The moonlight was like silver.
Outside the camel carriage, it was dead silent without the slightest movement.
The sound of wooden boards scraping against the sand silently seeped into everyone's bones.
They had long grown used to it, used to the men's cursing and urging whenever the carriage stopped.
But now, there was nothing.
Only darkness.
Dead silence.
And the sound of everyone's nervous breathing.
Were there sand bandits blocking the road and negotiating, meaning they were about to trade one hell for another? Or had they encountered a terrifying sandstorm, and the men had abandoned them and fled? Or...
A thousand different thoughts raced through everyone's minds.
Xiao Qingli acutely felt the silent fear radiating from the others. She subconsciously curled up her body and tightly gripped the hem of Qing Yuan's clothes.
Sister Yuan... I'm scared...
Don't be scared.
Qing Yuan gently patted her small hand, her gaze falling on the curtain used to cover the front of the wooden boards.
That curtain was their only barrier from the outside world.
Going on like this was not a solution.
Qing Yuan suddenly stood up and walked toward the outside. The surrounding half-snake girls all stared at her back, watching her walk step by step toward the curtain, lift it, and step out.
Outside the curtain was a stretch of silvery-white sand.
They couldn't see anything after that.
Because the curtain was dropped back down.
Everyone pursed their lips tightly and stared fixedly at the curtain. Xiao Qingli squatted on the ground, her large eyes full of apprehension.
It was only a moment.
The curtain was lifted again.
Outside was still the same silvery-white sand. Qing Yuan walked back in and let the curtain fall.
Nothing happened.
She said.
Almost at the exact same moment.
Rustle, rustle...
The sound of the wooden boards being dragged by the desert camels rang out once more, pulling a long trail across the sand.
Even though everyone remained silent.
That invisible sense of oppression quietly dissipated.
Sister Yuan... Xiao Qingli hurriedly went forward and timidly held Qing Yuan's hand. What is outside?
When you went out, did the Director bully you?
Qing Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled.
Outside, there is the moon and sand, but also nothing at all. And the Director didn't bully me.
Oh...
Xiao Qingli nodded, then pulled her to sit down in a corner. Resting her chin on her hands, she muttered in a low voice, Sister Yuan, when do you think the big brother will come to save us?
If the big brother could come a little earlier...
She closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and prayed, Xiao Qingli is willing to trade three months of not eating noodles for it. No, a whole year of not eating noodles.
Qing Yuan was stunned for a second, then smiled and rubbed her little head. He will. He will be here very soon.
Hehe... when Qingli becomes powerful in the future and awakens that whatever physique, I can protect Sister Yuan from being bullied, and I can also protect more people like us. Xiao Qingli waved her little fists, her eyes sparkling.
Looking at her cute appearance, Qing Yuan's eyes held an inexplicable look.
It was unknown what she was thinking about.
...
When the curtain of the camel carriage was lifted again, what greeted their eyes was a massive bathhouse.
It was resplendent and magnificent.
There was a fountain at the entrance, and the people coming and going were dressed in luxurious clothes. It was clearly an extravagant place.
Xiao Qingli was completely stunned.
In all her life, she had never been to a place like this.
Qing Yuan, however, appeared very calm.
Get down and go inside.
A familiar voice came from outside the curtain.
The crowd orderly stepped out of the camel carriage one after another, and Xiao Qingli curiously observed her surroundings.
Two familiar people were standing beside the camel carriage.
The pot-bellied middle-aged man, the Director, and his accompanying bodyguard, Da Li.
Everything seemed fine.
But Xiao Qingli couldn't shake the feeling that the Director had changed.
She just couldn't put her finger on it.
It seemed... he was a little bit dead.
Hurry up and follow me. The Director's voice carried a hint of impatience as he strode toward the inner hall.
The other half-snake girls lowered their heads and followed behind him.
Oh? Brother Pei!
As soon as they walked in, a young greeter enthusiastically walked up. Seeing the half-snake girls behind the middle-aged man, he was obviously a bit surprised. Brother Pei, what is this?
I took a massive order from the Snake-man Tribe.
The Director smiled and patted his shoulder. I was afraid they would say we abused their kin, so I brought them here to wash up and ensure nothing goes wrong.
Arrange a private room for them to wash.
So their filth doesn't get on the other guests and affect your business.
Oh! Understood, understood.
The greeter immediately bowed and nodded. Brother Pei, follow me. I guarantee everything will be arranged perfectly for you!
He led the group across the lobby to a hidden corridor. At the end of the corridor was a carved wooden door.
This is the place. Brother Pei, are you satisfied with it?
Pushing the door open revealed a spacious bathroom filled with rising steam and a pool of crystal-clear water.
Not bad.
The Director nodded and turned to look at the half-snake girls behind him.
All of you, go in.
Then I won't disturb Brother Pei's elegant mood. Seeing the half-snake girls who entered starting to take off their clothes, the greeter hurriedly retreated. Clearly, in his eyes, an unprecedented battle was about to take place here.
The half-snake girls here were obviously prepared for it too.
Some of them even started to lean closer.
However, the Director merely took a step back, dropped the words Wash yourselves clean, and closed the large door. He left the crowd looking at each other in dismay, unable to figure out what was going on.
But Xiao Qingli obviously didn't have so many thoughts. Looking at the massive bath with rolling steam rising from the surface and crystal-clear spring water, she couldn't help but let out a gasp of amazement.
What a big bath!
She turned her head and looked at Qing Yuan, who had her back to the crowd and was already wrapped in a bath towel. She asked in confusion, Sister Qing Yuan, why are you wrapping yourself in a towel?
Dummy!
Qing Yuan flicked her little forehead. When bathing in a place like this, of course you have to wear a towel. You need to wear one too.
I'm not going to wear one!
Xiao Qingli shook her little head, then swiftly stripped herself completely naked. She threw herself into Qing Yuan's arms and acted spoiled, Sister Qing Yuan, will you help me scrub my back? I heard from my mom that you're supposed to scrub your back in a bathhouse.
This...
Qing Yuan's body visibly stiffened.
You are already a grown-up. How can you let someone else help you with this kind of thing?
No, no, I want Sister Qing Yuan to help me! Xiao Qingli whined playfully, rubbing her little head back and forth against her chest.
This... alright...
Qing Yuan felt helpless. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
Come on, I'm ready! Xiao Qingli went to the side of the pool and comfortably narrowed her eyes.
Infected by their mood, the others also loosened up a bit and began splashing and playing in the pool. For a time, cheerful laughter filled the bathroom.
How wonderful.
Watching the crowd laughing in the spring water, Ye Shu smiled from the bottom of his heart, and a trail of happy drool finally leaked from the corner of his mouth.
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."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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!
