Purple Sun Prefecture, the residence of the prefect.
The young man, still dressed in his moon-white Confucian robe, sat in the study flipping through county records, giving the impression of a scholar rather than the domineering Crown Prince of Great Yu.
He looked up at Dan Hong, who had entered with Qing Que, her face deathly pale, and remarked indifferently:
"You returned sooner than I expected."
Qing Que lowered her head and whispered:
"Something happened."
"Speak."
Jiang Yu resumed reading the records as Qing Que recounted the events that had just transpired. The sound of turning pages gradually slowed.
"You're saying Ying Bing shattered your combined attack with a single strike?" Jiang Yu frowned, lifting his gaze.
Qing Que nodded, glancing at the woman in the pink dress beside her. "Dan Hong's sword heart has likely been tainted by inner demons. Her swordsmanship will never progress further..."
Jiang Yu, however, seemed unbothered by this, murmuring instead:
"So, the fifth-ranked Hidden Dragon is actually stronger than the fourth?"
"Your Highness! I can never practice swordsmanship again!"
Dan Hong wept pitifully, hoping the Crown Prince would avenge her:
"She didn’t just cripple me—she also humiliated you."
Jiang Yu remained expressionless, his voice cold:
"Understood. Return to the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor. There’s an open position compiling the Sword Codex."
"Leave."
Dan Hong stared in disbelief at the man she had served for six years, his indifference no different from how he treated the young princess.
Qing Que led her out of the courtyard. Only once they were outside did Dan Hong let out a bitter laugh:
"Of course. The royal family is heartless. What am I to them?"
"Dan Hong, compiling the Sword Codex at the manor isn’t a bad outcome. If not for prior arrangements, ordinary people wouldn’t even have this opportunity."
Qing Que’s words carried hidden meaning.
The positions for compiling the Sword Codex were limited and required advance planning—meaning His Highness had long foreseen Dan Hong’s recklessness and arrogance leading to this downfall.
Returning to the manor to focus on compiling the texts might allow her to rebuild herself in the future.
But Dan Hong failed to grasp the advice. Her unfocused eyes sharpened, burning with hatred.
"If I don’t purge these inner demons... I’ll remain a cripple forever..."
......
Autumn Water Pavilion.
The twilight lingered, the sky the color of tear-stained eyes, casting a faint glow over the small pavilion.
Dinner had just been served when Elder Qian arrived as if on cue.
Shang Wu asked warily, "Elder Qian, have you eaten?"
"Funny you ask—no, I haven’t."
"Then go eat first and come back later."
"???"
A question mark seemed to float above the short, stout Elder Qian’s head. In his years of mooching meals, the expected response to "Have you eaten?" was always "Join us," not dismissal.
Elder Qian huffed, looking at Ying Bing and Li Mo seated at the table:
"Eat? How could I eat these past two days? Look at these dark circles, look at my stomach!"
"With these two disciples in our Qingyuan Sect, I’ll lose ten years off my life!"
On the surface, the matter was settled.
But Elder Qian’s resentment was palpable, like a wronged maiden.
Li Mo, feeling guilty, quickly set out another pair of chopsticks.
Yet Elder Qian waved him off, pridefully declaring that delayed hospitality was worthless—he wouldn’t eat now even if begged!
"I’d rather starve to death, die outside, than take a single bite from you!"
"Alright."
The phrase sounded oddly familiar to Li Mo. He then asked:
"If you’re not here for food, then...?"
"Now that we can’t hitch a ride with the Crown Prince to Rotten Ke Mountain, what are you and Little Bing planning?"
"We’ll leave tomorrow as originally planned."
Li Mo and Ying Bing had never intended to travel with Jiang Yu anyway.
"The anomalies at Rotten Ke Mountain weakened today. I just returned from scouting."
Elder Qian wasn’t surprised, sighing before swallowing hard.
"There were still anomalies today?"
Li Mo raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of braised land fish.
But he hadn’t gone to Rotten Ke Mountain at all.
Meaning the anomalies were the mountain’s own doing.
"Yes, much weaker. After all the commotion before, today was a letdown."
Elder Qian smacked his lips, recounting the day’s events.
Today, Rotten Ke Mountain had shown signs of reversed elemental feng shui—still notable, but nothing like the earth-shaking phenomena before.
"By the way, it’s possible that what lies beneath Rotten Ke Mountain isn’t a hidden sanctuary."
"Then what is it?"
"It might be the tomb of a powerful figure."
Elder Qian’s expression turned grave.
Tomb?
Ying Bing’s slender fingers paused around her chopsticks, her eyes thoughtful.
The elder’s words reminded her of Rotten Ke Mountain’s layout.
The feng shui there was indeed exceptional—a prime location for burial.
"Tombs aren’t like legacies. Legacies are meant for trials, but tombs are far more dangerous. No expert wants their remains desecrated after death."
"So, I’ve decided to bring out some of my personal treasures."
Elder Qian opened his spatial pouch.
"They say Elder Qian’s knowledge is vast. What have you prepared?"
Though Li Mo was wealthy and well-equipped, even he couldn’t claim to possess every rare artifact under heaven.
Clatter—
A black hoof dropped onto the table.
"A black donkey’s hoof?"
"Indeed. Highly effective against corpse demons."
Elder Qian dumped the rest of his items unceremoniously.
Corpse-suppressing talismans...
Miasma-dispelling bells...
Senior Brother Ouyang’s illustrated book...
Huh?
"This..."
Li Mo picked up the book—a collector’s edition, no less. What use was this in a tomb?
Elder Qian coughed lightly. "Ouyang said it’d keep you entertained on the road, but indulgence leads to ruin, so I confiscated it."
With that, he tucked the book back into his spatial pouch.
Then, without further ado, he shoved the remaining items at Li Mo, turned, and left with a flourish.
"Senior Brother Ouyang gave this?"
Li Mo stared at the empty dishes on the table.
The words rang as hollow as Elder Qian’s earlier vow never to eat.
......
Nightfall.
After preparing another meal, Li Mo sat in the courtyard, contemplating the Divine Intent of the Lunar Goddess. Meanwhile, Ying Bing seemed absorbed in studying another avian spirit form.
Left to his own devices, Li Mo resumed his training.
Bathing in moonlight, he assessed his progress.
Before reaching the Inner Realm, both the Divine Intent of the Great Sage and the Lunar Goddess needed to be perfected.
But the former lagged far behind the latter.
Hours passed. The night deepened.
A ripple from his inner world summoned him back to his room. Lying down, he entered the pocket dimension.
On the Yin-Yang training grounds, Jiang Chulong stood waiting, clutching a peach blossom branch.
The young princess murmured softly:
"Teacher, today... I think I can defeat the Golden Crow senior."
"And... and... I’m about to break through."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
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?
