Fang Zhiyi had virtually become the Zhang family's worst nightmare. Under the threat of his sheer physical force, even a lazybones like Zhang Daming was driven to work as a temporary laborer at a construction site. Seeing him arrive, many acquaintances teased, Well, isn't this something? Even you, Zhang Daming, have a day where you actually work?
Zhang Daming wore a face full of sorrow. He occasionally looked back at Fang Zhiyi, who was staring at him from a distance, and closed his open mouth.
He hadn't lived such a bitter life in decades!
Wang Ling and Zhang Xiong were in the same boat. Wang Ling struggled to reclaim land that had been abandoned for years, sparking much discussion among the locals. Meanwhile, even though Zhang Xiong had a crippled hand, he still couldn't escape Fang Zhiyi's demonic clutches.
Get moving! A beautiful life is created with your own two hands! Don't slack off! Fang Zhiyi had completely let himself go. Every day before dawn, he would take a stick and pound on their doors. If they were even slightly slow to come out, he would kick the door in.
The evenings were even worse. Not only did Fang Zhiyi make them work during the day, but he also took on odd jobs for them to do at night.
Zhang Daming wanted to cry but had no tears left. A beautiful life is created with your own two hands? Then why don't you use your own hands to create it! What's the point of just yelling about it?
But even so, Fang Zhiyi always found a reason to pick a fight. He either complained that the food wasn't good or that they earned too little. Today he would take them to help people harvest grain, and tomorrow he would send them to the construction site. Compared to the Zhang couple, Zhang Xiong had it worse. After he messed up a job for the third time, Fang Zhiyi directly got him a pulley cart and ordered him to go out and beg.
If you don't beg for enough money, don't come back!
Zhang Xiong looked at the tattered clothes on his body, his face full of deep, bitter resentment.
Of course, even if you don't come back, I can still find you. And when I do... Fang Zhiyi cracked his wrists.
Meanwhile, Zhang Daming and Wang Ling, standing to the side, dared not say a word. Ever since Fang Zhiyi repeatedly used methods even more violent than Zhang Daming's to solve problems, they had grown terrified of him.
They were selfish by nature, otherwise, they wouldn't have sold their child. In this situation, their first instinct was naturally to save themselves. Faced with their son's pleading gaze, Zhang Daming lowered his head, and Wang Ling unnaturally turned her face away.
As a result, Zhang Xiong began to hate his parents.
A few more days passed. The Zhang family was living in a living hell, but Fang Zhiyi's reputation was excellent.
Did you hear? The son the Zhang family brought back.
The one who hacked people?
No, not that one. The college student. Who knows what method he used, but he got the whole Zhang family to go to work.
Are you kidding? That family? Working? Is that even humanly possible?
Hey, don't disbelieve it. I saw it with my own eyes. That kid really doesn't seem like Zhang family seed; he's made of good stuff!
Zhang Daming cared about his pride. He couldn't exactly say he was beaten into submission by his son, so upon hearing the villagers' gossip, he could only lower his head and quickly walk past.
It's all your fault. Look at what you brought back! Is this a son? This is my father, a living father! Zhang Daming grumbled resentfully at night.
Wang Ling also wore a bitter expression. She had gotten much darker from the sun recently, and when she came home, she had to cook under Fang Zhiyi's supervision. She didn't even dare to complain; if she scolded Fang Zhiyi, her precious eldest son would get beaten on the other side. Plus, Fang Zhiyi had a sharper tongue than she did.
Why don't we kick him out? Wang Ling said hesitantly.
Zhang Daming thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and nodded.
So the next day, when Fang Zhiyi returned from a stroll, he found the front door shut tight.
Leave! Go back to the city! Our relationship ends here! Zhang Daming pushed against the door from the inside. He was truly terrified of being tormented any further.
Mom will come visit you in the future! Wang Ling, terrified that Fang Zhiyi would lose his temper, quickly added, Our family's situation can't compare to others. Hurry back!
The answer they received was a dull thud.
What was that sound? Zhang Daming looked blankly at his wife. The next moment, the sound rang out right by his ear. Half an axe blade smashed through the wooden door in front of him, appearing vividly right before his eyes.
The axe was pulled out, and Fang Zhiyi's eye appeared in the gap.
