"Host, though I don’t quite understand, to put it in your terms—you truly have no shame," the System remarked.
Fang Zhiyi waved a hand dismissively. "Thanks for the compliment. No big deal. Did I really need to prove to him that I’m a good person? Why should I?"
The System replied, "Host, that wasn’t a compliment."
Liu Wenhui had also been captured and dragged back, covered in mud.
Fang Zhiyi began interrogating him in front of everyone. Liu Wenhui had initially planned to stay silent, but when a soldier lopped off one of his fingers with a single stroke, his attitude did a complete about-face. He confessed everything—how the new Emperor had ordered him to spread rumors that the Fang family was plotting rebellion, how he’d instructed his own daughter to poison the old General Fang, and even how they’d planned to arrest Fang Zhiyi upon his return to the capital for the funeral.
The court officials were stunned.
Wait, if that’s the case, then Fang Zhiyi’s retaliation was completely justified! Was the Emperor an idiot? The Fang family had been utterly loyal, yet he accused them of treason? Even if he wanted their military power, this was no way to go about it! What was he thinking?
They didn’t know Liu Guxia had played a role in this as well.
"Gentlemen, you’ve all heard it clearly, haven’t you?" Fang Zhiyi wore an expression of deep sorrow. "His Majesty wants my Fang family wiped out—root and branch!"
Several military governors were already seething with murderous intent. "General, it’s your call!" they declared, dropping to their knees. The surrounding soldiers followed suit.
"Host, are they… suggesting you declare yourself Emperor?" The System sounded shocked.
Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes. "My decision is this—we shall apologize to His Majesty. Someone, bring the Emperor back."
The entire court was thrown into chaos. What was Fang Zhiyi playing at? They’d all been ready to kneel before a new Emperor, and now he was talking about apologizing? Was this man insane?
Even Liu Wenhui, still restrained, looked utterly bewildered. Was the Fang family’s loyalty really this unshakable?
Soon, the Emperor was escorted back, accompanied by Liu Guxia. Both were seated on the imperial throne.
The Emperor, momentarily dazed, quickly regained his composure. "Fang Zhiyi! What kind of game are you playing?"
Beside him, Liu Guxia was equally baffled, eyeing Fang Zhiyi with suspicion.
Fang Zhiyi bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, my apologies for returning without notice. Starting today, you remain Emperor, and I’ll resume my post as the Northern Garrison General. Sound good?"
His tone was so casual it felt surreal to everyone present.
"General, this—!" One of the governors panicked. If they backed down now, everything they’d done would be for nothing—and they might even face retribution.
"Your Majesty! Save me!" Liu Wenhui cried out. If Fang Zhiyi wasn’t planning to usurp the throne, there was still hope for his life!
The Emperor opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Fang Zhiyi waved a hand. "Take him away. Find out where my concubine is being held—let the whole family reunite."
"Yes, sir!" Soldiers immediately dragged Liu Wenhui off.
"General Fang… His Majesty hasn’t given any orders. Isn’t this overstepping?" an official ventured.
Fang Zhiyi turned lazily and gave a half-hearted salute to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, you heard that, right? We’ll proceed like this."
Finally, the Emperor realized—Fang Zhiyi didn’t want the throne. He wanted to be the power behind it, a regent controlling the Emperor like a puppet!
But before he could protest, Fang Zhiyi dismissed the court. Under the implicit threat of armed soldiers, the officials fled swiftly.
The next day, an imperial decree was issued: Fang Zhiyi was granted the title of Imperial Prince for his service in eliminating treacherous officials. His five governors were ennobled, and the entire Northern Army was rewarded for their merits.
Celebrations erupted among the Northern troops.
No one quite understood what had happened, but their General was now an Imperial Prince—the first in the kingdom’s history!
The two armies that had rushed to the capital’s aid received orders explaining that the Northern forces had only acted to quell internal strife. They promptly turned back. Meanwhile, many in the capital never woke up after going to bed that night.
The Emperor knew the balance of power had shifted. The palace maids and eunuchs had been replaced overnight, their gazes now cold and watchful, as if he and Liu Guxia were prisoners. At the next court session, his loyal ministers were gone, replaced by unfamiliar faces. No one raised objections—it was as if things had always been this way. The only difference was the new chair beside the imperial throne, where Fang Zhiyi now sat during court.
The Emperor no longer had the luxury of romantic dalliances with Liu Guxia. He needed a way to turn the tables, to make Fang Zhiyi regret sparing him.
He began secretly sending messages to his grandfather’s faction. But on the very day they were to mobilize, black-clad men stormed the estate. That night, a eunuch presented the Emperor with a wooden box.
"Your Majesty, Prince Fang says this gift will help you sleep soundly," the eunuch said respectfully, though his tone dripped with mockery.
Inside the box was his grandfather’s head.
The next day, Fang Zhiyi announced the establishment of a new intelligence agency under his direct command—to "ensure His Majesty’s safety." From ministers to street vendors, anyone could be one of his spies.
The court descended into paranoia.
A man who’d drunkenly called the Fang family traitors was executed the next day for corruption.
When the Emperor argued with Liu Guxia and lost his temper, a memorial arrived—Fang Zhiyi’s note reminding him to "stay composed and not embarrass himself."
Gradually, the rest of the Xia Kingdom’s armies came under the control of Fang Zhiyi’s newly promoted commanders.
In the imperial prison, Concubine Liu gaped at the news brought by a jailer. "Fang Zhiyi didn’t become Emperor? He’s just an Imperial Prince?"
The jailer spat. "Call His Highness by his name again, and I’ll give you an extra lashing today!"
Concubine Liu stared blankly.
"The Emperor’s nothing now. Everyone knows he can’t lift a finger without Prince Fang’s approval."
Nearby, Fang Wenyuan pressed against the bars. "My brother’s an Imperial Prince! Let us out!"
The jailer stepped back. "You’re lucky to be alive. Out? Don’t forget you’re guilty of murdering the old Prince!"
"Say that again?" Fang Zhiyi lounged as a maid massaged his shoulders, addressing the spy before him.
"Reporting to Your Highness, your concubine and her father are locked in the same cage, fighting like animals. Fang Wenyuan even bit him. Liu Wenhui couldn’t take on both—he was groaning on the ground when I left."
"Good. Keep updating them on the outside world. Don’t let them eat well, but don’t starve them either."
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.
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."
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
