The sky gradually darkened, and as the last glimmer of daylight faded, night fell.
The banquet held in honor of Xia Lun and his companions that evening was lavish. A long table stretching over ten meters was adorned with exquisite candles and laden with delicious delicacies. Liyana finally got her wish—she managed to tag along for the feast.
Several guards from the earlier battle also attended the banquet. During the daytime skirmish, they had fearlessly faced a terrifying enemy, earning Lanxia’s admiration.
After Elesha’s father passed away, few were willing to remain and continue protecting the Norman Family. Most, upon learning of the family’s dire situation, chose to leave, fearing they’d be dragged into trouble.
The assault by the Blood Pact assassins had claimed many guards, but those who survived received simple healing from Liyana. At the banquet, she quickly bonded with them.
Over the past thousand years, Liyana’s archery skills hadn’t improved much—after all, she had already reached the pinnacle. But her healing magic had seen significant progress.
However, the banquet wasn’t without its tensions.
"Why?! Kane died in battle today, and yet you all can celebrate like this?!"
A young guard suddenly slammed his wine glass onto the table, his eyes bloodshot.
"If… if you had acted sooner, Kane might still be alive!" The young guard, Morgan, pointed accusingly at Xia Lun.
Ordinary people stood little chance against magic.
His companions quickly pulled him back, apologizing profusely to Xia Lun.
Xia Lun sipped his wine, his expression unchanged.
"How dare you, Morgan! How can you speak like this? Xia Lun saved all our lives!" The elderly Lanxia stood up, her face flushed with anger as she berated the young guard. "You’re fired! Get out of here at once! The Norman Family has no use for an ungrateful wretch like you!"
Xia Lun slowly rose from his seat and walked over to Morgan.
Morgan’s gaze was filled with confusion and despair.
"Xia Lun, I…" Morgan tried to speak, but Xia Lun cut him off gently.
"I arrived too late. I couldn’t save Kane. He was someone important to you, wasn’t he?" Xia Lun’s voice was soft. Despite the earlier outburst, there was no trace of anger or blame in his expression—only compassion and concern.
Morgan’s nose stung. Kane had been his closest companion. They had left their village together, sworn to make something of themselves… They trained side by side, honing their combat skills, and became guards here together…
In the battle, Kane had thrown himself in front of the carriage when he realized the enemy was targeting Elesha.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Morgan’s face, and soon, he broke down sobbing in front of everyone.
"Go. You shouldn’t be here right now. Find a quiet place." Xia Lun patted Morgan’s shoulder.
His companions led him away.
Elesha approached Xia Lun, her eyes shimmering with an unusual light.
"I apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness, Xia Lun." Elesha gave a graceful bow. "You’re truly a kind person."
"It’s nothing. I understand Morgan’s feelings. He’s a man of loyalty and passion—he was just overwhelmed by emotion." Xia Lun glanced at Lanxia. "I hope you’ll reconsider your decision."
"Of course. Morgan is an excellent guard. We won’t abandon him so easily."
Lanxia looked at Elesha with approval, as if pleased she had grasped her intentions.
Xia Lun returned to his seat and, under the table, quietly slipped his hand into Aina’s.
"Don’t worry, I’m not petty enough to harm that guard, Morgan," Aina said with a sigh. "Do you really think I’m the type to kill indiscriminately? I know you’d scold me if I did."
Xia Lun: "I didn’t say anything. I just wanted to hold your hand."
Aina narrowed her eyes, looking pleased. "Sly man…"
As the banquet neared its end, guests began to leave.
"Aina!"
Liyana suddenly pounced over, with Mo Lini trailing behind her.
"Let’s go bathe together! That old woman mentioned there’s an open-air bath in the manor!"
Then, she turned to Xia Lun. "And you—no peeking!"
Xia Lun pointed at himself incredulously.
As if he needed to peek? He knew every inch of Aina’s body by heart.
"Honestly, I think you’re the bigger problem here," Xia Lun said, eyeing the elven woman suspiciously.
"I won’t lay a finger on Aina or Mo Lini!" Liyana huffed, steam practically shooting from her nostrils. "Don’t you trust my integrity?"
"Then Aina should bathe with me," Xia Lun said flatly.
"Too bad, Xia Lun. The baths here are separated by gender." Liyana wagged a finger. "Besides, if you and Aina bathed together, you’d definitely… Hmph, I know you two. Aina would end up dirtier than when she went in."
Xia Lun coughed awkwardly. Though embarrassed, he couldn’t refute it.
"Xia Lun’s… isn’t dirty," Aina frowned. "And I’d take it all properly. I wouldn’t let it get on me."
Liyana’s face turned bright red.
"What are you talking about?" Mo Lini tilted her head, completely lost.
"Good girls don’t need to know!" Liyana covered Mo Lini’s ears, stammering. "A-anyway… Mo Lini, let’s go first… Hahaha…"
"I’ll go too. See you later, Xia Lun." Before leaving, Aina kissed Xia Lun’s forehead.
Though their bodies no longer produced sweat or oils, some rituals were worth keeping.
Xia Lun decided to take a bath as well—might as well, since he had nothing else to do.
The bathhouse was indeed well-designed. As soon as Xia Lun stepped inside, the humid steam, laced with the smoky scent of burning pine, enveloped him. The water was perfectly heated, emitting a comforting warmth.
Beside the pool, two fully nude cherub statues held up jars, from which hot water continuously poured into the bath.
The jars were engraved with fire-attribute magic arrays, glowing faintly red like heated iron.
Using magic to regulate water temperature… now that was luxury.
Xia Lun was the only one in the bathhouse.
After undressing, he sank into the pool, letting out a long sigh of contentment.
Yet, just then, the door swung open again—at the most inopportune moment.
Elesha stepped in, wrapped in a white towel, her voice trembling with nervousness.
"Xia Lun… would you like someone to scrub your back?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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?
