The room was brightly lit under the glow of the pearl.
The sweet aroma of cake filled the air, as if even the lamplight had taken on a creamy sheen.
Li Mo held the Chixiao Sword and sliced into the cake. Shang Qinqing had long been curious about its taste—when the cake had first come out of the oven, its fragrance had carried for half a mile.
And though it looked plain at first glance, the ingredients were anything but ordinary.
The eggs were from divine fowl, the sugar was royal jelly, and the fruit filling was packed with heavenly treasures...
Ying Bing sat quietly, her fingers lightly tracing the hem of her skirt as she stole glances at the slice Li Mo was cutting.
It was like waiting for snacks to be handed out in class—pretending to focus on studying until it was your turn, only to feign surprise when you finally got yours...
"Is it good?"
Even Li Mo, the master chef, hadn’t tasted it yet.
"Here."
Ying Bing offered him the first bite, but Li Mo shook his head with a smile, insisting she try it first—after all, it was her birthday. She took a small sip, her lips glistening faintly afterward.
Just like the sparkle in her eyes.
"How did you make it?"
"!"
Li Mo leaned back slightly, the hairs on his neck standing on end.
Making a cake was far more complicated than scrambling eggs with tomatoes.
"Oh right, Li Mo is just two months younger than you."
Shang Qinqing, a seasoned scientist, needed no introduction—her sharp eyes instantly saw through the ice block’s thoughts.
Hmm...
Making a cake for her boyfriend with her own hands?
She had the same idea, which was why she had watched Li Mo’s every move while he baked, even jotting down notes.
Truly befitting the Qingluan Goddess of the Qingluan Clan—great minds think alike.
"No, I was just... curious."
Ying Bing brushed a stray lock of hair from her lips and spoke softly.
But Li Mo could clearly see the eagerness in her expression!
"If you're asking me, you’ve come to the right bird."
Shang Qinqing adopted a profound and mysterious air, mimicking the posture she’d learned from the Little Heavenly Venerable.
Ying Bing’s talent in music and cultivation had always left her feeling inadequate.
This was the first time the ice block had ever asked her for advice!
"Since you’ve asked so sincerely, I shall be your guiding light."
"!!!"
"Alright."
Ying Bing nodded seriously, as if she truly saw a guiding light.
Li Mo, meanwhile, broke into a cold sweat, as if he’d just glimpsed a guiding death light.
"Senior Shang, it’s been so long since you last saw my master—she must miss you terribly. Next time I visit, I’ll bring her along."
"???"
Shang Qinqing stiffened, leaning back abruptly.
In her eyes, the usually gentle, easygoing Li Mo suddenly seemed to sprout devil horns.
His voice whispered in her ear:
"Senior Shang... surely you wouldn’t want me to bring my master to your clan’s territory, would you?"
If Shang Wu showed up, the next cake might very well be made from Qingluan eggs.
"Hm?"
Ying Bing frowned slightly, puzzled by Shang Qinqing’s sudden silence. Wasn’t she usually a chatterbox?
She glanced at Li Mo, still wanting to ask more.
"I want cake too," Li Mo suddenly said.
"Then eat."
"Big sister, say 'ah'—"
Little Li opened his mouth wide, pulling out all the stops to defuse the crisis.
Ying Bing’s slender fingers trembled, nearly crushing the porcelain spoon.
After feeding Li Mo a bite, she took one herself—somehow, the already sweet cake now made her heart race.
Had he put something strange in it...?
Seeing this, Shang Qinqing’s frown turned into a smirk.
Hmph.
Given Li Mo’s youth and ignorance—and the fact that he’d just served her another delicious spectacle—she’d let his earlier threat slide.
This was the magnanimity of a great bird.
And so, a life-or-death crisis was deftly averted by the quick-witted Li Mo!
He’d even turned the tables!
"Which parts of the Southern Border did you visit?" Ying Bing asked, holding her cake.
Her mind was too scattered to think about baking now.
"Lots of villages—some in the mountains, some by the water... Remember that place where we killed that fat-headed fish calamity beast?"
Li Mo recounted his travels while Ying Bing listened, nibbling her cake.
Shang Qinqing occasionally chimed in with amusing anecdotes:
"Hah! Some Summoning Demons cultists actually fell for the Heavenly Venerable act—they wanted to join the Ten Thousand Forms Immortal Sect and learn his martial arts!"
"I nearly burst out laughing trying to keep a straight face."
"So many villages..." Ying Bing murmured, calculating silently. "We should head back soon."
Li Mo’s grand performance had drained nearly a third of the Summoning Demons Sect’s power of mortal faith in the Southern Border.
In the past, this would’ve been unthinkable—before Li Mo could amass such a staggering amount, the sect would’ve already taken action.
But after the battle at Greenwood City, their Southern Border branch was still recovering. They likely never expected the Qingyuan Sect’s best actor to be this effective at stealing their followers.
In any case, the Summoning Demons Sect’s Beast Hall would retaliate—it was only a matter of time.
"The Summoning Demons Sect treats even its own people with... heartfelt sincerity," Li Mo muttered.
They’d definitely try to reclaim the villages now devoted to him.
If that happened, his supply of mortal faith would dry up.
Who knew how many years it’d take to gather enough to project the Great Dao’s divine form?
"Relax, you’ve already hit the jackpot, Heavenly Venerable," Shang Qinqing said, rolling her eyes.
"You can’t seriously expect the Summoning Demons Sect to just hand over their faith, can you?"
"They’re probably already on their way to settle the score."
"The Southern Border’s situation won’t change overnight," Ying Bing said softly, watching Li Mo.
"I know."
Li Mo nodded, but his gaze remained thoughtful.
Getting the Summoning Demons Sect to surrender their faith?
It sounded impossible—utterly unrealistic.
But as everyone knew, he was a genius!
And geniuses dared to attempt the impossible...
Was there a way?
Meanwhile, fifty miles outside Greenwood City—
Unbeknownst to them, Shang Qinqing’s words had proven prophetic, despite her not being a crow.
A disguised Summoning Demons Sect caravan moved along the road.
Inside the central carriage, the Beast Hall’s leader frowned at his high priest.
"Confirm the direction of the mortal faith again."
"Yes."
The gaunt high priest, a fifth-realm expert, produced vials of powdered beast blood.
With a flick of his fingers, the powder dissolved into faint crimson smoke.
Crimson smoke rose and drifted through the air, converging from all directions toward Greenwood City like a school of fish merging into the ocean.
It was as if the fish had encountered an ocean current.
"That Celestial Venerable Immortal truly is in Greenwood City..." murmured Luo Yexian, the Beast Hall Master, narrowing his eyes slightly.
] 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.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
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!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
