Cao Wenjie entered with narrowed eyes. After Fang Zhiyi whispered a few words to him, Cao's expression turned peculiar, but he nodded and jogged away, while Fang Zhiyi lounged leisurely in a rocking chair, humming a tune.
That afternoon, Fang Yaozu swaggered back home. Seeing his freshly awakened father, he asked with indifference, "Dad, why'd you call me? I'm busy." He had just found a fighting rooster the day before and was preparing to gamble with his usual gang of followers.
"Why'd I call you?" Fang Zhiyi jerked his chin toward the door behind Fang Yaozu, and immediately, guards shut it.
Zhao Dezhu, who had just returned from the military camp, was bewildered. Then Fang Zhiyi picked up a leather belt—pure cowhide.
As howls of pain erupted, the entire Marshal's residence was startled.
"Who is the Marshal punishing?"
"That voice sounds familiar."
"Too brutal. The Marshal really..."
"Shh... don’t talk carelessly. Someone might hear."
Zhao Dezhu was stunned. Having served Fang Zhiyi for so long, this was the first time he’d seen him beat his own son—and with such ferocity. The belt lashed with precision and speed, making Zhao’s own skin crawl.
"Bullying people, huh?"
"No one can control you, is that it?"
"Think you’re untouchable because you’re the Marshal’s son?"
The beating lasted a full hour before Zhao Dezhu finally stepped in to stop Fang Zhiyi. Though he believed Fang Yaozu deserved it, seeing the boy unconscious, he had to intervene.
"Douse him awake!" Fang Zhiyi roared. Guards nervously brought a basin of cold water and splashed it over Fang Yaozu’s face. By now, there wasn’t an unbruised spot left on his body.
"Dad..." Fang Yaozu slurred.
Fang Zhiyi pointed at him. "This beating is for everything you’ve done over the past decade. Remember this well: I’m the Marshal—you’re not. Keep your head down and behave!"
Consider this the interest on your debts.
At this time, Fang Yaozu had just turned sixteen. Though he hadn’t yet taken a life, he’d already committed plenty of oppressive deeds.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at his two aides: one cowering in fear, the other standing tall but wincing at the sight of the half-dead Fang Yaozu.
With a slam on the table, Fang Zhiyi barked, "Damn it! Lately, I’ve been dreaming of your mother scolding me for failing to raise you right. I thought about it all day, then asked around—turns out she was right. You’ve been running wild, haven’t you? Cao Wenjie!"
Cao Wenjie snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!"
"Round up all the trash following this brat and parade them in the streets. Military punishment!"
Cao hesitated. "Marshal, but... that includes Old Master Li’s youngest son..."
Fang Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed. So, that’s how it was. The original host had even promoted someone from the Li Family?
"What? Is Old Man Li the Marshal, or am I?" Fang Zhiyi’s murderous glare sent chills down Cao’s spine. He quickly saluted and rushed out.
After issuing a few more orders, Fang Zhiyi watched as Zhao Dezhu and the guards carried away the dazed Fang Yaozu, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation.
This brat deserved death ten times over, but he was still his son. Killing his own flesh and blood was out of the question—for now, he’d have to wait and see.
Cao Wenjie worked with terrifying efficiency. By nightfall, a row of men knelt in the streets, surrounded by armed soldiers. As ordered, each had a wooden placard on their back listing their crimes.
They knelt all night. Fang Yaozu lay nearby, only stirring at dawn with a sneeze before the searing pain of his beating hit him. Had his father really whipped him yesterday?
Why? Because he’d stolen that painting from the pawnshop owner? Or beaten the pancake vendor? Had they complained to his father?
Damn them—he’d make them pay! Fang Yaozu seethed, then jerked his head up and froze.
A crowd of onlookers stood before them. News of the public humiliation had spread overnight, drawing curious townsfolk at daybreak. Fang Yaozu turned and spotted familiar faces.
"Liu! Li Shun!"
Li Shun, his face swollen, whimpered at the sight of Fang Yaozu. "Young Master Fang, you’re finally awake! Save us—my knees are numb!"
Fang Yaozu glared at the spectators and snarled, "The hell are you all staring at?"
A cold voice cut in from behind. "Young Master, I’d advise you to watch your words right now." Cao Wenjie, ever the schemer, knew Fang Zhiyi’s temper better than anyone. Yesterday’s rage had been real, and he wasn’t foolish enough to side with the losing party.
Fang Yaozu bristled, but the pain reminded him of the beating. Never in his life had he suffered such violence—fear crept in.
"Uncle Cao, what’s going on?"
Cao gestured. "It’s written on their backs."
Fang Yaozu read each placard:
"Oppressing the people, tyrannizing the town."
"Extorting merchants, shaking down vendors."
"Assaulting women, aiding a tyrant."
Fang Yaozu glanced at himself. Aiding a tyrant? Was he the tyrant?
"Fellow townspeople!" Fang Zhiyi’s voice rang out as he approached, flanked by guards. His gaze swept over the kneeling men, lingering not even a second on Fang Yaozu.
"I, Fang Zhiyi, owe you all an apology!" He clasped his fists and bowed deeply, stunning the crowd. To them, Fang Zhiyi was a mercurial warlord—this humility was unheard of.
Cao Wenjie’s eyes narrowed. If the Marshal was playing humble, these men were doomed.
"My worthless son lost his mother young. Fearing he’d suffer, I spoiled him. When he grew older, I assigned men to watch over him. But who knew—" Fang Zhiyi’s voice sharpened, "these scum led him astray! If not for those who spoke up, I’d still be in the dark!"
"Today, I’ll set things straight before you all!"
Pointing at Li Shun, ignoring the man’s terrified eyes, Fang Zhiyi demanded, "Do you recognize him?"
The crowd murmured but stayed silent.
"You fear him? Fine, I’ll speak." Fang Zhiyi locked onto Li Shun. "Li Shun, youngest son of the Li Family’s cloth business. I won’t lie—their family once funded me, so I gave him an officer’s post!"
"But who’d have thought he’d use my name to commit atrocities!"
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.
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?
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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."
