Although Aina made her parting words sound like a death threat, Xia Lun still nodded.
Ever since he let Aina drink his blood, he felt she had become increasingly straightforward; even kissing hadn't been this effective before.
However, this was something only Xia Lun knew.
"Wuu—Aina, are you leaving? You have to come back quickly, I can't bear to part with you..." Liyana said rather melodramatically, but then her expression suddenly turned serious. "Yeah, I think that's exactly what Xia Lun is thinking in his heart."
Aina shot Liyana an emotionless glance before her figure vanished from the spot.
The smile on Xia Lun's face froze for a moment before quickly fading away.
"Let's go too."
Without Aina, the Wings of Dawn didn't take on any other quests. Upon returning to Mulilan City and submitting their commission at the Adventurer's Guild, the group went their separate ways.
The Savage Fang was still in this city, and Moke went to look for the little rabbit.
Musen, naturally, went to the church.
After leaving the Adventurer's Guild, Xia Lun went to a tavern alone to have a few drinks.
"Yo, Xia Lun, I guessed you'd be here."
Liyana sat down next to Xia Lun with a grin.
"Liyana..."
"Eh—why does it feel like we're acting like strangers? I've been with you for so long, ever since we were kids." Liyana patted Xia Lun on the shoulder.
"Sorry."
"Looking at you, you've already set your heart on her? I thought you'd think it over a bit more." Liyana pursed her lips. "Although Aina is very outstanding... being with her is going to be very difficult in the future, right? Even now, we still don't know Aina's true identity. I highly doubt she's just some ordinary vampire out traveling the world."
Xia Lun shook his head. "I don't mind."
"Alright, then good luck." Liyana also knew that Xia Lun was actually quite stubborn. Once he set his mind on something, he would never give up easily.
"But Aina didn't even tell us what she was going back to do this time," Liyana sighed, casually swiping a cup of ale from Xia Lun's table and drinking it herself. "Could it be that the vampires forced her to go back to get engaged?"
Crack—
The wooden mug in Xia Lun's hand was crushed, splintering into pieces of shattered wood.
"I... I was just talking nonsense! That's how it plays out in some stories! The runaway noble lady being forced into marriage... Things like that definitely wouldn't happen in reality! Hahaha..." Liyana knew she had taken the joke too far. "Besides, Aina said she would be back soon..."
"Yeah."
Xia Lun silently put down the wooden splinters in his hand and fished out a few copper coins, placing them on the table as compensation for the broken mug.
Yikes—how scary, Liyana thought silently to herself.
Xia Lun was probably sick, or his soul had been completely snatched away by Aina.
If something really happened to Aina... what would this guy do?
Pah, pah, pah, with Aina's strength, how could she possibly have an accident?
Liyana shook her head, stopping her wild thoughts. "Come on, Xia Lun, let's drink. Once you're drunk, you won't be sad anymore!"
Liyana was truly a loyal friend, accompanying Xia Lun to drink until late into the night... However, Xia Lun's alcohol tolerance was excellent; trying to get him drunk was no easy task.
Later on, Liyana ended up crawling and throwing up on the deserted streets, making a complete fool of herself.
"I... I can walk by myself, you don't need to help me..." Although she said this, Liyana's body swayed unsteadily, falling toward Xia Lun's embrace.
Xia Lun subconsciously dodged, and Liyana fell to the ground with a thud.
Xia Lun suddenly remembered that Aina wasn't around. Even if Liyana acted a bit intimate with him, there was no one to get secretly jealous.
Xia Lun sighed, carrying the dead-drunk Liyana on his back to the inn, and thoughtfully covered her with a blanket.
"Xia Lun... hic... you gotta teach that little vixen Aina a lesson..." the drunk Liyana babbled nonsense. "Acting so arrogant... otherwise, you'll have a hard time after you get married..."
If Aina heard those words, Liyana would die a very ugly death.
Xia Lun shook his head, smiled, and left the room.
...
"Did you hear? The Demon Lord of the demon race has appeared."
"What? Are the rumors about the Demon Lord true? Does the demon race really have a Demon Lord?"
"That individual officially incorporated the Ice Tundra into the demon race's territory, declaring that humans are henceforth forbidden from casually entering the Ice Tundra..."
"Hah, why? Doesn't everyone look down on that piece of land? Who would want to go freeze in that broken, icy wasteland anyway?"
Listening to the conversations of the people in the tavern, Liyana's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Did you hear that? Xia Lun!"
"What?"
"A Demon Lord, there really is a Demon Lord! As long as we subjugate that guy, we can instantly become the strongest adventuring party!" Liyana looked exhilarated.
"Why do we need to subjugate the Demon Lord? They don't seem to have done anything bad," Xia Lun leaned against the bar counter. "They haven't invaded the human race, nor are they planning to destroy the world."
"Because you're the Hero, Xia Lun... The ballads sung by bards are all written like this; the Demon Lord is your fated nemesis..."
"Those are all stories. Reality isn't that simple... Just like in reality, cats don't necessarily catch mice." Xia Lun shook his head. "Moreover, defeating the Demon Lord doesn't rely on hot-bloodedness, friendship, hope, or things like that; it relies on true strength. I can't guarantee that I'd be a match for that unfathomable Demon Lord..."
"Oh..." Liyana nodded, half-understanding.
She also felt that defeating a Demon Lord just by shouting slogans like in the stories was a bit too ridiculous. After all, fighting wasn't a contest of who had the louder voice.
Creak—
The tavern's somewhat old wooden door was pushed open, and a figure barged in.
Xia Lun was slightly stunned, and then a look of wild joy appeared on his face.
"Aina!"
"I'm back." Aina nodded lightly at Xia Lun, her expression as cold and indifferent as ever.
"That's great, Aina, you're finally back! You have no idea, these past few days you were gone, this guy Xia Lun has been completely absent-minded..." Liyana looked even more excited than Xia Lun. "We can finally go on a proper adventure again... By the way, Aina, are you interested in subjugating the Demon Lord?"
Aina tilted her head.
"Ah, almost forgot, you're from the demon race... Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Aina ignored Liyana's noisy chatter and looked directly at Xia Lun in front of her.
Compared to before, Xia Lun didn't look like he was in a very good state.
"Missed me?" The corners of Aina's mouth slowly curled up a little. It seemed the Hero had been successfully tamed by her.
"Yes." Xia Lun pulled Aina tightly into his embrace and took a deep breath.
Although Xia Lun didn't have much of a smell on him, and he had washed his neck clean just as she had told him before she left... Aina was still slightly dissatisfied.
The alcohol concentration in his blood seemed to exceed the limit... It would affect the taste.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
