The sky was clear and boundless.
The architecture within the inner city each had its own distinct character. For instance, the House of Moonlit Pleasures resembled an exquisite porcelain vase, while the Everbloom Pavilion maintained a perpetual spring, with flowers of every kind competing in brilliance.
Through its intricate latticework, one could faintly glimpse blossoms suspended mid-air, each displaying its own unique charm.
Even the night-soil collector couldn’t help but lift his head with pride at the thought of working in such a refined and high-class establishment.
"Esteemed guest, you—ah, Young Master Li Mo!"
The servant lowered his proud chest, his face instantly shifting into a perfectly practiced expression of sycophantic flattery, a testament to his impeccable professionalism.
"The proprietor is waiting for you upstairs. Please, this way."
"Thanks."
"Oh no, no! You’ll shorten my lifespan with such words! Guiding you is this humble one’s greatest honor..."
The servant hastily slapped his own cheek, his expression tinged with panic.
In his experience, when guests uttered words like "thanks," it was usually a sign of displeasure.
"...Let’s just go."
Li Mo glanced to the side, where a familiar scene from the House of Moonlit Pleasures played out—beautiful women treated as mere ornaments.
He said nothing more, slipping the servant a silver note as they ascended.
Word must have spread, for as he passed, the workers of Everbloom Pavilion cast uneasy glances his way.
If the ownership changed hands, where would they go?
Would this premier establishment of the imperial capital still provide them a livelihood?
At the top floor, in the Peony Chamber.
Pushing the door open, the mess from last night’s revelry had vanished, replaced instead with fresh fruits and delicacies.
A middle-aged beauty sat alone, her eyes appraising the young man who entered.
"Fading charm" didn’t suit her—her allure was a perfect blend of seduction and maturity, with a vermilion beauty mark at the corner of her lips serving as the dangerous yet enchanting finishing touch.
A truly wicked woman!
"Young Master Li Mo, what skillful maneuvering. Several high-ranking officials have written to me—a group of grown men bullying a lone, helpless woman like me, is that the act of heroes?"
The beauty took a slow drag from her pipe, exhaling a wisp of smoke that veiled her face in a hazy mist.
The smoke wasn’t acrid but carried a faint scent of roses—the kind with thorns and poison.
[Name: Luo Ji (alias Su Yao)]
[Age: 39]
[Constitution: Venomous Allure Physique]
[Cultivation: Late-stage Dharma Body]
[Fate: Gold tinged with Gray]
[Evaluation: Fifth Heavenly Slayer of the Misty Rain Tower, branch master of the imperial capital, ranked tenth on the Hundred Flowers List. Entered the capital fifteen years ago, married a wealthy merchant, then slowly poisoned him to death over the years, inheriting his assets and renaming the establishment Everbloom Pavilion, turning it into a crucial node in the Misty Rain Tower’s intelligence network. Beneath her beguiling charm lies a venomous thorn...]
[Recent Events: Received letters from court officials demanding she relinquish her business. Plans to collaborate with Yin Mianmian to ensnare the instigator, Li Mo, as her latest conquest...]
"......"
Li Mo leaned back slightly.
It was pure instinct that made him activate his Heaven’s Eye to assess her.
He hadn’t expected to uncover something so explosive.
Could he now just say—"Never mind, I don’t want Everbloom Pavilion anymore, it was all drunken nonsense"—and expect her to let him walk away?
Obviously not.
Late-stage Dharma Body—he stood no chance in a direct confrontation. Even escaping into his pocket dimension would require her not keeping her full attention on him...
How to handle this?
"Enough with the petty tricks, Su Yao."
Li Mo plopped down across from her, pouring himself tea with an air of icy nonchalance.
The Qingyuan Sect’s best actor had silently taken the stage.
The transition was seamless—enough to make seasoned thespians break into a cold sweat.
"Or should I say... Luo Ji?"
"?"
Luo Ji’s expression froze for a split second before she chuckled.
"Young Master Li Mo, you jest. Do I resemble some woman you fancy? But I don’t recall any..."
Li Mo shook his head. "This poison won’t work on me."
The moment the words left his lips, the atmosphere in the chamber turned glacial, leaving only the faint strains of string and wind instruments in the background.
Li Mo realized the beauty across from him had vanished.
In the silence, vibrant flowers bloomed one after another, their fragrance intoxicating, lulling the senses into a sweet, eternal slumber...
A bottomless abyss of sweetness unfolded as vines crept up Li Mo’s limbs, sprouting buds that soon blossomed.
"......"
Li Mo frowned slightly, as if displeased, yet made no move to resist—clearly allowing her to proceed.
Luo Ji, now merged with her external manifestation, narrowed her eyes.
His demeanor suggested he was unafraid of her poison, as if he had a countermeasure prepared.
"What method in this world could allow a mere Spectator-stage cultivator to resist my external manifestation?"
Had someone told Luo Ji this before, she would have scoffed.
But the man before her was currently the brightest rising star across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Moreover, if he hadn’t come prepared, how could he have so casually revealed her true identity?
She hesitated to act recklessly now.
This was the imperial capital, and they were near the royal palace.
If exposed, she’d be lucky to escape with her life intact.
But—
Rustle—
The first flower on the vines entwining Li Mo finally bloomed.
This poison didn’t target the body—it targeted the heart.
It lulled its victims into an eternal slumber by exploiting the deepest malice in their hearts.
The Divine Hammer Young Tyrant, the Prosperous Wife’s Battle Soul—what darkness lurked in his heart?
The flower fully unfurled.
The scene within showed a young Li Mo tossing a firecracker into an outhouse, followed by the shrill, outraged shriek of the elderly gentleman inside...
Luo Ji: "?"
This was the deepest malice in his heart?
What in the world?!
But soon, Luo Ji relaxed slightly.
Rustle—
Another flower bloomed.
"He must have more..."
Her smirk hadn’t even fully formed before it stiffened again.
In this vision, Li Mo was massaging a slender, jade-like foot—its owner none other than the Frost Fairy.
This seemed to trigger a chain reaction.
One after another, the flowers burst into full bloom.
Each petal bore the same face—a flawless, celestial beauty that put even the most splendid blossoms to shame.
To be fair.
The slightly blurred visage appearing on the flowers made the surrounding splendor seem dull in comparison.
Luo Ji: "......"
After a long silence.
Li Mo, who had been growing increasingly tense, suddenly felt the pressure lift.
When he opened his eyes, the Peony Chamber had returned to normal, and Luo Ji sat across from him, her expression a mix of deep contemplation and disbelief.
"See? I told you..."
"I believe you came prepared."
Luo Ji narrowed her eyes, her husky voice still laced with danger. "Young Master Li Mo, ah, Young Master Li Mo... I’ve truly witnessed your prowess today. No wonder you’ve managed to sway even court officials to your side. I’ve learned much."
This had to be some kind of trick! And Li Mo had undoubtedly done it on purpose!
Who in their right mind had their deepest malice revolve around throwing firecrackers into outhouses, massaging the Frost Fairy’s feet, or wanting to nibble her ears?!
The latter scenes were too much for her to even look at!
This Prosperous Wife’s Battle Soul was downright bizarre!
......
PS: Please consider supporting with a power-up (charging), mwah! -3-
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
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.
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.
