“Boom—”
A deafening explosion echoed from outside.
It was a high-level fire magic spell, a firework soaring into the sky and bursting at a single point.
The dazzling flames even illuminated the night.
In Allenson City, the mages under the three great divine churches—the Fire God, the Blacksmith God, and the Harvest Goddess—were continuously unleashing various powerful spells to showcase the might of their deities.
Every year at this time, the divine churches would subtly compete with one another.
Whoever emerged victorious would gain more followers in the coming year.
“Boom! Boom!”
The intense sounds of magical bombardments in the distant sky interrupted Xu Xi’s memories.
He glanced beside him, where the young witch, Krisha, looked lost, clutching a necklace and a gold coin, her expression still empty and quiet.
The magic outside was too dazzling.
So dazzling that its light seeped into the room.
It illuminated half of Krisha’s fair cheek, her smooth silver-gray hair, and her delicate, softly curved nose.
As well as her hands, which unconsciously continued to fidget with the necklace.
Krisha seemed to want to wear the necklace, but she didn’t know how. In her tragic past, there had only been pain and torment, and her understanding of necklaces was limited to seeing them.
Her slender, pale fingers brushed over the necklace’s loop, clumsy and cautious, lightly touching it before quickly pulling back.
Afraid of accidentally damaging it.
Her movements were awkward, her fingers unsure, evoking a sense of pity in anyone who saw her.
“Krisha, let me help you.”
“…Okay.”
Xu Xi extended a helping hand, taking the sapphire necklace from the girl. He walked behind her, grasped the mithril chains at both ends, and gently draped it around her neck.
As he did so,
Xu Xi’s fingers brushed against the girl’s neck.
It was a strange sensation, making Krisha feel a little ticklish, a little warm, and… a little fond of it.
She instinctively rubbed her neck, causing the chains to jingle pleasantly.
But she quickly realized that this might cause unnecessary trouble for Xu Xi.
So she straightened up again.
Feeling his warm hands part her hair, he crossed the two mithril chains at the back of her neck, then pressed the silver clasp with a soft click, securing the sapphire necklace in place.
Outside, snow fell heavily, and the streets were alive with noise and excitement.
Under the man’s gentle care, the mithril necklace embedded with a sapphire rested securely around the slightly warm neck of the young witch.
Why was it warm?
Krisha didn’t understand.
This was an experience she had never had before.
“Not bad, not bad,” Xu Xi stepped back, looking Krisha up and down with satisfaction.
“Just as I imagined, this necklace suits you perfectly, Krisha.”
Xu Xi smiled.
His praise was sincere.
Winter was harsh and cold, and even on a lively New Year’s Eve, that didn’t change.
But at this moment, right now,
Xu Xi felt he had witnessed something beautiful enough to melt the winter’s chill.
Her silver-gray hair lightly covered her snow-white neck, the scars of the past now replaced by softness and smoothness. The emotionless witch lowered her head, her hands holding the sapphire necklace that hung from her neck.
Reflections.
Glimmers.
Mirrors.
As Krisha gazed at the sapphire necklace, the hazy, dreamy blue light swayed and reflected in her empty eyes.
At a glance, her eyes seemed to regain their sparkle.
Even if only for a fleeting moment.
It soon faded as the light became unstable.
But Xu Xi still felt that this moment was incredibly radiant.
He felt a sense of pride, a thought that filled his heart: My witch is truly beautiful.
Then, Xu Xi asked the expressionless girl, “Krisha, how does it feel? Do you like it?”
The girl nodded gently. “I like it.”
Then she added politely, “Thank you.”
…
The night deepened.
It was time to part on New Year’s Eve.
After giving her the New Year’s gift and some money, Xu Xi left the kitchen.
He headed toward the study, planning to meditate and break through his mental limits before going to bed.
After he left, Krisha sat alone, lost in thought for a long time.
A long time, longer than all the memories she had.
A chaotic time, more tangled than the turmoil in her heart.
When Krisha finally came back to her senses,
she realized she had unconsciously cleaned up the dishes and returned to her room.
She sat curled up in the corner of her bed, hugging her knees, and remained motionless, lost in thought for a long while.
“A gift…”
“I… also have my own… gift…”
Her faint voice echoed in the air.
Flat, without any emotion.
Even now, Krisha still felt that someone like her, who could be discarded at any moment, didn’t deserve to receive gifts or her master’s affection.
An object should know its place.
It shouldn’t crave things that don’t belong to it.
But.
Obeying her master was a must.
Since her master told her to accept it, she couldn’t refuse. Krisha held the deep blue necklace in her hand, her eyes filled with confusion but also a hint of something stirring.
I like it…
I really like it…
I love this gift.
The weight of emotions continued to build in her chest, growing heavier, more chaotic, but she couldn’t understand what it was.
For a witch who had lost her emotions, understanding these feelings was too difficult.
But it wasn’t a big problem.
Krisha had her own way of dealing with it. She didn’t need to understand or express it. She just needed to stay by Xu Xi’s side, listening to his words and following his instructions.
Rustle—
The sunlight streaming through the window caught Krisha’s attention.
Only then did she realize she had been sitting in her room, lost in thought, all night, unaware that the sun had risen.
The first day of the new year.
The sunlight was more intense than ever before.
It forcefully pierced through the curtains, landing on the motionless witch, much like the salvation the man had brought her two months ago.
“Praise the great Sun God.”
“May the Sun God forever protect us all.”
Outside,
the citizens of Allenson City gradually stepped out of their homes, praying to the Sun God on this first day of the new year, hoping for his protection.
The sun…
Krisha lowered her head, burying her face in her knees.
In a voice only she could hear, she whispered:
“Thank you, sun…”
Not thanking the gods.
But thanking the one who had burst into her world, pulled her out of the pit of despair, and brought her light and hope—the one and only ‘sun’ that belonged to her.
In the countless cries for help she had made, only he had heard her voice and extended a warm hand.
That warmth.
That affection.
Had been deeply engraved in the witch’s heart, impossible to forget.
From now on, the witch would live only for her “sun.” If she lost that gentle light, if she lost the gaze that watched over her, the witch would lose all meaning of existence.
And fall into an abyss even she herself would fear.
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】
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
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!
] [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!"
