The two men walked up to Lin Yu. The lean man glanced back at Zhao Dahu again, and after seeing Zhao Dahu nod in confirmation, the smile on his face grew even wider—so wide it was almost unsettling.
He extended his hand and said with a grin,
"Master Yu."
Master Yu?
A question mark popped up in Lin Yu's head.
Who was he calling that?
Me?
Damn!
That title sounded way cooler than "Brother Long," that lame nickname!
Though he felt a little thrill inside, Lin Yu kept his emotions perfectly in check, not letting a single trace of it show on his face. He reached out and shook the lean man’s hand, replying with self-awareness,
"Just call me Lin Yu. ‘Master Yu’ is way too much for me."
Thanks to his past life experience—where his martial arts school brothers had all ended up in the underworld—Lin Yu had some understanding of the title "Master."
It was an underworld honorific.
Usually reserved for high-ranking gang bosses or some truly formidable figures.
What kind of nobody was he to be called "Master"?
If not for the genuine look on the man’s face, Lin Yu might’ve thought he was being mocked.
After all, he wasn’t even part of the underworld!
Faced with Lin Yu’s refusal, the lean man just chuckled without explaining. He withdrew his hand and continued,
"Master Yu, my name is Zhao She. I’m Zhao Dahu’s older brother."
"We came to see you today for three things."
In the dead of winter, Zhao She rubbed his hands together for warmth as he spoke with a smile.
"The first thing,"
"Is to thank you for helping my little brother at school."
"I’ve heard all about it."
"Don’t blame him for being timid—it’s because of me. Our grandfather kept him on a tight leash."
"Really, thank you for this."
At this, Zhao She bowed deeply. Behind him, Zhao Dahu’s eyes reddened as he too bent forward in a bow. Every time their grandfather was mentioned, this nearly two-meter-tall man seemed to crumble into fragility.
"No need for thanks. It was nothing."
Lin Yu hurriedly helped Zhao She straighten up. Faced with someone who exuded such overwhelming pressure, he really didn’t dare accept such a gesture.
Zhao She rose with Lin Yu’s support, and Zhao Dahu stood up straight after him.
"As for the second thing,"
Here, Zhao She’s smile vanished. His expression turned solemn as he glanced back at Zhao Dahu. His voice was soft, but carried an edge that brooked no refusal.
"Kneel."
Without hesitation, Zhao Dahu dropped to his knees on the snow-covered ground with a thud.
"Hey—"
Before Lin Yu could tell Zhao Dahu to get up or help him, Zhao She also fell to his knees with a heavy thump.
Lin Yu had to change direction, reaching to lift Zhao She first.
But this time was different. Zhao She raised a hand to stop him, remaining kneeling in the snow as he looked up at Lin Yu and said,
"Master Yu, the second thing is to thank you for paying to bury our grandfather."
"Grandfather worked hard his whole life, lived honestly—but in his old age, he ended up with an unfilial grandson like me. He spent everything he had just to save my worthless life!"
"By the time he passed, he didn’t even have money for his own burial."
"Thanks to your kindness."
"This debt can never be repaid."
With that, Zhao She bent forward and kowtowed deeply. Behind him, Zhao Dahu also pressed his forehead into the thick snow.
"This…"
Lin Yu stared at the two kneeling men, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Please, stand up."
Lin Yu quickly bent to help Zhao She up while urging Zhao Dahu,
"Zhao Dahu, get up."
This time, Zhao She didn’t resist. He rose with Lin Yu’s support, and Zhao Dahu followed suit.
Once standing, Zhao She took a deep breath, steadying himself before rubbing his hands together again. His smile was still a little stiff as he said,
"As for the third thing, it’s just a small matter."
"I wanted to ask, Master Yu—how’s your relationship with Li Yuan, the boss of the Black Blood Gang?"
Watching Zhao She’s unsettling grin, Lin Yu wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
After a moment’s thought, he answered truthfully,
"Not great."
"Things have eased up recently, but that whole mess was just a misunderstanding."
Lin Yu was vague, but Zhao She seemed to understand perfectly. He nodded slowly, murmuring,
"That’s a relief."
Then he looked back at Lin Yu with a smile.
"Master Yu, let’s exchange contact info. If you ever need anything, just call me."
"..."
"Sure."
Lin Yu nodded without refusing. For some reason, he felt this guy was anything but ordinary. Maybe having his number would mean fewer troubles down the road…
After swapping details, the two prepared to leave.
Watching Zhao She’s retreating figure, Lin Yu suddenly remembered what Zhao Dahu had once hinted at—that his brother, Zhao She, had made an irreversible mistake.
What could that mistake have been?
Curiosity got the better of him. Lin Yu called out just as Zhao She was about to walk away.
When Zhao She turned back, puzzled, Lin Yu cautiously asked,
"Mind telling me what you were busy with before?"
"Nothing much."
Hunching slightly against the cold, Zhao She kept that eerie smile as he replied,
"I was in prison. Got out early for good behavior."
Lin Yu gave a mental nod. Prison made sense—otherwise, with how grateful he was, why wouldn’t he have taken care of his grandfather?
Hesitating briefly, Lin Yu pressed further.
"Mind sharing why?"
His tone was careful, probing. When Zhao She’s smile stiffened, Lin Yu quickly backtracked.
"Never mind if it’s too personal."
"Just my nosy nature talking."
Zhao She shook his head.
"Not a problem."
Then he grinned again—and weirdly enough, Lin Yu thought it looked almost shy this time.
Scratching his head like he was embarrassed, Zhao She admitted,
"Was young and stupid back then. Killed a few people."
"Luckily, I was young enough, and my grandfather sold everything to compensate the victims. That’s the only reason I’m still alive."
"..."
The air froze.
Now Lin Yu finally understood why he’d felt so much pressure around this guy.
Holy hell!
Now the pressure was even worse!
Maybe ignorance really was bliss.
Lin Yu!
When will you learn to curb your damn curiosity?!
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.”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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...
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
