I’m dirty, don’t you?” Qian’er let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh, tears streaming down her face.

Han Lie finally turned his head slightly, his profile sharp and cold against the moonlight.

“Yes. I find you unclean.”

His voice cut through the night air like a blade.

“You are not worthy of me.”

“Farewell.”

He delivered the words with ruthless precision, intending to sever her lingering hope at the root. It was cruel, but necessary.

Qian’er broke down instantly, sobbing into her hands. By the time she managed to compose herself enough to look up, the street was empty.

Han Lie had long since vanished into the shadows.

The next day.

The sky had just begun to brighten with the first hues of dawn when Han Lie stepped out of the inn.

“Excuse me, would you happen to be Daoist Han Lie?”

A group of uniformed men had been waiting at the entrance. Their posture was rigid, their aura disciplined. These were not city guards; they were elites from the Imperial Palace.

“I am.”

“We are under orders from His Majesty to escort you to the palace. Please, follow us.”

Han Lie waved a hand casually, signaling them to lead the way.

The journey through the capital was swift. Before long, Han Lie found himself walking through the manicured pathways of the Imperial Garden.

In a secluded pavilion surrounded by blooming flora, Emperor Qin Yusheng and Princess Qin Lianyi were seated at a stone table. They were dressed in less formal, yet undeniably opulent, dragon robes and brocaded silks.

Han Lie stepped forward, a brilliant, confident smile on his face. He bowed with practiced grace, cupping his hands.

“This humble Daoist, Han Lie, pays his respects to Your Majesty.”

“Hehe, Little Friend Han, there is no need for such stiff courtesy here.”

Qin Yusheng raised a hand slightly, gesturing for him to rise.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but the Emperor seemed different today. Compared to the terrifying, draconic figure seated on the throne in the Holy Heaven Hall yesterday, the man in the garden pavilion radiated a far more approachable aura.

He felt less like a ruler of the world and more like a wealthy, powerful elder.

Qin Lianyi beamed, stepping in to bridge the gap. “Father, allow your daughter to formally introduce him.”

She gestured gracefully toward Han Lie. “This is Daoist Han Lie of the Heavenly Void Sect. He is the one I told you about ten years ago.”

Qin Yusheng nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over Han Lie. “Hmm… the genius you mentioned who broke through from the Qi Refining Stage to the Golden Core Stage in just two years? I remember. Hehe.”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of profound insight flashing within them.

“However… observing Little Friend Han today, it seems your cultivation is not merely at the Golden Core Stage.”

Han Lie’s heart skipped a beat, though his face remained impassive. He had deployed a high-level concealment technique to mask his true power, but it seemed it was useless before the eyes of an Emperor.

“Your Majesty possesses eyes as bright as torches. Nothing escapes your gaze,” Han Lie admitted freely, dropping the charade. “I am indeed no longer at the Golden Core Stage.”

“Hmm…”

Qin Yusheng leaned forward, scrutinizing Han Lie with unabashed admiration.

“According to Lianyi’s report, ten years ago you were in the mid-Golden Core Stage. Now, after a mere decade, you have verified the Dao and ascended to the Nascent Soul realm.”

The Emperor sighed, a sound of genuine wonder.

“Such aptitude… to call you the brightest star in the night sky would be no exaggeration!”

Han Lie immediately bowed lower, his tone humble yet smooth.

“Your Majesty flatters me. In the presence of the radiant moon that is Your Majesty, even the brightest star in the night sky is rendered dim and lifeless.”

“Hahahaha!”

Qin Yusheng threw his head back and laughed. Even though he knew Han Lie was laying it on thick, the flattery struck the perfect chord.

“Little Friend Han, your words deeply please my heart!” Qin Yusheng wiped a tear of mirth from his eye, looking at Han Lie with immense satisfaction. “If you were one of my court officials, I would drown you in rewards right now! Hahaha!”

Han Lie offered a faint, modest smile.

As expected, he thought. There is no ruler in history who doesn’t enjoy having their ego stroked. The cultivation world is no different.

The laughter subsided, and the atmosphere in the pavilion shifted. Qin Yusheng’s expression became thoughtful, his gaze piercing as he probed into Han Lie’s background.

“There is one thing I am curious about, Little Friend Han. With such dazzling talent, you could have chosen any prestigious righteous sect in the land.”

The Emperor’s voice dropped an octave, carrying the weight of the state.

“Why did you choose a Demonic Sect?”

The Great Qin Dynasty maintained a delicate balance. While they did not strictly adhere to the rigid “Good vs. Evil” dichotomy of the jianghu, Demonic Sects were still viewed as unorthodox—the villains of the Tianyuan Continent.

As the ruler, Qin Yusheng had to uphold the laws and reputation of the dynasty. Even if he personally didn’t care about moral alignments, for the sake of his daughter and the stability of his court, he needed to understand the nature of the man standing before him.

The Heavenly Void Sect…

Qin Yusheng had naturally heard of it. Its reputation was built on bones.

Specifically, the Sect Leader, Ye Qingxuan, was a figure of widespread notoriety. According to incomplete imperial records, Ye Qingxuan had once slaughtered no fewer than ten sects and dynasties within a single month.

The Emperor even knew anecdotes from her early days, before she founded the sect. It was said that during a secret realm exploration, a young Ye Qingxuan had massacred every single competitor with absolutely ruthless methods, monopolizing every Fated Chance and treasure for herself.

She was a monster among monsters.

Facing the Emperor’s direct inquiry, Han Lie chose honesty.

“Your Majesty, joining a Demonic Sect was not actually my choice…” Han Lie’s expression turned wry. “To be honest… when I first entered the Heavenly Void Sect, I was sold there as a Servant Disciple.”

“Huh…?”

Qin Yusheng let out a surprised sound. Beside him, Qin Lianyi, who sat poised like an elegant green lotus, raised her delicate eyebrows in shock.

Han Lie… the unparalleled genius… was sold as a slave? Even she was hearing this for the first time.

“Then…” Qin Yusheng paused, realizing that period must have been a nightmare for a man of Han Lie’s pride. He softened his tone. “Have you considered leaving the Heavenly Void Sect now? With your current strength, you are free to go anywhere.”

Han Lie shook his head slowly.

“Your Majesty, I have no such thoughts. I have reached where I am today entirely thanks to the Sect Leader’s heavy investment in me.”

Han Lie looked the Emperor in the eye, his voice firm.

“I cannot be an ungrateful person who bites the hand that fed him.”

His internal thoughts, however, were more nuanced.

Yes, Ye Qingxuan had tormented, abused, and nearly killed him multiple times in those early years. She was a tyrant. But… his statement wasn’t a lie.

The resources she had poured into him were staggering.

The Yin Yang Demonic Art, the Soul Devouring Saber Art, the Yin Yang Scripture, and exclusive access to the ruins in the Buried Immortal Mountain Range. The value of these things could not be measured in mere Spirit Stones.

Furthermore, in the beginning, she had provided him with an endless supply of Spirit Stones to fuel his cultivation.

Without her resources, even with his Pure Yang Sacred Body and frantic efforts, Han Lie would have been lucky to reach the mid-Golden Core Stage by now. Nascent Soul would have been a pipe dream.

It was a transaction written in blood and gold, and Han Lie honored his contracts.