Xia Lun saw Village Chief Qiaolei again.
Compared to yesterday, the man’s eye sockets had sunk even deeper, dark circles hanging heavily at the corners of his eyes, as if something had drained him of all energy. Even appearing on the street in broad daylight made him look like a ghost.
Xia Lun, on the other hand, was full of vigor.
How strange—he was the one who had been drained by the vampire last night.
A carriage stood at the entrance, though the horse wasn’t in the best condition—a bit too thin—and the back wasn’t a proper passenger compartment but rather a wooden cargo bed lined with dry grass.
Xia Lun didn’t mind. He’d replace it once they reached the big city anyway.
If they were going on a long journey, he mused, it might be better to buy a small, sturdy earth dragon for endurance.
“Thank you so much, Chief Qiaolei.” Liyana handed over a pouch of gold coins, which Qiaolei accepted absentmindedly.
“You can leave now,” Qiaolei said, his first words urging them to go.
Mo Lini carefully climbed onto the carriage, only to slip and tumble into the pile of dry grass with a soft plop, then peeked out with just her head visible.
She was the team’s mascot… and she knew it well.
Liyana drove the carriage away.
Qiaolei watched until they had left Xialun Village completely before finally returning inside.
“Hey, Xia Lun, did you notice anything?” Liyana couldn’t help but ask. “What’s going on with that village?”
Xia Lun recounted what he had sensed the night before.
“You’re saying the villagers were digging in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
Xia Lun nodded.
“What were they digging for? Treasure?” Liyana plucked a blade of grass and stuck it between her lips.
“No idea. Maybe.” Xia Lun shrugged. “But it’s none of our business. Let them be—we’re just passing through.”
“Or maybe they were digging a tunnel,” Mo Lini suddenly interjected.
“A tunnel? To where?” Liyana asked curiously.
“I don’t know… just a guess.” Mo Lini shrank back slightly.
Aina gave Mo Lini a meaningful glance.
The group paid no further attention to the small exchange as the carriage creaked and swayed onto the road.
The weather was lovely today—warm sunlight without any oppressive heat.
Thick greenery lined both sides of the path, dense enough to obscure anything beyond ten meters, as if a rabbit or slime might dart out at any moment.
Liyana took up the reins again. As an elven archer, she had the sharpest eyes and could spot the slightest unusual movement.
Xia Lun leaned against the edge of the haystack, Aina nestled in his arms, both enjoying the quiet comfort.
Mo Lini, however, kept looking around. She rarely left the safety of the city and was endlessly curious about the outside world, her head turning this way and that, utterly adorable.
“Sigh.”
After who knows how long, Liyana let out a bored exhale.
Mo Lini blinked. “What’s wrong, Liyana?”
“I’m just bored… Why isn’t there a single bandit trying to rob us?”
“Weren’t you the one who kept insisting we go out? And now you’re complaining already?” Xia Lun teased. “Back when we used to adventure together, weren’t you always the most energetic?”
“It’s different, completely different!” Liyana waved a hand dismissively. “I was young back then. Now I’ve seen it all—I’m over a thousand years old.”
She pretended to puff on the grass stem like a cigar, blowing out an imaginary smoke ring. “That’s all in the past.”
Mo Lini blinked again.
Back when they adventured together…
Had Xia Lun and Liyana really traveled together before? But Liyana had said…
Mo Lini felt like she had stumbled onto something, but she didn’t dare believe it.
“Most patrols are armed with magic guns now, so bandits have been wiped out,” Aina explained to Liyana, though her words seemed more directed at Xia Lun. “And with living standards improving, few are desperate enough to turn to robbery.”
She then gazed at Xia Lun with tender admiration. “All thanks to the Hero’s achievements.”
Mo Lini quietly climbed over the wooden railing and sat beside Liyana.
“What’s up?”
“Too much sweetness back there. I might turn into a sugar cube.” Mo Lini stuck out her tongue.
“Oh? Not a sourpuss?”
At Liyana’s teasing, Mo Lini puffed out her cheeks, looking irresistibly pinchable.
But the journey wasn’t entirely smooth.
A violent surge of magic erupted ahead.
“Uh… I think something’s happening up front…” Mo Lini spotted towering flames and heard sharp, piercing gunshots.
Liyana instinctively turned to Xia Lun for direction, a silent reminder of who still led the team, even after all this time.
“There’s only one road,” Xia Lun said calmly. “Do we wait here, or move forward?”
“Got it, Captain Xia Lun!” Liyana cheerfully flicked the reins.
……
“Fire, keep firing!”
The guards unloaded round after round at the man before them, but every bullet ricocheted off an impenetrable magical barrier.
Meanwhile, the man’s fireballs exploded among them, flames devouring everything in their path.
“Who the hell is that guy? A Blood Pact assassin?”
“Damn it! Why’s he targeting us?”
“The young mistress—we have to get her out of here!”
Inside the carriage, a golden-haired girl of about fifteen gripped the hand of the elderly woman beside her, her own trembling.
“Don’t be afraid, Elesha… It’ll be alright,” the old woman, Lanxia, murmured, her clouded eyes dim but her voice steady. “You are the head of the Norman Family now. We’ll protect you.”
“We’re close to Yueno City. While they’re fighting, slip into the woods and head west. When you reach the river, follow it downstream—”
“No, Grandmother Lanxia, I don’t want to—”
“You can do this, Elesha. You’re the last of the Norton bloodline… You must survive.” Lanxia stroked the girl’s hair. “Once you reach the estate, you’ll be safe… The family’s legacy must continue.”
“I…”
“Go now. This is for you.” Lanxia’s voice turned firm. “There’s no time—the servants will hold off that mage. Hurry!”
Elesha’s face paled, but she obeyed, scrambling out of the carriage.
A fireball detonated beside her, the blast hurling the girl to the ground.
Lanxia raised her staff.
“Run, Elesha! I’ll stop him!”
] 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.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
