“Oh, Xia Lun, having fun?” Liyana finally came over, watching Xia Lun and his family enjoying themselves together.
She tactfully made no mention of how Aina had been riding on Xia Lun’s shoulders earlier.
“Xia Yi didn’t cause any trouble, did he?” Xia Lun asked with a soft laugh. His tone held the gentleness of a father, along with a faint, almost imperceptible note of evaluation.
“Of course not. This child was very well-behaved.” Liyana winked at Xia Yi, who seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
“Although he kept insisting that he was a man and wanted to drink, how could I possibly let him have any? I don’t even let Mo Lini drink.” Liyana suddenly added with a smug look.
Mo Lini sighed helplessly. She was clearly a mature and dependable adult—she was even fast approaching thirty—but in Liyana’s eyes, she was still a child… Just like Luo Lun.
Her appearance had remained unchanged as well. She looked scarcely different from five years ago.
Ever since she had entered her teens, it seemed as though time had frozen on her face.
Liyana’s words caused Xia Yi’s expression to collapse completely, his little mouth sticking out so far it could have held an oil jar.
He had been betrayed.
Liyana had clearly promised to put in a good word for him in front of his parents.
Fortunately, he had already admitted everything himself earlier, and his father already knew about it, so Xia Lun did not say much.
Xia Yi cautiously glanced at his mother again… Although they had spent quite some time discussing spanking earlier, fortunately, she did not seem to truly intend to hit him.
Aina was still hiding behind Xia Lun, seemingly lost in thought. No one knew what was on her mind. It was as if all the noise around her was separated by an invisible barrier.
“Are you two the only ones here?”
Xia Lun’s gaze passed over Liyana and Mo Lini and settled on the relatively empty space behind them. “Where’s Luo Lun?”
“Huh? Is she missing? When did that happen?” Liyana instinctively scratched her long blond hair and turned around in confusion. All she saw was a stream of unfamiliar people. “I’m not sure. Maybe some dessert shop caught her attention. She’s always been powerless against that sort of thing.”
“Luo Lun was right beside me just now,” Mo Lini recalled.
“About fifteen minutes ago…” Little Lan, perched on Mo Lini’s head, added quietly.
On a crowded street, losing track of a companion for a moment was hardly unusual.
“But with her abilities, there’s no way anything could have happened to her, right?” Liyana said with an unconcerned shrug, her tone filled with absolute trust in her companion’s strength. “If something really did happen, it would only be a problem for whoever was foolish enough to target her.”
“That’s true.” Xia Lun slowly nodded, deeply agreeing.
Luo Lun’s strength now… had undergone a qualitative leap compared with five years ago.
Aina had already taken her under her command.
Luo Lun had accepted Aina’s invitation to serve her. She had not been forced into it; it had happened quite naturally. After spending so much time together, Luo Lun had gradually come around to the idea. There was nothing shameful about striving for greater heights or pursuing greater power—especially when one had companions one wished to help.
Although she had not yet decided to become a vampire, according to Luo Lun herself, she did not want to change her human bloodline until her biological parents had lived out their natural lifespans.
Even so, Aina had generously used certain special methods to help her increase her strength.
Among all of Aina’s subordinates, Luo Lun held the most unique position. Although she had pledged her loyalty to Aina, their relationship had not changed in their daily lives, nor had any barrier grown between them because of it.
In short, with Luo Lun’s current strength… there were basically no ordinary humans who could stand against her anymore…
…
At the same time, at another fork in the road not far from Xia Lun and the others, Luo Lun had indeed run into a little trouble.
“Oh hey, pretty girl. Out for a stroll by yourself?” a somewhat lecherous voice called from behind her.
“How about coming with us for a few drinks?” another man said with a grin. He had a scar across his face, and his eyes roamed over Luo Lun without restraint.
“We’re quite formidable adventurers, you know!”
Several young adventurers, bare-chested and wearing somewhat battered equipment, surrounded Luo Lun.
“We’re the famous Dragon Slayers Adventuring Party. Surely you’ve heard of us?” The apparent leader proudly patted the longsword at his waist, trying to make himself look more imposing.
“Come have some fun with us. We’ll tell you all about our adventures out there.”
Luo Lun frowned slightly.
Today, for the first time in a long while, Luo Lun had changed out of her usual practical combat attire and put on a pale-purple knee-length dress that suited her perfectly. Delicate vine patterns were embroidered along the hem, lending a touch of softness to her normally stern features.
Unfortunately, the rare change in clothing seemed to have attracted some unwanted attention. Like blooming flowers, beautiful women were bound to draw a few bothersome flies.
“Adventurers? I’m an adventurer too,” Luo Lun said calmly. Clear eyes flashed with unmistakable annoyance. “Your stories won’t interest me. If you don’t want to get hurt, stay away from me.”
The young men had clearly not expected such a response. They exchanged surprised glances, caution flickering across their faces.
“You’re an adventurer too?”
“What adventuring party are you with?”
Luo Lun took a deep breath and finally gave them a name.
“The Slime Adventuring Party.”
“Hahahaha…”
The men burst into laughter, drawing the attention of several passersby.
“What the hell is that? Never heard of it.”
“The Slime Adventuring Party? That sounds pathetic. A mere slime? Our Dragon Slayers Adventuring Party could squash one with a single step.”
Luo Lun’s expression slowly darkened.
“Why don’t you quit that Slime Adventuring Party and join us instead?”
“Stick with us, and I guarantee you’ll get plenty of lucrative jobs in the future. You’ll have a much brighter future than you would with that slime group!”
“Heh heh, we’ll take good care of you.” The adventurers’ lecherous gazes became even more brazen.
The people nearby had noticed what was happening, but for the moment, no one seemed inclined to intervene. Some quickened their pace and hurried away, afraid of being caught up in it. Others stopped and gathered around with keen interest, intending to watch the show. There were even a few people confident in their own abilities who were already planning to step in at the crucial moment and play the hero saving the beauty.
“Boring fools…”
Luo Lun’s figure suddenly vanished.
“Thud, thud, thud—”
A series of muffled blows rang through the air.
The adventurers who had surrounded Luo Lun were now sprawled on the ground, howling in pain.
The onlookers erupted in astonishment, but the graceful purple figure had already disappeared from the crowd.
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.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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?"
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?!”
