Two days later.
"Report! All the army commanders have arrived!" A personal guard, his face dripping with sweat, couldn't understand why the general had been acting so strangely lately—constantly pacing the courtyard, twisting his body, and occasionally bursting into laughter with his hands on his hips.
"Let them all in!"
"Aye!"
Soon, the courtyard was packed with people, some exchanging greetings.
"Wang Cai! Long time no see!"
"Li Ergou! Hahaha! You look sharp in that uniform!"
"Keep it down. I heard the old general passed away."
"What?!"
The courtyard fell dead silent. Dozens of commanders wore varying expressions, while only the few military governors at the front murmured among themselves.
Ahem. Fang Zhiyi emerged slowly, dressed in plain white mourning robes.
"Subordinates pay respects to the Young General!" The crowd saluted in unison. They were accustomed to calling the elder Fang "General," while Fang Zhiyi had always been referred to as the "Young General."
Fang Zhiyi waved weakly, his gaze drifting skyward as if lost in thought. After a long pause, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"My father is dead."
Those who had doubted the news now looked utterly stunned.
"General!" Many fell to their knees, weeping. These were soldiers who had followed the elder Fang into battle since their enlistment.
Fang Zhiyi was still building his performance. Trembling, he stretched out a hand toward them. "Many of you are older than me. By rights, I should call you uncles." This was true—when he first joined the military, these men had shared drinks and feasts with his father.
"Two days ago, I faced a dilemma I couldn't resolve alone. So, I ask for your counsel." He made as if to kneel, but the nearest military governors rushed forward to stop him.
"You mustn't, Young General!"
"Indeed! Just speak your mind. By rank, you outstrip us. By age, we are your elders. Nearly all of us were trained by the old general. Whatever you need, just say the word!"
Fang Zhiyi squeezed out another tear. "I received a secret report—my father was poisoned by the new emperor." He raised a thin sheet of paper. To forge this letter, he had spent over a day practicing left-handed calligraphy.
Yet no one stepped forward to examine it. Instead, they stared at him in shock.
Damn. Wasted effort. Fang Zhiyi kept his face impassive. "The poison was administered by a concubine in our household, but the order came from Liu Wenhui, the Minister of Revenue! Her father—and the emperor’s trusted confidant!" This wasn’t slander. Anyone could see it: who else would dare poison a duke?
Heavy breathing filled the courtyard.
"Now, my family summons me home. I fear if I go, I won’t return—unable to avenge my father or protect you, his old comrades." Fang Zhiyi emphasized old comrades deliberately. If the Northern Garrison’s leadership changed, most of Fang’s loyalists would be purged. To rally men, sentiment alone wasn’t enough—their fates had to be tied together.
One man suddenly stepped forward. "Goddamn it! We guard the frontier for him, and he repays us by murdering a hero?!"
"Brothers! Let’s escort the Young General back to the capital and demand answers from the emperor!"
"Agreed!"
"Stop!" A military governor raised his hand. "March to the capital? What about the border? If the barbarians attack? And if the emperor accuses the Young General of rebellion for bringing troops?"
Fang Zhiyi studied the five military governors—his father’s closest allies, men he privately called "uncles." In the original timeline, they had raised doubts, but the grief-stricken protagonist, obsessed with mourning and a transmigrated woman, had ignored them.
"Uncles, you may not know—the emperor’s officials are already spreading rumors of my treason." Fang Zhiyi closed his eyes, swaying slightly until someone steadied him. "Our Fang family served loyally for generations, only to end like hunted game."
"If I go, I won’t return." He sighed, glancing skyward while secretly scanning the crowd. He needed to identify his allies.
If this fails today, I’ll purge the ranks. This army must be mine.
Just then, a military governor yanked his saber free. "Screw this! Poisoning the old general proves the emperor’s rotten! Young General, don’t go back—let’s rebel!"
Silence. Then, seconds later—shing! shing!—more blades unsheathed.
"Rebel!"
"Rebel!"
Fang Zhiyi gaped at the furious commanders. He couldn’t squeeze out more tears. "Everyone... is this wise?"
"Perhaps I should return. With my family’s merits, I might beg the emperor to grant you titles and lands..."
