Around ten in the morning.
Pingchuan City Convention and Exhibition Center.
A light drizzle began to patter from the sky.
Lin Yu, who had anticipated the rain, held an umbrella as he walked Ye Mengfu across the intersection.
There was still half an hour before the exhibition hall opened, but the lobby was already filled with quite a few visitors.
Most of the attendees were young.
Some even carried sketchboards, looking every bit the professionals.
As they stepped into the waiting area,
Ye Mengfu immediately pulled out a tissue and began wiping the raindrops off Lin Yu’s backpack.
After finishing, she didn’t forget to dry the folded umbrella as well, making sure it was completely clean before tucking it into the side pocket.
"You’re so thoughtful, little Fufu. Thanks," Lin Yu said, thoroughly enjoying the pampering.
Ye Mengfu shook her head and murmured softly,
"We… don’t say thank you."
Lin Yu paused, then chuckled.
"Right, my bad. No need for thanks!"
Ye Mengfu clutched the used tissue and glanced around.
Spotting a trash bin in the distance, she trotted over to toss it away.
[Ding!]
[Time-limited mission activated: Crisis approaches! The Saint and the Joyous Sect’s Talisman Enchanter are wandering the mortal world when they unexpectedly cross paths with the enchanter’s old foe, "Mountain Phantom." Protect your Dao Companion within the time limit and help the Talisman Enchanter overcome her inner demons, urging her to strike back!]
[Time limit: Three hours.]
[Rewards: 200 Sect Contribution Points, 500 Spirit Stones, 1 free system shop draw.]
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Ye Mengfu’s old enemy, "Mountain Phantom"?
To think they’d run into someone she knew… here of all places!
At a comic convention, the only "acquaintances" one might bump into
were either colleagues or classmates.
Beyond that, it was hard to imagine anyone else in Ye Mengfu’s simple social circle who could qualify as an "old enemy."
Whoever it was, Lin Yu knew Ye Mengfu would be the one at a disadvantage.
Her gentle nature meant she’d never confront anyone directly.
If someone bullied her…
She’d just endure it silently.
This was something Lin Yu understood all too well.
And because he knew, it pissed him off.
Who the hell dared to mess with his little Fufu besides him?
Lin Yu quickened his pace, keeping a safe distance behind Ye Mengfu.
Just as Ye Mengfu tossed the crumpled tissue into the bin,
a girl’s voice called out from a bench diagonally across the way:
"Ye Mengfu?"
Ye Mengfu turned, following the sound.
Lin Yu, not far behind, also shifted his gaze.
So this was the "Mountain Phantom"?
A girl, no less!
She looked about the same age as Ye Mengfu.
But her makeup…
A thick layer of foundation caked her face like spackle,
starkly mismatched with the skin tone of her arms.
She wore a bold black low-waisted puff dress,
giving off an odd vibe—somewhere between childish and provocative.
In short, four words summed her up:
Cheap and tacky.
What caught Lin Yu’s attention more was the man sitting beside her.
It was impossible to refer to him as a "boy."
Round face, round body, a tiny ponytail, and a thin mustache.
Topped off with a beret.
Had Lin Yu seen this guy alone, he’d have praised:
"Now that’s an artist!"
But appearing alongside a girl who knew Ye Mengfu?
More like:
"Now that’s a pretentious artist."
The two together? Their motives were definitely pure—true love, no doubt.
Ye Mengfu’s reaction to the girl wasn’t the same as when she saw a stranger.
In the past, she would always avert her gaze first in social situations.
Then answer the other person's questions in a soft voice.
But this time.
When the girl called her name, she didn’t look away.
Her delicate, captivating eyes stared at the other person, lost in thought for a long moment.
She froze for a while.
Until the other girl stood up and walked toward her.
Only then did Ye Mengfu finally break eye contact, nervously slipping her hands into her kangaroo pocket.
"It really is you, Ye Mengfu."
"I never thought I’d run into you here. How have you been lately?"
"We haven’t been in touch since graduation. Still painting, right?"
"Otherwise, why would you come to a Jimmy Liao exhibition?"
The girl greeted her warmly, even extending her hand for a handshake with practiced politeness.
From the smug curve of her lips, Lin Yu could tell—
This wasn’t just a friendly reunion between old classmates.
Every little gesture, every subtle expression on the girl’s face
was dripping with condescension.
Though he didn’t know what had happened between her and little Fufu,
even without the system’s prompt, Lin Yu could clearly sense it—
Ye Mengfu did not like this girl.
Not the usual social anxiety, but a deep-rooted unwillingness to engage.
Sigh.
But Ye Mengfu was still Ye Mengfu.
Despite her resentment, despite whatever "old grudges" lingered,
when the other girl offered her hand, she still obediently shook it.
"Jiang Yangmei… hello."
Lin Yu heard the chill in little Fufu’s voice loud and clear.
So.
Even this socially anxious girl could sound icy toward someone.
Jiang Yangmei, however, didn’t seem bothered.
After the handshake, she continued cheerfully:
"Still as quiet as ever. You still haven’t forgiven me for what happened at graduation, have you?"
"Back in school, you always called me Xiaomei."
"Now it just sounds so distant."
The ponytailed guy had been eyeing Ye Mengfu ever since Jiang Yangmei started talking.
Seeing his girlfriend run into a "pretty acquaintance,"
he eagerly stepped forward, mimicking Jiang Yangmei’s gesture and extending his hand:
"A classmate of Xiaomei’s? Hi, I’m her boyfriend."
"Guan Bao. Guan as in ‘glimpse,’ Bao as in ‘leopard.’"
Talking to Jiang Yangmei alone, Ye Mengfu’s social anxiety wasn’t as obvious.
But the sudden appearance of her classmate’s boyfriend made her heart leap, leaving her flustered and unsure.
How could she possibly shake hands with a strange man?
At the critical moment—
A tall figure cast a protective shadow over Ye Mengfu…
"Hello, she’s Ye Mengfu. I’m her boyfriend, Lin Yu."
"Lin as in ‘forest,’ Yu as in ‘feather.’"
Lin Yu stepped in first, gripping Guan Bao’s hand.
Then he smoothly guided little Fufu to his other side, putting distance between her and the others.
An uncomfortable social situation? No way he’d let her face it alone.
Otherwise, what was the point of having Lin Yu around?
Guan Bao: "???"
Jiang Yangmei: "???"
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! The Saint’s timely appearance fills his beloved with relief in her moment of distress!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
...
(Second update for today. More coming soon—stay tuned!)
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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!
