"Not bad, young man."
"Well done."
The man who had chased after the robber, panting heavily, gave Cao Cheng a thumbs-up.
"Piece of cake," Cao Cheng replied with a smile, feeling pretty good about himself.
After a brief chat, Cao Cheng learned that the man who had chased the robber was an off-duty police officer. Today happened to be his day off.
As for the woman who got robbed…
Well.
Better not dwell on it.
Average looks.
Average figure.
Average background.
Something’s off!
In the web novels from his past life, a woman like this would at least be a female CEO or something.
Otherwise, why would a robber bother targeting her?
But no, she was just an ordinary middle-aged woman, no stockings or anything.
She had simply withdrawn money at the bank and caught the robber’s attention.
She kept thanking Cao Cheng profusely, looking genuinely grateful.
But the "positive emotions" she provided only amounted to 1 point!
Seriously?
That’s not even enough to cover the loss of a thermos.
Negative emotions are so much easier to collect.
Take this robber, for example. After being handcuffed by the police, he still contributed 12 points of negative emotions to Cao Cheng.
All in all, 30 points—more than Aunt Wang ever gave.
Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang…
I don’t even want to talk about you. Beating you eight times, and the accumulated negative emotions still can’t compare to a single robber?
What even are you?
Nothing!
……
Cao Cheng didn’t notice.
In the distance, a BMW sat parked, a girl inside staring intently in his direction.
Her eyes held an emotion hard for outsiders to decipher.
Too bad Cao Cheng didn’t see her.
Otherwise,
He’d definitely shout, "I’m blessed by fate—the female lead just delivered herself to me!"
At this moment, Cao Cheng was like a hero.
Surrounded by a group of old men playing chess, all praising him.
But Cao Cheng wasn’t particularly thrilled.
He had thought he was the chosen one.
Yet after a whole month,
He finally encountered a robber, only for the plot to go off-script.
In novels, shouldn’t the police chief be shocked? Then personally thank him, leading to a meeting with a stunning policewoman?
Isn’t that the usual trope?
But in reality, the guy just complimented him a few times, took the criminal away, and didn’t even ask for his name.
Think he’ll come back to thank him?
What a shame.
If this were ten years later, a viral video could’ve gotten him a free apartment.
And after playing chess for so long, he hadn’t run into any legendary old men.
Suddenly,
At the chessboard, one old man caught Cao Cheng’s attention.
The man was a stranger—first time here.
His presence was imposing.
His gaze was sharp.
The kind of sharpness that came from seeing too many corpses—utterly devoid of emotion.
Cao Cheng’s eyes narrowed. Given the old man’s age, around sixty, could he be a retired general?
But when Cao Cheng asked, it turned out the old man had worked at a crematorium, burning bodies for over twenty years, and had just retired.
(╬ Ò﹏Ó)
Whatever.
No mood for chess. Time for cards.
Soon, Cao Cheng left the square and headed to a mahjong parlor.
Inside, some familiar middle-aged female players gave him less-than-friendly looks.
Their faces brimming with negative emotions.
Not because Cao Cheng had won much from them.
In fact, he had deliberately lost quite a bit.
But Cao Cheng played in a way that annoyed everyone—even if he couldn’t win, he made sure no one else could either.
He’d dismantle his own tiles, making them impossible to match or claim, leaving others frustrated beyond belief.
"Ladies, come on, let’s play! I’ll cover the table fee," Cao Cheng called out.
"Xiao Cao, don’t mess around today," one of the women warned.
"Ah, Sister Lin, it’s not my fault. I’m still learning, okay? Cut me some slack. Drinks on me, smoke all you want, and I’ll treat everyone to chicken legs at lunch," Cao Cheng said sweetly.
But once the game started, the torment began.
First, he’d hesitate endlessly before playing a tile, agonizing over every move, driving the women crazy.
Then he’d mimic the pros, rubbing the tiles without looking, chanting, "Come on, eight of bamboos, eight of bamboos…" only to reveal—oops, it’s the eight of dots!
