"Xia Lun, I love you, Xia Lun... Everything I have is yours... My dear Xia Lun... My beloved..."
Xia Lun narrowed his eyes as Aina lay against his chest, whispering sweet nothings he could never tire of hearing.
"Thank you," Xia Lun murmured, stroking Aina's smooth back. "I love you too."
Aina pursed her lips, seemingly unsatisfied with his response.
"Xia Lun... You're being too cold," she pouted, poking his chest. "Just a single flimsy line?"
"Have you rested enough?" Xia Lun cupped Aina's face, his thumb gently kneading her soft cheek.
Aina's lips curled into a smile—finally satisfied. As always, actions spoke louder than words.
The Demon King's wings unfurled behind her, ready to envelop them once more.
"Wait."
Xia Lun reached out, gripping the bony cartilage of Aina's bat-like wing.
"What's wrong?" Aina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Fold your wings away," Xia Lun guided her, turning her around and positioning himself behind her. One hand steadied her wing while the other held her arm.
"It's been a while since we've done this... Your wings would block my view of your face," he whispered against the nape of her neck.
"Hmph, how bold of you, Xia Lun," Aina sneered. "Are you forcing me into this humiliating, beast-like posture for your amusement?"
Xia Lun's expression faltered. "You don't want to?"
"But since it's your request, as your wife, I suppose I can reluctantly oblige." Aina folded her wings, the crimson appendages shrinking into twin scarlet markings on her back.
"Don't misunderstand—I'm only proving that even with my back turned, I, the Demon King, can effortlessly discern your intentions..."
Xia Lun remained silent. They had done this countless times before—in fact, the first time had been Aina's idea. Clearly, she kept inventing new theatrics to keep things fresh for him.
A sharp gasp escaped Aina as Xia Lun caught her off guard.
"Tch, not bad, Xia Lun. Sneak attacking while I'm distracted..." Even after the initial stumble, Aina refused to concede.
Xia Lun smirked.
"Ngh—that last one nearly killed me... Couldn't you be gentler?"
Instead of relenting, Xia Lun intensified his assault. Aina arched forward like a drawn bowstring, her body trembling under the relentless advance.
"Xia Lun! Ah—Xia Lun, if you keep this up, I'll...!" Panic flickered in her voice—being bested so swiftly by the Hero would be mortifying.
Xia Lun ignored her protests, pressing on mercilessly. Aina's wrists remained trapped in his grasp, denying her even the dignity of muffling her own cries. Whimpers spilled from her lips, raw and unrestrained.
Finally, Xia Lun released her. Deprived of support, Aina collapsed like a snapped cord, shuddering as she lay sprawled.
"Xia Lun... You're truly a monster."
Crawling onto his chest, she purred, "So overwhelming, my Hero."
"Can't help it. You're too tempting, Demon King." Xia Lun brushed a kiss against her lips, but Aina seized him, pulling him into a deep, hungry embrace.
Reluctantly, they parted—life awaited beyond their private world.
"Let's get up." Aina waved a hand, her robe materializing to cloak her lithe figure.
"Liyana and the others seem to be back," Xia Lun noted, glancing outside.
Another flick of Aina's wrist, and fresh clothes draped over Xia Lun. Her earlier threat to banish his garments into the void hadn't been idle.
"We're hooome!"
Liyana barged in—"barged" being the operative word, as few people kicked their own door open upon returning.
"I-I'm back too..." Mo Lini murmured, avoiding Xia Lun's gaze.
"Is something wrong?" Xia Lun asked softly, immediately sensing her unease.
"Ha! I took her for green dumplings, and she overate. Now she's fretting about her figure. Xia Lun, you should bring Aina sometime—she'd love them!" Liyana scratched her head, feigning nonchalance.
Though Liyana acted normal, Xia Lun suspected they were hiding something.
But he let it slide—everyone had secrets. Back in his adventuring days, he'd never pried into his comrades' pasts, judging them solely by their present actions.
"Come, Aina."
He didn't refuse Liyana's suggestion. Aina adored sweets—except honey-glazed pancakes.
Aina cast a lingering glance at the pair but followed without comment.
"Whew... Do you think Xia Lun noticed?" Mo Lini exhaled.
"Of course not. Strong as they are, they're not omniscient." Liyana's voice wavered slightly.
"But he seemed perceptive... Liyana, if he asks me directly, I won't be able to lie."
"He won't ask." Liyana waved dismissively.
Not "won't be able to"—she knew Xia Lun's sharp eyes missed little. That eerie blue glow in the Grand Cathedral against the Twilight Apostles hadn't been for show.
If Aina found out... surely Xia Lun would protect her?
Liyana shrank into herself, already envisioning the worst.
Well, Aina probably wouldn't kill her—but punishment was inevitable.
"Blop blop—"
The slime, Little Blue, leaped from Mo Lini's head and darted away.
"Little Blue?!" Mo Lini reached out, but the creature vanished with uncanny speed.
"Wow, is that a slime or a rabbit?!" Liyana gaped.
Then again, given the enhancements Aina had fed it, perhaps the agility wasn't surprising.
"You don't think it ran away?" Mo Lini fretted.
"Doubt it." Liyana shrugged.
"Then where did it go?"
"Who knows? Probably off playing."
Liyana wasn't worried.
After all—what trouble could one little slime possibly cause?
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