That won't do. You are my closest relatives. You said so yourselves... How could I abandon my family to go enjoy a good life all by myself? Fang Zhiyi's voice revealed a trace of excitement that made one's blood run cold.
At this moment, Zhang Daming's legs went weak. He was genuinely terrified. This Second Son was even more terrifying than the Third Son! At least he could beat the Third Son in a fight, but this one he couldn't beat, and he was completely unreasonable!
Before Fang Zhiyi could dismantle the door, Zhang Daming took the initiative to open it, his face full of flattery. Son, um, Dad was just speaking nonsense earlier...
Fang Zhiyi glanced at him and sneered. He then stared straight at Wang Ling, who immediately said, Mom was joking too. You're the apple of Mom's eye. How could Mom drive you away?
At this time, Zhang Xiong, who had been standing motionless in the back, had a bad premonition.
Slap!
It wasn't me, why are you hitting me! Zhang Xiong truly had no temper left. The slap brought tears to his eyes.
Didn't you hear? It wasn't Mom's idea, and it wasn't Dad's idea. Then doesn't that mean it was your idea? I'll beat you to death, you culprit trying to tear this family apart!
Zhang Daming grimaced at the sight, but he didn't dare step forward in the slightest. He had already witnessed Fang Zhiyi's ferocity. Right now, as long as he wasn't the one getting hit, anything was fine. Wang Ling, although looking heartbroken, shared the exact same mentality.
If it didn't work the first time, they would try a second time. While out working, the Zhang family started secretly plotting. If they couldn't afford to provoke him, couldn't they just hide? If you won't leave, then we will!
So that night, Zhang Daming took his wife and son, packed a few things, and quietly snuck away from home. The muddy road at night was hard to walk on, but as long as they could get away from that devil who exploited the whole family, anything was worth it!
After running for who knows how long, Zhang Daming was panting from exhaustion. He leaned against a tree by the side of the road and sat down. Damn it, it's all your fault, you stupid woman. I told you a long time ago, he was already sold, but you just had to look for him. Look for him, huh? Look, is there a single good thing about the one we brought back?
Wang Ling also felt aggrieved. How was I supposed to know they would turn out like this? You only know how to blame me, but didn't you just want the money back then too?
The two started bickering. Only Zhang Xiong looked tense. Stop arguing. What if someone hears us?
Let who hear?
A voice that made his very soul tremble sounded right by his ear. Zhang Xiong slowly turned his head, squeezing out a smile that looked uglier than crying. Ergou, no, brother... how did you...
Zhang Daming and Wang Ling's faces turned completely white.
Fang Zhiyi was grinning ferociously like an evil spirit. Mom, Dad, where are you going in the middle of the night?
We, we... Zhang Daming caught a glimpse of the axe in Fang Zhiyi's hand, and his heart jolted. We were thinking of hitting the road early to find some money-making work.
Yes, yes, yes! Wang Ling nodded repeatedly.
Fang Zhiyi nodded and smiled. Oh, okay, let's go then? He seemed to believe them.
The Zhang family could only brace themselves and keep walking. Heaven did seem to favor them, though. A factory on the outskirts of town had a lot of things to move and was recruiting porters bright and early in the morning. Zhang Daming and the other two bit the bullet and signed up.
But they did not see a single cent of the money; Fang Zhiyi had taken it all.
Fang Zhiyi had it easy. He pocketed the cash and left, spending a carefree day in town before returning to pick up the trio.
By now, Zhang Daming and the other two were dead on their feet. They had no idea what Fang Zhiyi had said to the boss, but the man had watched them like a hawk. The grueling physical labor left the three of them in absolute agony. Zhang Xiong, with his crippled hand, felt particularly close to death.
"Mom, Dad, am I going to die..." Zhang Xiong wailed on the journey back, his face a picture of misery. His only good hand had completely lost all feeling.
"Don't talk nonsense..." Wang Ling murmured, trying to comfort him. She stared at Fang Zhiyi, who was strolling leisurely ahead of them, completely baffled as to where their plan had derailed. Weren't she and her husband supposed to be the ones forcing Fang Zhiyi to work and bleeding him dry?
Their escape plan had failed, leaving Wang Ling to consider her final option: calling the police.
Especially after her precious eldest son was once again beaten to a howling mess by Fang Zhiyi, she finally decided to risk it all.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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."
