After the grand celebrations in October, Cao Cheng began to notice shifts in his emotions—especially in Ren Fanxing's mood.
The wedding was approaching.
Cao Cheng had once dreamed of a wedding, and he had even gone through one before.
But looking back now, that time had been rushed and muddled.
After all, it had been a shotgun wedding, and he’d felt somewhat forced into it before he was ready to settle down.
This time was entirely different.
Besides,
the Tang family wasn’t the type to splurge like some celebrities, throwing extravagant weddings worth billions, branding them as "weddings of the century," or even livestreaming the event.
That would be ridiculous.
The whole affair was meant to be low-key.
They wouldn’t be inviting too many guests either.
……
The original plan had been to register their marriage on the supposed "end of the world" date—December 21, 2012—followed by a banquet on New Year’s Day.
Tang Xin had already returned to Zhonghai and wasn’t going back to Hong Kong for now.
She was busy preparing their new marital home, a cozy little nest just for the two of them.
In other words,
once they registered their marriage, Cao Cheng would likely move out of the Ren family’s mansion.
But now, the plan had changed somewhat…
……
At this moment,
three in the morning.
Ren Fanxing had rested for a long while before regaining some strength.
She lay against his chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heartbeat.
Thump… thump… thump…
Softly, she murmured, "You’ll be moving out in December, right?"
Cao Cheng hummed in response. "Mhm."
The room was silent,
bathed only in the dim glow of a nightlight.
Ren Fanxing seemed to steel herself. "Then we should…"
Cao Cheng chuckled. "Stop babbling. If you keep talking nonsense, you won’t be going to work tomorrow."
His warning—more like a threat—made Ren Fanxing’s legs tremble. She swallowed the rest of her words, too scared to continue, her courage thoroughly deflated.
Truthfully,
Tang Xin had accepted her. The two had even talked privately.
But every time she calmed down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t right.
Indecision would only bring more trouble.
Better to just cut it off.
And with the wedding coming up, now was the perfect time.
But…
Every time she brought it up, Cao Cheng would either shut her down so thoroughly she’d have to call in sick the next day, or he’d simply ignore the topic altogether.
Eventually, her resolve would weaken—first with a surge of courage, then hesitation, until it fizzled out completely.
Lately, she couldn’t even bring herself to mention it.
Deep down, she just couldn’t bear to let go.
……
In truth,
Cao Cheng understood her dilemma.
It was just a tug-of-war between logic and emotion,
leaving her torn.
That was normal.
If she weren’t conflicted, that would be strange.
So,
it was fine for her to wrestle with it—but she shouldn’t dwell on it or keep bringing it up.
Because there was no real resolution to be had. It would only leave everyone feeling helpless.
Life was short—well, a few hundred years at most—just a blink in time. Why obsess over these things?
Cao Cheng patted her back. "Enough. Don’t overthink it. We’ll go on a trip after the wedding. You should come too—take some annual leave."
"……"
Ren Fanxing was surprised. "A trip? No banquet?"
Cao Cheng shook his head. "Originally, yes. But not anymore—at least not for now."
"Tang Xin agreed to that?" Ren Fanxing was stunned. "Or… her family did?"
"Why wouldn’t they?"
Cao Cheng smiled. "Besides, a married daughter is like spilled water—no taking her back."
Ren Fanxing rolled her eyes. "You got that saying backward. And how did you even convince Tang Xin to go along with this?"
Cao Cheng didn’t explain.
Some things were hard to put into words.
The first issue was: where would the main banquet be held?
Zhonghai?
Or the capital?
Logically, it should be Zhonghai—the groom’s side first, then a second banquet in the capital.
But given status and hierarchy, they should first pay respects to the bride’s family in the capital, then return to Zhonghai to serve tea to the groom’s parents.
This was the awkwardness of "marrying down" or "marrying up."
Even though Cao Cheng’s situation wasn’t strictly either, these formalities were still tricky to navigate.
Another factor was that Tang Xin’s father was swamped with work—he’d be busy for the next two years.
This was something Cao Cheng knew from his dreams.
Things would stabilize after that.
So,
why not just skip the banquet for now?
Cao Cheng had discussed it privately with Tang Xin. Once everything settled down, they could hold a proper, grand wedding—a traditional Chinese one.
In other words: register first, honeymoon, then the banquet.
Just switching the order around.
A few years wouldn’t make a difference.
Especially since they had access to all sorts of youth-preserving health products. No need to worry about looking like a middle-aged couple by the time they held the banquet.
Tang Xin was so understanding.
She assumed Cao Cheng was struggling with where to hold the main banquet and didn’t want to upset Ren Fanxing, so he opted to skip it entirely—a way to keep things balanced.
Even if it wasn’t entirely fair to her, as the "first wife," she had to be magnanimous.
So she agreed.
Of course,
Cao Cheng later realized she’d misunderstood. He explained that it wasn’t about Ren Fanxing—there were other reasons.
Reasons related to her father.
Only then did Tang Xin realize she’d overthought it, and that Cao Cheng had been considering her all along.
Touched, she spent the entire day indoors with him.
……
……
That night,
after Ren Fanxing fell asleep,
Cao Cheng borrowed her luck to open two divine-tier treasure chests.
It had been a while since he’d last opened one.
Mostly, he’d been getting iron or bronze chests—basic materials he needed in bulk.
He earned plenty of emotional value, but he spent even more.
Cao Cheng had been saving up for ages just to afford these two divine-tier chests.
Tonight, after clearing the air with Ren Fanxing—and her finally dropping the idea of "breaking things off"—he was in a great mood.
