Hu Lai's beard bristled with anger: "Young man, mind your manners. At my age, shouldn’t you show some respect for your elders—"
But as the figure drew closer, Hu Lai fell silent.
"Damn snake, what brings you here?" Fang Zhiyi shot him a glare. "Stinky fox, since when is there a law against me visiting?"
Hu Lai studied Fang Zhiyi, a pang of melancholy rising in his chest. How long had it been?
"You... must be here for something?"
Fang Zhiyi grinned and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Big things. I’ve got a major business deal I need your help with."
Hu Lai eyed him skeptically.
The little hedgehog trailed behind, watching the two yokai’s backs as the snake yokai rattled on about "human resources" and "rights protection." He didn’t understand a word, but it probably had nothing to do with him.
Still, judging by the shifting expression on Old Hu’s face, the snake’s words seemed convincing.
Meanwhile, Mo Ran was locked alone in a cramped cell, his face dark as a storm cloud.
Though his superiors claimed they still trusted him, they insisted on a thorough investigation, advising him to "rest easy" for a few days. To him, this was nothing short of humiliation!
Even his team members were now isolated for questioning.
In his mind, he cursed that snake yokai a hundred times over, vowing to tear him limb from limb once he got out.
And the other yokai too—he thought of his childhood sweetheart. Every last one of them deserved to die!
A sense of powerlessness gnawed at Mo Ran as his mindset quietly shifted.
Then, a sudden deposit into his account made things even harder to explain.
"Framed? Since when do yokai frame people by transferring money?" Deputy Alliance Leader Zhang, thrilled to finally have dirt on Mo Ran, was eager to bury him. Who asked the brat to always look down on him?
Faced with such accusations, even Mo Ran’s supporters had little to say, leaving the investigation to drag on—with no leads. The culprit had been meticulous, leaving no traces behind.
Meanwhile, a peculiar rumor spread through the yokai circles of Huancheng: a powerful yokai had founded a "Yokai Resources Company," specializing in providing jobs for yokai.
The dangerous yokai that once lurked at transportation hubs and docks had vanished.
In their place stood yokai who looked even more intimidating.
The moment a newly arrived yokai stepped into the city, they’d swarm over, professionally pitching their services.
It wasn’t just the newcomers—even local yokai already working in the city soon found flyers in their hands.
The company’s target clients were yokai without legal identities. After processing, they could be dispatched to human-run businesses or factories.
Fang Zhiyi hadn’t expected Hu Lai’s operations to open the market so quickly.
The little yokai, simple-minded and hardworking, earned rave reviews from employers. Demand soon outstripped supply.
Positive feedback bred even better results.
More hesitant yokai began signing up. After registering with the company, they were swiftly placed into jobs.
After a quick meal with Hu Lai, Fang Zhiyi left, taking Xiao Hu back to the protagonist’s city.
Mo Ran received good news from the meal deliverer: several higher-ups were vouching for him, and Deputy Alliance Leader Zhang had failed to uncover solid evidence. He’d likely be released in a day or two.
Excitement burned in Mo Ran’s eyes. Finally, he could get out.
He’d fantasized countless times about breaking free—this door couldn’t hold him. But a familiar leader had warned him: "Step out now, and even the truth won’t save you."
That sobered him up. He even began quietly honing his skills.
With freedom in sight, he plotted his next moves: first, head to Huancheng, eliminate that fox yokai, seize its core, then move south... That snake wouldn’t hide forever.
That night, Mo Ran drifted off with a smile.
But deep into the night, a deafening crash jolted him awake.
Shouts and chaos erupted outside. He sprang up, pressing his ear to the door.
The noise grew louder, clearer.
"Charge, boys! Rescue Mo Ran!"
Shock, then fury, surged through him.
He wasn’t stupid—this was another of the snake’s schemes! Yokai staging a jailbreak? That would cement his reputation as a traitor!
Already, clashes erupted outside. The unprepared exorcists were swiftly overpowered and tossed aside.
"Brother Mo Ran! We got your message! We’re here to save you!"
Rage exploded in Mo Ran’s chest. He slammed the door open—his "cell" was just a private room, not an actual prison. A few steps brought him to the railing overlooking the lower floor.
Below, seven or eight masked figures loitered, some standing, some crouching, beside a blaring speaker.
He pointed. "You—"
The yokai below looked up. "Mo Ran’s escaped! Push harder, brothers!" The speaker crackled, but none of the yokai moved.
Yet the words echoed unmistakably. Injured exorcists turned, gaping at Mo Ran in disbelief.
"So it’s true—you’re a traitor!"
Panic flickered, but pride kept Mo Ran from explaining. His face darkened with stifled fury.
"Fall back! Reinforcements are coming! Brother Mo Ran, run!" As cars screeched into view, the yokai bolted, the lead one clutching the speaker. "Big bro, get out now!"
Speechless with rage, Mo Ran could only glare as the figures vanished into the night.
Moments later, his own people surrounded him.
Deputy Alliance Leader Zhang, smug. The old man, heartbroken. His colleagues, suspicious. And Mo Ran—seething with resentment.
Predictably, he was locked up again, this time in a specially reinforced room.
Mo Ran drove his fist into the wall.
Why? Why had everything gone wrong? It had always been so easy before.
"Boss, where to now?" Xiao Hu ripped off his mask, buzzing with excitement. This was what it meant to be a great yokai—playing for keeps, daring to strike the Exorcist Alliance itself!
"South," Fang Zhiyi replied coolly.
"Let’s go!"
If this were a game of Ludo, Mo Ran would still be waiting to roll a six, while Fang Zhiyi’s third plane was already soaring.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
