The morning sky was gloomy, making people worry if another heavy snowfall might suddenly descend.
The Greenwood Camp remained bustling as soldiers busied themselves with various post-battle tasks. The snow-white ground was soon littered with messy footprints and wheel tracks.
The kitchen was especially lively, with cooking utensils moved to the open space. Fresh vegetables and ingredients were continuously hauled in by carts, all in a fervent preparation for making dumplings.
The arrival of a certain figure made everyone pause their work and greet him loudly.
Li Mo, still not fully recovered, had arrived with Huang Donglai using a combined technique.
"Isn't the Hidden Dragon Ranking about to be updated again?"
"Counting the days, it really is. Young Master Li was practically like a god descending this time. A warrior who can take on ten thousand at his age—what other young hero could achieve such a feat?"
"I’d say even our Crown Prince might not be able to claim the title of the top prodigy in front of Young Master Li."
"Honestly, true. After all, the Crown Prince’s status is what it is. If the Yantian Sect didn’t rank him first, His Majesty’s face would be hard to save. Hard to say if there’s any foul play involved."
"Why do you think Young Master Huang carries Young Master Li so skillfully?"
"Because he’s... kind?"
Before long, Li Mo and Huang Donglai arrived at the kitchen, where the bustling figures were all high-ranking officers, equally energetic.
Wu Lang was wielding his thick-backed golden-ringed saber to chop vegetables, while the garrison commander beside him, who had clearly trained in redirecting force, was kneading dough with practiced ease.
The most unassuming was the white-haired Commander Qu Sheng, who was mixing dumpling filling.
"Uncle Qu, aren’t you planning to dye your hair back?" Li Mo asked casually after deactivating the combined technique.
The graying hair gave Qu Sheng’s deep and steady demeanor a more down-to-earth touch, reminiscent of a middle-aged family breadwinner worn down by life’s toils.
"I’m done fussing with it," Qu Sheng replied earnestly, squinting as his hands kept working. "I’m researching something very important."
"Oh?" Li Mo immediately straightened up. The word "important" rarely left Qu Sheng’s mouth.
"Moreover, I’ve already used my signature martial arts—the Hanging Cloud Palm and the Golden Silk Cloud-Slicing Saber—but I still can’t conquer it."
"Conquer what?"
"The dumpling filling."
Qu Sheng presented a plate of dumpling filling.
Li Mo: "..."
The pork had endured far more than it deserved.
"Too much cabbage, and the pork is too fatty. The best filling uses a mix of lean and fatty meat, finely minced..."
Though unable to cook himself now, Chef Li still offered expert guidance.
"It’s quite a skill, and it takes effort too. Why did you decide to mix the filling yourself today, Commander?"
"When I left home, my family had pork and scallion dumplings at a town eatery. I’ve had many since, but never that same taste again. Never."
Qu Sheng reminisced about the flavor of those dumplings.
But after three or four decades away, he could hardly recall their shape, let alone the taste.
"How about trying this? It’s a secret family recipe—I don’t share it with just anyone."
"Oh?"
Qu Sheng took the recipe Li Mo handed him and studied it eagerly, as if it were some profound martial arts manual.
Meanwhile, a notification chimed in Li Mo’s mind:
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Qu Sheng, aiding his search for the taste of home.]
[Investment Reward: Heartbound Arrow.]
[Heartbound Arrow]: "Write a name on the arrow’s tail, and it will reach the person you desire—provided they still live."
Li Mo was stunned.
Commander Qu could clearly provide normal investment feedback.
So why hadn’t he received any after defending Greenwood City?
Activating his Heavenly Eye, Li Mo observed Qu Sheng, who was now engrossed in the dumpling filling recipe.
[Name: Qu Sheng]
[Age: 52]
[Bone Structure: Golden Beam and Jade Bones (acquired later)]
[Realm: Outer Scenery, Third Heaven.]
[Destiny: Black]
[Evaluation: Born with an ordinary physique, mediocre talent, a life of toil and hardship. Born in adversity, but fortunate to die in peace.]
[Recent Events: Burning his lifespan, exhausting his Outer Scenery, left with only a longing for home. Hopes to hold out until the Southern Suppressing King returns, then resign and return to his roots.]
Li Mo suddenly understood why he hadn’t received feedback.
He hadn’t changed Qu Sheng’s fate.
Qu Sheng would still die in the defense of Greenwood City—whether sooner or later. And it was clear he wouldn’t live to see the Southern Suppressing King’s return, destined to perish far from home.
"Young Master Li, does this look right?"
A freshly prepared bowl of dumpling filling was placed before him.
"Yes."
Li Mo’s furrowed brow relaxed as he nodded.
After a moment’s thought, the young genius suggested:
"Dumplings aren’t complete without a little surprise inside. Let’s hide something in them."
"Sure, for good luck. What should we use?"
"How about money?"
Huang Donglai eagerly pointed at his missing front tooth. He’d only eaten dumplings once before, and in his excitement, he’d bitten down so hard his tooth chipped on a copper coin.
He’d been cautious ever since.
"Sounds good."
Li Mo had been thinking the same.
Thud—
Several wooden chests landed heavily on the ground. Li Mo hadn’t bothered counting the investment rewards, so he’d just stuffed them into chests—about fifty or sixty of them.
"What’s this?"
"Banknotes."
"?"
The kitchen fell silent. Wu Lang picked up one—it was clearly marked "1,000 taels."
Three chests, all full. He wouldn’t even dare burn this much as offerings to his ancestors.
Huang Donglai, however, was used to it. Shaking his head, he said:
"Brother Li, you can’t boil banknotes in a pot. We should use copper coins or silver bits instead."
"Good point."
"Also, there are tens of thousands of people. With so many dumplings, even this many banknotes might not be enough..."
"That’s not necessarily true."
"??"
Soon, thumb-sized golden pellets were crafted and wrapped into the dumplings.
"Cough—Donglai, help me with something."
"What is it?"
Huang Donglai, unsure why he was being summoned again, set down his work and approached.
Young Li glanced at Qu Sheng, who had taken the wrapped dumplings outside to cool in the snow, before pulling something from his sleeve.
"Wrap this in a dumpling. Mark it so it doesn’t get lost in the boil."
"What is it?"
"A supreme-grade treasure pill."
"Gah—!"
Huang Donglai nearly stumbled backward.
A supreme-grade treasure pill—this priceless treasure—was being used as dumpling filling?
Damn, that’s insane.
"I’m making these dumplings specifically for this pill."
Li Mo patted his shoulder, signaling for steady Brother Donglai to keep quiet.
Then he moved to other cooks, bringing out his special "Soul Sauce" for barbecue.
Today’s winter solstice victory feast would feature barbecue and dumplings.
While sharing his recipe, footsteps approached from outside—though the noise made it hard to distinguish.
"Young Master Li, look." A cook nudged his chin.
"Why are you suddenly making faces—?"
Confused, Li Mo turned instinctively.
"......"
It was a figure emerging from the icy snow—a frozen block of ice.
She was about to step into the kitchen!
Little Li's face instantly paled with horror!!
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.
igrating to the cultivation world for two hundred years, I've managed to lie low and reach the Nascent Soul stage. Only now does my golden finger arrive? ...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
