Liu Dewang opened the wooden box and took out the check inside.
"Wu Butler, take this check. You have served me diligently for over twenty years. It's time for you to leave this family and live your own life."
Instead of taking the check, the butler bowed deeply to Liu Dewang.
"You saved my life, and for over twenty years I have been repaying you for that kindness. I have no regrets. I won't take the money, as I have earned plenty from investing with you over the years. Take care, sir."
Wu Butler knew that his master was in peril and wanted him to go on living.
Though loyal, when faced with death, he chose to live.
"Hahaha, old Wu, you're still the same man I knew all those years ago. Go on, go ahead," Liu Dewang waved his hand, feeling a fleeting moment of nostalgia for his youth.
But times had changed, new replacing old, and those days were gone forever.
Yan Dongxu left and used his phone to locate Yuehe Hotel, then teleported there instantly with his spatial superpowers.
He arrived on the hotel's rooftop and used his spatial abilities to search for Liu Xinyu.
Soon, he located the car she was in on the street below.
In an instant, he appeared inside the vehicle.
The two men beside her were startled and about to attack him.
But in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a nearby cafe instead.
Seeing that Liu Xinyu was only unconscious, Yan Dongxu carried her away and appeared in an empty hotel room.
"Sleep for now, you're safe here. No one will harm you," he muttered to the unconscious woman.
His gaze then turned icy cold as he teleported into the presidential suite at Yuehe Hotel.
The iron-faced gentleman, Bei Xiao, had not arrived yet, so Yan Dongxu opened a bottle of red wine and waited on the couch.
He called Ye Qingya, who answered quickly.
"What's the busy person doing calling me?" she said.
"I'm in the capital. Send me the information on The iron-faced gentleman, Bei Xiao."
"Sure!"
Before Ye Qingya could even finish, Yan Dongxu had already received the information - her speed was incredible.
"You're not surveilling me, are you?" he asked.
"Of course not! Why don't you trust my integrity?" Ye Qingya laughed.
"I trust you."
"That's good. Since you're in the capital, I should play the gracious host. When you have time, let me take you out for a meal."
"Mmm, after I finish my business. Goodbye for now."
"Wait! Need any help?" Ye Qingya asked.
"You already helped by giving me his information. That's enough. Bye."
Hanging up, he examined the file on Bei Xiao.
"Superpowers... beast transformation... werewolf?"
He had encountered beast transformation abilities before, like Violent Ape Gu Bei.
Their destructive power was extraordinarily fearsome.
According to Zhou Quan, such abilities came from possession by demons and monsters.
He suddenly realized that his brother Zhou Quan was also in the capital.
Zhou Quan was an expert on dealing with that type of ability.
He called Zhou Quan, who was tutoring his child in math.
"Your grades were so poor, yet you're tutoring a kid? Aren't you worried about teaching him the wrong things?" Yan Dongxu joked.
"Hah, look who's talking! Maybe I can't teach other subjects, but I can definitely teach addition. Don't underestimate me - my son already knows how to add and subtract," Zhou Quan bragged proudly.
"Is that right? His intelligence must come from his mother's side then," Yan Dongxu teased.
He was about to get to the main point when Zhou Quan insisted on showing off his son's math skills.
"Come on, let me show you. Tell your godfather what one plus one equals!"
Yan Dongxu's eyelid twitched - that kind of question counted as a demonstration?
"Four!" the child answered.
Yan Dongxu was speechless. "There you have it, I don't think my godson will turn out to be a genius. Don't push him too hard."
Embarrassed, Zhou Quan changed the subject. "You haven't called me for days. What's going on, did the sun rise from the west today?"
"I'm in the capital, about to make a move against The iron-faced gentleman, Bei Xiao. Want to come give me a hand?"
"What the hell! Why didn't you tell me about something so major sooner? Hurry up and come get me! I'll send you my location!"
"No need, I'll handle it myself. Don't worry, I'll be fine. If I can't win, I'll just run!" Yan Dongxu didn't want to put Zhou Quan at risk, now that he had a child.
"Stop talking nonsense, just give me the location. If you keep stalling, I'll have to cut ties with you."
Touched, Yan Dongxu gave Zhou Quan his location at the presidential suite of Yuehe Hotel.
He decided to never involve Zhou Quan in something like this again if he could help it.
Footsteps approached from the hallway outside.
Using his spatial power, Yan Dongxu saw a provocatively dressed woman walking arm-in-arm with Bei Xiao toward the room.
He considered teleporting away to wait for Zhou Quan, but was stunned to find the entire room sealed off by a black energy barrier, trapping him inside.
Worse, he had not detected it at all before.
"No need to leave when you just arrived," The iron-faced gentleman, Bei Xiao said as he entered, smiling.
Yan Dongxu felt a chill - the other man knew he was there!
"Bei Xiao! You did this?" he asked coldly.
"Hahaha, he doesn't have that kind of power. I'm the one who did it," the alluring woman laughed.
Yan Dongxu's pupils contracted in shock. He thought this woman was just Bei Xiao's girlfriend, but she was actually a formidable supernatural too.
"My lady, Coffin Master, you two talk. I'll step out," Bei Xiao said respectfully with a bow before leaving.
Coffin Master?!
Yan Dongxu was stunned. This stylishly dressed person was one of the three Coffin Masters of the Death Coffin?
"So surprised I'm a Coffin Master?" the woman asked, smiling.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Cheng Xin, only five years older than you. But I've killed far more people."
Cheng Xin walked over and poured herself a glass of the red wine.
"Ah, this wine has breathed nicely - perfect flavor." She sat beside him on the couch, her pale arm draped around his neck as she gazed into his eyes.
Yan Dongxu tried to break free, but his body was bound by the black energy, immobilizing him.
So this was the power of a Coffin Master? Terrifying!
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"What do I want? Aren't you satisfied with the gift I gave you? I had to go against many objections to secure the final position among The Ten Generals for you. Don't you owe me some gratitude?"
Cheng Xin inhaled Yan Dongxu's scent like a bloodthirsty beast savoring its prey, sending a chill down his spine.
] [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!"
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!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
