Era of Chaos, Year 1842.
A slightly old carriage bumped along its way. The sound of wheels crushing gravel mixed with the clatter of hooves, echoing through the quiet woodland.
Two young figures sat side by side in the back of the carriage.
"Young Master Aise..." Eni brushed a lock of long hair behind her ear and called out softly.
"Is something the matter?" Aise replied with an elegant and composed smile.
"No... it's nothing."
Eni lowered her head, swallowing the words she was about to say.
Even though Young Master Aise's attitude towards her had been much better since they left, for some reason, Eni still felt an indescribable strangeness about him.
It was like a chill that pierced right into the bone.
"You two... venturing out into the world at such a young age." The hired coachman in front held his whip and asked casually, though his gaze swept over them from the back a few times.
"We are not that young anymore," Aise replied with a smile. "Back in the day, my father was also my age when he came out to become an adventurer."
"Then you're truly remarkable... The world isn't very peaceful nowadays." The coachman shook his head and sighed. "You have to be careful out there. Inexperienced little folks like you are the easiest targets for bandits."
"It's fine, Young Master Aise is very strong," Eni replied to the coachman. "And I know magic too."
"Oh... oh! So you two are mages. Cough, please forgive my disrespect." The coachman's shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly, followed by a couple of dry laughs.
The coachman raised his whip and cracked it against the horse's rump. The horse let out a neigh of pain and ran faster.
The carriage jolted, and Eni's shoulder bumped into Aise. Aise's posture remained as steady as a rock, and even the smile on his lips didn't waver.
"What's wrong with being mages? Makes us harder targets?" Aise suddenly remarked out of the blue.
"Uh... ahem, young master, what are you talking about?" The coachman stiffened, pretending to be ignorant.
"Back on that small road, your companions were lying in ambush, weren't they? They gave up on the attack because they discovered our identities," Aise said calmly. "Eni, you talk too much."
"Ah... I'm sorry, Young Master Aise." Eni's face turned slightly pale, and she suddenly felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
However, did Young Master Aise mean that he had hoped those guys would actively attack them?
"Ha... haha, you really know how to joke, little master." The coachman let out an awkward laugh. "How could I possibly do something like that?"
"Hmm, I was just guessing blindly, it's nothing." Aise hugged the longsword in his hands, narrowed his eyes, and then sighed.
Naturally, he had just wanted to provoke the other party into making a move.
But it seemed they wouldn't take the bait.
Aise glanced at Eni beside him.
Eni looked uneasy, seemingly feeling that she had done something wrong.
"It's fine." Aise gently placed his hand over Eni's.
"Young Master Aise..." Eni was slightly taken aback, but the warmth coming from his hand made her feel very reassured.
Aise revealed a gentle smile identical to Xia Lun's.
Having inherited the bloodlines of Aina and Xia Lun, Aise's appearance was naturally quite handsome. Eni couldn't help but stare blankly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
It seemed... just as her mother had said, perhaps Young Master Aise wasn't that scary after all.
She had grown up with him since childhood... Even if his illness relapsed, he surely wouldn't hurt her.
Moreover, his condition was very well controlled now, and it seemed he hadn't had an episode in recent years... Otherwise, Master Xia Lun wouldn't have let them move out of the manor.
Perhaps... she really should try to accept him.
It was just that when they were young, Aise had left a bit of a shadow in her heart... By the river, Aise had dismembered a few frogs and stroked her cheek with bloodstained hands, his eyes flashing with a light she couldn't understand...
At that time, Eni truly thought she was going to be killed by Aise as well, which was why she harbored fear toward him in her heart.
Thinking about it now, it didn't seem like much; perhaps it was just a mischievous child's prank.
Yes, Young Master Aise liked her. As long as she was willing to accept Aise... she and her mother would be able to live a good life in the future.
Eni bit her lip and tentatively held Aise's hand back, intertwining her fingers with his.
Eni glanced at Aise. Aise's expression was very calm; he didn't pull away, but he didn't show any joy either.
The speeding carriage gradually slowed down.
"We have arrived at Olie City, my two Lord Mages," the coachman smiled obsequiously, his movements appearing somewhat deliberate.
"Mhm, how much?" Aise asked lightly.
"No... no need. When traveling away from home, consider it making a friend."
As the two got off, the coachman immediately drove the horse, almost fleeing in a panic as he cracked his whip and kicked up a cloud of dust.
"Young Master Aise... shouldn't we find a way to deal with him?" Eni looked at the coachman's retreating back and tugged at the corner of Aise's clothes. "If we just sit by and do nothing... he'll go and harm other people in the future, won't he?"
"On what grounds should we attack him?" Aise patted Eni's shoulder. "They didn't make a move against us... If we attack him, we'll become criminals indiscriminately killing the innocent."
"But he's an accomplice to robbers, isn't he?" Eni asked in return.
"That was just my guess... Although I am basically certain in my heart that he is not a good person, until he actually takes action, we cannot truly determine his good or evil." Aise shook his head.
"I'm sorry... Young Master Aise." Eni lowered her head. If she hadn't talked too much...
"It doesn't matter."
Aise didn't take the matter to heart. "Let's go, it's getting late."
The two walked to the plaza of Olie City.
A giant stone stood there. Workers were still busy, setting up high bamboo scaffolding, holding hammers and chisels, clinking and clanking as they carved the giant stone.
"Hey! How many pockets were on City Lord Ankula's skirt again?"
"Forgot. Let's ask her next time."
"We should just have her leave a skirt here."
"Hmm... her facial features are a bit hard to carve. After all, the City Lord is so busy, it's impossible for her to stay in the plaza as a model all the time..."
"It's fine, City Lord Ankula sculpted a small statue. We can just copy that when the time comes."
Eni looked up at the giant boulder, which was over a dozen meters high, and secretly marveled: "Such a huge stone... it must have been created by earth magic, right? Is it going to be made into a statue?"
"Probably."
"That Auntie Ankula is too full of herself." Eni stuck out her tongue. Erecting such a massive statue, she could certainly never do something like this.
"They insisted on doing it this way, I had no choice," Ankula sighed from behind the two.
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!"
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.”
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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."
