Summer sunsets in eastern Guangdong were always late.
The evening sun, shining past seven o'clock, filtered through the gaps in the blinds, drawing ribbons of red light in the air where dust motes drifted lazily.
Brother Hu and the others had just woken up. After downing a simple fast-food meal, their stomachs were settled, and their energy had returned.
He patted Xiao Hei on the shoulder, his rough palm carrying an undeniable force:
"Come on, your big brother is taking you to try out the services. Time to enjoy yourself."
"Is that really okay?" Xiao Hei rubbed his hands together, his face showing a trace of the awkwardness and yearning typical of someone new to the red-light district.
Truth be told, after following Brother Hu for the past few days, he had been itching for it.
"Bullshit!" Brother Hu glared. "I said I'd show you a good time, so I'm showing you a good time! That's the rule!"
Xiao Hei's eyes instantly lit up, his slight embarrassment washed away completely by excitement.
Brother Hu fished a crumpled pack of Wuyeshen cigarettes from his pocket and habitually clamped one between his lips.
Before he could even reach for his lighter, Xiao Hei was already there with quick hands. With a snap, a cluster of flames was accurately presented to the tip of the cigarette.
The firelight reflected Xiao Hei's fawning smile. Brother Hu took a satisfied drag, the exhaled smoke blurring the expression on his face.
This kid knows how things work, Brother Hu smiled in satisfaction.
The two walked one after the other and soon arrived at the exclusive VIP area on the upper floor of the club.
The corridor was covered with a thick carpet that rendered their footsteps completely silent. The air was thick with an ambiguous scent, a mix of perfume and tobacco.
"The top-tier girls are all reserved for the big clients, and they all have a bit of a temper. Don't even think about them for now. You can try them once you're more familiar with the place."
Brother Hu walked in front, speaking without looking back. "But don't worry, I'll pick a few for you with excellent figures and top-notch skills. They're no worse than the top-tier ones."
As he spoke, Brother Hu arrived at the technicians' break room.
With that, he pushed open the door to the break room.
The moment the door opened, a wave of noise washed over them.
Over a dozen scantily clad women were sitting or standing around. Some were doing their makeup in front of the mirrors, while others were gathered in twos and threes, scrolling through their phones and giggling.
As soon as Brother Hu entered, the noisy room fell silent for a moment.
"Hello, Brother Hu!" The women stood up one after another, their voices coquettish and their attitudes respectful.
Brother Hu waved his hand casually, then pulled Xiao Hei from behind him to the front of the crowd, slapping his back heavily:
"Let me introduce you all. This is Brother Hei. From today on, he is your manager, specifically in charge of you girls."
"Hello, Brother Hei!" The women's voices were even sweeter than before, and curious, probing gazes fell upon Xiao Hei.
That slap made Xiao Hei stumble, almost losing his balance.
He quickly straightened his back and, imitating Brother Hu's usual demeanor, swept a blank gaze over the crowd, simply giving a slight nod.
On that slightly immature face, he forced out a cold, unapproachable expression.
Brother Hu's eyes swept over the crowd and finally settled on two heavily made-up women. He crooked his finger.
"Sixty-seven, Seventy-seven, you two come here."
The two called technicians, one plump and the other tall, walked over gracefully in their high heels.
The eyes of the other technicians around them held a hint of playful amusement, like they were watching a show.
Brother Hu led the three of them toward a luxurious private room deeper down the corridor.
Once inside the room, he gave a direct order to the two technicians, his tone leaving no room for negotiation: "You two, give our Brother Hei a test run."
Sixty-seven and Seventy-seven immediately understood. One on the left and one on the right, they expertly linked arms with Xiao Hei, pressing their soft, warm bodies against him.
Xiao Hei stiffened all over. An unfamiliar fragrance drilled into his nose, making his heart skip a beat.
Brother Hu turned and stared at Xiao Hei, explaining word by word: "Hei, to be the manager here, you have to test out every single technician. You need to know in your heart whether they are good at what they do and what their special traits are, so you can recommend them to the customers. Understand?"
"Yes! I understand, Cou... Brother Hu!"
Xiao Hei almost let it slip.
But actually, it wouldn't have mattered if he said it outright. After all, this was the underworld, not a corporate office.
Brother Hu smiled uncaringly and looked at the two technicians who were already prepared: "You go get ready first. I still have a few words to say to your Brother Hei."
The two technicians complied and turned to go prepare.
The two technicians obediently let go and turned to enter the inner bathroom.
As soon as the door closed, the smile on Brother Hu's face faded a bit. He pulled another cigarette from the pack and handed it to Xiao Hei:
"You've been with me for a few days now, and you should have pretty much figured out the ropes of watching the turf. This manager position isn't easy. None of these women under you are pushovers, you have to..."
Before he could finish, the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.
Brother Hu pulled it out to look, and the words "Brother Snake" on the screen made his expression change slightly.
He immediately snuffed out his cigarette and patted Xiao Hei heavily on the shoulder.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. I have to head out immediately."
He didn't give Xiao Hei any time to react. Swiping to answer, he walked out while bowing and nodding, his voice full of flattery.
"Hello, Brother Snake. Yes, yes, no problem, no problem. I'll head over right now to prepare. Don't worry, with me, Xiao Hu, handling things, you can rest completely assured, Brother Snake."
Watching Brother Hu's hurriedly disappearing back, Xiao Hei slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the tightly shut bathroom door.
The sound of running water splashed, and the faint giggling of women could be heard.
He licked his suddenly dry lips. An unprecedented thrill shot straight up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
System: What are you doing! You can't even see this if you pay. I'll lock you in a dark room, believe it or not!
Lin Mo stood in the building opposite the club.
Beside him was Ning Qingcheng.
Except Lin Mo had his hand pressed on Ning Qingcheng's head, allowing her to clearly see Brother Hu's every move.
"Is this a brothel?" Ning Qingcheng tilted her head and looked at Lin Mo.
"That's a pretty old-fashioned word. In eastern Guangdong, this kind of place is called a chicken coop."
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm still young!" Ning Qingcheng shouted.
"Alright then, you don't need to look." Saying this, Lin Mo tried to pull his hand away, but Ning Qingcheng grabbed it.
"You said you were bringing me to experience things."
"Then who is talking nonsense?"
"Me! I'm the one talking nonsense!" The little girl admitted aggrievedly.
"Good. Let's go, we're following this Brother Hu." Lin Mo had just lifted his foot when the little girl grabbed him.
"Aren't we going to watch this Brother Hei?" The little girl looked at Lin Mo with a face full of curiosity.
Lin Mo unceremoniously smacked Ning Qingcheng on the head.
"You're just a kid, what is there to watch? Let's go, your senior brother will take you to watch a murder."
Ning Qingcheng pouted. What kind of decent senior brother takes someone to watch a murder?
However, in the Ning family, these things were never considered unpresentable.
Even some of those who had awakened their abilities had to execute death row inmates under the family's arrangements.
To cultivate their mindset.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
