Dusk gradually deepened, and the magic lamp inside the carriage cast a warm, hazy glow. Aina’s slender fingers gently combed through Xia Yi’s soft hair, while the vampire’s pale skin shimmered with a pearly luster beneath the warm light.
“From now on, Xia Yi will study the secret arts of the vampires with me,” Aina said calmly, lightly tapping the tip of the child in her arms’ nose. “He’s my son.”
“No. We already agreed, Aina. He’ll learn swordsmanship from me first.” Xia Lun beckoned to Xia Yi, motioning for him to come over. “Xia Yi is my son too.”
“He came out of my womb. At most, you only played a supporting role, so he should listen to me, Xia Lun.” Aina raised her chin slightly, ripples appearing in her blood-red eyes as she showed no intention of letting Xia Yi go.
“Hah… Do you have any idea how much effort I put into having this child? You should know better than anyone, Aina.” Xia Lun retorted without backing down.
Aina’s expression stiffened, and her ears visibly flushed red. She glared at Xia Lun in embarrassment and annoyance. “What are you saying in front of the child?”
“What?” Xia Yi lifted his head and looked at his mother in confusion.
Aina suddenly coughed lightly and forcibly changed the subject. “Xia Lun, I think we should respect the child’s opinion as well and discuss it with Xia Yi.”
Xia Lun was slightly taken aback, then his gaze softened with a hint of relief. “You’re right.”
“So…” Aina cradled the small head of the child in her arms. Her not-so-long fingernails pressed against Xia Yi’s soft, chubby cheek as she leaned toward his ear, her tone turning somewhat menacing. “Xia Yi, do you want to learn swordsmanship from your father… or the secret arts of the vampires from your mother?”
“Aina, that’s coercion! This doesn’t count as a discussion at all!”
Xia Lun could not stand to watch any longer. He pulled Xia Yi out of Aina’s arms and then patted the boy on the shoulder.
“Come on, Xia Yi. You don’t have to be afraid. Father will protect you… Tell Father, what do you want to learn?” Xia Lun asked gently.
“Your father can’t protect you. He can barely protect himself.” Aina gave a soft snort. She licked the corner of her mouth, revealing her sharp fangs, as if implying something.
Xia Lun glared at Aina, and she glared right back without the slightest intention of yielding. Her delicate chin lifted slightly, giving her an air of proud defiance.
“I…” Xia Yi finally began hesitantly.
Xia Lun and Aina immediately focused their attention on the boy once more.
“Father, Mother, I don’t want to learn either of them… Is that okay?” Xia Yi scratched his head and put on a conciliatory smile.
Xia Lun and Aina simultaneously drew in a deep breath, then exchanged a meaningful look.
“Aina, be careful with your strength. Don’t give the child any lasting injuries,” Xia Lun said with considerable seriousness.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.” Aina’s gaze grew even colder, seeming more dangerous than before. “Even if I beat his bottom raw, I have a way to heal him.” She leisurely rolled her wrists.
Xia Yi finally seemed to realize that he was in a very bad situation.
“Fa—Father, help me!” Like a frightened little animal, Xia Yi suddenly lunged at Xia Lun and clung tightly to his leg.
“If you refuse to study the secret arts of the vampires with me, I’ll definitely spank you,” Aina threatened fiercely. As expected, this trick was still effective.
Xia Lun rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before threatening him as well. “If you refuse to learn swordsmanship from me, I’ll definitely have Mother spank you.”
Xia Yi’s eyes widened. He looked at his frosty-faced mother, then at his father, who wore a smile hiding a knife. His little head could not make sense of it all, and he could only let out a single syllable.
“Huh?”
“Do you understand now?” Xia Lun said with a smile, patting Xia Yi on the head. For the first time, Xia Yi felt that his father might be even more frightening than his mother.
“I-I understand…” Xia Yi drooped his head like a little plant wilted by frost, replying weakly.
If he did not want to be beaten, it looked like he had no choice but to learn both. He could already foresee his dark and miserable future.
“Let Xia Yi study swordsmanship with me in the mornings. His memory will be clearer after exercising,” Xia Lun said, turning to Aina to discuss the details now that they had achieved their goal.
“Mm. Then he can study vampire secret arts with me in the afternoons. For vampires, cultivation is also quite effective as evening approaches.” Aina nodded slightly, returning to her usual cool composure.
There was no doubt that the best time to practice vampire secret arts was at night. But as for nighttime… the two of them naturally had other plans.
Besides, Xia Yi was still only a child. Adequate sleep was quite important for his growth and development.
“Waaah…” Xia Yi’s little face had completely fallen. He muttered in resignation, “Then what about noon? You might as well let me study then too…”
“Learning archery with me at noon would be a great idea!” Liyana suddenly poked her head into the carriage and said cheerfully.
“That is a good idea.” Aina nodded.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Liyana.” Xia Lun gave her an approving look. Having one more skill was naturally a good thing; it might provide him with an additional measure of protection in the future.
How were Aunt Liyana’s ears so sharp? Xia Yi now wanted nothing more than to slap himself.
Although Xia Lun had previously said that Xia Yi was not suited to learning too many weapons at once, and that mastering the one-handed sword would allow him to understand other weapons by analogy… swordsmanship and archery were clearly two entirely different paths.
As for vampire secret arts, if Xia Yi studied them well, it might not be impossible for him to integrate them into his swordsmanship in the future and forge a path of his own.
Xia Yi had made his choice when he was still very young: he wanted to become a warrior like his father. That was why he had not asked Aina to teach him magic. Otherwise, the boy might have ended up with one more subject to study.
The method Aina and Xia Lun used to help Xia Yi choose had been quite simple. They placed a staff and a longsword in front of him, and the young Xia Yi crawled toward the longsword.
This sort of method, similar to the traditional “first-birthday grab,” was not actually mere feudal superstition. Both the staff and the longsword emitted a presence that the child could sense. This showed that Xia Yi was naturally more attuned to the longsword and better suited to becoming a warrior.
Back then, Aise had grasped both the longsword and the staff at the same time… so the couple had taught him both magic and martial arts.
Xia Lun sighed inwardly. Aise truly had been a genius capable of cultivating both magic and martial arts.
Xia Yi’s talent seemed inferior to that of his former elder brother, and he did not appear to have much interest in magic either.
Whenever he sat on Aina’s lap and accompanied her while she read, his little head would bob up and down every so often, as though he might fall asleep at any moment.
Xia Lun did not expect Xia Yi to become extraordinarily powerful in the future. However, he still needed enough strength to protect himself in this world.
Beyond that, Xia Lun’s greatest wish was for Xia Yi to live a happy and carefree life.
It was just that… Xia Yi did not look very happy at the moment.
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.
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?!”
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?"
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!
