A few days later, Ye Xiao sat in the vintage car as it arrived at the border between the Upper and Lower City. While waiting for the councilman in the restaurant, his gaze was inadvertently drawn to a girl in a white dress walking down the street. Instantly, he was captivated.
However, the arrival of the councilman interrupted his stare.
"The male lead has met the female lead. Hint." The mechanical voice chimed in again. System No. 09988 couldn’t understand why this host never utilized its functions, even though it had offered the option to borrow points.
After all, other hosts were usually more than willing to accept.
"Shut up," Fang Zhiyi said coldly as he pried open a window and slipped inside.
He truly disliked this thing lurking in his mind.
Moving silently into the living room, Fang Zhiyi was met with a dimly lit space filled with the stench of decay. Suppressing his discomfort, he followed the faint sounds to their source.
A girl stood there, gripping a pair of scissors, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the man groaning on the floor.
One of the men, with long hair, was still cursing at her.
"I should’ve killed you along with them! How dare you poison us!"
Mei Ming’s hands trembled. These two men had come under the pretense of collecting debts, but they always helped themselves to food and drink while taking all her father’s money. A few days ago, when her parents could no longer pay the interest, they had beaten them. Her father had fought back, and in the struggle, they had killed him. Her mother, wailing, had thrown herself at them—only to meet the same fate.
Yet they had spared her. Perhaps they thought she still had some value. While cooking for them, she had overheard them discussing how much she was worth.
Clearly, they were waiting to sell her off.
They called it repaying the debt.
Mei Ming loved chemistry. Her father had been a chemistry teacher, passionate about his work despite the rarity of schooling in the Lower City—until loan sharks took his life.
Tonight was the first time she had ever concocted poison. She refused to be sold, refused to be caged.
Her eyes grew manic. The poison hadn’t been strong enough to kill these two monsters. Raising the scissors high, she let out a scream.
"Aah—"
The scream was abruptly cut short.
Mei Ming turned. A stranger stood in the kitchen, gripping her wrist.
The long-haired man laughed when he saw the newcomer. "Hahaha! You’re dead, you little bitch!" His face twisted with triumph.
Mei Ming stared blankly at the man, despair flooding her. Was there really no escape?
"Stabbing like that won’t kill anyone," the man said softly.
Mei Ming froze.
He took the scissors from her hand, crouched beside the long-haired man, and traced a line along his neck. "I know from experience—even stabbing here might not be fatal. And if they don’t die, it’s trouble."
Suddenly, he smiled at her. "Close your eyes."
Mei Ming bit her lip and slowly obeyed.
"Hey, man, who the hell are—"
"Dead men don’t need answers."
A moment later, Mei Ming felt a tap on her shoulder. "Turn around and walk. Don’t look back."
She obeyed—but curiosity got the better of her. Glancing back, she saw two corpses with slit throats, their eyes wide open.
Fear prickled through her.
"Congratulations, Host. You’ve earned the favor of a femme fatale." The system seized the chance to flatter him. It had to make its presence known.
Fang Zhiyi ignored it.
When he returned with yet another girl in tow, Mia shrugged. "What is this, an orphanage now?"
Fang Zhiyi casually tossed her a bag of money—something he’d grabbed along the way.
Mia lunged for it. "Fine! Bring as many as you want!" Her eyes gleamed like coins.
"Host, the route I planned for you also involves recruiting capable subordinates before Night Owl rises to power..."
Fang Zhiyi turned and left, vanishing into the night once more.
Mia’s words had reminded him. He needed to find Guan Xiong at the orphanage—the boy who would one day be known as the Flesh Machine.
Though scrawny, Guan Xiong towered over his peers. He remained silent, his cold, reptilian eyes wary as Fang Zhiyi made his offer.
Fang Zhiyi’s gaze shifted to the man struggling to escape behind Guan Xiong.
The system helpfully chimed in: "Guan Xiong’s first kill. That man tried to do something unspeakable to him."
