Xia Lun walked out of the room.
He slammed a heavy punch against the wall, sending spiderweb-like cracks spreading across the surface.
"To think that even you would lose your mind like this." Aina placed her hand on Xia Lun's shoulder and leaned in gently. "Don't overthink it."
"You knew all along, didn't you, Aina?" Xia Lun asked softly. "You saw long ago that Aise's condition never got better, and that he was just acting."
Aina remained silent, but that was an answer in itself.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Xia Lun questioned his wife, his voice tinged with suppressed agony. "Am I the only one you all kept in the dark?"
"What good would telling you do? Is there anything you could have done? Do you have a cure for Aise's condition?" Aina fired back with a series of questions. "If you knew the truth, you would still just walk around moping all day, wouldn't you?"
Xia Lun's breath caught slightly.
"I'm sorry, Aina."
"It's fine, Xia Lun." Aina seemed to realize her tone had been too harsh, and her voice softened a bit.
"I really am an unqualified father. Aise turned out like that, and I am completely powerless to help him..."
"You don't have the right to say that in front of me," Aina said flatly. "Even now, I still don't feel like I'm Aise's mother."
Xia Lun opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, and no words came out.
"This isn't our fault, Xia Lun. You've already done the best you could... That's why Aise was willing to cooperate with you before, suppressing his own nature just to make you happy." Aina pressed her cheek against Xia Lun's back and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't worry about him too much."
"But I am his father," Xia Lun said firmly.
"Aise is an independent person, and he was born this way. You can't change him... Your stubbornness will only cause you more pain, Xia Lun."
"Then I should bear that pain. I am his father, Aina."
"He will hurt you... You are only holding yourself hostage."
"I don't care."
"But I care." Aina pounded her fist lightly against Xia Lun's back. "You are my husband..."
A soft spot in Xia Lun's heart was suddenly touched. He turned around and hugged his wife. "I'm sorry, Aina... But I will be fine."
"Hmph, suit yourself then," Aina turned her head away, her tone stiff. "I won't bother with you anymore."
Stubborn fool... Listening to her was clearly the right thing to do, so why wouldn't he listen to reason?
A nameless anger rose in Aina's heart.
Ever since she noticed Aise's abnormalities, she had been on guard against him, yet Xia Lun continued to waste his emotions on that guy.
"Aina, are you angry?" Xia Lun tapped Aina's nose playfully.
"No." Aina glared at Xia Lun coldly and swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me tonight."
Xia Lun withdrew his hand sheepishly.
Well, it was obvious that Aina was very angry.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from a distance.
"Lord Xia Lun."
A maid came running over in a hurry, lifting the hem of her skirt. She first glanced at the cracks on the wall in astonishment, but didn't dare say anything about it.
"What is it?" Xia Lun quickly reined in his emotions, restoring the steady composure befitting a lord.
"It's about the diversion and expansion of the river... This morning, two groups of people in the territory broke into a conflict, resulting in some casualties," the maid hurriedly reported.
"What?"
Xia Lun's face immediately darkened. This project was intended to solve the irrigation and drinking water problems for the surrounding farmlands and villages. It was a beneficial initiative he had personally promoted. How could it lead to bloodshed?
"They are still arguing in the Tribunal right now, hoping you can go and uphold justice," the maid added.
Without another word, Xia Lun immediately set off with Aina.
The Tribunal was located on the east side of the lord's manor, a spacious stone building. Even before entering, the boiling voices and loud arguments could be heard from inside, like a pot of boiling water.
"Lord Hero."
"My Lord."
Upon seeing Xia Lun, the crowd immediately quieted down.
The crowd parted automatically to make way for him, their eyes turning towards him with awe and anticipation.
Xia Lun's sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.
On one side were villagers led by an old village chief with a white beard and hair, leaning on a cane. Most of them wore coarse linen clothes, their faces bearing the weathering of hard labor and the indignation of the moment. On the other side were manor personnel led by a slightly plump wealthy merchant wearing a silk shirt. Their guards wore leather armor, hands resting on the hilts of their swords, looking vigilant and resentful.
The village chief was named Lyle, and the wealthy merchant was named Reid. Xia Lun had had some contact with both of them before.
The cause of the conflict was simple: both sides wanted the diverted river to run closer to their own land.
Both places were quite a distance from the main stream of the river. If the water was to be diverted to flow through both areas, the volume of water from the main river would likely be insufficient.
Village Chief Lyle stated that their village had a large population, and if the river was too far away, it would be extremely inconvenient for the villagers to fetch water.
The wealthy merchant Reid, on the other hand, argued that a portion of the massive funding for excavating the river channel came from his donations. Furthermore, he was the one who initially sent people to survey the surrounding terrain and conduct on-site explorations, which took a lot of effort. Therefore, he naturally had the right to decide the course of the river.
As it happened, the terrain right between the two locations was elevated, making it obviously impossible to dig a river channel there. Consequently, the river had to be routed closer to one side or the other.
Hearing this, Xia Lun could not help but feel a headache coming on.
"Lord Hero... you must be on our side, right?" Lyle leaned on his cane, trembling as if a gust of wind could easily blow him over.
"Those filthy nobles only know how to oppress us weak commoners..." Lyle pointed at the other party's nose and cursed. "A great man like you, Lord Hero, surely wouldn't collude with them..."
Reid merely let out a disdainful sneer, watching coldly as if observing a clumsy performance.
"I will judge for myself who is right and who is wrong," Xia Lun frowned. "At the end of the day, who struck first in this incident? And how many casualties are there?"
"Well..." Lyle and the group of villagers averted their eyes somewhat evasively.
"My people were attacked first, My Lord," Reid stepped forward, bowing slightly to Xia Lun, his tone calm yet clear. "Two of my guards were beaten to death with hoes and shovels, and nine others suffered varying degrees of injuries. On their side, five young men died, and about a dozen were injured."
Reid paused for a moment before adding, "The conflict started because a few hot-headed young men tried to forcefully destroy the survey markers we had set up. My guards stepped forward to stop them and were subsequently mobbed."
] 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.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
