"What's he doing here?"
Blood Refining Hall's Lu Ziqing was taken aback.
Before he could react, Sun Gui had already risen to greet the newcomer, offering tea with both hands and a face full of fawning smiles.
"My dear God of Wealth, what brings you here today?"
"Family matters, state affairs, worldly affairs—naturally, I'm here to lend a hand," Li Mo replied, taking a sip of the tea.
What else could he be here for? Investment, of course!
With the grand event hosted by the Great Yu Imperial Court, how could he miss the opportunity? Strangely enough, many of the renowned beauties from the Hundred Flowers Ranking seemed to know him.
"Ah? In that case, our Flourishing Trade Guild won’t interfere. If you need anything, just say the word. We might not have money, but we can certainly lend a hand with manpower," Sun Gui decisively withdrew.
Li Mo smiled at him. "Then I’ll trouble you, Manager Sun. There is indeed a matter where your help would be invaluable."
The scene left the gathered merchants stunned.
Young Li Mo’s name already thundered across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
But their understanding of him was limited to his prodigious talent, his status as a young genius, and his uncanny ability to bring fortune to his wives...
So why did Sun Gui call him the "God of Wealth"?
They soon found out.
"Ahem, esteemed guests, hosting the Hundred Flowers Grand Banquet is a matter of national importance. It must be grand, splendid, and unforgettable—no small undertaking. Be prepared for the costs," the official announced.
"Our Money Gang offers two million taels of silver!"
"The God of Wealth Bank pledges three million taels, and we’ll cover all necessary materials for the event!"
"The Verdant Wood Society offers ten vials of Seven-Pattern Spirit Pills, and several fair maidens who initially declined have agreed to perform at the banquet as a favor to us."
"As for the Flourishing Trade Guild... well, we’ll follow Young Master Li’s lead."
Sun Gui toyed with his sunglasses, clearly pleased.
The others exchanged glances, unsure what the Flourishing Trade Guild was scheming, and turned their attention to the young man beside Sun Gui.
Lu Ziqing sipped his tea, his gaze fixed on the stage.
The hosting rights for the banquet had to remain firmly in his grasp—otherwise, complications would arise.
No matter what the other side offered, he would...
Li Mo solemnly raised two fingers in a "V" gesture.
"Young Hero Li, what does this mean?" the Minister of Rites asked, having already exchanged knowing glances with Lu Ziqing. No matter Li Mo’s bid, he could always...
"Double."
"Eh? Double what?"
"The sum of their three bids combined."
"...How much?!"
The unconventional "bidding war" concluded with startling speed.
The merchants, usually boasting of wealth rivaling nations, emerged dazed, never having imagined being overwhelmed by sheer financial force.
Double. All three bids combined. Words so unfamiliar yet so chilling.
Of course, it wasn’t just the merchants left reeling—Lu Ziqing, representing both the Blood Refining Hall and the Verdant Wood Society, felt his scalp tingle.
When Li Mo’s mountain of gold crashed onto the table, he knew even his connections with the Minister of Rites couldn’t salvage the situation.
The other side had simply offered too much.
Who the hell measures gold in "mountains"?!
Aren’t you worried about devaluing the damn metal?!
---
By evening, the riverside Cloud-Treading Pavilion blazed with light.
Logically, with the Hidden Dragon Tournament over, the place should’ve quieted down—the young talents returning home to their respective sects.
Yet, it remained bustling against all expectations.
"Eh? Brother Bai, Brother Cao, Brother Wu, weren’t you returning to Yunzhou?" Xiao Qin blinked at the returning swordsmen from Sword City.
Wu Chushu clasped his hands behind his back. "I suddenly realized the imperial capital’s scenery is vast, and it’d be a shame to leave without experiencing it all."
Bai Jinghong clicked his tongue in exasperation.
Cao Mu shook his head. "We were about to leave the city when Wu Chushu saw the notice at the gate and refused to go."
"What notice?"
"The Hundred Flowers Grand Banquet."
"Eh? Then I’m not leaving either."
Murong Xiao silently set down his luggage, acknowledging his unresolved weakness.
And he wasn’t alone.
News of the banquet spread, and one by one, young heroes who’d planned to depart reversed course, quietly reclaiming their seats.
Just then, Li Mo returned, accompanied by Zhong Zhenyue.
He seemed in low spirits.
After downing several cups of tea, he still couldn’t make sense of it.
So, he’d invested in the Great Yu Dynasty and the Hundred Flowers Banquet, right?
Then why did his system’s feedback read:
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Minister of Rites Song Baiyue...]
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Vice Minister of Rites...]
[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in Minister of Revenue...]
Why were all the beneficiaries the very officials present earlier?
The question left Li Mo brooding.
Clearly, relying on those officials was unreliable. Yet, he’d already taken on the banquet’s responsibilities...
Only his own people could be trusted.
"Brother Li, you’re back. Should we postpone our return to Purple Sun Prefecture?" Xiao Qin sighed.
Personally, he didn’t mind, but his mentor’s nagging was relentless.
Li Mo nodded. "Yes, we’ll stay for now. There’s still the Hundred Flowers Banquet."
"Heh, Brother Li... you already have Fairy Han, yet you’re still eyeing the banquet?" Wu Chushu’s gaze accused him of heartless playboy tendencies.
"Misunderstanding."
"Oh? Then why stay?"
"I’m the investor."
"???"
The table fell dead silent.
In an instant, several expressions shifted from shock to silence, then to outright sycophancy.
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.
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.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
