In the courtyard not far from the painted pleasure boats and lavish ships...
Inside a room, a woman dressed identically to Ying Bing, with a figure eight parts similar, was applying her makeup. She stood up, examining her reflection in the mirror, while the madam adjusted her appearance and styled her hair, comparing it to a portrait.
"Even if Ying Bing were standing right here, she probably couldn’t spot a single flaw."
"Still missing some of her essence."
Yin Mianmian was currently channeling the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Transformation.
In the past, when she imitated others, even their closest siblings couldn’t tell the difference. Yet when mimicking Ying Bing, she always fell short by a fraction—that ethereal, icy elegance was simply impossible to replicate.
The madam wiped sweat from her forehead and chuckled. "Heh, she might be cold as ice, but you, Holy Maiden, are born with seduction in your bones. A hot-blooded young lad like Li Mo would be so enchanted by you, he wouldn’t even think to scrutinize the details."
"That’s true enough."
Yin Mianmian let out a soft laugh, twirling in front of the mirror. Even she could barely tell the difference at a glance. Still, she asked, "Well? Does anything still look off?"
"This..."
The madam was about to say no—from the front, it was flawless.
But as the saying goes, "Viewed from the side, a mountain becomes a peak"—and that "side" mattered greatly.
So when Yin Mianmian turned slightly, the discrepancy became obvious.
"Hmm?"
Following the madam’s gaze, Yin Mianmian looked down.
She spotted two shortcomings.
"......"
Her mind flashed back to that day when a certain young man had shattered her Heavenly Demon illusion with just a few words.
Creak—
Her delicate face darkened, her fists clenching so tightly they audibly cracked.
Trembling, the madam dropped to her knees, stammering, "Y-you... look even more like her now..."
A short while later...
The door opened. Outside stood several elite assassins of the Inner Landscape Realm, led by an expressionless man.
The moment they saw the figure stepping out of the room, their bodies tensed as if facing a deadly foe.
"Why is Ying Bing here?"
The assassins exchanged uneasy glances, drawing their weapons—even the cold-faced man.
"Tsk, have you all lost your minds?"
Seeing that even these seasoned killers couldn’t tell the difference, "Ying Bing" smiled in satisfaction.
The cold-faced man was someone ranked on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—a bounty hunter she had gone to great lengths to recruit.
She then commanded, "Proceed as planned. Move out."
"Yes."
"By the way, I haven’t had dinner yet. I bought two steamed buns earlier—where did they go?"
"Missing one meal won’t kill you."
"Stick with the Holy Maiden, and you’ll never go hungry for midnight snacks!"
......
Meanwhile, atop a lakeside tavern by Fish-Dragon Lake...
Ying Bing sat in meditation, a crimson essence floating before her like a pulsing heart, radiating dense vitality.
The glow cast flickering light across her jade-like face.
The Blood Phoenix Essence subtly tempered her physique.
Of course, this wasn’t its greatest virtue—it stored life force during cultivation, amplifying the power of secret techniques.
By the Inner Landscape Realm, severed limbs could regenerate. At the Outer Landscape Realm, even fatal wounds ceased to be a concern, and one’s Dharma Body could revive from a single drop of blood.
And upon reaching the Profound Dominion Realm? With the Blood Phoenix Essence intact, one became truly deathless.
Sensing the resonance between the Blood Phoenix Essence and the Rosy Phoenix Aura, Ying Bing felt slightly reassured.
In terms of endurance and physical resilience, no one in her realm should come close.
But just as this thought formed, an image involuntarily surfaced in her mind—that certain "Little Li," his back silhouetted against the sky as he split the heavens with a single hammer strike.
Was there truly no one who could match her?
And lately... every night, he’d been tinkering with something mysterious.
His alchemy furnace’s lid had gone flying more than a few times.
Whenever he came for their dual cultivation sessions, he reeked of medicinal herbs.
"Before midnight, I must reach peak condition..."
Yin Bing withdrew the Blood Phoenix Essence and Rosy Phoenix Aura into her brow, closing her eyes to refine her spirit, energy, and vitality.
Not long after...
Whoosh—
Her eyes snapped open. With a flick of her fingers, she caught the arrow that had been aimed at the wall behind her.
Tied to it was a letter.
[This humble one, Baili Rang, has long admired the exquisite swordsmanship of Fairy Ying. I await your instruction at the heart of Fish-Dragon Lake.]
Ranked fifty-first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?
Ying Bing had only a vague impression of him—some kind of bounty hunter, if she recalled correctly.
Ever since the Hidden Dragon Ranking was published, quite a few had sought her out at the tavern.
Most came to propose marriage to "Little Li."
But a small fraction were challengers.
Defeating a top-ranked genius could make one’s name overnight.
