In the kitchen, fresh shrimp skewers were being prepared.
Outside, frozen shrimp skewers were laid out.
These were actually shrimp bought in the morning, stored in the freezer for preservation.
After all, it was Mid-Autumn Festival—if they didn’t prepare early, they wouldn’t be able to buy anything by evening.
Lin Mo finished skewering all the tiger prawns, then carefully cleaned the container before packing it with ice, shrimp, and oysters.
This makeshift cooler would keep everything fresh.
Just then, Xie Yufei walked over, grumbling under his breath.
"Why won’t it light? What kind of fire starter did we even buy? I’m gonna grab some gasoline."
Lin Mo quickly grabbed his arm.
"Don’t use gasoline—it’ll make the food taste weird. Let me try."
He headed to the large terrace, where the view stretched wide, the setting sun painting the sky in warm hues.
The grill had already been built with bricks, and charcoal was piled high inside.
Yet, the fire refused to catch.
Lin Mo surveyed the scene, then pushed through the small crowd.
With his hands, he scooped most of the charcoal back into the box, leaving only a thin layer at the bottom.
"You don’t need too much charcoal—just enough to cover the base. We can add more later if needed."
The others exchanged glances but stayed silent, though their expressions suggested they thought Lin Mo was showing off.
Left with no proper fire starter, Lin Mo grabbed a piece of charcoal and headed back to the kitchen.
He turned on the stove and held the charcoal directly over the flame.
The outer fire quickly turned a corner of the charcoal red.
Xie Yuling, who had been following him closely, couldn’t help but speak up.
"Be careful."
Lin Mo waved her off. "It’s fine."
Back at the grill, the guy who had built it frowned.
"Talk about pretentious—‘you don’t need too much charcoal,’ like he’s some expert."
His sarcastic tone drew laughter from the group.
Neither Xie Yufei nor Xie Yuling was present, or else they wouldn’t have dared to laugh like this.
To them, Lin Mo was an outsider, while they were the tight-knit group.
Just then, Lu Xiaohua walked over with a basket of prepared skewers.
"You’re still laughing? The grill isn’t even lit yet, and you’ve got time to joke around?"
Lu Xiaohua was a local from the village, with delicate features and a no-nonsense attitude.
"We did build the grill, you know. That’s gotta count for something," a few of the guys grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Meanwhile, Lin Mo’s the one who bought the ingredients, prepped the food, made the garlic sauce, and even skewered everything. And all you do is gossip behind his back? Seriously."
Having known them for years, Lu Xiaohua didn’t hold back in scolding them.
Her words hit home, and they fell silent, looking chastised.
Soon after, Lin Mo returned from the kitchen.
In his hand was a piece of half-reddened charcoal.
He placed it among the other coals, arranging them close together to spread the fire.
"Could you guys fan the flames a bit? I’ll go wash my hands."
No one responded immediately—until Lu Xiaohua let out a questioning "Hmm?"
That snapped them into action.
"Sure, sure! No problem, we’ve got this."
They scrambled to grab large palm-leaf fans and started fanning the fire.
Xie Yufei returned with several plates in hand. It was clear his family had gone all out on the ingredients.
"Tonight it's just us at home, so let's eat to our hearts' content. Everyone's gone to the ancestral hall for dinner, which means we can party as much as we want."
Another girl looked at the huge spread on the table and couldn't help asking, "There's so much food here—can we even finish it all?"
"Eh, we'll take our time. Let's eat till midnight!" Xie Yufei declared boldly.
But after giving the ingredients a closer look, he couldn't help glancing at Xie Yuling.
"Maybe you should invite some friends over too?"
The moment he said it, Xie Yufei clamped his mouth shut. Everyone knew his sister didn't have friends.
The others all turned their eyes to Xie Yuling.
Lin Mo scanned the group—their gazes were oddly intense—before looking down at Xie Yuling beside him.
Xie Yuling bit her lower lip, but an even colder aura radiated from her.
Something must have happened in the past.
This was probably the reason Xie Yuling avoided forming connections with others.
So Lin Mo reached out and patted her head.
"Hey, what about asking Fang Jun? He stuck with us yesterday too, didn't he?"
At the mention of Fang Jun, Xie Yuling recalled how he had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Lin Mo the day before without running away. She gave a slight nod.
Lin Mo smiled, pulling out his phone to call Fang Jun directly.
"Every time I can't kill you, can't kill you, I'll heal you; remember to fight for your pride, fight for your pride, don't you die..."
The ringtone played for a few lines before Fang Jun picked up.
"Yo, Lao Mo, happy Mid-Autumn! Had dinner yet?"
Fang Jun was as cheerful as ever.
"Not yet. You?"
"Me neither. Out at the ancestral hall with my parents—such a drag."
"Wanna come over for barbecue? I'm at Xie Yuling's cousin's place. You know where that is?"
Fang Jun thought for a moment. "Xie Yuling's cousin... Oh, you mean Xie Yufei?"
"Yeah."
Being from the same village, it was easy to know everyone.
"I know where he lives. Wait for me—I'll be right there."
With that, Fang Jun hung up.
Lin Mo turned to Xie Yufei. "You know Fang Jun?"
"Who doesn't know that guy? He's Lu Xiaohua's cousin."
Lu Xiaohua had wanted to say something earlier, but since Lin Mo was on the phone, she held back.
"We're alright, not super close since we're not in the same class."
That's what Lu Xiaohua said, but another boy immediately called her out.
"Cut the act. Don't his parents come to your place every New Year?"
In a small village, even with different surnames, everyone was practically connected.
Just look up, and someone was bound to be someone else's relative.
Lu Xiaohua and Fang Jun might be cousins, but the blood ties were probably thin—it was just how the family hierarchy worked.
As they chatted, the flames gradually rose.
The charcoal was burning hotter than a summer competition.
Once the grill rack was set, it made for a perfect barbecue setup.
"Come on, let's get some food going first," Xie Yufei said with a grin.
Lin Mo handed his phone to Xie Yuling to play with and claimed a spot by the grill.
He picked up a few skewers of shrimp—some tiger prawns, some regular ones.
Xie Yufei took one look and knew Lin Mo had bought the shrimp for Xie Yuling.
He sidled up to her and nudged her shoulder.
"Hey, sis, these shrimp are for you, right?"
Xie Yuling turned her face away. "He just likes shrimp."
"Oh really? These tiger prawns look expensive. He sure spares no expense treating himself."
With that, Xie Yufei left with a smile.
Xie Yuling stole a glance at Lin Mo, who was carefully grilling shrimp.
The corners of her lips curled faintly.
Meanwhile, the shipping enthusiasts lurking in the corner whispered excitedly.
"She smiled! I bet a hundred—she’s totally into that Lin Mo."
"I’ll raise you a thousand, but who’s gonna take the bet?"
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.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
