Inside the teahouse, everyone took their seats.
Ye Shu's position had been upgraded from a corner spot to one of the three seats beside Mo Yu. Though still not too close, it was far better than before.
The other branch clan members watched with envious eyes.
They knew that as branch members, they might never get the chance to join the main bloodline in their entire lives. But having latched onto the Young Master of the Mo Clan, Ye Shu’s future was no longer a dead end—at the very least, it was a smooth road ahead.
Ye Shu played his part, lifting his chin with a proud expression.
A perfect lackey act.
Clearly a natural—no acting required.
The Mo Clan members had been sitting in the teahouse for a while when a commotion arose downstairs. Soon, groups of young people dressed in various family attire walked upstairs. Their robes were white, red, green, and yellow, richly embroidered, with jade pendants at their waists. Anyone could tell at a glance that they were no ordinary cultivators.
Ye Shu narrowed his eyes, his heart stirring.
He had never seen these people before, but he recognized their clothing from the battle at the Azure Mystery Sect. These were the family factions of the other Mahayana cultivators, aside from Mo Yuan himself.
So these must be the other hidden families.
But where was the Zhao family?
They had played a part in destroying the Azure Mystery Sect, and a great karmic debt was owed. Ye Shu schemed inwardly, planning to stir up some trouble for them during this expedition.
At the same time, the members of the other hidden families noticed the Mo Clan group and greeted them with smiles. "Ah, we didn’t expect Young Master Mo to be here drinking tea as well."
"Perfect timing—our families should gather together."
With that, someone called the teahouse worker over to push several large tables together, forming one big table.
Mo Yu didn’t refuse.
No matter what, he had to keep up appearances.
When the heirs of the major families sat down together, it was never just about drinking tea and chatting.
"I assume Young Master Mo is here for the Mahayana Ruins as well," said a young man with flame patterns embroidered on his robe, his voice deep. This was Yan Lie, son of the Flame Clan chief, true to his name—fiery and forthright in personality.
Mo Yu gave a noncommittal response.
Coming here at this time, only a fool wouldn’t know the purpose. It wasn’t just for the tea, was it?
"And aren't you here for the same, Brother Yan?"
"We are indeed here to explore," Yan Lie said with a laugh. "But this Mahayana Ruins suddenly appeared without any prior signs. No one knows what’s inside—we’d be walking in blind. And with so many people coming, our chances of snatching the best prizes aren’t great."
"So what do you suggest?"
Mo Yu’s eyes flickered; he had already guessed most of it.
"Naturally, I’m inviting the Mo Clan to join forces," Yan Lie declared, waving his hand. "Our families have already agreed to explore together. With the Mo Clan on board, we’ll be unstoppable. Once inside, who could stand against us?"
"This ruin will belong to us!"
"It will be ours for the taking!" Yan Lie’s voice rose with excitement.
But Mo Yu didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he fell silent.
If he were still his former self, an alliance would have been the best choice—sharing the risks and increasing the chances of claiming treasures.
But now, he was no longer that person.
Now, he was the Fated Villain!
He held the world’s script in his hands, nearly omniscient, backed by a system and protected by fate. He knew every opportunity in this ruin, especially the biggest one...
If he allied with others, he would have to share.
How could he bear that?
But if he refused outright, it would seem unfriendly and provoke suspicion from the other families.
While Mo Yu pondered how to handle this,
Ye Shu clearly realized: it was time for him to shine.
He raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table.
Bam!
The sharp sound echoed through the room, startling everyone. They all turned to look in surprise.
But Ye Shu remained undaunted.
He lifted his chin, tilted his head, and swept his cold gaze over the crowd. Slapping the table with one hand, he said calmly, "Everyone, you should know that our Young Master Mo is the heir of the main bloodline, the future successor of the Mo Clan, and the strongest among the younger generation!"
"One man alone can dominate this ruin!"
"Not just anyone has the qualifications to form an alliance with our Young Master Mo. The Mo Clan only allies with the strong—we don’t play little games with trash."
Ye Shu deliberately glanced at Yan Lie, directing his words straight at him.
"Why are you looking at me?" Yan Lie slammed his own table, furious. "Are you calling me trash?"
"Hey, hey, no—don’t misunderstand."
Ye Shu quickly waved his hands, forcing a flattering smile.
His eyes swept across the crowd, circling the room. "I’m not singling you out. What I’m saying is that every single one of you here, in our Young Master Mo’s eyes... is trash."
After cursing, Ye Shu shouted inwardly.
Hell yeah!
It felt so good to bully others using someone else’s authority—without bearing the consequences himself!
The instant those words fell, the entire place went dead silent.
Everyone stood frozen, as if not yet processing what they had just heard.
The other Mo Clan disciples looked at Ye Shu with sheer disbelief, almost admiration. To risk his life just to suck up like that—was a level of dedication no ordinary person could match.
Kid, that’s just insane.
"Mo Yu..." Yan Lie pressed his hand against the underside of the table, gritting his teeth, his eyes fixed on Ye Shu. "I invited you out of goodwill, seeing you as a brother from one of the eight great families, yet you send a branch disciple to humiliate me?"
"Today, if you don’t give me an explanation, this isn’t over!"
Mo Yu’s expression also darkened.
Who would have thought that Ye Shu would suddenly go crazy like this? So this was the villain’s taunting lackey?
Not a bad effect, just way too much aggro.
But on second thought,
it wasn’t half bad. This way, he could refuse the other families’ invitation without them suspecting his true intentions.
As for them targeting him?
Sorry.
Mo Yu sneered inwardly. As the Fated Villain, these peers were nothing more than chickens and dogs.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertip, frowning slightly.
"Brother Yan, while my clansman’s words weren’t pleasant to hear, he is still one of my people. If you want to demand an explanation from him in front of me... that might be a bit difficult."
It was obvious to everyone that Mo Yu was dead set on protecting Mo Shisan.
Yan Lie let out a cold laugh. "Fine, fine. The Mo Clan may be powerful, but I, Yan Lie, am not someone to be messed with!"
He grabbed the edge of the table with his left hand and flipped it hard.
"Difficult?"
"Then forget it!"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
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?"
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...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