And among the highest ranks? Most were either ninth or eighth-aperture Inner Landscape cultivators—scions of noble houses, heirs to major sects, or lone disciples of reclusive masters.
Compared to them, the younger, lower-realm Li Mo and Ying Bing made far more tempting targets.
"Crushing a mid-tier challenger should deter the riffraff."
After a brief consideration, Ying Bing rose, cradling Frostsky as she descended the stairs.
On the third floor, a spacious VIP room echoed with clattering noises.
"Junior Sister Bing, where are you off to?"
Tang Xiaobao trotted upstairs, arms laden with wooden planks.
Ying Bing replied coolly, "A duel."
"What a shame!" Tang Xiaobao sighed. "Our Supreme VIP Spa Booth is almost ready! Junior Brother Li would’ve loved for you to try it first."
"Supreme... VIP... spa booth?"
Ying Bing’s eyes flickered with confusion.
Little Li had a habit of giving things bizarre names—like "Pleasant Goat Hotpot."
"And this booth... what exactly does one 'experience' there?"
"Death Dad."
"?"
"It’s for massages and bodywork. No idea why Junior Brother Li calls it 'Death Dad' though..."
Tang Xiaobao scratched his head.
Since Junior Sister Bing spent more time with Junior Brother Li, maybe she understood the meaning behind the name.
But before he could ask, he looked up to find Ying Bing already downstairs.
Her steps... seemed quicker than before?
Baffled, Tang Xiaobao blinked, then carried the planks into the room.
Inside, the VIP chamber had been transformed. The once-opulent space now featured a reclining massage chair and numerous candle stands with tinted glass shades.
Junior Brother Li tapped away with a small hammer, muttering under his breath:
"Forty... forty..."
"Junior Brother Li, why do you shout 'forty' with every hammer swing?"
"That’s the hammer’s name. Chanting it gives me strength."
"Ohhh! Now I remember—didn’t you also have an 'Eighty'? Why not use that? Wouldn’t it be even stronger?"
The moment Tang Xiaobao mentioned it, the Primordial Star-Shattering Hammer within Li Mo’s World Seed trembled excitedly.
Hammer Baby wanted to smash something.
Yeah! Why not use it?
"...This is a small project. We’ll save it for something bigger later."
Li Mo’s reply served both Tang Xiaobao and the hammer’s eager spirit.
Thus, Hammer Baby was content, already dreaming of future grand constructions.
"Junior Brother Li, why are these candle shades made in such colors?"
"They’re called mood lights."
Li Mo offered the explanation casually.
But I doubt Senior Brother Tang Xiaobao would quite understand.
"What about that bottle next to it?"
Tang Xiaobao's curiosity was piqued.
"That's called fragrance mist. A pleasant scent can help relax the mind. I was actually thinking of adding some perfume to it... I wonder if Elder Xue knows how to make incense pills..."
Li Mo murmured as he took hold of a new piece of wood.
Tang Xiaobao thought for a moment, then puffed out his chest proudly:
"That’s easy—just use my bathwater!"
"Tsk..."
Craftsman Li froze, struck by sudden realization.
Right.
Who could possibly smell sweeter than Senior Brother Tang Xiaobao?
Though, to be fair, if it were for drinking, compared to life-extending elixirs, everyone would definitely prefer the waters of the Mistbloom Everlasting Spring...
"Alright, I’m off to take a bath then."
Tang Xiaobao cheerfully left the room.
Just as he was heading downstairs, a young woman suddenly approached from the opposite direction.
"Junior Sister Ying Bing?"
Senior Brother Tang Xiaobao looked puzzled:
"Didn’t you just leave? Back so soon?"
Indeed.
The woman ascending the stairs was none other than 'Ying Bing.'
"Where’s Li Mo?"
'Ying Bing' asked.
"Oh, he’s on the third floor, working on the renovations..."
Hearing this, 'Ying Bing' gave a slight nod and headed toward the third-floor room.
Tang Xiaobao was a bit confused.
Junior Sister Ying Bing had returned way too fast—quicker than a trip to the outhouse.
She really was impressive.
Though her memory seemed a bit off.
He’d clearly told her that Junior Brother Li was renovating on the third floor, yet she’d forgotten in an instant.
Hmm...
As Tang Xiaobao mulled it over, a glimmer of wisdom suddenly flashed in his eyes—his newly opened insight was at work.
"Could it be...!"
"Junior Sister Ying Bing rushed back so quickly because she wanted to be the first to experience the 'Dead Dad' (ed. note: likely a misunderstood term or inside joke)? But she was too embarrassed to admit it, so she pretended not to know and asked again?"
"That’s definitely it. I’m so clever."
Tang Xiaobao felt certain no one could call him slow-witted anymore.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
] [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!"
