A moment later, Su Jiu turned around.
In her hand now rested a dagger no longer than three inches.
Its blade was as thin as a cicada’s wing, with a faint crimson pattern along the edge—whether decoration or dried blood, it was impossible to tell.
Holding the knife, Su Jiu walked step by step back to the bedside.
She sat at the foot of the bed.
Her face was expressionless, but her clear eyes remained fixed on Su Ji.
Or, more precisely, on the location of his spiritual root.
"Junior Sister," Su Ji continued his performance, "before you start cutting, could you at least let me die with some clarity?"
Su Jiu raised an eyebrow.
She spun the dagger deftly between her fingers and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "What do you want to know?"
Then she added, "Speak plainly. There’s no one else here—I’ve temporarily set up a soundproofing array."
"Just… why does our Love-Longing Sect have such a vendetta against male disciples’ spiritual roots?"
Su Ji voiced the question that had plagued him since he realized the truth about this sect.
"To sever desires and focus on the Dao? That’s a flimsy excuse. Without that thing, do people really lose all desire? The senior brothers in the sect are all so twisted they’ve practically lost their humanity."
Su Jiu fell silent for a moment, as if weighing her words.
"This rule was established by a sect master five hundred years ago."
"That sect master was a woman. She believed… that most men in this world only know how to take, not what true ‘love’ is. She thought this was the only way to truly transcend the barrier of passion."
Su Ji was stunned.
So, the female sect master thought—male cultivators only knew how to do love, not what it means?
"And so… this rule has lasted five hundred years?"
Su Jiu shot him a glance, the beauty mark beneath her eye adding to her charm. "Because that old hag still hasn’t kicked the bucket."
Su Ji said nothing.
A Golden Core lifespan was about five hundred years—if she wasn’t dead yet, she was close.
Su Jiu scoffed. "Besides, once you reach the Golden Core stage, you can reshape your body. Reforging a spiritual root is child’s play. So, for most talented disciples, this is just a minor setback on the path of cultivation."
"Honestly, I don’t know why you’d react so strongly in the future…"
"The sect even has a saying: ‘Cut early, reach Golden Core sooner.’"
Su Ji understood now.
No wonder the disciples took it in stride—there was a way back.
But the problem was, this promise…
How many actually reached Golden Core?
For most, wasn’t this just permanent castration?
This sect was rotten to its core.
He looked at Su Jiu and asked his second question.
"What about Heavenly Mandates? I heard you say that for Qi Refining cultivators, green is the norm. My initial Heavenly Mandate was blue, which is already decent. So, what’s the highest tier a Qi Refining cultivator can achieve?"
At this question, Su Jiu’s expression finally shifted.
She rolled her eyes at Su Ji, as if to say, You’re playing dumb on purpose.
"Purple."
She uttered the word with absolute certainty.
"Your Heavenly Mandate is purple, isn’t it?"
Su Jiu leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.
"At this point, we’ve bared enough to each other. There’s no need to keep hiding it, right?"
Su Ji’s heart stirred, but his face remained calm. "What do you mean, Junior Sister?"
Seeing his feigned ignorance, Su Jiu grew both annoyed and resigned.
She waved the knife menacingly above his spiritual root.
"Senior Brother Su Ji, did you really think you were heaven’s chosen, casually breaking through and obtaining a Heavenly Mandate far beyond the ordinary?"
"When I guarded your breakthrough, I used a secret art of our Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox lineage—one that can temporarily amplify a person’s fortune to an extreme degree."
"Under such a blessing, the Heavenly Mandate a cultivator receives is guaranteed to be purple-tier, or a top-tier Mandate perfectly suited to their path, one they can wield for life."
She paused, locking eyes with Su Ji as she spoke each word deliberately.
She had absolute confidence in her clan’s secret art.
Su Ji: "…"
So that was it.
Except…
His multicolored Heavenly Mandate probably couldn’t be explained by mere "fortune amplification."
Since Su Jiu believed his trump card was just a "purple Mandate," it worked entirely in his favor.
He gave her a genuinely grateful smile.
"Thank you, Junior Sister, for your generosity! This kindness is one I’ll never forget!"
Seeing his reaction, the last traces of Su Jiu’s displeasure finally dissipated.
Soon, Su Ji seized on a loophole in her words. "We were strangers before this. Why use a secret art to help me?"
"Nothing comes for free—either you’re scheming or stealing."
"And I’ve got nothing worth stealing…"
"Unless you’re planning to—wait, no no no!"
As Su Jiu slowly lowered the knife, Su Ji hastily swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Even if he knew she wouldn’t actually do it, fear was fear.
"Senior Brother, we’re not close enough for such probing questions. Some things are better left unsaid."
Not close enough again, huh?
One day, I’ll make you say it yourself—
"Deeper."
[Conversation with Su Jiu meets aesthetic standards. Romance option triggered.]
[Option 1: "Not close enough? I’ll make you close enough right now!" (Reward: Get ensnared in an illusion, ‘getting close’ to the wall with fervor.)]
[Option 2: "Junior Sister, can’t we at least call each other friends now?" (Reward: Su Jiu still refuses to answer, but as compensation, +1 Su Jiu affection, ten low-grade spirit stones.)]
[Option 3: Make a bold guess. (Reward: Unknown)]
[Permanent Option: "With your meager life, honor my peerless sword path!" (Current kill count: 0)]
Seeing the word "compensation," Su Ji grew pensive.
"Because you feel guilty."
"The secret art, the Blood-Coagulation Pills—they’re all compensation for me."
"Because you’ve long since decided to steal the ‘Heavenly Dao Secret Realm’ that was meant to be mine!"
The more he spoke, the more it made sense. "You not only know when the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opens, but even the condition that ‘only one person can enter.’"
"Enough."
Su Jiu’s surprise lasted only a split second before her icy demeanor returned. She cut him off.
"If you’re done talking, it’s time to get to work."
She raised the dagger.
"I’m lifting the soundproofing array now. Remember what I told you yesterday—cooperate and scream like it hurts."
Su Ji didn’t press further.
Her refusal to answer was the answer.
The waters of Great Xia ran deeper than he’d imagined.
And the secrets this junior sister carried were even more vast…
Almost like…
A reincarnator—
Someone who seized opportunities with foreknowledge…
Su Ji almost asked, "Did you never meet someone like me in your past life?"
But then he reconsidered. The fragile friendship between them hung by a thread—his spiritual root.
No need to risk being silenced for knowing too much.
Guess we really can’t ‘get close’ yet.
So, he let out a bloodcurdling scream:
"AHH—MY ROOT… MY ROOT…"
Seeing this, the weight in Su Jiu’s heart finally lifted.
"The path of immortality is long and winding. After this parting, we shall never meet again."
Su Ji: "..."
This damned sense of familiarity.
A foreboding feeling suddenly gripped him...
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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!" "......"
