From the outer city to the inner city, the scenery changed rapidly, especially near the city gates, where crowds surged like rain, swallowing streams of carriages and horses. People from various provinces came in an endless flow, making the scene even more bustling than during the Hidden Dragon Tournament.
After all, most of those who came to watch the tournament hadn’t left. Instead, more and more people were being drawn in from all over.
Moreover, many of the stunning beauties from the Hundred Flowers Ranking had arrived today.
With their numerous attendants and followers, even the Sky Patrol Guards had to step in to maintain order, acting as security.
It was like a top-tier celebrity concert...
"Huh? Old Huang, where are the others?"
Amid the crowd, Li Mo, who was heading toward the Prosperity Bank headquarters, suddenly noticed that his companions had vanished.
Only Huang Donglai remained, following closely behind.
"They went ahead first. Actually, it’s because flying isn’t allowed within the inner city, so they had to land and go through routine inspections," Huang Donglai explained, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.
Li Mo understood.
Those so-called "brothers at heart" had run off to catch a glimpse of the women on the Hundred Flowers Ranking.
They probably even hoped to send a visiting card, thinking that since these ladies were new in town, the early bird might catch the worm...
"Old Huang, why didn’t you go?"
"They say the most enchanting are also the most dangerous..."
"..."
Huang Donglai kept his gaze straight ahead, looking as if he were wary of some lurking beast.
Li Mo, on the other hand, was completely at ease—neither avoiding nor deliberately staring at anyone, embodying the principle of a gentleman’s open-heartedness.
At the city gates, they soon spotted Murong Xiao, Xiao Qin, and the Three Swordsmen of Hengyun.
"Godfather, you go ahead. Just wait for us at the headquarters," said Zhong Zhenyue, now dressed in city guard attire, quickly waving them through.
"?"
Aren’t you supposed to be a young marquis? Why are you personally manning the gates?
"It’s fine. I’ll wait for you. Later, I’ll have to arrange accommodations for them—might as well get familiar with the faces first."
As Li Mo spoke, his Heavenly Fate Eyes subtly activated.
"Lady Shen of the Misty Rain Pavilion, a master of music—truly blessed by the heavens’ spiritual essence."
"You might not have heard of Tu Yan, but you’ve definitely heard of the Joyful Sect’s junior sister..."
"That must be the mermaid princess. If she cried, it’d surely be a sight of pear blossoms bathed in rain. No wonder the merfolk don’t treat pearls like rice—who could bear to make her cry?"
Then he pulled out a small notebook and silently began jotting things down.
He was still as fond of investments as ever.
The women passed by in fleeting glimpses, like celebrities stepping off a plane.
Admittedly, his writing speed had improved—sometimes his thoughts barely formed before they were already on the page.
"Godfather, what do you think of Tu Yan?" Zhong Zhenyue asked.
"Tu Yan’s legs are quite long, and she dresses well. In terms of figure, she’s taller..."
Li Mo continued writing as he spoke.
"What about Lady Shen?"
"Lady Shen’s strength lies in her refined and graceful aura, though it’s not as strong as when she’s teaching martial arts."
"The mermaid princess..."
"If you punched her, how long would she cry?"
Li Mo didn’t even glance sideways, utterly mechanical in his investment analysis.
A nearby scholar, clearly a devoted follower of one of the ladies, overheard and widened his eyes in disbelief:
"Who is this ‘her’ you’re talking about? I know love is blind, but no one’s perfect!"
"The Frost Fairy."
"..."
The scholar silently lowered his head and slipped into the city.
"True, no one’s flawless. Even an ice block must have some flaws, right?"
Li Mo paused his writing, falling into brief contemplation.
"Huh? Does she?" Zhong Zhenyue blinked in confusion.
Li Mo answered earnestly, "Back when I wasn’t close to her, I was always afraid she’d cut me down with one swing of her sword."
"..."
After a moment, Li Mo closed his notebook. He’d recorded all he needed.
With no further reason to linger, he bid farewell to the group and headed straight for the headquarters.
The moment he left, his brothers collectively exhaled in relief.
Their spines, stiff from bowing all morning, finally straightened. The embers of their pride as Hidden Dragon prodigies—once smothered—now flickered back to life, ready to bask in the admiring gazes of beauties.
Ah, since ancient times, beauties have always favored heroes!
With Li Mo gone, every one of them was a young hero in his own right!
Who was the Wife-Fortune Battle Soul, after all?
Whether it was those who adored geniuses, those who fancied wealthy young masters, or even girls with niche interests like blacksmithing—he had them all wrapped around his finger.
Especially Wu Chushu. With Li Mo around, he hadn’t dared to show off at all.
Now, Old Wu finally had his moment.
Sword in hand, hair fluttering despite the lack of wind, he strolled leisurely toward the Misty Rain Pavilion’s procession.
"I am Wu Chushu of the Hengyun Sword City. Having long admired Lady Shen’s unparalleled musical talent, I’ve come to present my visiting card."
"Oh."
A cool voice drifted from the carriage, followed by silence.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Fortunately, the curtain of another nearby carriage suddenly lifted, revealing a face as radiant as stars.
"You’re Wu Chushu?" she asked.
"Oh? You’ve heard of me? May I ask for your name, fair lady?"
Wu Chushu regained his composure.
This was more like it...
"Tu Yan, of the Joyful Sect."
"Tsk..." Wu Chushu tensed momentarily but took a deep breath and decided to present his card anyway.
Rumors warned against getting involved with Joyful Sect women, but this Tu Yan was both pure and alluring—innocent yet subtly seductive...
Besides, she seemed to admire him...
The stars in Tu Yan’s eyes sparkled brighter:
"I know! You’re the one who knows that ‘Wife-Fortune Battle Soul’ guy, right?"
"..."
The silence grew deafening.
Wu Chushu felt as if struck by lightning.
So, in her eyes, he was just... "the one who knows Wife-Fortune Battle Soul"?
Indeed, that was the case.
No sooner had Tu Yan spoken than the same Misty Rain Pavilion carriage that had earlier shut him out now lifted its curtain—and not just hers.
Other beauties, some approaching personally, others sending maids, swarmed around him with questions.
"What’s Wife-Fortune Battle Soul really like? Is he truly as gentle and noble as they say?"
"Is it true he spends fortunes without hesitation?"
"I heard he led the charge in the Southern Border campaign—I’d love to see his heroic bearing!"
"By the way, does he take concubines?"
"If not, even a fleeting romance would count as being fortune-blessed."
Surrounded by a sea of flowers, enveloped in sweet voices—this was the scene Wu Chushu had dreamed of.
Yet now, tears welled in his eyes as he stared helplessly at the sky.
He should’ve left with Li Mo. He wanted to escape...
Behind him, his "brothers at heart" fell into deep contemplation.
Li Mo wasn’t even here!
How could he still make their scalps tingle and their seats feel like needles?
They’d come to meet girls, to consider their futures—only to realize there was no need. Every one of them just wanted to be fortune-blessed...
Was there no justice in this world?
Well, technically, there was someone enforcing order...
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
] [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!
