Since Jiang Yunlu had gone to sleep, An Yuexin stopped listening to his music and instead crouched beside Fang Jun to watch him game.
On the screen, Fang Jun was piloting his favorite champion, rampaging wildly through the canyon.
"Let me play a life. When you die, it's my turn," An Yuexin said, his fingers itching to play.
"Don't mess with me, just watch my performance!" Fang Jun's eyes were glued to the screen as he roared, "Watch this critical hit send him straight to the afterlife!"
Barely had the words left his mouth when his champion slipped up, charging blindly right into the enemy's encirclement.
A second later, his screen turned gray.
"Bravo, bravo," An Yuexin was the first to break the silence. He patted Fang Jun on the shoulder and said with mock earnestness, "That critical hit was truly impressive. You critically hit yourself to death. Even the enemy support gave you a thumbs-up. Step aside."
Fang Jun's face flushed red, then pale, as he tried to defend himself. "What do you know? It's a tactical play! I sacrificed my life to bait out all their ultimates!"
Before An Yuexin could even take the seat, the word DEFEAT flashed across the screen as their base exploded, bringing the match to a close.
Right at that moment, Lin Mo frowned.
Several uninvited guests had just entered the range of his divine sense.
He stood up, took a few zongzi from the refrigerator, and bagged them in plastic.
"Alright, enough gaming."
Fang Jun turned his head and pleaded, "Just one more match. I promise I'll win this one."
But Lin Mo shook his head. "A friend of my dad's is dropping by unexpectedly to see me. I'm afraid I have to kick you guys out for now."
Hearing this, An Yuexin tactfully hauled up Fang Jun, who was still glued to his chair.
"Ah, got it. We really should be going then. We won't hold you up from entertaining your guest, Lin Mo."
Fang Jun finally stood up as well. "Alright, we'll head out then."
Just as the two were about to leave, Lin Mo called out, "Wait."
Lin Mo walked over holding the two bags and handed one to each of them.
"Take these. We'll go redeem the gift boxes together tomorrow."
Fang Jun weighed the zongzi in his hand but didn't ask any questions. He and An Yuexin nodded at Lin Mo, opened the door, and left.
Right then, Chu Miaomiao walked out of the kitchen holding a rag, wiping her hands as she went. Seeing the backs of the two boys leaving, a look of curiosity crossed her face.
"Why did they leave so suddenly?"
Xie Yuling walked over as well. "What's wrong?"
Lin Mo's gaze swept toward the door, his tone flat. "A few people are coming over. Take Miaomiao upstairs for now."
Xie Yuling's reaction was lightning fast. Almost subconsciously, she thrust her hand into her jacket pocket, her fingertips brushing against a stack of cold talisman papers.
Her gaze sharpened instantly as she cast a vigilant look toward the door.
"Trouble?"
Lin Mo raised a hand and gently patted her tense arm, signaling her to relax.
"Nothing will happen. I just don't want them to see you two."
Chu Miaomiao was still completely in the dark, but Xie Yuling understood the underlying message. Nodding, she stepped forward and grabbed Chu Miaomiao's hand.
"We'll head upstairs then. Will Jiang Yunlu be alright down here?"
She glanced back at the tightly shut bedroom door.
"Don't worry, it'll probably just be a little catch-up session."
Lin Mo left some words unspoken, but as long as he was here, absolutely nothing would go wrong.
Xie Yuling trusted Lin Mo implicitly, so she led Chu Miaomiao away without another word.
Chu Miaomiao was obedient enough to follow her upstairs without asking any questions.
The sound of their fading footsteps echoed from the stairs.
The living room fell into silence once more, with only the low hum of the refrigerator remaining.
Lin Mo slowly turned around to face the front door. The warm, hospitable demeanor he had just shown vanished without a trace, replaced by an expression as cold and unfathomable as a freezing abyss.
"Are these guys truly trying to target my weak spot?"
Muttering to himself, Lin Mo raised his hands and began setting up a formation.
--System: I am pondering a question. What is for dinner?--
An Audi pulled up and parked at the intersection.
As the car doors opened, a chilling, murderous aura instantly seeped into the air.
Liu Zheng stepped out of the car, his face slightly pale. He fished out his phone, shoved it back into his pocket, and finally couldn't help but suggest, "How about... we give Lin Mo a call first? Just to test the waters?"
Dongfang Shuye didn't answer. He simply cast his gaze toward the figure standing at the back of their group.
It was an old man with his arms crossed over his chest, his spine standing perfectly straight.
Standing over six feet tall, his bulging muscles strained against the fabric of his traditional Tang suit. With his grizzled hair standing on end, he looked less like an elderly man and more like a street brawler ready to throw down at a moment's notice.
"Elder Wen, there might be a more peaceful way to resolve this matter," Dongfang Shuye said carefully, keeping his tone as respectful as possible.
Elder Wen turned his head, his gaze scraping over them like a blade as he let out a cold snort.
"Peaceful? They completely destroyed the technique for transferring abilities, yet kept the method for stripping others of their abilities for themselves. What sheer tyranny! What absolute arrogance! A person like that must be suppressed!"
His voice boomed like a massive bell, leaving Liu Zheng's eardrums ringing.
Dongfang Shuye instantly fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
Dongfang Shuye had been dispatched by the Yanhuang Awakening headquarters in Tianjing. It was true that he was part of a special task force, but the man standing before him was Wen Tonghai, one of the few surviving founding elders of Yanhuang Awakening.
Back in the day, Wen Tonghai had forged his illustrious reputation with nothing but a pair of iron fists.
Upon learning about the incident involving the Ning family, Wen Tonghai had personally led a team to deal with them.
After cleaning up the Ning family's mess and reviewing the subsequent reports, he had traveled non-stop straight to Yangcheng.
The moment he stepped off the plane, he hadn't even stopped for a sip of water before heading directly here.
With a posture like this, he wasn't here to make contact, he was clearly here to pick a fight.
Dongfang Shuye was entirely at a loss for what to do.
In the eyes of the Dongfang family, both Daoist Master Beixuan and Lin Mo were highly valuable figures worth recruiting.
But Elder Wen possessed a fiery temper and a deep-seated hatred for evil. To him, the world was so strictly black and white that it bordered on unreasonableness.
In his eyes, there were no gray areas, only right and wrong, life and death.
If he decided to pass judgment on Lin Mo today, he would likely force Lin Mo to stand completely against Yanhuang Awakening.
Liu Zheng's chest heaved violently as a thought clearly crossed his mind. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly spun around and boldly stepped right in front of Wen Tonghai, blocking his path.
This reckless move made everyone's heart skip a beat.
"Elder Wen, I would like to ask you a question."
Wen Tonghai had already read the files and knew exactly what role Liu Zheng had played in recent events. Although the outcome had been somewhat favorable, he felt that Liu Zheng had failed to properly fulfill his duties, which amounted to a dereliction of duty in his eyes.
Because of this, he viewed Liu Zheng with sheer disdain.
"Spit it out, and don't waste my time!"
"Elder Wen, I just want to ask one thing. What exactly is the purpose of your visit here today?" Liu Zheng asked, enunciating every word as he withstood the immense pressure radiating from the elder.
"Purpose?" Wen Tonghai scoffed as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. "What other purpose could there be? I am here to make him hand over the technique for stripping abilities, and then drag him back to Yanhuang Awakening to face his punishment!"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.
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?"
