"P-Palace Master, please calm your anger..."
A man in a white lab coat stepped forward from the shadows of the grand hall.
"Oh? Doctor, do you have some brilliant insight? You rarely leave your lab—could it be that even you are afraid?"
The Palace Master gazed down curiously at the man kneeling before her.
"H-How could that be! That Cold Snake merely won by fluke, relying on her combat skills. But my creations are nothing like her."
The doctor’s confidence seemed to grow as he adjusted his glasses with one hand.
"Following your orders, I’ve spent the past few years refining a new batch of enhanced subjects. Unlike the old methods of training assassins, which wasted resources and effort, my serum-enhanced 'treasures' will surpass even the finest killers. Forget one Cold Snake—even ten of her wouldn’t stand a chance!"
"Oh? So your experiments have succeeded?"
The Palace Master arched a brow in surprise. Years ago, she had envisioned a more efficient way to produce assassins for the Dark Palace, but the doctor’s slow progress had hindered the organization’s growth. Fortunately, Cold Snake’s unmatched skills had kept the Dark Palace ahead of rival factions.
Xie Yuyan—Cold Snake—had never failed a single mission. But that very perfection had sown seeds of unease in the Palace Master’s mind.
The louder Xie Yuyan’s reputation grew, the greater the threat she posed. What if another faction swayed her to betrayal? And from what the Palace Master had observed, Xie Yuyan had indeed shown signs of wanting to leave.
There was no way the Palace Master would let her go. Xie Yuyan, the Dark Palace’s top-ranked assassin, was swiftly marked for elimination. But on the day of her capture, something went wrong. Now, Xie Yuyan had come knocking—undoubtedly seeking revenge.
First, the elite task force was wiped out. Then, one stronghold after another fell. It was clear: Xie Yuyan intended to annihilate the Dark Palace entirely. The Palace Master, sensing the looming danger, felt true tension for the first time.
How ironic—the hunter now hunted.
Once, she had pursued Xie Yuyan. Now, the tables had turned. But the Palace Master refused to panic. Xie Yuyan was just one woman. Could she really bring down the entire Dark Palace? Ridiculous.
And now, with the doctor’s trump card in hand, the Palace Master felt invincible. The moment Xie Yuyan was captured, she would make her suffer a fate worse than death.
Come, Cold Snake. I’ll show you—a slave can never break free.
---
"Xiao Feng."
"Hmm?"
Late at night, Ye Feng had just finished washing up when he stepped into the bedroom and found Shen Mengli sitting on the bed, calling his name.
"Mengli, is there something else you haven’t told me?"
"Well..."
Shen Mengli nodded slightly, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.
"Mengli?"
Noticing her evasive gaze, Ye Feng walked over and sat beside her.
"Tell me what’s on your mind. Isn’t it what friends do—to care for each other?"
"T-Then... I’ll say it."
Too shy to meet his eyes, Shen Mengli buried her face lower.
"Go ahead."
"Xiao Feng... is there anything you like?"
"Things I like? Haha, why the sudden question?"
"You’ve been so good to me... I want to do something for you too, even if it’s something small."
Hearing the stubbornness in her voice, Ye Feng didn’t try to dissuade her this time. He knew that constantly rejecting her kindness would only let her emotions fester—unhealthy for both mind and body.
"Alright, since you insist... Can I make one small request?"
"Really?! I thought you’d refuse me again!"
Her grip tightened around the stuffed bear in her arms as she lifted her head, the faint crease between her brows smoothing away.
"I kept saying no because I didn’t want you to overthink things for my sake. But even if I refused, you’d still find a way to sneak something in, wouldn’t you?"
"N-No way! I... I’m very obedient!"
"Oh? Then I guess I don’t need to accept your thanks this time."
"No! You can’t!"
Shen Mengli immediately protested.
"Hm?"
Ye Feng smirked, leaning closer to whisper in her ear.
"Who was it that just claimed to be 'very obedient'? Now you’re being rebellious?"
"Mmm... I-It’s okay to be a little willful sometimes..."
"Hahaha, Mengli, that excuse is so flimsy."
"D-Don’t laugh at me! Xiao Feng, you always bully me!"
"What’s wrong with teasing you a little? Didn’t you just say it’s fine to be willful sometimes?"
"Mean Xiao Feng..."
Her eyes glistened like autumn waters as her lips parted slightly, murmuring something inaudible.
"...Then... you have to bully me forever, okay~?"
"Huh? What was that?"
"N-Nothing!"
"Hmm... Feels like you just cursed me. Are you secretly some kind of hex master?"
"Xiao—Feng!! I’m ignoring you now!"
"Sorry, sorry... I was just joking..."
---
"Haa... haa..."
Late into the night, Ye Feng propped himself up slightly, gazing at Shen Mengli as she slept soundly, clutching her stuffed bear. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he adjusted the blanket over her shoulders.
He had lived in this unfamiliar world for so long now. Trapped by this damned system, forced to carry out tasks he despised—even kidnapping these kind, innocent girls. If only he could fight back, he’d make this wretched system explode on the spot.
Li Mucheng, cold and untouchable. Su Yuxin, sweet as the girl next door. Xie Yuyan, sharp as a rose’s thorns. And Shen Mengli, gentle and understanding. Every one of them was a good person, yet he had approached them all for the sake of the system’s missions. By all logic, once the tasks were done, he should be free to enjoy himself or await the next assignment.
But Ye Feng had never been that kind of person. He wanted to make amends—to compensate these girls for the harm he’d caused.
Yet... if they ever learned the truth behind his actions, they would surely hate him.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
