"Jiang Xinyao, remember one thing: you are yourself first, and then any other identity."
After speaking, Qin Hao retracted the hand he had planted against the tree and took a step back, as if that highly aggressive wall-pinning had never happened.
Jiang Xinyao stood blankly on the spot, her back against the rough trunk, her mind completely blank.
None of the excessive demands she had anticipated appeared—no asking for treasures, no unreasonable conditions, not even the slightest hint of ambiguous coercion.
He used that incredibly precious "any condition" in exchange for... actually letting her "be herself"? He was giving her spiritual freedom and courage!
After the immense astonishment in Jiang Xinyao's heart passed, it was replaced by an overwhelming wave of shock and emotion.
No one had ever said such words to her. Her family taught her to shoulder the responsibilities of an Imperial Daughter, and she was accustomed to playing the expected role under the halo of the Imperial Daughter.
Those moments of confusion, those occasional thoughts of breaking free from her restraints, had been deeply suppressed by her.
Yet today, this person used the most direct and precious way to see through and validate the deepest desires of her heart!
A sour feeling rushed to her nose. Jiang Xinyao lowered her head, not wanting Qin Hao to see her reddening eyes.
"Why? You clearly could have made a demand that benefited you, so why did you..."
Qin Hao extended his index finger and placed it against Jiang Xinyao's lips.
"Because I think a Jiang Xinyao who can suppress her cultivation to fight fairly, who feels unwilling to lose but won't deny her defeat, is much more real and adorable than a Jiang Xinyao who merely conforms to the standards of an Imperial Daughter to cater to others' preferences."
"You also deserve a vaster sky."
Jiang Xinyao stared blankly at Qin Hao, her heart surging with unprecedentedly complex emotions.
There was astonishment, emotion, relief, and a trace of quietly growing palpitation that even she herself had not noticed.
"He's different, he's different from the rest!" This thought spread in Jiang Xinyao's heart.
Unknowingly, Qin Hao's image in her heart became tall, warm, and deeply branded into the bottom of her soul.
Jiang Xinyao took a deep breath. Her beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at Qin Hao for quite a while, and finally, her gaze became firm.
"I understand. Thank you. I want to cancel my engagement! I don't want to be manipulated by others!"
Jiang Xinyao, who had originally wanted to break off her engagement, became even more determined after receiving Qin Hao's encouragement. What Qin Family Imperial Son? She didn't care at all. After breaking off the engagement, perhaps she could try to be with Ye Hao...
As soon as this thought emerged, Jiang Xinyao immediately blushed bright red. What was she thinking? She and Ye Hao had only met once...
Qin Hao nodded in satisfaction. The child was teachable. This was right. How could he be bound by a piece of paper?
Qin Hao was a transmigrator after all. Now that he was a lone wolf, he could flirt with girls without any psychological burden. But if he had a wife at home, that sense of responsibility in his heart would really prevent him from letting go.
"Ye Hao, there's something I don't understand. You are so strong and have an extraordinary background. Why are you acting as a rented Dao Companion for others? What reward do you want?"
Jiang Xinyao noticed that Qin Hao was covered in top-tier magical treasures from head to toe. He was clearly not someone lacking resources. Why would he exchange his services as a rented Dao Companion for resources?
"I want karmic luck. After our rental period ends, you will evaluate my service. Based on how good or bad your evaluation is, I can share a portion of the karmic luck on your body."
Qin Hao didn't hide it. Jiang Xinyao was the Imperial Daughter of the Jiang family. If Qin Wuya could see that his karmic luck had increased, the Jiang family members would naturally also be able to see that Jiang Xinyao's karmic luck had decreased.
Rather than lying and causing unnecessary trouble, it was better to lay it all out.
Hearing this, Jiang Xinyao couldn't help but show a look of sudden realization: "No wonder. A mysterious and profound thing like karmic luck is indeed not something other resources can compare to. Are you very short on karmic luck?"
Qin Hao nodded: "Extremely short. So when the time comes, you must give me a good review!"
Looking at Qin Hao's eager appearance, the corners of Jiang Xinyao's small mouth curled up: "That will depend on your performance. However, I do know a place where there is a chance to increase karmic luck."
As soon as these words came out, Qin Hao's eyes instantly lit up. What! There was actually a place that could increase karmic luck? Where? What he lacked the most right now was karmic luck, because with insufficient karmic luck, every time Qin Hao wanted to break through to the Soul Formation Realm, he could feel a strong rejection from the world!
Worried that he would be rejected by the Heavenly Dao and die on the spot, Qin Hao had been suppressing his cultivation, preventing it from breaking through. Now hearing that there was a place that could increase karmic luck, how could he not be excited?
Qin Hao figured that this good place should be in the Jiang family. If it were outside, with his identity as the Imperial Son of the Qin family, there was no reason he wouldn't have heard of it.
"Our Jiang family has a treasure that can increase another person's karmic luck. Do you want to go?" Jiang Xinyao's lips curled up uncontrollably. She seemed to know how to handle this guy Ye Hao now.
Qin Hao couldn't stop nodding repeatedly: "I want to go so badly! Lady Imperial Daughter, please make sure to take me there!"
Qin Hao felt that taking Jiang Xinyao's order was truly the right choice. Not only could he get the system's basic rewards, but he could even get extra karmic luck. It was simply fantastic!
"My shoulders are a bit sore..." Jiang Xinyao rolled her neck, a faint smile playing on her lips.
As soon as Jiang Xinyao finished speaking, Qin Hao understood immediately and stepped forward, then very naturally reached out and pressed his hands on Jiang Xinyao's slender shoulders.
"Is it here, my Lady Imperial Daughter?" Qin Hao applied just the right amount of pressure, using his warm body temperature to accurately massage Jiang Xinyao's shoulders.
Feeling Qin Hao's movements, Jiang Xinyao couldn't help but let out a soft, comfortable hum, the tips of her ears quietly turning red.
"My Jiang family has a supreme treasure called the Primordial Luck-Plundering Stele, which offers a chance to obtain karmic luck."
"For every successful challenge against someone, the Primordial Luck-Plundering Stele will reward the challenger with a portion of karmic luck. If you fail, it will plunder a portion of your karmic luck, but the amount plundered is very small, far less than the reward."
"This was originally a qualification that belonged to me. If you want me to give this qualification to you, shouldn't you pay a little something?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao's movements stiffened slightly: "What do you want? Let me tell you, I sell my skills, not my body."
Qin Hao's exaggerated display of guarding his chastity made Jiang Xinyao burst into laughter. She gave Qin Hao an exasperated eye-roll and reached out to swat away his hands resting on her shoulders.
"Pfft! Who wants your body? Even if you wanted to sell it, I wouldn't buy it. Stop flattering yourself."
Saying this, Jiang Xinyao turned around to face Qin Hao. Her beautiful eyes looked him up and down, flashing with a sly and curious light.
"My request is very simple. I want to see... what you look like when you take off your mask."
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?!
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!
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...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
