The middle-aged man beside her happened to be raising his cup to his lips when her words froze him mid-motion, nearly causing him to choke.
He glanced at Liu Yuan, then at his colleague, before finally staring down at the cup in his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.
The air grew thick with tension.
The previously amicable atmosphere vanished without a trace.
The female mediator's voice remained steady, though a keen ear might detect a faint undercurrent of strain: "What did you put in the water?"
The middle-aged man hastily set his cup down on the coffee table, leaning back slightly to create distance, his gaze sharpening with wariness.
All talk of leisure or compassionate law enforcement took a backseat in the face of potential danger.
Liu Yuan blinked at their sudden shift in demeanor, confused but answering honestly: "Sleep aids for low-tier Cardholders."
While not lethal, the drugs were fast-acting—drowsiness made it hard to concentrate, drastically reducing the effectiveness of card abilities.
Of course, the more likely explanation was that she couldn’t get her hands on actual poison. Otherwise, she might’ve truly followed her brother’s advice and spiked their drinks.
Tilting her head, Liu Yuan added, "My brother taught me that. Said it’s better to be safe than sorry."
"......"
"......"
The two mediators exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.
The woman retrieved a slender, pen-like detector from her waist pouch and cautiously dipped it into her cup.
The tip emitted a faint blue glow before shifting to orange-yellow after a few seconds.
Staring at the reading, then at Liu Yuan’s innocent face, she felt her worldview take a seismic hit.
At least the test confirmed it was just a potent sedative—and a hefty dose at that.
The man peered over, his expression easing slightly, though now tinged with exasperation.
Rubbing his face, he said dryly, "Kid, your... sense of self-preservation might be a tad... overdeveloped?"
"Really?" Liu Yuan blinked. "My brother says you can never be too careful."
The female mediator put away the detector and straightened up.
She attempted a smile but only managed a strained twitch. "Well, your brother’s clearly a cautious man... And you’re very... proactive about safety. That’s... good."
So good she nearly knocked out two mediators in broad daylight.
The man stood abruptly. "Ahem. Well, it’s getting late. We should... probably head out."
Staying longer might’ve given him a heart attack. This assignment had been far too "eventful."
Liu Yuan nodded sweetly. "Okay! Thanks for coming. Take care!"
She escorted them to the door, watching as they hurried away, their retreating figures almost comically hasty.
......
"Hey, run a check on the residents of Apartment 203 in that old back-alley complex—supposedly a pair of siblings?"
"And dig up everything on that Su Qi guy. I’m betting they’re not full siblings. Vet his family tree three generations back. His teachings are downright unhinged."
......
Elsewhere.
Guardian Jiang’s interlaced fingers stiffened noticeably.
His carefully maintained air of authority crumbled like he’d been sucker-punched.
His jaw twitched as he struggled to regain his composure, but Su Qi’s blunt "dipshit" had thoroughly shattered the mood.
"...Cough."
Guardian Jiang cleared his throat, lowered his hand, and spoke with a hint of reproach: "Su Qi, can’t you at least try to match the mood a little?"
"I even prepared lines for you—'The gears of fate have begun to turn,' 'We shall make the gods tremble when they finally realize...'"
Leaning slightly forward from his executive chair, Guardian Jiang pointed at Su Qi, then at himself.
"Does it have to be so blunt?"
He sighed, reclined back, and spread his hands.
"Young people these days—no sense of fun at all."
"Making me look like a complete idiot."
A puzzled expression crossed Su Qi’s face. "Aren’t you?"
Guardian Jiang: ???
In all of Jiangxia, Su Qi was the first person who dared talk to him like that.
"Enough, cut the sarcasm."
"Let’s get down to business."
Guardian Jiang seemed thoroughly exasperated by Su Qi.
He straightened up, his expression turning serious.
"The Descendants’ recent activities... something’s off."
His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.
"It’s too quiet."
"Based on past patterns, they should be far more active by now."
"But over the past week, multiple surveillance points report their movements have drastically decreased."
"Some areas have even lost all traces of them."
Su Qi raised an eyebrow.
"Gone?"
"Not quite."
Guardian Jiang shook his head.
"More like... lying low."
"They’ve pulled back their operations, become unusually cautious."
"From intercepted intel, they seem to be undergoing some kind of internal consolidation—or maybe... a selection?"
He sounded uncertain about the word.
"Selection?"
Su Qi repeated, thoughtful.
"Right."
Guardian Jiang nodded.
"Like they’re purging their ranks, or... preparing for an operation that requires absolute unity."
"Plus, they’re avoiding our heavily fortified zones."
"Abandoning resource points they could’ve easily taken."
"That’s not like them—they’re usually greedy, impulsive."
Su Qi fell silent for a moment.
"Could it be a trap?"
"Possibly."
Guardian Jiang’s expression darkened.
"That’s our biggest concern."
"The calm before the storm often signals a greater crisis."
This kind of abnormal dormancy—it unsettles me.
“Feels like they’re gathering strength, waiting for a fatal opportunity.”
Su Qi walked over to the opposite side of the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Any concrete leads? Don’t tell me you suspect the Martial Exam?"
Guardian Jiang sighed.
"That’s the worst part."
"The clues are too obvious—everything falls into our hands without effort. How can I trust that?"
"I’m afraid they’re playing mind games, anticipating that I’d anticipate their moves."
"Leaving us even more clueless."
"A fifty percent chance... that’s high."
"But as the Guardian of Jiangxia, can I really gamble on those odds...?"
He looked at Su Qi.
"Remember the Origin Realm you visited before?"
Su Qi nodded. "Li Hu and I even captured a Descendant there."
Guardian Jiang slid his phone across the desk toward Su Qi.
"Save the act for others—don’t fool yourself. We both know Li Hu’s capabilities."
“Even if he went supernova, he couldn’t win that fight—let alone blow a kidney.”
"Take a look at the pictures yourself."
Su Qi picked up his phone, the screen displaying a post he had made in the Yuanjing forum.
[Seeking advice from the experts—what should I do if I suddenly discover my online girlfriend is actually my stepsister with no blood relation?]
"What's the big deal? Why dig into this? It's not like I messed with your sister..."
But Su Qi's words trailed off abruptly there.
Both of them were sharp-minded; some things didn’t need to be spelled out.
Clearly, Su Qi had also realized something was off.
] 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.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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?"
