Soon, a squad composed of super martial artists jogged over. The leader, a middle-aged man clad in high-quality gear, scanned the area with sharp eyes but found nothing.
Strange. Where did that giant monster rabbit from earlier go?
Finally, his gaze landed on a girl holding a spirit sword not far away, along with a man who looked familiar.
Could it be…
"Mr. Ye Chuan," the man called out tentatively, seemingly recognizing him.
"You know me?" Ye Chuan asked casually as the man greeted him.
"I saw you at the Super Martial Assembly," the man replied respectfully. "I’m Wang Zhuang, captain of the Alliance’s special task force."
Ah, the Wang family. That explains it.
"The monster was already dealt with. Just clean up the scene," Ye Chuan explained.
"Understood." Wang Zhuang had been chasing that monster rabbit earlier, but in the time it took to round a corner, the creature had been obliterated—not even a trace left behind.
Incredibly strong.
"Why did the transport fail? And why were you transporting monsters in the first place? Explain," Ye Chuan pressed.
Wang Zhuang could only share what he knew. "Capturing live monsters is for Alliance research—analyzing their data to find weaknesses."
Ye Chuan doubted the monsters could escape so easily. "Then how did it break free?"
"The Liberators. They sabotaged our transport vehicle."
Seeing Ye Chuan’s confusion, Wang Zhuang quickly clarified, "There’s an organization called the Liberators. They believe the dimensional rifts are divine punishment for humanity, that the monsters are messengers sent by the gods."
"So they preach this ideology, claiming we should side with the monsters."
"Some even go around causing destruction."
Ye Chuan: "..."
Huh?
The rifts appeared barely any time ago, and already we’ve got cultists?
"Got it. I’ll ask Yan Ran for the rest. You’re dismissed."
"Yes, sir!" With that, Wang Zhuang left with his team.
Liberators…
"It’s raining," Ye Chuan murmured, glancing up as if hesitating to say more.
"Chuan, why would such a group exist? Doesn’t that mean the world’s going to get even messier? We just got some peace," Luo Xi said, baffled by the idea of people helping monsters wreak havoc.
Unbelievable.
"Not surprising," Ye Chuan replied. "But they won’t last."
He paused, turning to Bai Qianshuang beside him. Her eyes were downcast, fixed on the melted ice cream on the ground. Even the way her stray hair drooped betrayed her gloom.
"Want me to get you another one?" Ye Chuan offered with a smile.
"What’s lost won’t return," Bai Qianshuang said softly. "Rest in peace, my three-bite refreshment."
"That’s… heavy," Ye Chuan and Luo Xi muttered, sweating a little.
In the end, the shopkeeper replaced the ice cream, and Bai Qianshuang’s mood lifted as she ate.
……
Later, while resting at a milk tea shop, Ye Chuan got up to fetch their drinks. Seated beside Bai Qianshuang, Luo Xi leaned forward slightly, her gaze lingering on the delicate ring adorning the other girl’s finger.
"That’s a pretty ring," Luo Xi remarked, propping her chin on her hands with a playful grin.
"Hm?" Bai Qianshuang blinked. "Ye Chuan gave it to me. It’s a storage ring."
"Ah, figures." Luo Xi held up her own ring, her expression tinged with melancholy. "I thought he’d only given one to me. Seems like everyone’s got one."
"I guess I’m not that special."
"Ye Chuan is kind," Bai Qianshuang said.
"Chuan’s a smooth-talker who loves tricking girls," Luo Xi countered, then locked eyes with her. "Qianshuang, do you like him?"
"I don’t—" Bai Qianshuang’s voice faltered. Under Luo Xi’s gaze, she found herself unable to finish. After a pause, she admitted,
"I don’t know."
Romantic feelings?
Bai Qianshuang had never experienced them. She truly didn’t understand what they entailed.
Last night, Lan Xiaoke had spent hours lecturing her—something about shouting "I’m not ‘hey,’ I’m Chu Yuxun!" to the boy you like. Bai Qianshuang had been utterly lost.
"You don’t know, huh~" Luo Xi chuckled but didn’t press further.
"What’re you two chatting about? Who ordered the honey lemon tea?" Ye Chuan’s voice cut in as he returned with a drink carrier.
"Mine!" Luo Xi raised her hand and took the cup.
"Pearl milk tea," Bai Qianshuang said, accepting her favorite flavor.
Ye Chuan took a sip of his own drink. "So, what were you talking about?"
"Girls’ secrets. Can’t share," Luo Xi teased.
"Since when were you two so close?" Ye Chuan raised a brow.
"Obviously." Luo Xi nudged Bai Qianshuang. "Right, Qianshuang?"
Bai Qianshuang looked puzzled but, seeing Luo Xi’s bright smile, nodded along. "Exactly."
"Girls’ secrets," Luo Xi repeated.
"Exactly," Bai Qianshuang echoed.
"Copycats," Ye Chuan muttered, deciding not to pry.
By evening, Ye Chuan returned home with Bai Qianshuang and Luo Xi, their shopping bags filled with the day’s haul.
"You’re back?" Lan Xiaoke floated up from the couch, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Bought some clothes and stuff," Ye Chuan said.
"Any for me?"
"Can’t you just shapeshift your outfits?"
"Not the same! These are part of my body," Lan Xiaoke protested. Besides, who said ghosts couldn’t wear clothes? She’d even taken photos with Bai Qianshuang in them.
"By that logic, aren’t you just… naked all the time?"
Lan Xiaoke froze, blinking. "Eh…"
"..."
After a long silence, she glanced down at her clothes. Well… he had a point.
"Whatever, I can’t see it anyway." Lan Xiaoke shrugged, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" stance.
"Go help with dinner," Ye Chuan said, flicking her forehead.
"Fine."
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.
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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!
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...
