[Scum Villain Fanfic] The Writing Adventures Of Liu Su Mian Hua

#1: Discoveries (1)

Liu Mingyan was a disciple of Xian Shu Peak in the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect . She was also the younger sister of Liu Qingge – the highly regarded and feared Bai Zhan Peak Lord. She always covered her face with a veil because her beauty was the kind that could shock the heavens and make the gods and ghosts cry.

Being unrivalled in beauty and having family ties with powerful people naturally brought respect and admiration, but it also brought a lot of envy, fear and hatred. People would either keep their distance from her, treat her as a threat to themselves – especially women – or would try to please her for their own benefit. Other than her Shizun Qi Qingqi and her brother, there was no one with whom she could talk freely. And keeping in mind that the aforementioned two were respectable adults, it was awkward to discuss a lot of topics. So Mingyan chose to keep her talks to herself, which was why she gave the impression of being a quiet and restrained person.

One evening, she was returning from Shuang Hu city after completing a task assigned to her by Qingqi. In the bustling city streets, she happened to come across a rouge shop. Shops that sell cosmetics, accessories, pretty robes and other such things tend to stand out in the eyes of women and Mingyan found herself drawn to the shop. There were various types of creams and powders available in the shop along with scented pouches and hair accessories. Mingyan examined the goods on display with a calm face while she was internally screaming with the excitement of a typical teenage girl. A young woman came up to her with a smile and said, "Our products are sure to bring beauty and charm to those who wear them. Is there anything in particular that interests Young Miss?" Mingyan glanced up to move to the next table when she happened to see a customer, a young girl from a wealthy family, walk past her to the door hiding a book in her sleeves. She was about to dismiss it when she saw another customer emerge from behind a folding screen hiding a book. She was trying her best to conceal her smile. The woman from the store was still standing next to her, so Mingyan asked, "Does this store also sell books?" The lady immediately hushed her, which surprised Mingyan. The woman looked around to ensure there weren't any customers nearby and then directed Mingyan towards the folding screen.

There was a room behind the screen with seats and tables, as if it was designed to have friendly conversations over tea. At the farther end of the room was a writing table. A woman with a refined appearance was seated at this table with a pile of books beside her. The woman who brought Mingyan in spoke, "M'lady, we have a customer." The woman at the table looked up. "You are here to get the second volume of 'The Doctor Who Broke My Heart', right? Here." she held a book from the pile before Mingyan. Mingyan was a little unsure about the situation. Obviously, these people didn't want to make their book selling business public. If Mingyan refused to buy the book now, she could end up in some trouble. "What is it about?" she asked as she accepted the book. The woman couldn't see the nervousness on her face as it was covered with a veil. "Oh! It is a love story that goes right to your heart." the woman who brought her in replied enthusiastically. "Ying Yanmei is quite a popular author these days." "I see..." Mingyan said as she carelessly flipped the pages of the book, not really paying attention to its contents. The woman at the writing table stood up. "You will need the first volume to understand the story" she said. "I'll check if we still have any copies left." She walked to a corner of the room, opened a trapdoor set in the flooring and cautiously stepped in. The woman who had brought her in took her leave as she had to attend to customers outside and Mingyan was left alone for a short while. She had hardly read anything that wasn't related to practicing cultivation and increasing her knowledge of the world. "This could be a good start to finding other interests." she thought.

The woman emerged from the flooring with a book in her hand and a smile on her face "You are really lucky Young Miss." she said as she held the book before Mingyan. "This was the very last copy we had. The author and the story are very popular so copies sell out within the first few days after we receive them." Mingyan took the first volume of the series and paid for the books. "When the next volume arrives, do remember this shop. We also have works from other authors." the woman smiled as she accepted the payment. "Feel free to drop by. Just wiggle your right index finger thrice – that's the secret signal – and Jiayi will bring you in. "Oh! Thank you very much." Mingyan was still nervous. "And how am I supposed to address you?" "The name is Chen, Chen Meirong" the woman bowed with her hands before her. Mingyan returned the gesture and left after tucking the books in her robes. Jiayi – the woman who had brought her in – waved her a sneaky goodbye.

After reaching Xian Shu Peak, Mingyan went straight to her room in the dormitory. She placed her sword and the two books on a table near the doorway and poured herself a glass of water. Just then a cute junior disciple entered her room. "Mingyan Shijie, Shizun has-AAH!"