"Boss~ All alone?" The woman greeting customers at the door smiled like a blooming flower. "You're here quite early—the place isn't even ready yet."
Fang Zhiyi paused at the entrance. "Should I wait here, then?"
The woman sized him up. Though his attire gave nothing away, his aura was unmistakable—like... like those high-ranking officials.
Little did she know, the man before her had spent decades as a regent and centuries as a sect leader in the world of cultivation. Such presence was only natural.
She stepped forward and looped her arm through his. "Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, boss. Please, come in. I’ll show you around. Early birds get the best seats, after all."
As night fell, the Hundred Flowers Pavilion gradually came alive. Whoever had invented this place was a genius—filled with song and dance, fine liquor, and beautiful women. Fang Zhiyi, however, found the heavy scent of makeup suffocating.
The woman seated beside him noticed his restless gaze and raised her glass with a coy smile. "Boss, why so glum?"
"Host, she’s here—the one in the white cheongsam, swaying unsteadily!" the system alerted.
Fang Zhiyi’s eyes snapped to a young woman stumbling in an ill-fitting cheongsam, seemingly drunk, as a hat-wearing man guided her toward the second floor.
Without hesitation, Fang Zhiyi stood, startling the hostess. He took two steps before turning back to drag her along, heading straight for the stairs.
The hostess protested, "What’s the rush? Upstairs costs extra, you know? You hear me?"
The man was reveling in his triumph. He’d had his eye on this girl for days, and tonight, his drugged drink had finally done the trick. Now, he’d take her to his room and enjoy her properly.
The moment the man entered a room, Fang Zhiyi shoved open the neighboring door and pushed the hostess inside.
"Hey! What’s your deal?" She blinked in confusion as Fang Zhiyi moved to shut the door.
"Just stay put. I’ll pay you later." He tossed her a silver dollar, and she quieted down.
Stepping into the hallway, Fang Zhiyi counted to ten before kicking open the other door. The man, pants halfway down, jerked in alarm. "The hell are you?!"
Fang Zhiyi answered with a resounding slap. "Your damn father!"
"Y-you—do you even know who my father is?!" The man reeled from the sudden assault.
"What, you looking for daddy? How should I know who your father is? But you—drugging a girl to have your way? How about I drag you to the constabulary, huh?"
The man scoffed. "The constabulary? My father is the constabulary’s— Wait, wait! Big bro, let’s talk this out!"
Fang Zhiyi’s expression remained icy as he shut the door and picked up an ice pick. "If your connections are that good, then you’ve got to die."
"I was wrong, big bro! Please! It’s my first time!"
Killing him outright wasn’t an option—not because Fang Zhiyi lacked the will, but in this era, without connections, even the most justified act could land him on the executioner’s block.
Once the deed was done, Fang Zhiyi turned to the unconscious girl. With no other choice, he spent another system credit to exchange for two pills. His plan was already in motion.
By the time the door burst open again, Fang Zhiyi had arranged himself to look like he’d just finished brawling with the unconscious man.
Zhou Huaqiang froze in the doorway, but his eyes instantly locked onto his sister lying on the bed. He rushed forward, only for Fang Zhiyi—panting dramatically—to bark, "Hands off her!"
Zhou Huaqiang turned, glaring coldly.
Fang Zhiyi feigned righteous fury. "You’re with this bastard, aren’t you? Drugging a girl for your fun? You’re dead!" He lunged, deliberately staggering to let Zhou Huaqiang dodge easily.
Quick-witted, Zhou Huaqiang grasped the situation from his words and hurried to explain, "I’m her brother!"
"Brother?" Fang Zhiyi pressed on skeptically. "What kind of brother lets his sister end up here? Back off!"
Zhou Huaqiang hesitated, torn between gratitude and frustration.
"Host, wrap it up. Any longer and things’ll get messy," the system warned.
Fang Zhiyi pretended to examine the girl, shooting Zhou Huaqiang a wary glance before gasping in feigned horror. "That bastard—he overdosed her! She could die!"
Panicked, Zhou Huaqiang shoved past him to check his sister’s pulse.
Fang Zhiyi hesitated, then cursed under his breath. "Damn it, guess it’s my problem now." He pulled out a small paper packet, unwrapping it to reveal a sugar-coated pill.
The sight of it made him want to curse. A basic Western drug, and the system had the gall to charge him a whole credit!
As he moved to pry the girl’s mouth open, Zhou Huaqiang grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing?!"
"What’s it look like? This is my family’s heirloom medicine—brings anyone back from death’s door!"
Zhou Huaqiang checked the girl’s breathing. It was faint.
Seeing the urgency, Fang Zhiyi stopped the act and forced the pill into her mouth, then poured water to help her swallow.
"Will this work?" he muttered nervously to the system.
"Relax, host. One pill now, another later—she’ll be fine," it assured.
Zhou Huaqiang watched intently. After what felt like an eternity, the girl’s eyelids fluttered open. "Where... Brother?"
"Lingling!" Zhou Huaqiang nearly wept with relief.
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head sheepishly. "So you are siblings. My mistake." He turned to leave, silently counting in his head.
"Wait!" Zhou Huaqiang called. "I owe you my sister’s life. At least tell me your name. I, Zhou Huaqiang, will repay this debt!"
"Fang Zhiyi—no aliases, no regrets." He waved dismissively, then pointed at the unconscious man. "That punk claimed his father’s the constabulary chief. You’d better scram."
"The constabulary..." Zhou Huaqiang’s fists clenched.
On his way out, Fang Zhiyi brushed past a group of similarly dressed men. Their bald leader eyed him briefly before heading upstairs.
"That’s the gangster who’ll ally with Zhou Huaqiang," the system noted.
"Not my concern. Just wait and see."
Back home, Fang Zhiyi found Fang Xiaoxiao still awake, having prepared bathwater for his return.
"Why’d you bother? I told you not to do this stuff."
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
