Three days later.
At the entrance of Murong Manor, the carriage that had brought them stood quietly in place. The porridge stall was still open, and many members of the Murong family had come out to see them off.
"Xiao, make sure to train diligently under Young Friend Li, understand?"
"If you lack anything, just send word home."
Murong Hai stood at the gate with his hands clasped behind his back, every wrinkle on his face creased with kindness. Now, he no longer seemed as imposing as when they first met—more like an ordinary old man.
"Understood, Grandfather."
Murong Xiao nodded earnestly.
Glancing around, he scratched his head and asked, "Where’s Brother Li?"
"I’m here."
A voice drifted over with the wind.
Yet before the sound fully reached them, the man himself had already arrived.
Murong Xiao turned to find Li Mo standing atop the carriage, his robes fluttering gently in the breeze.
"Windshadow Steps?"
He blinked in surprise.
How did Brother Li know their family’s secret, high-tier movement technique?
"I gave the method to Young Friend Li only three days ago."
Murong Hai could only sigh in amazement now.
He could clearly tell—Li Mo’s earlier display showed he had already mastered the technique to a minor degree.
It seemed the young man was naturally suited to this movement art, had experienced a sudden enlightenment, and possessed extraordinary comprehension to begin with.
"Brother Li, have you been studying Windshadow Steps all these days? No wonder I barely saw you."
"Not entirely."
Li Mo shook his head slightly.
He had reached major proficiency in Windshadow Steps on the first day.
His talent in movement techniques was actually quite average—he had simply exhausted the insights he’d gained from aiding ordinary people in their martial pursuits.
"Oh, right, you were also training." Murong Xiao nodded, though not entirely following.
Li Mo toyed with the ring in his palm, smiling without a word.
Over the past three days, most of his time had been spent figuring out how to imprint the aura of the World Seed onto the Ancient Intent Ring.
It was no simple task, requiring immense focus and energy.
Li Mo had consumed numerous sixth-grade recovery elixirs just to replenish his expended vitality.
Fortunately, he had succeeded in the end.
Now, through his guidance, the Ancient Intent Ring bore a "backdoor" left by the World Seed.
The coachman arrived.
"Grandfather, we’re leaving now."
"Elder Murong, let’s keep in touch."
Li Mo also waved from the carriage.
The carriage slowly began moving.
Along the road, refugees and beggars who had come to receive food looked up at the passing vehicle, their numb expressions suddenly flickering to life.
They all knew.
The Great Benefactor Li had promised that even after his departure, the charity kitchen would continue operating.
"Great Benefactor Li, take care!"
"When I make something of myself, I’ll build a shrine in your honor!"
"May your martial path flourish!"
...
Listening to the gratitude pouring from both sides of the road, Li Mo felt an unfamiliar emotion stirring in his chest—this was the first time so many had looked to him as a beacon of hope.
He exhaled deeply and let the carriage curtain fall.
"Let’s make a stop at Mud Corner Alley first."
"Right away!"
The coachman hurriedly complied.
Now, he wouldn’t dare disregard Young Master Li’s words—even the young clan head deferred to him.
...
Mud Corner Alley.
The ramshackle houses still stood, cluttered with broken belongings, but the air no longer carried the same lifeless despair.
Over the past three days, Li Mo had visited daily.
And each time, he would cook for them.
"Brother Li hasn’t come yet today?"
"Will Brother Li bring candied hawthorns today?"
"I want donkey rolls..."
"All you think about is food."
The little beggars bustled about the courtyard.
Suddenly, the mute child began making excited noises—his ears were the sharpest. The other children rushed to the courtyard entrance.
Sure enough, the sound of a carriage approached.
"Brother Li!"
"Today, I’ll teach you how to make lotus-leaf chicken and roasted meat. Simple dishes—you’ll be able to make them yourselves later."
Li Mo entered, chatting with them as usual. By now, he was thoroughly familiar with this group of little rascals.
"G-good morning."
