"Chongning Nunnery?"
Wei Shuo was taken aback. "Duke, are we making a move against the White-robed Chancellor?"
Ren Tianye was also surprised. "You know of the White-robed Chancellor?"
Wei Shuo replied, "She was once an advisor to the Prostitute Empress, offering her schemes and strategies. Along with Aunt Xiao, she was always by the Prostitute Empress's side. I've heard quite a bit about her from Xiao Ruyi."
"I see," Ren Tianye said. "Since you know of her, that's for the best. Gather the troops immediately and follow me."
"Yes, sir!" Wei Shuo did not dare to delay for even a moment. He loudly accepted the order and immediately turned to deploy the troops.
The clanking of armor echoed continuously as soldiers fell into formation. The thundering sound of horse hooves struck the ground. In less than the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, a unit of elite troops was fully assembled and ready to depart.
He returned to report, "Duke, it's just that I'm afraid this White-robed Chancellor might no longer be in this world."
"Dead?"
"She should be," Wei Shuo said. "After all, it's been so many years, and she hasn't shown her face once. Besides, she is no longer young. Even if she isn't dead, she must be in her twilight years."
"However, I lean more towards her being dead."
"It doesn't matter!" Ren Tianye declared. "I want to see her alive, or see her corpse if she's dead!"
"Yes, sir!"
Wei Shuo loudly complied in his heart.
With a single command, the massive army immediately galloped toward Chongning Nunnery with overwhelming momentum.
Iron-clad cavalry surged forward, kicking up billowing clouds of dust. The long procession wound its way down the official road, looking incredibly fierce.
Before long, the army arrived outside Chongning Nunnery.
This nunnery was originally a place of tranquility, with green walls, black tiles, and a serene Zen atmosphere. But now, it was so tightly surrounded by the army that not even a flying bird could slip in or out.
Hearing the commotion outside, the nuns inside the hall were already trembling with fear, huddling together without daring to make a sound.
Ren Tianye pulled back his horse's reins, sitting steadily in the saddle in front of the main gate of Chongning Nunnery. His cold gaze swept over the inconspicuous building, his entire body exuding an intimidating aura.
"Wei Shuo, Wang Ming!"
"Your general is here!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
The two men immediately stepped forward and bowed to receive their orders.
"Take your men inside and search this place inside and out. Do not miss a single corner. You must find the whereabouts of the White-robed Chancellor!"
"Understood!"
Wei Shuo and Wang Ming dared not delay. They immediately led a squad of armed soldiers into Chongning Nunnery.
In an instant, the once-silent nunnery was thrown into chaos.
The soldiers searched room by room, rummaging through chests and cabinets. Behind the Buddha statues, under the beds in the side rooms, in the woodshed in the backyard—any place that could hide a person was turned upside down.
The clattering of objects and the harsh interrogations of the soldiers echoed endlessly.
But as time ticked by, the commotion inside the nunnery gradually died down, yet Wei Shuo and Wang Ming did not come out to report back.
Standing outside the gate, Ren Tianye began to feel a sense of doubt creeping into his heart.
This was Liu Ruyan, for heaven's sake.
Based on that name alone, she had to be at least on the same level as Ye Fan, Xiao Mingzhao, and Young Master Li, right?
Could she be caught so easily by him?
Could things go this smoothly?
Ren Tianye was already starting to lose hope, and the result was almost exactly as he had expected.
Wei Shuo and Wang Ming had gone in together.
And they came out together.
Both of them looked somewhat deflated.
"You didn't find her?"
"Yes, Duke!" Wei Shuo said. "We have thoroughly searched Chongning Nunnery, turning it over at least several times, but we truly could not find the White-robed Chancellor."
Wang Ming chimed in, "The nuns inside said that the White-robed Chancellor fell severely ill half a year ago and was on her deathbed. She later left Chongning Nunnery to seek medical treatment and never returned."
Pausing for a moment, Wang Ming continued, "I interrogated them separately, and their stories all match."
"Also, they all felt that given the White-robed Chancellor's condition at the time, her life was hanging by a thread, and she most likely didn't survive."
Ren Tianye nodded.
However, he didn't dare fully believe Wang Ming's words about the White-robed Chancellor Liu Ruyan dying.
For someone like Liu Ruyan, dying wouldn't be that easy.
"For now, we can only continue searching for clues," Ren Tianye said. "Interrogate the people in Chongning Nunnery more thoroughly. I will make a trip to the imperial palace to see if His Majesty has awakened."
"His Majesty must surely know about this Liu Ruyan."
Ren Tianye took his personal guards, turned around, and headed toward the imperial palace.
...
Meanwhile, at a street corner far from Chongning Nunnery, a group of people hid among the vast crowd. Through the bustling stream of pedestrians, they watched the commotion from afar.
At their head was a slender woman wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat. A layer of thin white veil hung from the brim, completely obscuring her face. Her features could not be seen; one could only faintly make out her delicate figure and aloof, cold temperament.
Yet, even through the veil and the distance, one could clearly feel her gaze—like a blade forged in ice—fixed unblinkingly on the direction in which Ren Tianye had left.
It was as if thousands of deep-seated grudges were ready to burst forth at any moment.
"Miss Bai, Ren Tianye must have gone into the palace. With our current strength, we can't do anything to him."
An old woman behind her, dressed as a martial artist, said, "However, Miss Bai, as long as you obtain the identity token of the Third Palace Master, you will be the future Third Palace Master of our Tongxin Alliance."
"Our Tongxin Alliance is powerful and possesses vast troops and horses. Once you become the Third Palace Master, Ren Tianye won't be entirely untouchable."
"You will certainly be able to defeat him openly and avenge the blood feud for the one you love!"
The woman in white seemed not to have heard. Her gaze still closely followed the direction where Ren Tianye had disappeared. After a long while, she said faintly, "Did I change my name and surname just to defeat Ren Tianye?"
"Hmph!"
"Brother Ye Fan is dead, and my heart is empty."
"For the rest of my life, I will make Ren Tianye pay an unimaginable price."
"I want him to regret, to go mad, to remain a widower for life, and to die alone!"
These words immediately brought a wave of joy to the old woman. "Miss Bai, you have indeed inherited the true teachings and know how our Tongxin Alliance should conduct itself."
"If we only made Ren Tianye pay with his life, it would indeed be letting him off too easily. We must make him unable to obtain what he loves, make him regret, and let him know what kind of lonely end awaits those who do not respect love."
The woman in white nodded slightly, clearly agreeing strongly with these words. However, as Ren Tianye's figure completely vanished down the long street, she no longer lingered.
She said, "From the looks of it, the Third Palace Master is most likely no longer in Chongning Palace. Everyone, follow me out of the city. The Third Palace Master should be there."
"Yes!"
The old woman and several female attendants behind her all voiced their agreement. Concealing their figures, they melted into the crowd and headed out of the city.
...
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
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!"
] 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.
