The palace atop the imperial carriage stood toweringly high, offering a commanding view of the grand plaza beyond the Meridian Gate, which had been divided into distinct sections through the mystical art of "a mustard seed containing a universe."
On the phoenix throne, Empress Chuge raised her wine cup, only to notice Emperor Jingtai’s gaze fixed in a particular direction—right where Li Mo stood.
Her exquisite, regal face adorned with a graceful smile, she inquired:
"Your Majesty, what has caught your eye?"
"Heh heh heh..."
Emperor Jingtai sighed with emotion. "That is the young girl who retrieved the Celestial Sword from the Celestial City just days ago."
As he spoke, his peripheral glance subtly withdrew from Jiang Chulong’s figure.
"Is she the reason why Yu'er borrowed the Six Harmonies and Eight Wastes Seal from Your Majesty?"
Empress Chuge wore the expression of one who had long dwelled within the palace depths, feigning ignorance.
Emperor Jingtai shook his head. "The one who wielded the sword was the boy beside her."
"Without Your Majesty’s permission, the Celestial City would never have manifested."
Empress Chuge narrowed her eyes and pressed further.
Indeed, not only would the Celestial City have remained hidden, but reclaiming the divine sword would have been a mere word from Emperor Jingtai.
Yet he did neither. When Ying Bing summoned the sword, he allowed the Celestial City to appear and watched as the blade fell into Li Mo’s hands.
"Matters of the court are not for you to question."
Emperor Jingtai turned to a eunuch standing nearby and commanded:
"Bring the golden pearls."
"As you wish."
The eunuch presented an exquisitely crafted box containing exactly one hundred small golden pearls.
"Your Majesty, might this humble consort draw the lots instead?"
Empress Chuge suddenly removed her finger guards and lowered her gaze, her demeanor shifting.
In that moment, she no longer resembled the dignified empress who ruled by the emperor’s side, but rather a lovestruck maiden coyly pleading with her beloved.
Emperor Jingtai remained expressionless, his voice deep and cold:
"Only if you refrain from that revolting act."
"...Your Majesty truly dotes on this consort the most."
Empress Chuge reacted as though she had just heard sweet nothings, her tender affection only growing more pronounced.
Under Emperor Jingtai’s increasingly disgusted gaze, she reached into the box and drew a handful of golden pearls.
"Her Majesty the Empress has personally drawn the lots—the matchups are decided!"
As the announcement echoed, the names materialized in lines upon the grand "Map of Rivers and Mountains" suspended high in the heavens, enveloping the inner city.
The eyes of the entire imperial capital converged upon it, and the first line read unmistakably:
[Jiang Chulong vs. Jiang Yuyang]
...
Now, the young Princess Jiang stood out conspicuously on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—she was the lowest in cultivation among all the prodigies listed, having only opened three Divine Observation apertures thus far.
Beneath the ornate canopies of the nobility, silence reigned.
"How did she... truly return?"
"And why did Father Emperor not order the Sky Patrol Guards to arrest her? Why allow her to participate in the Hidden Dragon Tournament?"
"The intentions of Father Emperor are beyond our comprehension."
Jiang Yu spoke plainly, cutting through the murmurs.
Having said this, he turned his gaze toward Princess Yuyang, offering no further words.
Princess Yuyang flinched under the weight of his dual-pupiled stare and hastily declared:
"Eldest Brother, for the dignity of the imperial family, for Her Majesty the Empress—I will surely win."
Princess Yuyang and Jiang Yu shared the same mother, both born of Empress Chuge.
"Eldest Brother need not worry. Frankly, I cannot fathom how Yuyang could lose."
The Fourth Prince, whose maternal clan lacked influence, had always clung to the Crown Prince’s faction:
"In terms of cultivation, Yuyang surpasses her by four apertures."
"In terms of resources, Yuyang has enjoyed His Majesty’s favor since childhood, nurtured with countless rare treasures."
"In terms of swordsmanship, Yuyang trained under renowned masters from a young age. No matter how profound a sect’s heritage, how could it compare to the imperial court? Who even knows where the other girl learned her crude techniques?"
Indeed—a perfectly sound argument!
The nobles and aristocrats also agreed—this was indeed the case.
