Xiao Mingzhao's eyes widened.
She found it unbelievable. The Tuoba Xiangtai standing before her was suddenly completely different from the Tuoba Xiangtai she knew and imagined.
The former Tuoba Xiangtai was not like this.
He used to be aloof and proud, always the picture of an elegant gentleman. He did things with a calm and steady demeanor, naturally drawing people's affection.
But now...
Why did it feel like this Tuoba Xiangtai had changed?!
A sense of absurdity welled up in Xiao Mingzhao's heart. It was as if everything she had hoped and wished for over the years was just a futile effort, drawing water with a bamboo basket. It was all a fleeting illusion, entirely her own beautiful imagination.
But a moment later, Xiao Mingzhao shook her head.
After waiting and hoping for so many years, the moment of fruition and blooming flowers had finally arrived. How could she negate it so easily?!
"It must be because Xiangtai has just arrived in the capital, the very place where he was once held as a hostage. It is inevitable that fearful emotions would arise in his heart, causing him to lose his composure like this!"
Xiao Mingzhao comforted herself in her heart.
Yet, she couldn't help but feel a surge of pity.
Pity for Tuoba Xiangtai.
Thinking of the many hardships Tuoba Xiangtai had suffered in the past, she felt a slight wave of sorrow, but she quickly adjusted her emotions.
She said softly, "Alright, Xiangtai. Since you insist that I stay, then I shall stay."
"However, I must make this clear to you beforehand. Our Great Yu values etiquette and moral teachings above all else. Before we are married, you are not allowed to do anything inappropriate to me."
"No problem, no problem!" Tuoba Xiangtai agreed hastily. As long as Xiao Mingzhao was willing to stay and accompany him, to be by his side forever and ever, he wouldn't mind even if he couldn't touch her.
His heart was filled with wild joy, and it showed on his face.
His grin stretched from ear to ear.
He hurried to personally arrange the room where Xiao Mingzhao would rest and sleep for the night.
Xiao Mingzhao was actually more familiar with this Yuchen Mansion than Tuoba Xiangtai was. However, Tuoba Xiangtai was smart after all; having just followed Xiao Mingzhao for a walk and a look around, he had already memorized most of the layout.
He quickly found a suitable room for Xiao Mingzhao.
After looking around and feeling quite satisfied, he waved his large hand and ordered his subordinates, "Men, seal the windows immediately! I will no longer allow any man to see my Luan'er's face!"
The few barbarian royal guards following him broke out in a cold sweat.
They were veterans of a hundred battles and had followed many barbarian commanders, but this was the first time they had ever heard such a demand.
Moreover, there was another problem.
What about them?
They were men too!
By staying to seal the doors and windows, they would easily catch a glimpse of Xiao Mingzhao!
Soon, these personal guards found out the answer.
Because...
They were dragged to a corner of the Yuchen Mansion, and scimitars were placed against their necks. With a slicing sound, they followed the attendants Xiao Mingzhao had brought, their souls returning to the underworld.
Xiao Mingzhao did not see this scene.
But she did see the newly sealed doors and windows, which turned this magnificent bedroom into a place where figures could only be seen by the light of lit candles.
Xiao Mingzhao frowned. "Xiangtai, what are you doing?"
"It's to prevent other men from seeing you!" Tuoba Xiangtai spoke as if in a trance. "Luan'er, you don't know. All the women in the world combined cannot compare to a single strand of your hair. With your city-toppling beauty, how could I bear to let others look at you?"
"From now on, just let me be the only one to look at you, alright?"
This was bringing up an old topic.
Xiao Mingzhao had originally forgiven Tuoba Xiangtai's actions in her heart, but seeing him actually do this made her heart skip a beat in apprehension.
However, before she could say anything more, she saw Tuoba Xiangtai take out an object from nowhere.
It seemed to be entirely made of gold, or at the very least, plated with a layer of gold. Under the candlelight, it emitted a unique luster, appearing quite dreamy, but...
Even more terrifying!
Because...
It was a chain!
A long gold chain!
Xiao Mingzhao instinctively took a step back, her tone trembling slightly. "Xiangtai, what are you doing with this?"
"To tie you up!"
This time, Tuoba Xiangtai no longer hid his thoughts, showing a sense of release as if victory was already in his grasp. "Once I tie you up with this chain, you will be able to stay by my side forever."
"From now on, you will never leave me again!"
"Luan'er, I truly cannot bear for you to leave me even for half a step. In this life, and for all eternity, I cannot bear for you to leave me even for half a step!"
"Be a good girl and put on this gold chain, alright?"
At this moment, Xiao Mingzhao only felt terror washing over her. She couldn't help but tremble all over and shouted, "No, no way! Tuoba Xiangtai, how, how can you do this?"
"How could you be this kind of person?"
"I am the dignified Empress, the Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty!"
"The ruler of a nation!"
"The lord of all people!"
"How dare you, how dare you subject me to such humiliation?"
In the face of Xiao Mingzhao's roaring, Tuoba Xiangtai seemed to pay no heed. With a wave of his hand, two barbarian women walked in from outside.
They were clearly prepared by Tuoba Xiangtai specifically for Xiao Mingzhao.
Upon entering, they followed Tuoba Xiangtai's instructions and pinned Xiao Mingzhao down. Soon, with a few clicking sounds, golden rings were fastened around Xiao Mingzhao's neck and wrists.
Once the two maidservants had done this, they quickly left.
Only Tuoba Xiangtai and Xiao Mingzhao were left in the room.
At this time, Tuoba Xiangtai was trembling with excitement. His wish of so many years had finally been fulfilled at this moment, and he felt as if he was going to explode with thrill.
Xiao Mingzhao, on the other hand, felt a piercing chill rise from her tailbone, rushing straight to the crown of her head. Feeling the icy coldness of the gold chain, her heart was filled with immense terror for the first time.
This fear was more surging and intense than any she had ever felt before. Like a mighty rushing river, it threatened to completely annihilate her in an instant.
Her teeth couldn't stop chattering.
"Tuoba Xiangtai, you, you, how can you do this?"
"How can you do this?"
Perhaps terrified to the extreme, tears instantly overflowed from Xiao Mingzhao's eyes. The crystal tears crossing her snow-white skin made her look both disheveled and breathtakingly beautiful.
"You can't do this!"
Xiao Mingzhao's appearance made Tuoba Xiangtai panic a little. However, remembering the strict moral etiquette Xiao Mingzhao had constantly spoken of, he didn't dare to rush forward and hug her.
He only stomped his feet anxiously, and then said, "Luan'er, I, I just love you too much!"
"Didn't you always tell me!"
"What can be wrong with loving someone?"
"I just love you too much!"
"I am not wrong, I cannot be wrong. I just want you to stay by my side forever. What did I do wrong?"
"From now on, let's just stay like this, alright? You will always be by my side. I will feed you, wash your face, tuck you in, and I can even help you handle state affairs."
"Didn't you say it before?"
"We will share this world!"
"In the future, I will handle all the state affairs for you. I will definitely build this world into a great utopia, a beautiful world where the people of Yu and Han are united as one family!"
"What do you say?"
...
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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?!
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!
] [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!"
