Only when Zheng Zhihua had walked far away did Xia Yiwei quietly slip back to Lin Yu's side from the crowd.
She looked visibly shaken, as if terrified of Zheng Zhihua.
And rightly so.
After all, Zheng Zhihua was also her "eldest uncle"!
He had probably disciplined her on behalf of her mother more than once.
Lin Yu: "Weiwei, where’s that bold attitude of yours? Did Old Zheng hit you before?"
Xia Yiwei: "Not just me! He even hit my mom!"
Lin Yu: "…"
Xia Yiwei paused, then clarified: "Don’t overthink it—he’s my mom’s older brother, my real uncle!"
Lin Yu: "I wasn’t overthinking it…"
If not for his sharp hearing catching the conversation between Old Zheng and Xia Xiashan,
Lin Yu might have jumped to conclusions based solely on Xia Yiwei’s words.
Meanwhile,
from behind the crowd of trainees, the flamboyant Maomao peeked out, glancing toward Lin Yu and Xia Yiwei.
In such a large gathering, Maomao still felt uneasy, unable to act as freely as she did in private.
She had barely looked over when—
Lin Yu instantly locked onto her position, waving with an "eagerly expectant" smile.
Maomao quickly straightened up, nodding politely in return.
Maomao’s heart raced: "…"
At yesterday’s dinner,
she had gotten a little carried away.
Now, after calming down,
the thought of moving into a shared apartment—something she, a homebody, had never done—just for a guy, terrified her.
If Aunt Ruxue found out, she’d probably never let Maomao leave the house alone again.
She had even confidently promised Xia Xiashan that she’d handle explaining things to Aunt Ruxue.
But up to now,
Maomao hadn’t dared to bring it up.
Her emotions were tangled.
Part of her hoped Lin Yu would lose, while another part wanted him to win.
The outcome would soon be decided.
…
At Old Zheng’s resting area,
a few martial arts instructors and Xia Xiashan gathered around him,
listening to his pre-"friendly sparring" pep talk.
Though his voice was low,
Lin Yu caught every word, his expression darkening.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to drag Old Zheng over and give him a good beating first.
So, you’re a grandmaster, huh?
Telling your disciples and employees to go all out, huh?
Minor injuries don’t count, huh?
Losing face means disgracing Xingyiquan, huh?
Fine. If that’s how you want to play, then he’d play along…
Before the stubborn old man showed up, Lin Yu had been chatting amiably with everyone.
He’d even planned to go easy, just securing a win.
After all, these people had been friendly, and they relied on this for their livelihood.
No need to ruin their careers.
But now…
Blame your "honorary curator" for this!
Today, he was going all out—no one, not even the Jade Emperor, could stop him.
After Old Zheng finished his speech,
Xia Xiashan and the others looked slightly awkward as they approached Lin Yu.
As the head of the martial arts hall, Xia Xiashan spoke up:
"Lin Yu, since this is a challenge match, following tradition,
the first two rounds allow you to pick any of us as your opponent.
If you somehow win, the third round will be our choice.
Winning all three means you’ve succeeded in the challenge.
Your name will be added to our hall’s honor wall.
Additionally, there’s…"
Lin Yu couldn’t bear to listen any longer.
The fire inside him was about to explode.
So he interrupted and said:
"Director Xia, things like the Wall of Fame or whatever rewards... they don’t matter."
"I get to pick first, right?"
"Then I’ll choose all five of you."
"All five at once—saves time."
Xia Xiashan: "???"
The four martial arts instructors: "???"
Identical expressions of shock appeared on all five faces.
Lin Yu thought to himself:
Good, the script’s lining up—this is the vibe.
But.
Something still feels missing...
Xia Yiwei was even more fired up than Lin Yu. She quickly jumped in and shouted:
"What are you all standing around for? Waiting for quitting time?"
"Did your ears get sat on by someone’s butt or what?"
"Didn’t you hear what my master said?"
"He’s picking all five of you... one against five!"
Lin Yu thought to himself:
Ah, now it’s got that authentic flavor.
"Uncle" Zheng Zhihua chimed in with a supporting line:
"Well said, my dear niece."
"What are you all waiting for? Clear the arena and begin!"
Zheng Zhihua narrowed his eyes, locking gazes with Xia Yiwei for a second.
Xia Yiwei suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She quickly tugged at Lin Yu’s sleeve and whispered:
"Little Master, it’s all up to you now!"
"Please, please, you’ve gotta go all out."
"Otherwise, I might never be able to go back to the Xia family."
Lin Yu cracked his knuckles and flashed an OK sign:
"Relax and stuff that worry in your stockings—I’m feeling ridiculously pumped right now!"
Pumped wasn’t even the word...
He was even itching to throw out some trash talk:
TY’s son~ Scorpion King’s lapdog~
...
The so-called "arena clearing."
Sounded all professional and official.
In reality.
It just meant marking out an oval space in the large venue.
Big enough for the fighters to move around.
For a one-on-one, the temporary ring wouldn’t need to be too big.
But with one against five, they had to ensure enough room for all six to fight at once.
While the area was being prepped,
Xia Yiwei sneakily pulled Maomao over to her side.
The two found a good spot to watch—far, far away from her uncle.
"Wei, ZerO could’ve just challenged them one by one."
"Why did he choose this way?"
"He’s not... planning to throw the match, is he?"
Maomao frowned, clearly confused.
Xia Yiwei slung an arm around Maomao’s shoulder and teased:
"Kinda sounds like you’re mad about it?"
"This is a martial arts challenge, not a marriage competition."
"You’re here as a guest, not a bride!"
Maomao: "..."
Maomao: "Wei, don’t joke like that. It’s not funny."
Xia Yiwei: "Alright, alright. So do you want Lin Yu to win or lose?"
Maomao: "A bit... of both, I guess."
If Lin Yu won, it’d complicate things for Maomao.
But if he obviously threw the match, wouldn’t that mean he disliked her being around?
That... would hurt even more!
...
Inside the ring.
With a ceremonial strike of the gong, the room fell silent.
Lin Yu mimicked the others, clasping his hands in a bow toward the "corpses" as an apology.
The match began!
Right away, Lin Yu noticed something...
The four martial arts instructors and the director seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement before the fight.
Even though it was supposed to be one against five, only Xiao Shuai stepped forward first to test the waters.
Still planning to take turns?
Not on his watch!
Xiao Shuai slowly closed the distance, then suddenly raised his arm.
With a sharp, downward motion, he delivered a swift chop.
Lin Yu watched the movement closely...
Too slow!
The speed of my cheap apprentice's racing was on a completely different level.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
ey change clothes. Li Chuan contributed all his possessions, only to find that things were not as they seemed. Almost a year after joining, he hadn’t managed to get a single Daoist consort. Thinking he had been deceived, he was approached by a stunning senior fellow disciple who asked if he would like to form a spiritual bond. For those who don’t practice cultivation, they might not know what “forming a spiritual bond” is. Let me put it this way: A long-term relationship is called a “Daoist consort,” while a short-term relationship is known as “forming a spiritual bond.” From then on, Li Chuan discovered the true way to interact with the Yin-Yang Sect’s Daoist consorts. As long as he had enough spirit stones, he could form a spiritual bond with anyone, Whether it’s Senior Sisters, aunts, Daoist consorts of aunts, female elders, Daoist consorts of elders, or even the Daoist consort of the sect leader, anyone can form a spiritual bond as long as there are enough spirit stones.” I've already joined the Yin-Yang Sect, and you're telling me to focus on cultivation? Do you even know what the Yin-Yang Sect is all about?
