"Whoosh..."
Sitting on the rocky shore, Ye Feng let the sea breeze wash over him. The initial shock from Shen Mengli's sudden advance had gradually subsided, but his heart remained tangled in a mess of emotions—like a tightly knotted ball of yarn, impossible to unravel.
"Mengli... since when?"
Ye Feng gazed at the horizon with a pensive expression, his heart heavy with mixed feelings. From Shen Mengli's earlier actions, he had begun to piece things together.
At first, he had dismissed her affectionate gestures as accidental or just excitement. But as time passed, he couldn't ignore the growing shift in how she treated him.
And then, with that sudden kiss, the fog in Ye Feng's mind finally cleared. The tenderness in Shen Mengli's eyes left no doubt—she had fallen for him.
"One storm barely passes, and another rises..."
A slender figure surfaced in Ye Feng's mind—Xie Yuyan. Her gaze had once held the same warmth. He still didn’t know how to face Xie Yuyan, and now Shen Mengli had added to his dilemma.
How should he define his feelings for Shen Mengli? At first, he could dismiss them as mere friendship. But over time, her gentle nature had seeped into him. Despite her own frail health, she had consistently showered him with kindness—even the words she had spoken earlier on the bench had touched him deeply.
For once, Ye Feng, the one who always extended warmth to others, had felt it returned.
So this is how comforting kindness can be...
But... he could never afford such happiness. If he stumbled in matters of the heart, he knew the consequences would be dire.
He refused to let his burdens harm those who cared for him. That was why he often played the fool around them.
"I know it's impossible, but... I don’t want this either. I just want... a life of my own."
"Why... why must you torment me like this, System? I’ve followed your tasks step by step, yet the cycle never ends. Even urgent missions force me to risk my life... What’s the point of all these so-called items? Substitute Dolls, Master Keys, even that Fake Death Pill! What use are they to me? Am I really being hunted down or something?"
At this point, the frustration Ye Feng had bottled up finally erupted. He stood and roared at the sea.
"What’s wrong with wanting a peaceful life? Kidnappings, systems—if you want to torture me, just erase me already! Progress bars, indexes... you never explain how to complete them or what they even mean. What kind of scam system are you?"
After his outburst, Ye Feng gradually calmed down, his heaving chest settling as his breathing steadied.
"Hah... shouting at the sea really does help vent emotions. I feel much better now."
His anger had come and gone quickly, and with rationality restored, everything seemed normal again. But now, he had one more problem to consider—how to handle Shen Mengli from now on.
"Xiao Feng? You're back."
Seeing Ye Feng approach from a distance, Shen Mengli offered a soft smile and opened her arms, expecting an embrace. But his expressionless face made her smile stiffen.
When Ye Feng stopped before her with heavy steps, she sensed something was wrong. Her voice lost its usual cheerfulness.
"X-Xiao Feng? You..."
"I’m sorry, Mengli."
Ye Feng cut her off, then spoke solemnly.
"Let’s not have any more... intimate contact like before, okay? I... I’m not comfortable with it."
"Huh? Wh-why... Xiao Feng, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly saying this? Did you hear something? Is there a misunderstanding? Please, tell me."
Her voice trembled as she clutched his sleeve tightly, refusing to let go.
"Mengli? Wait a second—"
"No, it has to be a mistake. Xiao Feng, don’t listen to them. They’re lying to you—don’t... don’t believe them!"
Shen Mengli shook her head frantically, as if struck by some unseen shock. No matter what Ye Feng said, she didn’t respond.
"Mengli..."
"Xiao Feng, believe me... please believe me. I’m the only one who truly cares about you... the only one who loves you. Don’t... don’t do this, okay?"
"Your emotions are unstable right now. Let’s go back to the room and talk, alright?"
This was the first time Ye Feng had seen Shen Mengli so distraught. His words seemed to have carved a deep wound into her heart.
"No no no no..."
She kept muttering under her breath, her gaze growing vacant. It was clear his rejection had triggered something in her.
"Mengli!"
Watching the light fade from her eyes, Ye Feng panicked. His words had affected her far more than he’d anticipated. No matter how many times he called her name, she didn’t respond. For a moment, he was at a loss.
Originally, he had only meant to discuss toning down their physical closeness. But before he could even negotiate, Shen Mengli had spiraled into this strange state—like an angel slowly falling from grace.
Realizing this approach wasn’t working, Ye Feng gave up. He shook her shoulders gently.
"Mengli? Maybe I didn’t phrase things well earlier. Let’s talk this over again, okay?"
"......"
Only silence answered him. Shen Mengli’s eyes darkened further, returning to their former emptiness. Her lips parted slightly, whispering something inaudible.
Now, Ye Feng was truly alarmed. He hadn’t expected her reaction to be so extreme. Did he really mean that much to her? Was this a good thing... or a bad one?
In the end, with no other choice, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as her eyes deepened into a crimson hue. Leaning in, he whispered by her ear:
"Please, Mengli... let’s talk."
"Talk..."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
