The news that Qingyuan Sect was about to become the guardian sect of the province spread like wildfire.
Yet, the Autumn Water Pavilion remained unchanged. Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi couldn’t care less—in their hearts, even the latest illustrated book held more interest.
Besides, after obsessing for so long over the icy blockhead and the childish fool getting engaged, she could hardly keep up with all the sweetness.
"'The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me' wrote the wedding scene so unprofessionally. Clearly, the author has never had a wife. And every time it gets to the exciting parts, they leave it blank—definitely never been in love," remarked Shang Qinqing, the goddess of love in the Great Shang, critiquing the book with disdain.
"Mhm, seems like they lack experience," Qin Yuzhi agreed wholeheartedly.
Having wandered through countless dreams, she had witnessed far more thrilling scenes than most.
Shang Qinqing clicked her tongue.
"Honestly, it’s not even as good as Little Ice and Li Mo’s real-life story. Speaking of which, Little Ice, what was your relationship like back then?"
"I don’t think we ever actually dated..."
Ying Bing’s raven-black hair was tied into a braid draped over her shoulder, and she wore a simple white dress. Yet, even the finest silk couldn’t compare to the purity of her jade-like skin.
As she reminisced, a soft glow flickered in her eyes—dreamy and radiant, breathtakingly beautiful.
Shang Qinqing: "?"
Qin Yuzhi: "?"
The whole vibe had shifted, and yet they’d never dated?
The aloof Ice Fairy had clearly thawed, but that stubborn little mouth of hers was still so defiant?
Oh sure, sure—never been in love, yet already picking out names for their future children, two at a time.
"So, how exactly did you two interact from the beginning till now?" Shang Qinqing munched on melon seeds, feeling like she’d missed out on some crucial sweetness.
"When I first came to Qingyuan Sect, he jumped into the Qingyuan Abyss with me. But we were being chased back then, so that doesn’t count."
"Mm, that’s reasonable enough."
"After we returned from the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm, we bathed together. But that was just a coincidence."
"A coincidence... barely acceptable."
"He liked taking off my boots to practice his finger techniques. Feeding him candy was a reward, so that probably doesn’t count either. And then later..."
Ying Bing’s voice grew quieter, her gaze increasingly uncertain.
"Does any of that count as dating?"
Qin Yuzhi’s eyes widened. "Definitely not dating. Who dates like that?"
"Even I, a certified pervert, find this scandalous."
Shang Qinqing’s breathing grew ragged, her expression briefly morphing into something wolf-like.
The two exchanged glances—two blind mice stumbling upon a glaring truth.
Little Ice had once been an unfeeling block of ice, radiating coldness, utterly clueless about mortal romance. Winning her over would’ve been a hellish challenge.
Yet, Li Mo was just a childish fool, so unassuming that no one could feel guarded around him. Doing things with him always felt inexplicably natural.
Call him immature, but he carried an irrepressible vitality, like a warm sun that didn’t blind.
And so, without fanfare, he’d inched closer, slowly melting the ice block.
Had the perceptive Ice Fairy really not noticed?
Maybe she had. Occasionally, she might’ve suspected she’d fallen for some upright gentleman’s schemes. But then she’d remember how foolishly he’d protected her and think, It’s fine to indulge him just once more.
And before she knew it, the Ice Fairy had become the spoiled one, molded into the shape of that childish fool without even realizing it...
"Tsk..."
Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi shared another look, the same thought flashing through their minds.
So, those who know nothing about love are the ones who understand it best?
If Li Mo hadn’t met the cold and aloof Ice Block, a naive, generous, and slightly foolish rich boy like him might’ve fallen for a wicked woman and ended up questioning his entire existence.
But precisely because neither of them understood the word "love," they stumbled into something perfect.
"So Little Ice and Li Mo are actually the ultimate love experts," Qin Yuzhi mused.
"Thank goodness the little monk is a monk..." Shang Qinqing muttered, shuddering at the thought.
Ying Bing frowned. "He’s just a childish fool..."
"Right, right, no problem at all. Keep spoiling him—stay pure and pristine while giving birth to two more little fools for him."
Shang Qinqing gave a thumbs-up, helping the Ice Fairy deceive herself.
"..."
Ying Bing’s lashes fluttered as she poured tea over a big-headed doll’s head.
Not long after, Gu Xueqin came downstairs, mentioning that some relatives and friends from Purple Sun Prefecture had invited her and her husband for a gathering—mostly Li Dalong’s colleagues and Gu Xueqin’s own kin.
Even distant relatives who’d been living elsewhere had rushed over to reconnect upon hearing the news.
Wealth attracts distant kin from the deepest mountains, and dealing with them left the couple slightly overwhelmed.
Before they could even voice their hesitation, Ying Bing spoke up.
"I’ll go too. I’m quite familiar with Purple Sun Prefecture."
"Oh? Little Ice visits the prefecture often? That’s perfect..."
"Mhm. Li Mo hasn’t checked on the Happy Lamb Hot Pot shop in ages. Someone has to take care of it, so I guess it’s up to me."
As the proprietress, it was only natural to keep an eye on the business.
Totally reasonable. No issues here.
Besides, she’d grown up in the Li household. With Uncle Li and Aunt Gu struggling to handle so many people, it was only right for her to step in and lend some authority.
The Ice Block changed into an elegant black dress, pinned up her hair, and made sure to wear all her family heirlooms.
Then she left with Li Dalong and Gu Xueqin, exuding the poised, wise, and unyielding aura of a daughter-in-law returning to her husband’s family.
Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi wore identical doting smiles.
"Clueless about love, but a natural at being a daughter-in-law..."
"Keep it down. Little Ice is still within earshot, and she’s shy."
"Ugh, their sweetness is so potent it might just help me break through to the next realm."
Shang Qinqing’s expression turned solemn as a vision flashed in her mind—
The childish fool and the Ice Block finally tying the knot. At their wedding banquet, she’d shout, "Sugar, come forth!" and immediately ascend, reclaiming her status as a Sage of the Profound!
"The Eighth Realm is within reach," Qin Yuzhi chuckled.
"How did you first touch the threshold back then?" Shang Qinqing asked.
"I’m not sure. That realm is profoundly mysterious." Qin Yuzhi fell into thought before shaking her head.
"At the time, I just genuinely wished for everyone to sleep peacefully, to dream sweetly, and for their waking lives to be as beautiful as their dreams. Then, I faintly sensed the Dream Dao reaching out to me."
"I see..."
Shang Qinqing nodded thoughtfully, secretly making a vow.
Once I reach the Heaven-Treading Realm, I’ll mercilessly punish every fool in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths who dares reject pure love!
As she pondered the specifics of divine retribution, footsteps sounded at the door.
Li Mo peeked in, carrying bags of sour and spicy ingredients, his earlier heroic demeanor instantly replaced by the plain, upright gentleman he was at home.
"Where’s the Ice Block?"
"She went to meet your relatives."
"???"
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."
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)
] [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!