Zhong Zhenyue was about to speak when a young noble beside him interjected,
"Young Marquis, you should worry about yourself first."
[Zhong Zhenyue to Zhao Jing]
......
Jiang Chulong nervously pinched the hem of her skirt.
Being in the imperial capital was entirely different from being at the Happy Lamb Hot Pot restaurant. Back there, she only had to face Jiang Yu, and with Big Brother Li Mo backing her, she had mustered some courage.
But now...
"Huh? There’s a gap of over thirty places between Jiang Chulong and Princess Yuyang on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, right?"
"Comebacks aren’t unheard of, but this difference seems downright hopeless..."
"The Fourth Prince’s Golden Coin Gambling House has opened betting—odds at one to eight!"
"Is that based on win probability?"
"I’ll place a small bet too. Even pocket change is still profit..."
Under other canopies, a few onlookers chatted as they walked away.
"Big Brother Li... huh?"
The little princess turned instinctively at the voices but didn’t see Li Mo.
"He said he’d be right back."
Ying Bing also patted her head gently, his expression soft.
In her past life, Little Jiang had joined the Drizzle Tower, became a Heaven-ranked assassin, severely injured four other Heaven-ranked killers, defected, and built her own faction. By the time they met again, she was second on the Heaven Ranking—a name that struck fear into hearts...
Who could’ve imagined that now, she’d be a timid little girl who wore sunglasses to hide the fear in her eyes and had a peculiar hobby of collecting trash?
"What did Big Brother Li go to do?"
"He said he’s going to bankrupt the Fourth Prince."
"??"
The little princess understood—Big Brother Li had spent an absurd amount of money betting on her victory.
Probably enough to fund her trash-collecting hobby for a long, long time...
Suddenly, she felt a surge of confidence. With a wave of her hand, she stepped onto the arena alongside the others scheduled for the first round.
The matches proceeded five at a time.
Princess Yuyang was already standing on the platform, towering over Jiang Chulong, exuding pride and confidence.
She had intended to intimidate her opponent, to make her hesitate.
But the little princess who walked up wore sunglasses, her face expressionless, looking just a tad aloof and undeniably cool.
"You actually dare to fight me?"
"..."
Jiang Chulong glanced toward the stands. Big Brother Li had returned, casually waving a betting slip with an air of nonchalance.
Earlier, Li Mo had caused quite a stir at the Golden Coin Gambling House. Someone exclaimed:
"The Divine Hammer Tyrant just... bet five hundred mystic crystals and two golden mountains on Jiang Chulong’s victory."
"Huh? What kind of unit is that?! How much money is that?!"
"That’s his entire fortune, right? Even selling off a prefecture-level sect wouldn’t cover that!"
"If she actually wins, the Fourth Prince might have to hand over the gambling house to Li Mo and still come up short."
"Damn, does Jiang Chulong have some secret weapon or what?"
The crowd had been skeptical, but now they were genuinely second-guessing.
Where did Li Mo get such confidence to stake everything?
Truthfully, Li Mo just wanted to bolster Little Jiang’s morale.
Gazing at Princess Yuyang, he held Ice Block’s hand, the corners of his lips curling into a mysterious smirk as he let out a low chuckle:
"Heh heh..."
"!"
Princess Yuyang stiffened, her confidence instantly shaken.
What kind of scheme is he plotting?
How dare he assume I’ll lose?!
If it were just Li Mo, fine.
Ying Bing stood beside him, her jade-like face devoid of expression—the Ice Fairy had an air of effortless control that was utterly captivating.
Yet no one could have guessed that beneath her icy composure, she had no idea what they were doing either.
It was merely the tacit understanding of a top-tier actress that made her play along with Li Mo.
"Li Mo, why are we doing this?" Ying Bing asked softly.
Li Mo's expression didn't change. "If we can't beat her to death, we’ll scare her to death first."
The sheer audacity of the "Fighting King’s Creed" was reaching new heights.
And so, the "Divine Hammer Little Tyrant" and the Ice Fairy stood stone-faced, radiating ruthless coolness.
On the stage, Princess Jiang Chulong, sporting sunglasses, brimmed with inexplicable confidence—equally ruthless.
Only Princess Yuyang was left utterly bewildered, teetering on the edge of a meltdown.
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?
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'!"
] 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.
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
