Unable to resist Xia Lun's gracious invitation, Moke ultimately decided to stay the night in the magnificent manor after dinner.
Your manor is truly impressive, Moke sincerely sighed in admiration as he looked around the lavishly decorated hall. I never expected you to become a grand noble, Xia Lun.
Xia Lun merely offered a faint smile and said nothing.
No wonder you disbanded our party back then and went to fight the Demon Lord all by yourself. You just wanted to hog all the credit. Moke playfully punched Xia Lun's shoulder.
Moke was obviously joking.
Everyone knew that Xia Lun had disbanded the party back then for the sake of their safety.
After all, Xia Lun hadn't even brought Aina along.
If you like it, why don't you bring Shila and move in here? Xia Lun suggested. It would be a great thing to have some company.
Forget it, I've already gotten used to living over there... Although the climate is a bit worse, there's plenty of scenery you can't see anywhere else. Next time you have the time, bring Aina and come visit us, Moke invited.
There will be a chance, Xia Lun nodded in agreement.
At this moment, a maid slowly walked over, pushing a silver dining cart laden with exquisite tea and pastries.
Xia Lun naturally stood up to help.
Master Xia Lun... please sit. Do not trouble yourself.
It's fine, I'll do it. I have nothing else to do anyway, Xia Lun smiled.
Moke noticed that one of the maid's sleeves was empty; she had lost an arm.
Other than Xia Lun, there was probably no one else who would be willing to hire a disabled person like her for work.
I truly... don't know how to thank you, Master Xia Lun... for being willing to take in me and my daughter.
The maid bowed slightly, her sallow, rough face filled with gratitude and humility. The weathering of time and the heavy burdens of life made her look far older than her actual age of early thirties.
I am crippled and of little use... When Eni grows up, I will definitely make her work like a horse to serve you well, Master Xia Lun, the maid couldn't help but sigh.
Eni was her daughter.
She and her daughter had been captured by human traffickers and were almost sold into slavery... Her husband was killed while resisting, and she lost an arm trying to protect her daughter. It was Xia Lun, who happened to be passing by, who saved them and took them in to work here.
Don't say such things. Your daughter has her own life; she shouldn't be bound by us or by gratitude, Xia Lun shook his head.
Yes, yes, whatever you say, Master Xia Lun... Then I will teach Eni well when I get back, so she can take care of Young Master Aise in the future... the maid quickly corrected herself, her smile growing even more humble.
Xia Lun frowned slightly but did not say anything further.
...
Young Master Aise.
Aise turned around and looked at the exquisitely cute girl following behind him, frowning with some impatience.
Eni, why are you following me?
Eni was about the same age as him; she was brought back from the outside by his father a few years ago.
Usually, her mother did simple chores around the house, and when the private tutor came to give lessons, she would sit in and listen.
Aise's condition destined him to be unable to attend educational institutions and study with other children like a normal person.
The manor was very large, and the school was quite far away. It was somewhat unrealistic for Eni's mother to pick up and drop off her daughter for school. Thus, under Xia Lun's arrangement, Eni became Aise's only study companion.
I... my mother said I need to take good care of you, so I must follow you. Eni spoke a bit timidly, her small hands nervously gripping the hem of her skirt.
I don't need your care, go away. Aise snorted coldly, his tone nasty.
But Eni stubbornly shook her head. Mother said we must know how to repay kindness... Master Xia Lun saved us, so I will properly repay you, Young Master Aise.
The mention of Xia Lun's name made Aise's brow twitch slightly.
I'm a bad person, Eni. You'll get hurt if you follow me, Aise said fiercely. I'm sick. When my illness acts up, I will bully you and even hit you. If you know what's good for you, stay away from me!
I'm not afraid... You aren't a bad person, Young Master Aise. I've met real bad people. If they wanted to hit us, they wouldn't say so many words at all. A trace of fear flashed in Eni's eyes.
Suit yourself, but you'll definitely regret it later. Aise glanced at Eni and turned to walk away.
Anyway, as soon as she saw what he looked like when his illness acted up, this girl would be scared off.
Young Master Aise, what are you going to do next?
To the garden.
What are you going to do in the garden?
Crush ants for fun. Aise sneered, expecting to see a look of horror or disgust on her face.
Oh. Eni nodded, her face showing no unusual reaction at all.
Don't you have anything to say? Aise frowned; Eni's reaction did not satisfy him much.
I... what should I say? That Young Master Aise is amazing? Eni tilted her head. I play with ants when I'm bored too. I even ate ants before... But when mother found out, she said it was very dirty and spanked me.
Eating ants raw?
That sounded even more cruel than what he did... Aise couldn't help but re-evaluate this seemingly timid little girl in front of him, a sudden trace of inexplicable wariness rising in his heart.
...
Aise's index finger trembled slightly as he slowly pressed it down.
The ant was trapped between his fingertip and the ground. Aise could clearly feel the pulsation of life.
Applying force slowly, the ant's fragile exoskeleton was easily crushed.
Aise slowly narrowed his eyes.
A nearby line of ants seemed completely oblivious to this scene, bypassing Aise's finger and continuing on their way.
Is this fun, Young Master Aise? Eni looked in confusion at the faint smile appearing on the corner of Aise's mouth.
You don't understand. Aise scoffed.
Oh. Eni, looking utterly bored, stretched out her foot and stomped on the marching line of ants, even grinding her foot down hard a few times. Isn't it faster to step on ants like this, Young Master Aise?
Aise's mouth twitched.
This little brat...
What are you two doing? A cold, clear voice came from behind.
The smile on Aise's face deepened as he slowly stood up. Mother.
Lady Aina. Eni immediately stood up straight and proper, not daring to move, looking quite nervous.
Eni looked up to glance at Aina, then quickly lowered her small head again.
Within the manor, all the servants feared this mistress.
Eni found it a bit strange. Lady Aina was clearly so young and beautiful, and she never made things difficult for others. Why was everyone so afraid of her?
Even Master Xia Lun seemed to become somewhat submissive in her presence.
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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.”
