If only I had a little flower in my hand right now.
Aina thought silently to herself.
That way, she could leave the decision of whether to apologize or not up to plucking the petals.
There was a Dragon Blood Flower in her ring that Xia Lun had given her before... but Aina didn't want to pluck its petals to count.
Well, that was because Dragon Blood Flowers were poisonous, and Aina couldn't be bothered to deal with the toxicity. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it was a gift from Xia Lun.
Meanwhile, Xia Lun was also pondering that it would be great if he had a flower on hand to give to Aina. She might be happy and forgive him. He heard that girls all liked flowers... Aina hadn't refused when he gave her the Dragon Blood Flower before.
Unfortunately, Xia Lun's hands were completely empty right now; he had no flowers.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Lun stood up anyway.
Some things had to be faced sooner or later. Blindly running away wouldn't solve the problem.
Xia Lun walked up to Aina. She looked up at the man standing before her. There was no expression on her pretty, fair face, but her lips were slightly pursed, making her seem a bit nervous.
Compared to Aina, Xia Lun's face was much more expressive. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze was deep, and his expression was heavy and solemn... And it wasn't just his expression; there was also a red, slightly swollen handprint on his right cheek.
The two looked at each other for a while, neither speaking first.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry..."
The two of them spoke in unison.
"Why are you apologizing?"
They asked at the exact same time again, their words completely identical.
Xia Lun saw the confusion in Aina's eyes, and Aina saw the surprise in Xia Lun's.
However, Aina's attention was mostly drawn to the handprint on Xia Lun's face, and she felt incredibly guilty... Without a doubt, this was a highly humiliating mark. Aina thought to herself that if someone dared to do this to her, she would certainly tear them into a thousand pieces in a fit of rage.
"You go first."
Xia Lun tentatively sat down next to Aina, and she didn't pull away.
"I was just too panicked earlier, so I hit you subconsciously. After all, I've never had anyone do that to me before, and I didn't know what to do," Aina said softly. Although her face remained cold and stern, her voice trembled slightly. Even Xia Lun beside her could sense her nervousness. "So... I hope you can forgive me. I want to stay in the party."
Xia Lun sat beside Aina without saying a word.
Aina couldn't help but look up at the man beside her. Meeting his star-like eyes made her zone out for a brief moment.
Xia Lun slowly spoke, "Is that really what you were thinking, Aina?"
Aina nodded gently.
"Rest assured, there is no way I'd ever kick you out of the party. You will always be the mage of the Wings of Dawn... Even if we break up for some reason in the future, you will still be our teammate and can continue to stay here. I have no right to drive you away," Xia Lun said softly.
Aina frowned; she didn't like the analogy Xia Lun had just made.
Suddenly, Aina asked again, "Then why were you apologizing to me?"
"That is, of course, because I accidentally touched your..." Xia Lun looked a bit embarrassed. His gaze shifted downward slightly before immediately snapping back up. "I am truly so sorry."
"We are a couple, so I don't mind." Aina's voice was completely flat, betraying no emotion. "It was just an accident earlier, and I shouldn't have blamed you... Moreover, I failed to control my emotions and hit you. That was my fault."
"No, it's my fault, Aina. You had every right to hit me," Xia Lun shook his head repeatedly. "I was too presumptuous."
Aina said indifferently, "Then let's call it even on this matter."
"Thank you..." Xia Lun breathed a sigh of relief.
Up until now, his relationship with Aina had only progressed to the point of holding hands, with no further physical contact. Ever since that kiss when he gave her the Dragon Blood Flower, she hadn't shown any further indications... To be honest, Xia Lun was a bit surprised that Aina had forgiven him just like that.
"Um, did you just say that you don't mind?" Xia Lun swallowed hard and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"Do you have a death wish?" Aina immediately assumed a defensive posture. It was one thing to let the Hero take advantage of her earlier due to circumstances beyond her control, but he actually wanted to do it again?
Just what kind of person did he take her for? In the Hero's eyes, was she some sort of loose, shameless woman?
"I am so sorry, I was wrong!" Xia Lun immediately apologized with a solemn expression. "I won't ask such a stupid question again."
Xia Lun's decisive apology left Aina slightly stunned.
Looking at Xia Lun's serious yet nervous expression, Aina suddenly felt the urge to laugh, though she didn't know why.
"Xia Lun..."
"What's wrong?"
"Don't move." Aina's command was cold and domineering. "Close your eyes."
"Alright." Although he didn't know what Aina planned to do, Xia Lun obediently complied.
Aina leaned in. Xia Lun could feel her gentle breath brushing across his cheek, causing a slight tickle.
A moment later, slightly moist and icy lips pressed against Xia Lun's face. It was like drinking a cup of sweet, cold spring water on a summer day, so refreshing that every pore on his body opened up in delight.
A moment later, the lips pulled away from Xia Lun's cheek.
Naturally assuming it was over, Xia Lun opened his eyes.
Aina leaned in for another kiss, but this time, her target was no longer his cheek, but Xia Lun's lips.
The instant he opened his eyes, he met Aina's crimson gaze.
Aina's pupils visibly contracted, clearly startled by Xia Lun suddenly opening his eyes.
Almost subconsciously, Aina tried to pull away, but Xia Lun actually anticipated her movement and held the back of her head in advance.
It's so hot...
Xia Lun could feel the body temperature of Aina in his arms rising rapidly.
It was Aina's first time experiencing such a feeling. Her mind grew dizzy, and she felt as if her body was about to melt into liquid. A numb, tingling sensation spread all over her... She wanted time to stop completely in this very moment.
It wasn't until they were both somewhat breathless that their lips slowly parted.
The second kiss... was unimaginably better than the first.
However, Aina's gaze quickly cooled down, and her body temperature swiftly returned to normal.
Xia Lun felt a wave of astonishment at the sudden temperature change of the person in his arms.
"The constitution of a vampire... is just like this," Aina explained calmly, before suddenly remembering something. "You opened your eyes halfway through."
"I'm sorry," Xia Lun said in shame. "I thought it was already over."
"Xia Lun, your apologies are really cheap," Aina raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly wanting to mock the Hero. "This is already the third time you've apologized to me today."
"Is... is that so?" Xia Lun scratched his head. He hadn't noticed that at all.
Suddenly, as if possessed by some strange impulse, Xia Lun leaned forward and planted a heavy kiss on Aina's cheek. Aina was startled and almost slapped Xia Lun again.
"What are you doing?" Aina asked, rubbing the spot on her cheek where Xia Lun had kissed her with a hint of disgust.
"Because you are just so incredibly cute, Aina, I couldn't help myself... I am really... so very sorry!" Xia Lun bowed deeply.
Aina: ...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
