Li Mo slowly regained consciousness, only to realize he hadn’t truly woken up.
Before his eyes—
A sky choked with dark clouds, a simple bamboo hut that seemed to sprout from the blackened earth, and an ostentatiously lavish sacrificial altar.
Villagers gathered around the altar, their faces numb and bewildered. The drugged children—chosen as offerings—wailed as the effects wore off. A grotesque, bloated fish floated belly-up in the river, its corpse staining the water.
Everything was rendered in monochrome—even the blood of the slain ‘River God,’ which had spread across the lake.
"Am I... dreaming?"
Li Mo remembered this day vividly.
He had arrived at this riverside village just in time to witness the ritual.
Those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain; those who live by the water eat from the water.
The entire village depended on this river for survival. But fate was cruel—this river’s temper was more erratic than the heavens themselves.
Storms would rise without warning, making fishing impossible. Worse, the waters often claimed lives.
When floods swallowed the village, the people knew: The River God is angry.
So the priest would lead them in sacrifice. This year’s flood was especially severe—only a grand offering would suffice.
Here, families chosen to give up a child—a boy or a girl—were considered blessed. Their child would "live in bliss with the River God."
The parents would drug their children with ‘Soul-Severing Elixir,’ dress them in finery, and send them off on a lotus platform...
But Li Mo saw the truth.
The so-called River God was just a hideous catfish!
Without hesitation, he plunged into the water, fought the beast in the depths, and forced it to spit out the children before it floated lifelessly to the surface.
He had killed the River God.
When he climbed ashore, the villagers surrounded him, dropping to their knees in unison, trembling like frightened quails.
"Our village has a new River God!" they cried.
"Don’t kneel!" Li Mo’s voice rang out, firm and clear.
"There is no River God! I’m just a man, like you!"
But what followed wasn’t enlightenment—nor gratitude.
Instead—
"If you won’t accept our offerings, why did you kill the River God?"
"When the river floods, we know it’s his anger. Without him, how will we understand the cause?"
"Who will we worship when people drown?"
Their fury, confusion, and fear threatened to drown him.
In that moment, even Li Mo questioned himself:
"Did I... do something wrong?"
He turned, hoping to find her—but there was no one. Only himself, alone in the surging crowd.
Huh?
"Why are you sweating so much?"
Ying Bing gazed at the young man resting on her lap, her delicate fingers brushing over his furrowed brow, unable to smooth the tension there.
Then she heard him murmur in his sleep:
"Ice Block..."
Her lashes fluttered, moonlight-pale features briefly stunned.
Was he dreaming of her?
Or searching for her in his dreams?
Likely the latter. Rarely had she seen him—usually so bright and carefree—wear such a deeply troubled expression, his face shadowed with uncertainty.
He’d never been like this before.
Her gaze softened. She took his hand and whispered:
"I’m right here."
Perhaps he heard her.
His brow relaxed. The sweat stopped. His breathing steadied.
If those two little figures—one black, one white—popped up again now, the black-clad one (the one who called him little brother) would probably win.
Ying Bing held his hand, quietly amused by the thought.
Time passed.
The sun climbed high.
Li Mo finally stirred, yawning as he woke, feeling oddly refreshed.
What was this pillow? Cool, soft, yet springy—he’d have to use it from now on...
Hm?
A familiar fragrance tickled his nose. He looked up.
True beauty had no bad angles—even from below, her face was breathtaking.
Her expression was serene, distant eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Snore..."
Li Mo quickly shut his eyes, feigning sleep—or at least trying to.
But then—
Slender fingers pinched his nose shut.
"Still asleep?" Ying Bing didn’t let up.
"Snore..."
"Seems he really hasn’t woken."
"Snork—ACHOO!"
Just as Li Mo resolved to tough it out, his nose tingled.
He opened his eyes to find the fingers that had tormented him now twirling a lock of her silken hair.
Ice Block had tickled him with her hair!
"Awake?" Her lips curled faintly.
"Yeah, just woke up. What happened?"
"A bug crawled over your nose. I shooed it away."
"...Thanks."
Wiping drool, Li Mo sat up—then paused. His eyes caught the damp stain on Ying Bing’s skirt, trailing slightly down her thigh.
The Mingjiao Clan excelled at gathering moisture. He never used to drool in his sleep—this was a serpent side-effect...
He wiped her knee absently. "Next stop’s Qingmu City, right?"
"Should be."
"Let’s go, then."
"One thing first."
Ying Bing gave him a long look, tying up her hair and securing it with a jade pin.
"Two more sixth-grade calamity beasts."
"This time, we fight together."
......
Yantian Sect.
Atop a tower so high it seemed to scrape the stars—
The Old Woman cradled a jade plate, its glow faintly reminiscent of the strange stone from Hengyun Sword City. Her fingers traced its surface, her expression unreadable.
Soon, this tool might become obsolete.
Tap—
Light footsteps approached. A barefoot woman stopped behind her.
"Master, the latest Hidden Dragon Ranking updates are here."
Tian Miao placed the scrolls before her. The Old Woman hummed in acknowledgment, and the pages glowed, projecting their contents into the air.
Her eyes skimmed the lists, halting at the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 10th Place: Ying Bing.]
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 11th Place: Li Mo.]
Their skills remained largely unchanged from before.
But their achievements—now listed—were staggering, and nearly identical.
[Notable Feats: Entered the Southern Border, assumed the form of the Qingluan Goddess (Heavenly Serpent of the Mingjiao Clan), stirred upheaval across the region. Jointly slew four sixth-grade calamity beasts at Sanghu Mountain—Xiangliu, Feiyi, Dafeng, and Fanjiang’e... among others.]
[When Hidden Dragon and Phoenix unite, the world trembles.]
Tian Miao hesitated. "Should we publish everything as is?"
"Truthfully."
"Understood."
......
(Seeking support—pass the charging bowl~ Mwah!)
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
