As dusk fell, the Elven Forest was draped in a faint blue veil. Xia Lun and his party naturally settled into the residence of Reya and his wife.
The dining table was bound to be lively with so many people. The original wooden table seemed cramped for the sudden influx of visitors, so Yorid silently brought over another oak table, fitting the two seamlessly together to form a long banquet table large enough to accommodate everyone.
"Hey! Yorid, how about it? Want to go adventuring with us later? It's really fun!" Liana's crisp voice rang out as she invited her older brother.
Yorid shook his head. "Father plans to build another house next door, and I need to stay home to help... Besides, I don't like adventuring outside."
After speaking, Yorid went back to moving chairs. They rarely had this many guests at home.
Perhaps because they had a sister like Liana, both Yorid and Xia Lun, despite their young age, were already quite mature and steady.
A tantalizing aroma filled the kitchen. Reya and his wife were busy preparing a lavish meal. Moke was also helping out; the kitchen knife in his hand danced up and down, slicing the root vegetables on the cutting board as thin as cicada wings.
"Mr. Moke's knife skills are so neat! It's my first time seeing such perfectly cut thin slices!" Clea couldn't help but praise.
"Oh... oh, it's nothing," Moke scratched his head in embarrassment. "After all, I use daggers, so a kitchen knife is pretty much the same."
Although he rarely showed it off in front of Xia Lun and the others, Moke could twirl his daggers in dazzling tricks, like blooming silver lotuses... using them to chop vegetables was truly a waste of his talents.
"I wonder which lucky girl will marry such a virtuous young man in the future." Clea seemed quite fond of Moke, covering her mouth as she chuckled softly. "Mr. Moke, you and Liana seem to have a pretty good relationship?"
"We are just ordinary teammates... and my heart already belongs to someone else," Moke coughed lightly in awkwardness and quickly explained.
If the two people in front of him weren't Liana's parents, he probably would have thrown in a few insults about Liana, like "Huh? How could anyone fall for a girl like Liana?" or "Even if Liana were the last woman on earth, I would never be with her."
"Is that so? What a pity." Clea suddenly glanced at Liana again.
Liana was already seated at the dining table, ready to eat, without the slightest intention of coming over to help.
"Well, Mr. Moke, you certainly have a good eye. If I were you, I definitely wouldn't take a fancy to this lazy, gluttonous brat either," Clea sighed, feigning helplessness.
Moke's fingers unconsciously rubbed his chin, not quite knowing how to respond.
"Mother! I heard that! You're speaking ill of me!" Liana's protest immediately rang out loudly from the dining table. "My ears are very sharp!"
"So what if I am? Why don't you look at how you behave?" Clea retorted, not backing down and paying no mind to Liana's complaints.
Liana immediately shrank her neck and pursed her lips, clearly grumbling inwardly but not daring to argue back loudly.
Moke smiled slightly; this girl Liana was actually quite obedient in front of her parents.
Xia Lun and Aina returned from outside. Xia Lun carried a few wild pheasants and hares in his hands, while Aina held a basket of wild vegetables in her arms.
With sudden guests, dinner couldn't be managed with just the vegetables and fruits from the garden.
Musen, having settled the carriage and fed the horses, followed behind them, his tall figure squeezing into the warm and bright wooden cabin.
Seeing this, Liana quickly stood up and trotted over. She took the ingredients from Xia Lun and Aina, delivered them to the kitchen, and then sat back down at the dining table, happily waiting to eat... This counted as her doing some work, at least.
It was quite an enjoyable dinner.
Reya opened a jar of wine that had been buried before Liana was born. Everyone drank to their heart's content, and even Aina had a few glasses.
There were clearly not enough rooms. Reya and his wife tidied up, but there were only two extra rooms available for guests—Liana's and Xia Lun's old rooms... However, no one was too fussy. After all, as adventurers, they could easily sleep leaning against a tree at night.
Moke and Musen took Liana's old room, Xia Lun and Aina shared a room, and as for Liana... she slept on the sofa in the living room.
This was the result of a game of rock-paper-scissors. It was very fair, with no prejudice or exclusion involved.
"Aina, you and Xia Lun haven't reached that stage yet, so it must be really awkward, right? You surely wouldn't want everyone to misunderstand... so how about you sleep with me and let Xia Lun take the sofa? As long as you ask, he definitely won't mind!" Liana rubbed her small hands together, wearing a flattering smile as she looked eagerly at Aina.
Aina gave Liana a cold glance.
"Refused."
Flipping her long silver hair, Aina left Liana staring at the back of her head. She grabbed Xia Lun and walked away without looking back.
They had agreed beforehand to decide the outcome with rock-paper-scissors; she simply hated people who went back on their word.
Aina arrived at the room Xia Lun used to live in.
The room was not large, but it was organized neatly and generally quite clean.
There was only one single bed in the room. If both of them slept on it, physical contact would be unavoidable.
"I'll just sleep on the floor," Xia Lun immediately stated.
After a moment of silence, Aina spoke indifferently, "No need."
Xia Lun felt his heart skip a beat and subconsciously swallowed.
"But if you try anything funny... you know the consequences." Aina snorted softly, took off her boots, and lay down on the inner side against the wall, turning her back to Xia Lun without another word.
What exactly was she thinking?
Aina's mind was a bit of a mess right now.
Sleeping in the same bed as Xia Lun... how could she have agreed to such a thing?
Right, he is the Hero. As her rival, he naturally deserved the same treatment as her... She was just taking pity on him by letting him share the bed.
Heh, he must be feeling incredibly grateful to her right now.
Although the reasoning was a bit far-fetched, Aina successfully convinced herself, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of her lips without her even realizing it.
Xia Lun lay down somewhat nervously. Aina's behavior today had indeed left him at a loss.
"Aina... uh..."
"What is it?"
Aina slowly turned around. There wasn't much space on the bed, so the two were pressed very close together, their noses almost touching.
The sudden close contact made Aina's breath catch slightly.
She had to admit, this guy Xia Lun was quite handsome. Short black hair, deep blue eyes, exquisite and perfect features... he matched Aina's aesthetic preferences perfectly.
The two looked into each other's eyes, both a bit lost in the moment.
Xia Lun kissed Aina's lips, and Aina did not resist at all... even she herself was a bit surprised by this.
"It's nothing, go to sleep early," Xia Lun revealed a satisfied smile. "Good night."
"Goodnight," Aina muttered softly, turning back around.
Tsk, that guy's actions really startled me. My heart is beating a little fast.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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.
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?!
