The Villain is Number One in the World

Antagonist: Anya YingruiWorld: Martial ArtsCurrent Status: Ordinary personCharacter Task: Become a respected martial arts hero admired by all

Chloe Chen sat down on a small stool at the door.

Outside, people came and went, and the streets were bustling.

She rested her chin on her hand, gazing thoughtfully. The original owner of this body had been a wandering female warrior who, due to her evil deeds, eventually met her downfall. Her martial arts were crippled, and she was killed by someone.

Chloe woke up the next day, after the original owner's body had been discarded in the wilderness.

She dragged her exhausted body to the nearest town, used the little money she had left to see a doctor, rented a small room, and stayed there to recover from her injuries.

As an employee of the Villain Compensation System, Chloe's task was to fulfill the wishes of the antagonist NPCs, allowing them to die in peace and be reincarnated sooner.

The original owner's last wish was not to seek revenge on the person who had killed her. After roaming the martial world for so many years, she had long since prepared for death. What she truly regretted was never becoming the admired martial arts hero she had always dreamed of.

Whether that reputation was good or evil, it was her lifelong dream.

Unfortunately, the body she now inhabited had ruined meridians, making it incredibly difficult to fulfill that wish. Was she supposed to find a legendary elixir to heal her body and then resume her martial arts training?

Even if such a thing existed, it would surely be extremely rare. How long would it take for her to find it in her current state?

"Newspapers for sale! Hot off the presses! The latest news: In seven days, 'The Man Who Brings Death,' Zane Zhao, and 'The Elegant One of Qingcheng,' Silas Sun, will duel to the death at the Dongyue Pavilion by West Lake!"

"Don't miss it, gentlemen! The latest from the martial world! 'The Man Who Brings Death,' Zane Zhao, and 'The Elegant One of Qingcheng,' Silas Sun, will duel to the death…"

A crisp voice rang out through the streets. It was a skinny boy of about eleven or twelve, carrying a cloth bag and shaking a newspaper in his hand, shouting as he ran.

"???"

What was going on? A martial arts world where they were selling newspapers?

Chloe looked confused, watching the reactions of the people around her. To her surprise, they didn't seem fazed at all. Some even called out to the boy selling the papers.

"Give me one!"

"I'll take one too!"

"Here too, one for me!"

In a moment, seven or eight people had already bought newspapers.

Chloe stood in shock for a while, finally snapping out of her stupor. When she saw the boy was about to leave, she quickly called out to him, "Little brother, how much are the newspapers?"

"Miss, they're one copper coin for two pages. You can choose which ones you want." The boy explained.

Chloe wasn't sure if it was expensive or cheap, but seeing that so many people were buying, it might be reasonable? She casually took two pages and handed the boy a copper coin. He thanked her and ran off to continue selling.

She unfolded the newspaper, and the front page headline immediately caught her eye:

— "The Man Who Brings Death, Zane Zhao, and The Elegant One of Qingcheng, Silas Sun, will duel to the death at the Dongyue Pavilion by West Lake!"

Below the headline were detailed accounts of their past grievances and conflicts.

It was a very straightforward headline, not like those exaggerated clickbait titles back in her time, where the content would be a picture with the rest made up.

Amused, she read on for a while, when suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.

The original owner's wish was to become a "respected martial arts hero," so if Chloe could publish something in the name of a renowned hero in the newspapers, causing everyone to admire her, wouldn't that be a "respected" martial arts hero?

Chloe, you are such a clever little thing!

Her eyes lit up as she started thinking.

This was a martial arts world, so publishing an ordinary article wouldn't attract much attention. What would catch people's interest?

Novels—martial arts novels, and ones that included real martial arts secrets!

Not only would readers enjoy the stories, but they'd also gain insight into real martial arts techniques—double the joy! Who wouldn't enjoy that?!

Chloe clapped her hands, making her decision.

She had traveled through many martial arts worlds before. Though she had never been a doctor and couldn't heal herself, she had been a martial arts expert countless times, so writing martial arts techniques would be a piece of cake.

As for novels, well, she had read for hundreds of years, attended many prestigious schools, and been through the explosion of knowledge. With so many ideas, what was there to be afraid of?

She quickly set out to inquire about newspaper businesses.

The newspaper industry in this world was actually quite developed, with many big and small papers. There were three main categories of newspapers: official government newspapers, martial arts newspapers, and civilian newspapers.

Government newspapers published official decrees and national matters, martial arts newspapers reported on martial arts events and heroes, and civilian newspapers were more like the gossip rags, often focusing on funny stories or trivial news.

After some thought, she decided to submit her manuscript to the martial arts newspaper.

After all, what she was writing could be a bit too advanced for civilian papers, and martial arts secrets—especially powerful ones—would be hard to protect in the smaller papers. It was better to align herself with a trusted source from the start.

