If it weren't for the investigation of the 【Void Array Talisman】, Lin Yu might have actually believed Shen Buyao's act just now!
Well, well!
She’s actually putting on a performance right in front of him?
Tsk tsk tsk…
Isn’t this just her being afraid that if he confronted her directly, Lin Yu would simply call it quits and pack up?
With that, the last bit of hesitation in Lin Yu’s heart vanished completely.
“Buyao, did you bring a few outfits specifically for today’s photoshoot?”
“Can you show me what kind of styles you prepared?”
Playing along with Shen Buyao’s “wishes,” Lin Yu continued his role as the “well-dressed scoundrel.”
Shen Buyao immediately jumped up from the bed.
She completely forgot about the injury on her leg just moments ago.
“Ouch!”
Despite the sharp pain, her enthusiasm to grab the clothes from her bag remained undiminished.
After picking up her backpack, Shen Buyao froze for a moment.
She turned back and gave Lin Yu a meaningful look:
“Hey, Lin Yu, are you really going to take photos of me…?”
Lin Yu: “???”
After all this scheming and planning, Shen Buyao could still ask such a question?
Had she finally figured out what “boudoir photos” meant and was having second thoughts?
Lin Yu declared righteously:
“Of course! Are you doubting my sincerity now?”
“After getting the DSLR back, I only tested it—I haven’t taken any portraits yet. I saved it all for today.”
“Buyao, if you don’t believe me, you can check it yourself!”
Shen Buyao didn’t even move to take the camera.
She just lowered her head and murmured:
“Lin Yu, when you were driving here, you must have noticed it too.”
“Whenever someone gets… even a little close to me, disaster follows.”
“Taking boudoir photos… might not be that intimate, I guess.”
“But I think it’s still closer than just riding in a car together, right?”
“So…”
Lin Yu’s pupils trembled: “!!!”
So this silly girl…
Was worried about him!
Hey… don’t be like this…
Such an innocent, heart-melting reaction.
How could Lin Yu bear to take advantage of her now?
At this moment, Lin Yu finally understood—Shen Jiuyi’s words back then hadn’t been exaggerated in the slightest.
The tough personality she showed the world…
Was just the outer shell of her kind heart.
When someone got too close to her,
Her first thought wasn’t whether they truly cared for her.
But rather…
Whether she might bring them misfortune.
Right now,
Any words of comfort would only betray Shen Buyao’s sincerity.
Lin Yu stayed silent.
He turned around, opened the camera bag on the table,
Inserted the memory card, loaded the battery, removed the lens cap, attached the UV filter, powered on the camera, switched the dial to A+ (full auto) mode…
Under Shen Buyao’s stunned gaze,
He aimed at her and pressed the shutter!
Click!
Shen Buyao’s eyes instantly reddened: “!!!”
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! The Saint’s actions prove him as “the man of his word,” deeply moving his Dao Companion!]
[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones.]
Lin Yu glanced at the display and nodded in approval:
“Even without any deliberate preparation, you’re still beautiful.”
“Buyao, you’re now the first girl in my camera.”
“If you’re worried about some nonsense, just toss it aside!”
“If you really don’t want to do this, we can reschedule.”
“But either way, my wish of capturing the first girl’s photo… is already fulfilled!”
Shen Buyao rubbed her eyes and broke into a radiant smile.
This smile, free from worry, was even more beautiful than before.
“Pfft, sneaking a shot like that?”
“Who said I didn’t want to? Of course we’re doing it!”
Lin Yu set the camera aside for now.
He stretched out his hand, palm open:
“That’s more like it. Hand over the clothes—let me see.”
The moment the words left his mouth—
Whoosh…
A faint whistling sound came from above Lin Yu’s head.
Something shot into his field of vision at blinding speed.
Lin Yu: “???”
That sound…
That angle…
That trajectory…
It was heading straight for his outstretched hand!
His body’s survival instincts kicked in—he yanked his hand back.
The next second—
Thunk!
Lin Yu looked down…
“!!!”
A rusted machete was embedded in the wooden floor!
Judging by how deep it had sunk,
Lin Yu’s heart nearly stopped.
If he’d been even half a second slower, that tetanus-inducing blade would’ve impaled his palm!
Lin Yu stumbled back two steps and frantically looked up at the ceiling.
The meticulously crafted, beautifully carved roof showed no signs of disturbance.
What the hell?!
This is way too supernatural!
A machete just materialized out of thin air?!
From the sound it made while falling, it was clear—
This wasn’t some hidden mechanism launching a projectile.
It had genuinely dropped from above like any falling object.
Lin Yu’s scalp went numb.
Maybe he should take Shen Buyao to see a specialist later?
There’s definitely something weird about her!
Shen Buyao rushed over.
She stared at the machete, then gave Lin Yu a complicated look:
“Are you okay? Your reflexes… are really fast.”
“This machete… I think I put it up there. Over a decade ago—I totally forgot about it…”
Lin Yu: “???”
It even has an origin story?!
That makes it even more absurd!
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Lin Yu blurted:
“Buyao, may I ask—!”
“Why in the world would you put a machete on the roof?!”
“Ten years ago, you were barely a teenager!”
“How did you even get it up there?!”
Shen Buyao scratched her cheek sheepishly:
“Back then, Grandpa kept making me chop firewood to heat the kang bed. I hated it.”
“I thought—if the machete disappeared, I wouldn’t have to chop anymore.”
“So I just… threw it onto the roof beams…”
Lin Yu: “…”
A machete she didn’t want, tossed aside for years—just sitting up there.
Why now?! Why now of all times?!
If Lin Yu hadn’t already unlocked his “Ren and Du Meridians,”
He’d be dialing 120 right about now!
Shen Buyao stood awkwardly, pulling the machete out of the floor:
“So… are we still doing the photoshoot?”
Lin Yu: “We’re doing it. No question.”
A faint smile tugged at Shen Buyao’s lips as she silently bumped Lin Yu up another notch in her heart.
Then—
Lin Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose and asked:
“Hey, Buyao…”
“About those talismans your great-grandmother used—does the old house have any extras lying around?”
Shen Buyao: “Huh?”
……
(Bonus chapter delivered! More to come tomorrow—new month, new grind!)
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
