The night in Yunzhou City was unusually vibrant, with countless lights blending into a neon tapestry against the sky, the clouds tinged like the flush of drunkenness. Before heading out, Li Mo went to check on Murong Xiao.
Still as stiff as ever.
Placed in the backyard, he resembled a solemn statue.
"Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Brother Murong. Don’t say I forgot about you."
Li Mo was nothing if not loyal.
He placed a plate before Murong Xiao, stacked with mooncakes arranged like a pagoda.
Not just loyal, but thoughtful too.
The lakeside tavern was swarming with mosquitoes, so he lit three coils of incense, stuck them in a burner, and set it before Murong Xiao.
Murong Xiao: "....."
Hmm.
Suddenly, he looked positively divine.
"Too bad you’re busy tonight and can’t join the fun. In that case, stay here and bless my endeavors."
Li Mo clasped his hands together and bowed earnestly.
Many townsfolk made offerings today—mountain dwellers prayed to mountain gods, riverside folk to water deities.
He wasn’t particularly devout, but he had a flair for ceremony.
Stepping out of the tavern, he spotted the girl by the lake, gazing absently at the bustling streets. The noise surged around her but never touched her, a perfect embodiment of ethereal detachment.
Only when her eyes landed on a certain young man did they flicker with warmth.
"Where to first?" Li Mo asked.
"Zhuangyuan Tower."
Ying Bing tied up her hair.
During dinner, she’d overheard the lively chatter about Zhuangyuan Tower. The market there was Yunzhou’s liveliest, lined with stalls selling trinkets, all accessible via Yulong Street.
She hadn’t decided what to give Li Mo yet.
Nor did she know what couples did on dates.
But that was fine. She could always "see how the pigs run."
"Alright."
They stepped into the street, and the splendor of a thriving era enveloped them.
Ying Bing studied the stalls with newfound focus, her eyes lingering on trinkets.
Li Mo, familiar with every vendor on Yulong Street, paid them little mind...
His gaze kept drifting to Ying Bing. She’d changed into a shorter dress after dinner, revealing slender, pale calves. Her dark hair was tied with a red ribbon, her jade-like face radiant enough to eclipse the moon.
Elegant, aloof—standing beside her was intimidating.
But Li Mo’s mind flashed to her first attempt at cooking, when she’d smeared her face like a messy kitten.
Noticing his amused stare, Ying Bing recalled the couples they’d passed, all chatting and laughing.
"...The moon is beautiful tonight," Ying Bing said.
"It is," Li Mo agreed, eyes still fixed on her.
"......"
Ying Bing didn’t know how to respond.
You didn’t even glance at it, yet you answer so decisively.
Silence settled between them.
Yet beneath the dazzling lanterns, Ying Bing felt oddly at peace.
Saying nothing was... comfortable.
Perhaps this was what it meant to go with the flow.
Speak if you wish, stay silent if you don’t—no awkwardness, even in wordlessness.
Soon, they reached Zhuangyuan Tower, where the crowd was even thicker.
The eight-story tower loomed over the surrounding pavilions, surrounded by layers of people, their voices a downpour of excitement.
"What’s going on here?"
Li Mo scanned the crowd and spotted familiar faces—the Three Heroes of Hengyun, who’d visited him earlier that day.
Wu Chushu wasn’t alone. A well-dressed young lady, likely from a wealthy family, stood beside him.
He was speaking with smug confidence, as if he had everything under control.
Bai Jinghong and Cao Mu, meanwhile, were shooting him death glares.
So this was why the bastard had invited them to the lantern festival.
He’d brought a date!
No honor among bros.
"What are you all discussing?" Li Mo interjected.
"......"
Wu Chushu’s smile vanished.
Bad memories resurfaced.
The smiles didn’t disappear—they just migrated to Bai Jinghong and Cao Mu’s faces.
"I, uh, brought Miss She to the poetry contest at Zhuangyuan Tower," Wu Chushu coughed, then gestured to the woman beside him.
"This is—"
"The Wife-Luck Battle Soul!" Miss She blurted.
Li Mo: "......"
Can’t we pay to change the Hidden Dragon Ranking’s descriptions?
Take a bribe or something.
He changed the subject. "What’s this poetry contest about?"
Eager to impress, Wu Chushu launched into an explanation.
Li Mo got the gist.
Legend had it that a swordsman from Yunzhou, peerless in both blade and verse, once aced the imperial exams, earning the title of Zhuangyuan (top scholar). But at the celebratory banquet, drunk, he penned a poem criticizing the court, angering the late emperor, who stripped him of the title.
So he quit officialdom and built this tower upon returning to Yunzhou.
"Every lantern festival, they hold a poetry contest here. Answer correctly, and you win prizes."
"This year’s prize is a jade hairpin. Quite exquisite."
Wu Chushu’s smile returned.
As a lifelong show-off (in his own eyes), he fancied his literary skills.
Zhuangyuan Tower was his chosen stage...
"Brother Chushu, I really want the contest prize~" Miss She cooed.
Bai Jinghong and Cao Mu trembled with rage, fists clenched. What nonsense! What absolute nonsense!
"By the way, Young Master Li, why are you out alone?"
"Don’t tell me..."
Seeing Li Mo solo, the two felt slightly consoled.
At least they weren’t the only ones suffering.
But then Ying Bing reappeared, holding a lantern. She wasn’t just attending the festival—she was a celestial being gracing the mortal realm.
Perhaps due to the crowd, she stood unusually close to Li Mo.
Bai Jinghong: "..."
Cao Mu: "..."
They exchanged a glance. Should’ve just rotted in Sword City. Why’d they have to come here?
"Ice block."
Li Mo suddenly reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed skin like satin, warm as jade.
"Hm?"
"Your hair keeps coming undone."
"The ribbon’s a bit loose."
Ying Bing was momentarily dazed, then nodded.
Her distraction wasn’t just from the lively scene—it was the past flooding back.
This time last life, where had she been?
Probably standing atop the lofty Cassia Palace, watching the mortal world ebb and flow.
She knew all too well the chill of solitude.
Yet, bound by vows of detachment, she’d never stepped into the red dust.
"Then... how about I get you a hairpin for Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Li Mo’s voice pulled her back.
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, studying the boy who’d led her into this world. A faint smile curled her lips, giving form to the moon’s gentle glow.
The crowd around them froze, stupefied.
Even Miss She gaped, forgetting to pout.
"Okay."
"......"
Li Mo was the one stunned now.
He’d been racking his brain, trying to recall a poem to plagiarize for clout.
But seeing that smile, he didn’t need to.
A verse—one he remembered but not its author—rose to mind.
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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."
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!
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