So he cast a sleep spell on her,
then happily used his boosted spirits to open the chests.
"Opening two divine-tier chests now costs as much as ten used to."
"Ever since the system leveled up, prices have skyrocketed!"
"And it’s been so long since I last opened any."
"Come on, system—give me something good."
"Don’t disappoint me now."
With one hand resting on Ren Fanxing’s chest, borrowing her luck, Cao Cheng muttered.
Then, channeling his inner Li Yunlong, he shouted: FIRE!!!
He nearly jolted Ren Fanxing awake.
Luckily, she was exhausted and only shifted slightly.
Soon,
the opening animation faded.
The chests appeared before him.
A voice echoed in his ears.
[Ding~]
[Congratulations, Host! You have opened a divine-tier treasure chest and witnessed a miracle—obtained: Divine Genealogy Scroll!]
"??"
"What the hell is this?"
For a second, Cao Cheng thought he’d misheard.
Then another notification followed.
[Ding~]
[Congratulations, Host! You have opened a divine-tier treasure chest and witnessed a miracle—obtained: Eternal Bond Lock (Mother-Child Set)!]
"……"
Cao Cheng was stunned for a long moment.
As he read the descriptions of these two items, his eyes widened, and his grin stretched ear to ear.
Oh-ho.
Now these are some treasures.
He’d noticed that ever since the system upgraded, it had become more intuitive—almost as if the chests gave him things he wanted.
Like the iron-tier chests he’d been opening lately. Even though he’d selected the "herbs" category—meaning any herb could appear—most of what he got were herbs he urgently needed.
Whatever he lacked, the system seemed to provide.
Cao Cheng had picked up on this pattern a while ago.
This time, instead of choosing any specific category for the divine-grade treasure chest, Cao Cheng let the system randomly select divine-grade items.
Who would have thought that
it would turn out to be these two things.
...
After a moment's thought,
Cao Cheng also understood that he had been dealing with the relationship between Tang Xin and Ren Fanxing recently.
Although they had accepted the situation,
no one would be willing to share a lover, right?
So,
Cao Cheng had gone to great lengths to ensure peace in his harem before getting married.
He really had put in a lot of effort.
Unexpectedly, after Master Cao had resolved everything, the system actually rewarded him with two divine artifacts to strengthen the peace in his harem.
[Divine-Grade Family Tree]:
This item was blessed with good fortune.
It was also a unique family tree in legend.
According to the virtual introduction on the title page, Cao Cheng only needed to write his name on the first generation, and the family tree would recognize him as the master.
Then he could write down the names of his wives, wives, wives... Well, anyway, it was about writing down the names of people of the same generation.
The divine-grade family tree was not just for recording.
It was about the inheritance of good fortune and bloodline.
As long as a person's name was written in the family tree, they could indirectly inherit 30% of the current family head's good fortune and lifespan.
For example, if the family head lived to be 100 years old, those in the family tree would inherit an additional 30 years of lifespan.
This didn't mean they would die at 30. It meant an additional 30 years on top of their original lifespan.
Lifespan was just one aspect.
The main thing was good fortune... This was something intangible but undeniable.
In addition,
loyalty would also increase.
Once a person's loyalty reached 80%, they could be included in the family tree, and the lower limit of their loyalty would then be fixed at 80%. This was almost equivalent to never betraying.
There were also other benefits. As the number of people in the family tree increased and the genetic connections became more extensive, the effects would become better.
It was like the formations in martial arts novels.
Truly worthy of being a [Divine-Grade] family tree!
...
The other item was the [Eternal Heart-Locking Chain].
It came in a set of a mother lock and seven child locks.
This was a virtual item that could be worn on anyone.
The prerequisite was that the emotional bond had to reach over 95%.
It was almost like being willing to follow each other through life and death.
Only then could it be worn.
After wearing it... eternal unity of hearts!
Never to be separated.
At this time, there would be many miraculous changes, such as being in sync with each other's thoughts.
Sometimes, with just a glance, without saying a word, they could understand and read each other's minds.
Trust would be infinitely enhanced.
"Uh."
"I'll take the mother lock."
"But why are there seven child locks?"
Images flashed through Cao Cheng's mind...
The eldest, the second, the third, the fourth... Well!
Tang Xin.
Lingling.
That was only six.
The half - breed? The half - breed didn't count!
No.
I only have two, damn it!
There were clearly too many child locks.
Damn it.
The system was trying to set Master Cao up for disgrace.
Am I that kind of person?
Do you think I'm Wei Xiaobao?
Bah~
Cao Cheng silently integrated the virtual mother lock into his brow. Suddenly, he felt his mind become clear.
He then casually placed the child locks on Ren Fanxing's side, and they soon merged in.
Good, good, good.
It was getting more and more mysterious.
Cao Cheng stared blankly at the disappearing items for a long time.
He couldn't explain it at all.
However...
They were from a divine-grade treasure chest, so it seemed reasonable for them to be a bit mysterious.
In addition, after getting the mother and child locks, Cao Cheng could see the emotional bond of those close to him.
His emotional bond with Ren Fanxing had already reached 97!
He wondered what Tang Xin's score was.
Anyway, it wouldn't be too low.
What about the third and the fourth?
Cao Cheng thought about it and decided to check later. It wasn't for any specific purpose, just out of curiosity.
This could actually be used like mind - reading.
If two people seemed to have a good relationship on the surface but the emotional bond was low, it meant it was a fake relationship.
It could also prevent betrayal.
Good stuff, good stuff!
Who said it had to be used on women?
Cao Cheng had found a good point.
It seemed that he had discovered the real use of the mother and child locks.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
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.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
