After burying it, they scattered a layer of old soil on top before leaving.
It was as if no one had ever been here.
A few minutes later, several men appeared.
"Right here, dig it up."
Meanwhile.
Lin Ran was thoroughly enjoying the gossip, finding the thrill of snooping into others' affairs quite amusing.
Though the details were sparse.
He had already returned to the manor to prepare lunch for his wife, simmering soup while lost in thought.
Chang Lüfù hadn’t shown up, Yu Paoyan hadn’t emerged, and Ai Renqi was nowhere to be seen either.
The fate of these three was all too predictable.
What puzzled Lin Ran the most was why Yu Paoyan had gone there too.
And had Ai Renqi been killed or simply imprisoned?
At least he’d managed to dig up those three women—they were perfect witnesses.
With a bit more physical evidence, Yu Taiduo wouldn’t stand a chance of staying out of prison.
No matter how strong his official connections were, it wouldn’t matter—because the one who wanted him behind bars was Lin Ran.
"Boss Lin, that scumbag Yu Chengqun has disappeared."
Abu suddenly appeared, and Lin Ran nodded indifferently.
He couldn’t care less where Yu Chengqun had gone.
A pest like that was better off dead.
Without the Yu family’s backing, Yu Chengqun was nothing.
Just then, Chen Qingtian’s call came through.
Lin Ran frowned—his instincts told him something was wrong.
"Cousin, Xia Xia is missing."
Lin Ran was about to say, "What’s it to me?" when he suddenly froze.
Seemed like Yu Chengqun was planning to stir up trouble too.
"I’ll have someone look into it."
"Thank you, cousin."
After hanging up, Lin Ran added the final ingredient to the pot and instructed the head chef, "This soup needs to simmer for exactly 40 minutes."
The head chef nodded in acknowledgment.
Ever since Lin Ran had arrived at the manor, their workload had plummeted, making them almost embarrassed to collect their hefty salaries.
Lin Ran returned to the main hall and leaned back on the sofa.
"No need to guess now—Yu Chengqun definitely kidnapped Fang Buxia."
Abu asked, "What do we do?"
Truth be told, Lin Ran had never liked Fang Buxia much—not because of his character, but because the guy always seemed a bit too effeminate.
"First, investigate. If possible, rescue him. If not, just call the police."
"Got it."
Lin Ran didn’t budge from the sofa, playing the role of the mastermind pulling strings from behind the scenes.
Right then, a message from Brother Dao came through:
[Yu Chengqun brought some guys here with a young man in tow—looks like Chen Qingtian’s publicly acknowledged boyfriend.]
Lin Ran smirked. Today was turning out to be quite entertaining.
You were given a path to heaven, yet you chose the road to hell.
"No need to investigate. Let’s go pay a visit." Lin Ran called Abu back just as he was about to leave to relay orders.
After getting ready, Lin Ran reminded the chef, "Once the soup’s done, keep it on low heat. I want it still warm when I get back."
The head chef replied solemnly, "Consider it done."
With a grin, Lin Ran headed out. Tormenting a lowlife like this was a nice diversion from his otherwise dull life.
He didn’t contact Chen Qingtian—he needed to confirm something first.
Meanwhile, in the underground third level of the entertainment city—home to fight rings and private dispute-resolution chambers—anything could happen as long as you paid the right price. The staff would clean up any mess.
Inside a sealed room, Yu Chengqun’s smile was vicious.
"Fang Buxia, do you know where you are? Here, you have no chance."
Fang Buxia, covered in injuries, glared at Yu Chengqun with pure hatred. He never imagined this guy could be so lawless.
Breaking into homes, kidnapping, beating people at will—was this how the wealthy behaved?
If so, Fang Buxia never wanted to be rich.
Yu Chengqun pulled out his phone and sent a video.
[Chen Qingtian, agree to my terms, and Fang Buxia lives. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee he’ll stay in one piece.]
Chen Qingtian’s video call came through almost instantly.
"Yu Chengqun, have you lost your mind?! Let Xia Xia go right now, and I’ll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, I’ll destroy you even if it costs me everything!"
Yu Chengqun sneered. "Chen Qingtian, you’re in no position to make demands. Just tell me—do you accept my terms or not?"
"Fine, I agree." Chen Qingtian didn’t hesitate.
Fang Buxia, gritting his teeth through the pain, shouted, "Qingtian-jie, don’t do it!"
He couldn’t bear the thought of her being blackmailed because of him.
In the video, Chen Qingtian shook her head, eyes brimming with worry.
"I’ve agreed. Now let him go."
Yu Chengqun looked smug. "Words mean nothing. My people are at your office. Sign the marriage contract, and I’ll release him."
Chen Qingtian knew Yu Chengqun wouldn’t back down easily, but she had no choice.
Not when the boy she’d hurt for three years was in his grasp.
Soon, Yu Chengqun’s men arrived at her office.
"Chen Qingtian, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Once you sign, you’re marrying me. Break the engagement, and your family will pay the price. I’ll ruin you."
Fang Buxia watched as a single tear rolled down Chen Qingtian’s face on the screen.
"Jie, don’t do it."
Her hand, poised to sign, hesitated. She looked up at Fang Buxia struggling in the video.
Seeing her delay, Yu Chengqun wheeled closer to Fang Buxia.
"You worthless insect—you’re dead."
He reached out to strike, but Fang Buxia moved with unexpected speed, sinking his teeth into Yu Chengqun’s fingers.
"Ah—! Let go, you dog!"
Yu Chengqun dropped his phone, clawing at Fang Buxia’s head.
But Fang Buxia clenched his jaw, blood spilling from his lips. No matter how hard the bodyguards pulled, they couldn’t pry him loose—until.
"Ah—!!"
Yu Chengqun trembled as he lifted his hand—two fingers were gone.
Fang Buxia, mouth full of blood, grinned in savage satisfaction.
"Hah… hahaha!"
Yu Chengqun erupted. "Fang! Bu! Xia!"
"Give me back my fingers!"
In response, Fang Buxia started chewing.
Disgusting as it was, he ground Yu Chengqun’s fingers into pulp, ensuring they could never be reattached.
By the time the bodyguards forced his mouth open, only mush remained.
Yu Chengqun felt his blood turn to ice.
"Now, even if Chen Qingtian agrees to marry me—you’re dead."
He was beyond reason, swearing to kill the boy before him.
But Fang Buxia only laughed. "Hah! Mad? Then kill me, you worthless cripple! Come on, do it, you pathetic excuse for a man!"
Fang Buxia had always been introverted—never one to lash out.
But today, for the sake of the sister he cherished most, he broke free.
Even if it cost him his life, he wouldn’t let Yu Chengqun lay a finger on her.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