The difference was night and day.
What was the point of rubbing it?
When the woman below him saw the eight of dots, her eyes lit up—she could claim it.
But Cao Cheng instantly snatched it back. "My bad, I’m not playing the eight of dots."
The woman glared daggers at him.
Then, after she dismantled her set expecting the eight of dots, Cao Cheng played it anyway. She nearly flipped the table.
And then came the "mantras."
"Eight of bamboos, eight of bamboos…"
His murmuring was like a cursed chant, giving the women headaches.
Occasionally, he’d slam tiles down—
Bang! Bang!
The sudden noise made them jump.
If not for the free drinks and table fee, plus the fact that Cao Cheng was good-looking, the women might’ve actually hit him.
The negative emotions flowed like a river.
But it came at the cost of the women’s sanity.
By lunchtime, Cao Cheng left with 50 points of negative emotions, thoroughly satisfied.
Lately, his daily harvest had multiplied.
Familiar faces provided stacked negative emotions—way more than before.
Back at the start, he’d be lucky to get ten points a day.
In the afternoon, he switched to another parlor.
Better not push his luck.
……
Night fell quickly.
By 7 PM, Cao Cheng was home.
Today had been fruitful.
He was almost ready for a ten-draw.
And as people’s negative emotions grew fiercer, collection would only speed up.
Life was looking up.
If things went well, he could pull a ten-draw every few days.
Sweet.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as Cao Cheng settled in, someone rapped at his door.
"Who is it?"
"Is this Uncle Cao’s place?" A soft, melodic voice floated in from outside. Even without seeing her, the voice alone suggested high marks.
"……"
Puzzled, Cao Cheng opened the door.
And was instantly dazzled by the sight before him.
This girl was… stunning.
Exquisite features.
Fashion-forward style.
In an era still dominated by non-mainstream trends, a girl this refreshingly put-together was rare.
Right now, the streets were full of "Chun-Li" wannabes.
People still believed in "In Chun-Li We Trust, Eternal Life We Get."
So,
This girl?
Premium quality.
Even a decade later, her sleek, stylish look would still be cutting-edge.
Especially her face—
A true goddess.
Though Cao Cheng had only dated one girl in this life, his century-long dreamscape had exposed him to plenty.
After all, you learn from those around you.
With an old playboy for a father, even the most loyal heart could wander.
Yet even so,
This girl’s beauty was top-tier.
Many celebrities at their peak couldn’t hold a candle to her.
The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. "So, do I look good, little brother?"
"!"
Cao Cheng was speechless. Was she always this forward?
"And you are?"
"I’m your sister, Ren Yuege," she said with a light laugh. Though she played the part of a demure lady, the mischief in her eyes betrayed her restless spirit.
"Ren Yuege?... You're Aunt Ren's daughter?" Cao Cheng suddenly realized.
"Smart!" Ren Yuege gave Cao Cheng an approving look.
Why does she have her mother's surname?
Whatever.
It wasn't Cao Cheng's place to dig into her family background.
They weren't that close anyway.
Besides, he found it a little awkward—this girl was way too familiar for someone he'd just met.
Since when were they on "big sister" terms?
Ren Yuege lifted her slender leg and stepped inside.
A faint trace of her perfume drifted past Cao Cheng.
After entering, she glanced around and remarked, "Not bad. The place and furniture are a bit old, but it's tidy—much better than I expected."
"Though," she added, "the smoke smell is a bit strong. Not good for your health, little brother."
As she spoke, Ren Yuege walked to the balcony and opened the window, then did the same in the kitchen to air out the place.
"Hey."
Cao Cheng was speechless. "I just turned on the AC."
"All the more reason to air it out. Otherwise, it'll get stuffy. Can't you smell it?"
"That's not the point. The point is, you didn't exactly ask for my permission."
"But I'm your sister~."
"..."
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.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