Jiang Chulong greeted him timidly.
Her face was still smudged like a stray cat’s, making it hard to gauge her complexion, but her voice carried more strength than before—proof of her improving health.
She even had enough energy to help now.
"I... I’ll help... chop the vegetables."
"Sure."
Li Mo flicked water droplets from his hands.
But after a long pause, Jiang Chulong still hadn’t moved.
Her hesitant voice came again:
"I don’t... don’t have a knife..."
"Here."
Li Mo casually handed her the Crimson Sky Sword from his waist.
Strangely enough, the usually aloof Crimson Sky had been unusually restless these past few days—around Jiang Chulong, it acted like a cat intoxicated by catnip.
In her hands, the sword became docile, slicing whatever she directed it to without complaint.
Thus, the precious mystic weapon temporarily served as a kitchen knife.
"Y-you... you’re using that to chop vegetables?"
Murong Xiao stammered in disbelief.
"It’s... not very... convenient."
"This sword... isn’t good."
Jiang Chulong replied haltingly.
Murong Xiao: "!"
Li Mo: "..."
The princess’s sense of value was truly peculiar.
A sack of rice was a treasure to her; a hundred-tael silver note could leave her gaping for half a day.
Yet when faced with mystic weapons or phoenix feathers, she treated them as utterly ordinary.
Li Mo had once asked her about it, leading to the following exchange:
"People... will die without food..."
"What about silver notes?"
"Silver... can buy... food..."
"Don’t you realize this sword could fetch a lot of silver?"
"Could it? But I’ve seen... many better ones before..."
Pills, mystic weapons—things most considered precious, she regarded as commonplace.
Likely, such things had been abundant in her past life, leaving her with no grasp of ordinary people’s realities.
Yesterday, she had found a broken rattle drum. After Li Mo repaired it, she cherished it like a priceless artifact.
It was baffling.
A strange kind of sheltered ignorance.
Soon, the meal was ready.
But this time, Li Mo didn’t eat with them.
Instead, he called Jiang Chulong aside and first pulled out a piece of paper.
"This is the deed to this abandoned house. From now on, you’re not refugees or beggars—you’re its rightful owners."
"Owners?"
Jiang Chulong accepted the deed in a daze, carefully folding it before tucking it into the pouch containing the phoenix feather.
"And this."
Li Mo produced the Ancient Intent Ring from his robes.
Without hesitation, he slid it onto her slender finger.
Jiang Chulong: "!"
Her mother had once told her—rings were tokens of betrothal!
When a man gave one to a woman, it symbolized devotion. Accepting it meant binding their fates together.
It also meant... babies would come soon.
In Jiang Chulong’s mind:
Accepting a ring = soon having babies.
Brother Li was handsome, gentle, told wonderful stories, and could cook...
But... but she wasn’t ready!
Yet if she refused, he’d surely be heartbroken...
"Little Stutterer?"
Across from him, Jiang Chulong seemed to have short-circuited.
Even through the grime on her face, her blush burned crimson.
Li Mo waved his hand in front of her eyes, puzzled.
"Brother Li... this... this is..."
"Oh, this item was entrusted to me by someone to deliver to you."
Young Li promptly shifted the blame onto the "Ice Block."
If it was something from the Ice Block, she’d probably accept it, right?
"So... that’s how it is..."
Jiang Chulong relaxed slightly, yet a trace of melancholy lingered in her expression.
With the ring now on her finger, her previously calmed heart suddenly felt hollow, as if something vital was missing.
"Well, I’ll be on my way now."
"Where... are you going?"
"Back to the Qingyuan Sect. But don’t worry, I’ll return in a while."
As the young man reached the doorway, he turned to bid her farewell with a smile.
Jiang Chulong pressed her lips together, watching him take step after step away from her.
Then, driven by an inexplicable surge of courage, she called out:
"Brother Li... wait."
"You... you haven’t seen... what I really look like yet."

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."

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!

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!

and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!