Martial Uncle took them down the mountain to buy supplies. Thirty li to the west, there was a market where Martial Uncle personally ordered new Taoist robes for each of them—even the "old stick-in-the-mud" he often complained about got a set.
After arranging the robes, Martial Uncle had Second Senior Brother set up a small stall. Chewing on a candied hawthorn stick, Jiang Mubai eyed the sign that read "Better Than Immortals" and thought Martial Uncle might be pushing his luck a bit too far.
He watched as customers came and went before Martial Uncle, with Second Senior Brother handling the payments. Jiang Mubai noticed something interesting—every time a customer handed over money, Second Senior Brother’s eyes would crinkle into delighted slits, a far cry from his usual demeanor.
Jiang Mubai wasn’t stupid. After observing for a while, he concluded one thing: Martial Uncle was outright scamming people. Sure enough, when they packed up, he sneaked a peek at the divination sticks and randomly pulled out a few—all of them were auspicious.
When questioned, Martial Uncle scoffed, "Who can really tell fortunes? That’d be asking for a lightning strike!" Then he added, "Most of these people come seeking answers because they’re troubled. Even if we can’t solve their problems, lifting their spirits is worth a few coins."
Jiang Mubai noticed Second Senior Brother nodding vigorously in agreement.
By the time the three of them returned to White Cloud Temple, Master was already seated in the courtyard, his expression stormy. Before Second Senior Brother could step forward, Master barked, "Kneel!"
Second Senior Brother pouted but dropped to his knees. Jiang Mubai lowered his head and followed suit, certain that Martial Uncle’s antics had been exposed.
Martial Uncle frowned at Master, their gazes practically sparking with tension.
Suddenly, Martial Uncle reached behind his back.
Master stood up just as quickly—only for Martial Uncle to burst into theatrical wails.
"Masteraaa! Open your eyes and see! Your eldest disciple is making me kneel! He’s trying to demote me a whole generation!"
Jiang Mubai peeked up to see Master’s face twitching, his lips trembling before he finally managed, "I didn’t tell you to kneel."
"Then why the shouting? Huh? We’re so poor even the rats moved out, and you’re mad we tried to earn some coin? Last time, you said I could take charge!"
That only made Master’s expression darken further. "Then why did you steal a woodcutter’s load of firewood?"
Jiang Mubai blinked. So Wang Laosan hadn’t tattled to Master?
"He cursed at me at our gate and even tried to hit me! Was making him compensate with a bundle of firewood too much?"
Jiang Mubai marveled silently at Martial Uncle’s talent for bald-faced lies.
"You—!" Master was fuming. "He’d never dare strike you! You’re utterly lawless!"
But Martial Uncle brandished an ancestral tablet like a shield. "Go on, then! Kill me!"
Master stormed off in a swirl of sleeves.
Eldest Senior Brother stood frozen, lost in thought. Jiang Mubai felt Martial Uncle tug his arm. "Up." He nudged Second Senior Brother with his foot. "You too. We didn’t do anything wrong—no need to grovel."
He said it loud enough for Master to hear.
"Half a century alive, and still doesn’t get that kindness invites bullying," Martial Uncle muttered.
Jiang Mubai hesitated, glancing at Eldest Senior Brother. Though a man of few words, he’d always been the most protective of the two younger disciples. After a moment, Eldest Senior Brother gave a slight nod, and Jiang Mubai rose.
Remembering something, he pulled an oil-paper package from his robe. "Eldest Senior Brother, I brought this for you and Master."
"Oooh, I brought this for you and Master," Martial Uncle mimicked in a singsong voice, strutting toward his room. Second Senior Brother trailed behind, copying him. "So touching~"
Jiang Mubai’s face burned. Second Senior Brother had taught him one thing: virtue takes years to learn, but mischief takes days. Then he caught it—the faintest quirk of Eldest Senior Brother’s lips before his usual stoicism returned.
Had he just… smiled? A rare sight indeed.
Dinner that night was lavish, thanks to their market haul. When Jiang Mubai moved to fetch Master, Martial Uncle stopped him.
"Leave him. He’ll come when he’s done sulking."
"What if he doesn’t?"
"Then he’ll get hungry. Practicing Daoism doesn’t make him an actual immortal—saving the world, wandering the land, pah!" Martial Uncle sounded so certain, as if he really could predict the future.
Jiang Mubai wondered what history lay between Martial Uncle and Master.
But watching Second Senior Brother’s exaggerated head-shaking and Eldest Senior Brother’s quiet chewing, he swallowed the question.
That night, Jiang Mubai slept soundly for the first time in days. At dawn, he found Master already in the courtyard. When Master turned, his usually immaculate hair was disheveled, his face wearing an expression Jiang Mubai had never seen—some mix of dread and… relief?
Master approached, scrutinized him, opened his mouth as if to speak, then simply patted his head.
At breakfast, everyone was present. Martial Uncle looked smug.
Master kept glancing—at Eldest Senior Brother, then Second Senior Brother, then Jiang Mubai.
After the meal, Master called Martial Uncle into his room. Jiang Mubai caught snippets like "the Patriarch’s spirit manifested," but their voices stayed hushed until noon when they emerged.
Master then sat cross-legged before the crumbling statue, staring blankly at the worn prayer mat.
Martial Uncle called it "brooding."
Jiang Mubai felt guilty. Their actions had caused the rift between Master and Martial Uncle, leaving Master upset. But when he tried to apologize, Eldest Senior Brother blocked him.
"Little Brother, Master said he needs solitude. For now, we follow Martial Uncle’s lead."
Jiang Mubai gaped. If not for Eldest Senior Brother’s rigid honesty, he’d suspect an imposter.
Without further explanation, Eldest Senior Brother bowed to Martial Uncle, who was lounging with one leg over the other. "Martial Uncle, we were meant to visit Zhang Village. Master said you’re in charge now."
Martial Uncle blinked, scratching his head. "That old fox really washed his hands of this, huh!"
Grudgingly, he agreed—and insisted all three disciples accompany him. Jiang Mubai was puzzled; he’d be little help.
"But Master alone—"
"He’s got limbs, hasn’t he? Won’t starve." Martial Uncle’s tone brooked no argument. Seeing even Eldest Senior Brother nod, Jiang Mubai dropped his gaze.
On their way out, a villager came begging for herbs. Eldest Senior Brother turned to fetch them, but Martial Uncle blocked the path.
Hand on hip, he thrust out his palm. "Herbs cost money!"
Jiang Mubai glanced at Eldest Senior Brother, whose usually impassive face registered shock. Second Senior Brother, though, seemed as resigned as Jiang Mubai felt.
"Martial Uncle, they’re just herbs. Surely—"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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."
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.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
