"Do I have to be happy all the time, Brother Xu Xi?"
"Yes, you must always be happy."
The marriage proposal had begun.
Niu carried bags of gifts in both hands.
Some were homemade pastries, while others were fruits purchased from Yanshan City.
With steady arms, he demonstrated his martial prowess, lifting the heavy gifts as he walked toward the house at the other end of the outskirts.
Niu and his elderly mother led the way, with Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue following behind.
"Master, do we count as matchmakers now?"
As they walked, the young lady asked curiously, her hands clasped behind her back, bending forward to peer at Xu Xi's face.
Her eyes sparkled, reflecting Xu Xi's outline.
"I think..."
"We both do and don't count?"
"Rather than matchmakers, we're more like witnesses to the marriage."
Xu Xi pondered for a moment before offering a vague answer.
The most important part of a marriage proposal was the intermediary process, but Niu had already taken care of that himself.
All that remained was the final confirmation of the marriage.
"In a way, Niu is quite efficient," Xu Xi said with a smile.
...
Soon, the group arrived at the bride's home.
A marriage proposal wasn't a formal wedding, so it should have been a quiet affair. However, since it was Niu who was proposing, the scene was quite lively.
"Niu, be happy!"
Someone shouted.
"May you have a hundred and eight children!"
Others joined in with playful banter.
Xu Xi stood by Niu, witnessing the confirmation of the marriage. He also gave the girl some pills as a blessing, to her flustered surprise.
This was a blessing from Xu Xi.
A blessing from Master Xu Xi.
"I hope you will always live in harmony and happiness."
Xu Xi smiled, staying until the sky darkened before finally bidding farewell amidst the crowd's pleas for him to stay.
But he didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he stood in a quiet high place, overlooking the rising fireworks below and the radiant smiles of Niu and the others.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Light footsteps approached, stopping beside Xu Xi.
The girl crouched down.
Sometimes she looked at the people of the Survival Army below, and other times she gazed at Xu Xi's familiar face.
"Nothing," Xu Xi smiled. "I'm just happy for Niu."
Xu Xi also crouched down, his hand gently resting on the young lady's head, rubbing it softly. His warm voice felt like a touch from the past.
"Yingxue, you remember how things were for the Survival Army before, don't you?"
"Of course I do. Back then, everyone struggled to even get enough to eat."
Wu Yingxue recounted the hardships the Survival Army had endured.
Life had been incredibly difficult.
No one wanted to experience that again.
"Yes, back then, whether it was the Great Qian's army or the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains, they were all insurmountable obstacles for us."
"Everyone suffered greatly, especially Niu..."
"But now, everyone has enough to eat, and Niu is starting a family..."
"Before we knew it."
"They no longer need my guidance."
Xu Xi crouched, his voice drifting away in the cold air, distorted slightly by the breeze.
The hardships experienced in the simulation.
Were now being replaced by fulfillment in the real world.
Not long ago.
His master, Li Wanshou, had rebuilt the Heavenly Sword Sect in the capital, finally having a home again.
And now, the people of the Survival Army, including Niu, had truly settled down, starting their own new lives.
In a daze.
It seemed as though a voice rang out.
Telling Xu Xi that the third simulation had officially ended.
The people who had fought for survival had successfully crossed the mountains and were now living in a bright world, no longer needing Xu Xi to worry about them.
"Master..." Hearing Xu Xi's words, Wu Yingxue wanted to say something.
But as she looked at the happy and contented people below.
Her words dissipated on their own.
The people of Qingniu Town.
The people of the Survival Army.
Added more flames to the laughter and joy.
Tiny sparks of dust ignited an unquenchable fire, building a future of happiness.
The scene was so moving that Xu Xi smiled, deciding not to dismantle a certain sacrificial simulator.
"A good life should be like this."
"Let's go back, Yingxue."
Xu Xi stood up, no longer watching the people of the Survival Army.
He glanced up at the night sky, where the stars shone brightly, indicating that it was already very late. It was time to return to the courtyard.
Just like when they had come.
Xu Xi took out the Jianmu Sword Staff.
Preparing to use a spatial teleportation spell to return to the courtyard in the city center.
But at that moment, his sleeve was tugged by slender fingers.
"What is it, Yingxue?"
"Master, carry me back on your back."
The young lady stood up, suddenly suggesting with a playful smile, "I'm a bit tired now and want to rest on your back. Please walk slowly, Master, and don't leave me behind."
So.
Wouldn't it be better to just teleport back?
Xu Xi hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not.
But when he met her blinking eyes, he finally agreed.
"Alright then."
"Hold on tight and don't move around."
"I know~~~ Oh, no, I'm so tired~~"
In Wu Yingxue's exaggerated tone of exhaustion, Xu Xi bent over and carried the "extremely tired" girl on his back.
Step by step.
He walked slowly along the nighttime path.
Crushing the silver moonlight beneath his feet.
Heading toward the quiet city.
Perhaps because it was winter, the night sky was exceptionally clear, with stars twinkling brightly like countless tiny crystals, making the night seem dreamlike.
"One, two, three, four..."
As Xu Xi walked, the young lady's voice came from his back.
Her arms were wrapped around his neck, holding on tightly as she rested her entire weight on him.
She looked up at the sky.
Her eyes half-closed as she gazed at the tranquil flow of the Milky Way and the endless tiny stars, counting them like a child.
In truth.
With her current strength, she could have counted them all in an instant.
But she didn't want to.
She just wanted to rest on Xu Xi's back, using her fingers and eyes to count slowly, one by one.
And after counting for a while, she would exclaim that it was too difficult and give up.
"I'm so tired~~"
"Master~~"
She giggled, the starry sky illuminating her fair skin and restless hands.
Her hands, after circling Xu Xi's neck, began to gesture and make shapes.
She was becoming more and more like a child.
"Can't you just stay still?" Xu Xi's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"Yes, Master~~" The young lady obediently stopped moving, quietly resting on Xu Xi's back, feeling his steps carry them further and further away.
So far away, into the silence beyond the stars.
"Master."
In the thick of the night.
The girl on his back suddenly spoke again.
"Even if everyone no longer needs you, I will always need your guidance."
"Forever, always, it will be this way."
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."
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!
] [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!"
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