Fang Zhiyi stepped around Guan Xiong. The boy didn’t move, but his neck twisted unnaturally, his stare unsettling. Fang Zhiyi watched dispassionately as the man begged for help—before stomping down on his throat. A crack echoed, and the man went still.
"Coming with me?"
Guan Xiong studied the man who stood a head shorter than him, then glanced at the grotesque corpse. Without warning, he lashed out—but Fang Zhiyi blocked the strike. After a tense moment, Guan Xiong withdrew his hand.
The two walked in silence, one after the other, into the darkness.
But when they returned to the sewers, they found Mia pacing near the entrance.
"What’s wrong?"
"Have you seen the Roland Sisters?"
They spoke at the same time. Fang Zhiyi looked past Mia—only Mei Ming stood there. The two little girls were gone.
"No. What happened?"
Mia tugged at her hair. "The younger one kept crying for her mother. I didn’t think much of it—just told her their parents didn’t want them anymore."
Fang Zhiyi gave her a thumbs-up. Great job comforting them.
"Then, not long after you left, they ran off!" Mia gritted her teeth before adding, "Maybe it’s for the best. They were just ticking time bombs here anyway."
Fang Zhiyi noticed her fingers twisting together—a clear sign of worry, despite her harsh words.
"Where’s the Roland Sisters’ home?"
Exhausted but undeterred, Fang Zhiyi set out again. He was growing accustomed to the Lower City’s ways.
To his surprise, Mei Ming and Guan Xiong followed. Even Mia, who’d claimed not to care, trailed behind.
They trekked through narrow alleys for hours before reaching a wooden house.
No sounds came from inside. Fang Zhiyi suggested splitting up—two little girls couldn’t have gone far.
Mia agreed.
After circling the area and roughing up a few would-be muggers, Fang Zhiyi returned to find Mia gone. Only Mei Ming remained, curled up on the steps, and Guan Xiong standing stiffly nearby.
"Where’s Mia?" Fang Zhiyi asked.
Mei Ming answered, "She said she had an idea and went to gather information. Told us to wait here for you."
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)
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
Resolve] Gu Yang was once a true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect, but after failing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation regressed, his foundation was damaged, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he was about to be demoted to a menial servant. At his moment of despair, he awakened the [Daily Intelligence System]. By refreshing it daily, he could learn about countless hidden opportunities and secrets within the cultivation world! [Today's intelligence has been refreshed] [White Intelligence: One month ago, the Foundation Establishment spiritual item "Profound Ice Spirit Marrow" used by the host to attempt his breakthrough contained a trace of the poison "Bone-Corrobing Spirit-Dissolving Powder".] [Purple Intelligence: Tonight during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), a wisp of "Golden Crow Primordial Flame" will overflow... If this flame is devoured, it can recast the shattered cultivation foundation, fully restore cultivation, and awaken the one-in-ten-thousand—Primordial Supreme Yang Body. [Click to view coordinates]] [Golden Intelligence: Shen Qingyue, a Golden Core elder of the Falling Cloud Sect who possesses the Nine Yin Body, suffers from backlash of cold energy every full moon night, causing her strength to plummet and excruciating pain. Grand Elder Zhao Wuji has secretly bribed Shen Qingyue's personal maid, Hongxiu, and learned the rear gate array node of the protective formation "Clouds and Mist Veiling the Sun Array". Tomorrow late at night, he intends to take advantage of Shen Qingyue's flare-up of the cold poison, when she is weak and unable to resist, to use a secret technique to refine her into a cauldron and force her into a Daoist partnership. [Click to view coordinates]] The cultivation world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and human hearts are as treacherous as ghosts? Sorry, but I can read the script! From then on, relying on his informational advantage, Gu Yang proceeded step by step with careful planning. Seizing opportunities, plundering fortunes. Selling intelligence. Playing rivals against each other. Step by step, he ultimately became the Immortal Emperor!
