"Rustle..."
The sound of grass rustling clearly revealed a slender figure darting through the bushes, swift as a passing breeze.
To avoid detection, Xie Yuyan chose to act alone. This not only minimized the risk of being discovered but also allowed her to rely on her strong survival and stealth skills to locate Ye Feng's current whereabouts.
However, what Xie Yuyan hadn’t anticipated was whether the situation between Shen Mengli and Ye Feng was mere coincidence or part of a premeditated plan.
If it were a coincidence, the explanation seemed far too forced. Whether it was Ye Feng’s actions at the cliff or Shen Mengli’s sudden disappearance at the orphanage, all these clues seemed to scream at Xie Yuyan that this was intentional.
Yet, having spent time with Ye Feng, Xie Yuyan couldn’t bring herself to believe he would treat her—or the other two—this way.
Ye Feng... there must be a reason, right? I refuse to believe you’d make such a choice. I promise I won’t lose my temper like before. I’ll be obedient. Please, just come out and see me...
Xie Yuyan’s head drooped low, her spirits sinking. Every time she imagined Shen Mengli and Ye Feng living the life that should have been hers, her heart ached as if bleeding. She knew the consequences were of her own making. If only she had realized sooner, would things have turned out differently?
But it was all too late now...
As she ventured deeper into the mountains, the surroundings grew thick with weeds and trees, an environment clearly unfit for human habitation. Realizing she had been lost in thought, Xie Yuyan quickly refocused on her search for Ye Feng.
"It seems there’s no point searching this area further. If he had the time and means to buy ingredients, it means wherever he’s staying must have provisions for cooking and living—likely a small cabin, or at the very least, a cave."
Muttering to herself, Xie Yuyan deduced the possible locations of Ye Feng and Shen Mengli, continuing her pursuit.
"Mucheng, should we really just wait here? What if Shen Mengli already knows we’re here the moment we arrived at the village?"
Perched on a hill not far from the village, Su Yuxin observed the village entrance through binoculars. After discussing with Li Mucheng, they had decided to maintain a safe distance—close enough to monitor the village’s surroundings but prepared to act in case of emergency.
"Yuxin, I don’t know what’s going on either. To be safe, we should proceed cautiously. Remember, we’ve already lost one chance. We can’t afford to waste any more."
"Mm."
......
"Sigh..."
Inside the cabin, Ye Feng sat on a wooden chair, his attention fixed on the door. It had been several minutes since Shen Mengli left. Now, every task requiring exposure fell to her, while he could do nothing but wait. The thought filled him with guilt. In his mind, Shen Mengli had always been the one he took care of. But ever since her legs healed, their roles had reversed—a change he still hadn’t grown accustomed to.
"The firewood in the shed is running low. Maybe I should chop some now. As long as I don’t leave the cabin... I wonder how Xie Yuyan and the others are doing..."
Shaking his head, Ye Feng tried to dispel the distracting thoughts. He was no longer bound by the system’s demands—there was no need to dwell on these questions anymore.
"Ah..."
With a heavy sigh, Ye Feng rose from the chair and slowly made his way to the woodshed.
As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes fell on the half-finished corn soup from the morning. Worried that Shen Mengli might exhaust herself on the journey, he decided to reheat it to help her recover. Grabbing the matches from the stove, he lit the fire and warmed the soup. Then, picking up an axe nearby, he began splitting the logs piled in the shed.
Given Shen Mengli’s petite frame, they had been using pre-chopped firewood. Now, with time to spare, Ye Feng busied himself with the task.
"Thud... thud..."
"Hm?"
Meanwhile, Xie Yuyan, having navigated the rugged mountain terrain, unexpectedly crested a hill. A faint sound reached her ears from below.
Following the noise, her sharp eyes trembled—as if she had stumbled upon a monumental secret. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe.
Before her lay not just an open grassy field but also a small wooden cabin. And the sound was coming from inside.
For some reason, Xie Yuyan’s expression grew tense as she stared at the cabin. This wasn’t like her usual composed self—it was as if she already knew the answer she sought lay within those walls.
After a brief hesitation, she took a step toward the cabin.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
With each step, the distance closed until she found herself standing right at the cabin’s doorstep.
Fresh footprints around the entrance made her hold her breath, not daring to make a sound. From inside came the rhythmic splitting of wood—someone was clearly chopping something.
Ye... Ye Feng... is it you? Are you inside this cabin?
Quietly moving to the window, Xie Yuyan peered inside. The interior was simple, furnished with plain necessities, but the chopping sound didn’t come from this room—it seemed to originate from next door.
The truth was unraveling piece by piece as Xie Yuyan drew closer, and soon, she would finally have her answer.
"Thud."
With the last log split, Ye Feng straightened, hands on his hips, exhaling deeply. Though the physical exertion was nothing to him, the effort was undeniable.
Hmm, the corn soup should be ready by now. I’ll wait for Mengli to return so we can have it together.
Just as he turned to extinguish the stove’s flame, he noticed a long shadow cast across the wall in front of him.
At first, he assumed Shen Mengli had returned. Without turning around, he called out, "Mengli, you’re back so soon? Put your things down and have some soup to warm up. The mountain air can be chilly—easy to catch a cold."
But the response wasn’t Shen Mengli’s sweet voice.
Only silence.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
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!
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.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