A grizzled veteran stepped forward. "Young General, I started as a foot soldier under your father. He saved my life!" He stripped off his armor and undershirt, revealing a torso crisscrossed with scars.
"This arrow? The old general pushed me aside—it would’ve pierced my heart."
"This slash? See how shallow? The old general caught the blade bare-handed!"
Younger officers paled.
"Today, I, Wu Jue, swear this: if the emperor shows no mercy, neither will I! I’ll follow the Young General to the capital and ask that brat if he’s forgotten how his father won the throne—with our blood and steel!"
Perfect. Fang Zhiyi cheered inwardly.
Another bearded governor turned. "Seal the gates! Say we’re strategizing!"
Two commanders barred the exits.
Fang Zhiyi relaxed. The future looks bright. Beside him, his materializing system looked baffled.
"Why are humans so complicated?"
"You wouldn’t get it."
"Host, shouldn’t you return to the capital, secretly gather allies, and humiliate your enemies?"
"How much trash have you read?"
"Uh... other systems told me. I don’t read much."
Three days later, a group of several hundred, dressed as civilians, departed. Beyond the northern border, they dispersed, blending into the populace.
In the palace, Liu Guxia nestled against the new emperor.
"Do you think Fang Zhiyi will come back?"
"After your letter, of course. Though I hate to see you endure this." The emperor’s gaze softened with affection—then hardened. "Once the military is mine, you won’t need to placate him!"
Liu Guxia sighed. "You... I told you, he’s a good man. Don’t harm him."
The emperor sulked.
"They say emperors are heartless. You truly are."
"Very well, very well! I promise you, I shall not harm him. On the contrary, I shall appoint him to an official position so he may help me purge the court of these treacherous ministers and rebellious factions!"
host is extracting the Celestial Bone of the Destiny's Female Lead! The Destiny's Great Villain System has successfully bound!] Mo Tianxiao: "Destiny's Great Villain? Me?" Looking at the radiant Celestial Bone in his hand and the beautiful woman lying on the bed, Mo Tianxiao felt somewhat confused. How could he, a law-abiding citizen, become a villain? Mo Tianxiao: "Fine, villain it is then. With the system here, even a Chosen One isn't unbeatable." [Ding! Detected 18,653 Chosen Ones in this world. Please seize the destiny of all protagonists to become the true Destiny's Great Villain!] Mo Tianxiao: "Seize how many?! What kind of lousy great villain is this? I'm a perfectly good citizen!"
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 school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
[Dao Companion Rental System]. By renting himself out as a temporary dao companion to daughters of destiny, Qin Hao could obtain generous rewards. His service philosophy was simple: play the role of the devoted lover, resolve their troubles, depart without a trace once the matter was settled, and absolutely avoid entangling karma. However, those daughters of destiny didn't see it that way. That night, all the major powers across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens jointly besieged the Qin Clan, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. "It's Su Qingyue! The peerless sword immortal who attained the Dao and became an Immortal Emperor in a thousand years, the one who severed the River of Time with a single sword strike! When... when did our Qin Clan make an enemy of her?" Qin Hao stepped forward, clearing his throat lightly: "Ahem, Ancestors, don't panic. She's here for me. To be honest... she's my ex-girlfriend." From another direction, the newly ascended Empress of the Demon Realm arrived with ten thousand demons pressing on the border: "Qin Hao! Today, the entire Qin Clan shall be buried with you!" Hearing this, the Qin Clan ancestors all turned their eyes sharply towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "The Demon Empress... she's also my ex-girlfriend." Before the Qin ancestors could process this, an aloof figure traversed the River of Time: "The Qin Clan deserves annihilation!" Recognizing the newcomer, the Qin ancestors paled in terror: "It's her! Liu Ruyan, the Extinction Empress who ventured alone into the alien realm and suppressed it for an entire epoch! Didn't she vanish into the River of Time long ago? Why would she cross it just to target our clan?" Qin Hao scratched his head again, looking even more embarrassed: "My fault, my fault. She's an ex-girlfriend too." Watching countless celestial maidens descend, the Qin Clan ancestors were utterly astounded: "You scoundrel! Just... just how many women have you gotten involved with over the years?"
