"Help?"
Li Mo couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Since when did the ice block ever ask others for favors?
Ying Bing sat down at the stone table, habitually pouring tea, her cool and detached expression tinged with hesitation.
She cleared her throat.
"Come closer and listen."
Li Mo: "......"
This feels weird.
Asking for my help but sounding like a superior lecturing me.
Who knew how this ice block developed such an authoritative aura? Well... guess it's just the natural bearing of a chosen one.
"What’s so important that you’re being this formal?"
"You don’t usually care about much."
Li Mo sat opposite her, casually picking up the teacup for a sip.
He didn’t even notice—
It was the same cup Ying Bing had just drunk from.
"Are you taking a sect mission that’ll take you to Ziyang Prefecture City?"
Ying Bing’s gaze flickered slightly, as if she hadn’t seen his action.
"I haven’t accepted any yet."
"But I do plan to pick one in Ziyang Prefecture City."
Li Mo leaned back, hands behind his head, grinning.
"Since coming to Ziyang, I haven’t had the chance to explore properly. Consider this my excuse to slack off a little."
"This trip won’t be too busy. If you’ve got some errands, just say it outright."
The mission was secondary.
Sect contribution points meant little to him—just picking an easy task to fulfill the requirement would do.
"I want you to find someone for me."
"She’s probably... a beggar now."
As memories surfaced, the frost in Ying Bing’s expression seemed to thaw slightly.
Back then, she hadn’t been able to join Qingyuan Sect.
She’d ended up squatting in an abandoned house in Ziyang Prefecture City.
That was where she met Jiang Chulong, who also had nowhere to go.
In this life, it was Li Mo’s help that unlocked her meridians and revealed her talent.
But in her past life, without Jiang Chulong’s mutual support, she wouldn’t have succeeded either.
Now that she was in Qingyuan Sect, Jiang Chulong was left alone, still struggling to survive those harsh days...
"I want you to find her and arrange food, clothing, and shelter for her."
Huh?
Li Mo blinked at her words.
The ice block was worrying about someone’s basic needs?
Was this even the same person he knew?
Could it be... a relative?
Her hometown county had been ravaged by disaster beasts—her family should’ve all perished.
Maybe she’d gotten news that a lone survivor had ended up in Ziyang Prefecture City?
That would make sense.
Little Li naturally arrived at this conclusion.
So he replied earnestly,
"Don’t worry. Ziyang Prefecture City isn’t small, but finding someone isn’t too hard."
"If you remember what they look like, maybe sketch it out?"
As he spoke, he pulled out ink, brush, and paper.
Helping the ice block? He was all for it—anything related to her always brought great system rewards.
Besides, searching for family? Even without compensation, he’d gladly help.
"Drawing..."
Ying Bing took the brush calmly.
Half an hour later.
Little Li stared at the "masterpiece" on the table, expression grave.
"Ying Bing."
"Hm?"
"Tell me... do people actually look like this?"
Looking at the abstract, Picasso-esque portrait, Li Mo had to ask.
Seriously.
If you want me to find someone, could we at least aim for realism?
This avant-garde mess—if I hadn’t seen a few of Picasso’s works in my past life, I wouldn’t even recognize it as a person.
"The features are clear."
"Female. Large eyes. Small lips."
Ying Bing’s gaze drifted elsewhere.
Li Mo: "......Any more... obvious traits?"
Ying Bing seemed to search her memories before adding,
"Yes."
"She has a horrific chest wound, stutters when speaking, and... if cleaned up, she’s quite beautiful."
"Uh... how beautiful?"
"Comparable to me, in different ways."
"...Fair enough."
---
Time was of the essence.
Eventually, Little Li managed to extract a few concrete details.
No point delaying.
He decided to set out that very day.
Before leaving, he left several days’ worth of wine for his master, instructing Ying Bing to ration it.
With that settled, he headed for the Divine Arms Peak.
---
Afternoon.
A rather luxurious carriage rolled down the mountain.
Incense burned inside, tea swirling in its cup without spilling.
"Brother Li, why’d you take a mission to hunt some river pirate?" Murong Xiao studied the wanted poster on the table.
The sketch provided by the sect’s external affairs hall was also blurry.
This era lacked photography—without a live reference, portraits relied on verbal descriptions, which often varied even for the same person.
"Had to find someone anyway. Might as well make it count," Li Mo said offhandedly.
Cui Peng, a notorious bandit at the Internal Breath Condensation realm, had been severely wounded by an outer sect elder ten days prior.
A master of body refinement and saber techniques, with dozens of lives on his hands.
For other Qi-Blood realm disciples, even injured, Cui Peng was a tough opponent.
But to Li Mo?
Just a decent sparring partner.
He’d yet to have a real life-or-death fight...
"Since Brother Li took the mission, I’ll turn Ziyang Prefecture City upside down to find him," Murong Xiao vowed, rubbing his head with a grin.
Li Mo chuckled.
Had learning the Golden Bell Shield made Murong slightly... simpler?
"By the way, who else are you looking for besides Cui Peng?"
"A little beggar..."
In the carriage, Murong Xiao scribbled notes diligently, hanging onto every word.
He planned to enlist his grandfather’s help upon returning home.
The Murong family’s intelligence network was reliable—Li Mo trusted that much.
Before long, the carriage entered the prefecture city, heading straight for the inner district, where the architecture outshone the outer city’s.
"Murong Manor."
Li Mo glanced up at the gilded plaque—the Murong residence was among the grandest in the inner city.
"Young Master, Honored Li."
The steward, clearly forewarned, greeted them warmly.
"Brother Li, make yourself at home."
Murong Xiao relaxed visibly upon returning.
Passing through galleries and gardens, Li Mo observed with interest.
This place dwarfed his family’s estate back home—every detail exuded aristocratic refinement.
"Xiao’er."
In the main hall, two elders sat before a lavish spread, sipping tea. The one in crimson robes beckoned Murong Xiao over.
The other, a purple-robed elder with half-black, half-white hair, fixed his gaze on Li Mo—then his sword.
"So this is the famed Li, the True Disciple."
"Truly a hero among youths, as expected."
The crimson-robed elder rose with a hearty laugh.
"The Prefect and I were just enjoying tea when we heard of your arrival. He insisted on staying longer just to meet you—drank half my stock of Cloud Mist Eyebrow!"
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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!
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."
