"Heartless man!!!!"
"I would never like you!!!"
The sun set over the western hills, and the clouds rolled and unfurled.
The clouds on the horizon danced with the wind, seemingly responding to these words that contradicted her true feelings.
Lin Qingxue's pretty face was flushed red. She panted heavily, her chest heaving up and down, still maintaining the posture of holding her hands wide open like a megaphone around her mouth.
Lin Heming sat on the eaves, silently watching her.
He smiled.
Because his granddaughter was going to be very happy in the future.
He had seen that recording stone.
That young man was good-looking, ruthless, and courageous. What was even more commendable was that, even when facing a Soul Formation stage cultivator and the threat of death, he still stood firmly on the side of reason.
If anyone said this kind of person wasn't of the righteous path, no one would believe them.
As for the Yunxiao Sect...
A hint of gloom flashed across the old man's eyes. "Daring to target my granddaughter and grandson-in-law, that guy Feng Wuwang probably thinks these old bones can no longer lift a blade."
The starry night had just begun, and the Milky Way was brilliantly romantic.
The old and the young sat on the eaves, enjoying the night breeze.
One was thinking about a young girl's secrets.
The other was thinking about extorting a betrothal gift.
After a long time, the old man stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. "Nannan, Grandpa is returning to the mountain. If you ever feel uncomfortable staying here at Zixiao Peak, you can come find Grandpa at Luoxia Mountain anytime."
Lin Qingxue hugged her knees, looked at the curling smoke rising from the distant mountains, and softly murmured in agreement.
Lin Heming said no more.
Some things had to be figured out by the young people themselves. With a gust of wind, the old man's figure vanished without a trace.
Moon City.
A small border city of the Taiwu Dynasty, which was Ye Shu's hometown.
Walking on the familiar streets.
Smelling the familiar scents.
He wondered if anyone would be waiting for him at the door.
Ye Shu took off his rough linen clothes and walked silently through the crowd toward the Ye family.
Xiaobai sat on Ye Shu's shoulder, but still asked somewhat uneasily, "By the way, there is a female lead in your house right now. Are you just going to walk right back in so brazenly?"
"Aren't you afraid of being caught red-handed by her?"
Ye Shu stroked his chin and replied, "Probably, maybe, not."
"Why?" Xiaobai frowned. "Let me tell you, the system would never let Zhao Zhixia go. She is the female lead with the biggest background, bar none!"
"Aren't you afraid at all?"
Ye Shu chuckled softly, offering no explanation.
If he said no, it meant no.
He continued to stride toward the Ye family estate.
Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Xiaobai couldn't hold back anymore.
"I'm telling you, I spent a lot of effort designing the plot for this childhood sweetheart of yours. Don't be fooled by her current obscurity; her hidden background is massive!"
"She is a descendant of one of the Eight Ancient Clans."
"And she is the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family, which is currently the most powerful and has the most prodigies among the Eight Clans!"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Ye Shu made a timeout gesture.
"Actually, this childhood sweetheart of mine secretly has a Soul Formation stage guard responsible for her safety. The reason she appeared in our family is that my ancestors were also one of the Eight Ancient Clans. Her father sent her to our Ye family at a very young age to become a part of our family, all to find a token belonging to the Ye family that opens an ancient ruin."
"But during her time in the Ye family."
"Zhao Zhixia fell in love with me at first sight and didn't put any effort into finding the token. During the time I lost my cultivation, she stayed silently by my side, never abandoning me."
"Then, seeing that she hadn't found the token for a long time, her father ordered her to return. This is what caused this early-stage major female lead to disappear from the radar, giving others an opportunity to step in, right?"
After hearing this, Xiaobai was stunned.
She covered her small mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.
"D-damn it, how did you know?"
"Duh!"
Ye Shu said in an exasperated tone.
"With your clichéd, broken plot, the moment I transmigrated, crawled out of my mother's womb, and laid eyes on Zhao Zhixia, I guessed it all."
"Aren't you just plagiarizing Battle Through the Heavens?"
"Do you dare to copy something else for a change?"
"Uh..." Xiaobai scratched her head in embarrassment. "It's a classic, hehe, a classic."
Ye Shu shook his head helplessly and quickened his pace.
Before long, a grand mansion could be faintly seen in the distance, with red walls, green tiles, and flying eaves. Two majestic stone lions stood at the entrance.
The Ye family estate had arrived.
From a genius to a piece of trash, from being surrounded by admirers to being completely ignored, this place carried the entire childhood journey of Ye Shu's transmigration.
He subconsciously walked even faster.
As he neared the entrance of the Ye family.
Ye Shu's gaze swept over the tightly closed doors.
As expected, no one was there to welcome him.
However, when passing by the stone lions at the door, Ye Shu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Because a petite figure wearing a green dress was squatting behind the stone lion at the entrance. Leaning against the stone lion's base, she curled up into a ball, her little head bobbing as she dozed off, looking as if she hadn't slept for a long time.
Because she was hiding behind the stone lion, Ye Shu didn't see the girl until he was right in front of it.
"Mhm...?"
Seemingly sensing someone approaching, Ye Xiaosu rubbed her drowsy eyes and looked up. The moment she saw the newcomer, the expression on her face instantly shifted from confusion to pleasant surprise.
"The Young Master is back!!!"
She bounced up from her spot in excitement, spinning around Ye Shu, looking here and touching there, overjoyed.
"Young Master, Young Master, you're finally back!"
"Young Master Ye Qi and the others all said that since you went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, you would definitely be eaten by magical beasts. Xiaosu didn't believe them! Young Master really came back!"
Listening to the girl's continuous chirping.
A faint smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of Ye Shu's mouth.
How could he have forgotten her?
Since the day he was born, the ones who had always been by his side, besides Zhao Zhixia, included Ye Xiaosu, whom his deadbeat father had brought back to be a maid.
She had been taking care of his daily life since they were young.
Although she was called a maid.
Ye Shu had always treated her as a younger sister.
"Young Master, are you hungry? Xiaosu will make you something delicious!"
"Young Master, are you tired? Xiaosu will massage your legs!"
"Young Master, are you hurt? Xiaosu..."
"Stop, stop, stop." Ye Shu smiled and pressed her shoulders. "I'm fine, don't panic."
"First tell me, what are you doing sleeping out here?"
"Ah?"
Ye Xiaosu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "I wasn't sleeping here! I just wanted to be the first to see the Young Master return, so I've been waiting here every day."
"But as I waited... I accidentally fell asleep."
Ye Xiaosu scratched her head in embarrassment.
After speaking, she suddenly frowned, forcefully grabbed Ye Shu's shoulders, and stared at him with her large, darting eyes.
"Young Master, wait! Stand still and don't move!"
"What's wrong? Is there something on me?"
After a long time, Ye Xiaosu let go, took a step back, placed her hands in front of her chest, furrowed her brows slightly, and looked at him with an expression full of heartache. "Young Master... you look... so tired."
"Much more tired than I am."
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."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
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!
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.