She gathered all the necessary information about the right newspaper and then packed up her things, heading out of the small town.

Bianjing.

The vast capital city was filled with the lively atmosphere of a prosperous era.

Chloe got off the carriage, paid the driver, and made her way into the bustling ancient city.

Her money was running low, and she had to figure out a way to make some fast, or she'd soon be reduced to eating nothing but the wind—especially with her severe internal injuries. If she didn't take care of herself, even moving around would be a problem.

She rented a shabby hut from a pawn shop for a month, spending the remaining money on food and necessary supplies.

Out of breath, Chloe cleaned up the new house, her face covered in dust, and her body aching as if it would collapse at any moment.

Even so, she gritted her teeth and started a fire to cook. Her stomach growled, and her insides felt like they were starting to digest themselves.

Fortunately, there was some leftover firewood from the previous tenant. She struggled to light it and made a simple bowl of salty broth noodles, which she scarfed down in a hurry.

Returning to the bedroom, Chloe spread some poor-quality paper on the table, pressing it down with a stone she found in the yard. After a moment of thought, she dipped her brush in ink and began to write.

She was going to write a novel, and one that was easy for the masses to understand. Naturally, she wouldn't use any archaic language.

Based on the many examples she had seen in the newspapers, the punctuation and format were already widely accepted here, so there was no need to worry about misinterpretation. Plus, many people used colloquial language, so she decided to write in plain, straightforward language.

"A young boy was walking through the mountain forest at dawn, carrying a bamboo basket and picking wild vegetables from the ground. His name was Leo Li, just over thirteen years old. He was the son of a farmer in the village below, and aside from helping his family with chores, he would go up the mountain to gather firewood and vegetables to help make ends meet…"

During her journey to Bianjing, she had specifically bought many newspapers, studying the most talked-about events, the common stories in the papers, and even the martial arts taboos from the government and martial arts figures.

She had already formulated a rough idea of what would sell, what would go viral.

"Leo Li's family was poor, and he couldn't afford to attend a martial arts school, but he always dreamed of becoming a great hero…"

Her brush moved in neat, legible strokes. While not exactly masterful, her writing had some flair, and the overall presentation was clean and attractive.

This was a very clichéd story—a poor rural boy named Leo Li who one day stumbles upon a martial arts secret manual and embarks on an exciting journey of growth.

Though it was a well-worn formula, in this world, it was quite popular, especially with Chloe's twist—real martial arts secrets!

"Leo Li suddenly felt as though the ground beneath him had given way, and he tumbled down into a winding tunnel, tumbling and rolling until he finally crashed to the ground, scattering firewood and vegetables everywhere. His head spun, and he gritted his teeth, getting up. But when he saw the scene before him, he was stunned."

"This was a small, dim room with only a table and a chair. Weak sunlight filtered in from the hole in the ceiling, and on the table lay a book."

"Leo Li, still dazed, set down his basket and approached the table, cautiously reaching out to take the book."

"The thick layer of dust on the surface caused him to blow on it. The dust swirled in the air, almost suffocating him. He quickly turned his face away. As the dust settled, the words on the cover of the book became visible: The Rain Sword Technique…"

As the sky grew darker, Chloe paused and stretched her sore wrist, rubbing her tired eyes.

She didn't even have enough money for an oil lamp. Once it was dark, she had to stop working. Even though countless sentences were flowing effortlessly in her mind, she could only force herself to hold them back.

Taking advantage of the last bit of daylight, she quickly reviewed the article, satisfied with her work. With such brilliant writing, it was no wonder she was so clever.

She wrote the title on the top of the paper: The Legend of the Greatest Martial Artist.

Simple and straightforward.

Three days later, after accumulating over ten thousand words, Chloe neatly packed her manuscript into an envelope, wrote the address and signature, and went out to a newsstand to drop it into the box.

Because newspapers were so widespread in this world, many places had these stands, which not only sold newspapers but also acted as makeshift post offices.

After submitting her manuscript, Chloe didn't return to her shabby hut. She decided to look for a job, tackling two things at once.

In case the newspaper didn't accept her article or if there were any delays, she needed to make sure she could still afford food.

She wasn't physically strong enough for heavy labor, so she spent some time looking for work and eventually found a job as an apprentice to an accountant at a large inn.

Originally, the inn had no intention of hiring outsiders, but Chloe, desperate for work, offered her services. Her impressive arithmetic skills won them over, and they couldn't refuse her offer.

Though she could easily have worked as a full-fledged accountant, she was willing to take the apprentice wages. After all, it was a great deal for the innkeeper, and Chloe needed to solve her immediate problem of food and shelter.

The matter of survival was resolved, and now it all depended on whether her manuscript would be accepted.