Pingling Settlement.
The cold wind howled as Jiang Ping stood in the breeze, his face looking terrible.
The biting wind was not unbearable to him, but the agonizing collapse within his heart nearly made him lose his mind.
He truly had not expected that Qin Shuyao's plan was actually to bring Wu Xingzhou back to guard Pingling Settlement once again.
Didn't that mean that in Qin Shuyao's eyes, he was inferior to Wu Xingzhou?
This thought, like a venomous snake, instantly burrowed into his heart, tearing at his innards and making him feel as though he might cough up blood.
He hadn't minded the past marriage between Qin Shuyao and Wu Xingzhou before, simply because he was the victor!
He was the one who had ultimately won Qin Shuyao and Pingling Settlement!
That was why he hadn't cared!
But now, what did that make him?
The flames of jealousy raged in his heart.
Yet he also knew that, given the current situation, only Wu Xingzhou could resolve it!
This mixture of emotions made Jiang Ping feel so miserable at every moment that he wished he were dead!
And yet, Qin Shuyao, who was waiting right beside him, completely failed to notice his mood. Instead, she kept gazing into the distance, muttering to herself.
Where on earth has Wu Xingzhou been hiding these past two days?
Why is he coming from this direction?
Why isn't he here yet?
Doesn't he know I'm already here waiting for him? Does he really dare to make me keep waiting?
Qin Shuyao's tone was displeased.
She had taken the initiative to give Wu Xingzhou the chance to keep pursuing her, yet he didn't appreciate it at all, making her wait in vain for half the day. If it weren't for the fact that they needed Wu Xingzhou to stabilize the situation right now, she swore she would never speak to him again.
Just as the two were waiting anxiously, the ground suddenly began to tremble slightly.
If the morale in Pingling Settlement hadn't collapsed, the scouts would be frantically running back and forth to report an approaching army. But right now, the scouts were only thinking of ways to save their own skins and completely ignored their duties.
However, a hint of joy appeared on Qin Shuyao's face.
It must be Wu Xingzhou.
Hmph, he is finally here. This time, if he doesn't apologize to me properly, I will absolutely not forgive him easily.
These words fell on Jiang Ping's ears, making his expression darken even further. For a moment, he completely overlooked the fact that the troops Wu Xingzhou was leading belonged to Ren Tianye, marching under banners bearing the character Wang!
He simply made a vicious vow in his heart: this time, he would thoroughly humiliate Wu Xingzhou. Even if Wu Xingzhou had the upper hand for now, he needed to be shown who was boss.
With these thoughts in mind, he looked into the distance alongside Qin Shuyao.
They watched the great army approach, and at the forefront of the army, a warrior clad in black armor, riding a black warhorse, wielding a Heaven-Piercing Halberd.
It was none other than Wu Xingzhou!
Wu Xingzhou was the fastest. Leading his personal guards, he reached Qin Shuyao and Jiang Ping ahead of the main army. Any trace of worry that might have been on his face vanished in an instant.
He burst into loud laughter!
No surprises. Not a single thing had gone wrong!
He could now report back to General Wang Ming!
Wu Xingzhou, I know you're happy to see me, but do you have to laugh so loudly? You're disturbing Brother Jiang Ping, Qin Shuyao reprimanded him with a frown.
She then introduced, Wu Xingzhou, this is Brother Jiang Ping. You surely know him. Since you've returned this time, there are some things I need to make clear to you beforehand.
We are already divorced, so you cannot interfere with matters between me and Brother Jiang Ping. This time, you only need to guard Pingling Settlement. Of course, my promise to you will not be voided...
Qin Shuyao kept chattering on.
Just as long-winded as when she had demanded a divorce from Wu Xingzhou in the first place.
However, this time, before she could finish speaking, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulder and saw that the Heaven-Piercing Halberd in Wu Xingzhou's hand had pressed down heavily upon her.
Weighing dozens of pounds, and with Wu Xingzhou making no effort to hold back his strength, it felt like a mountain crushing Qin Shuyao's shoulder, draining the color from her beautiful face in shock.
With a thud, she collapsed onto the ground.
The wretched sight of this beautiful woman falling to the ground was stunning in Jiang Ping's eyes, quickly followed by anger. He immediately jumped up and cursed, Wu Xingzhou, no wonder Sister Shuyao divorced you! As a man, is this how you treat a woman?
You have no manners at all.
Utterly vulgar!
Nothing but a brute!
Jiang Ping spewed curses without hesitation.
Unfortunately, Wu Xingzhou had no time to waste words with him. He lifted the halberd from Qin Shuyao's shoulder, and with a flick of the shaft, unleashed a tremendous burst of localized force that slammed into Jiang Ping with a loud clang.
Under the immense force, the frail scholar Jiang Ping stumbled back several steps.
He finally spat out a mouthful of blood that had been pooling in his chest since the previous night.
Seeing this, Qin Shuyao immediately screamed.
Wu Xingzhou, what... what are you doing?
Wu Xingzhou only felt incredibly refreshed.
Having served as the garrison commander of Pingling Settlement for so long, he had never felt this way before. He smiled faintly and said, I'm done. I'm sick of it.
Qin Shuyao: ???
Her face flushed slightly, and she said angrily, Wu Xingzhou, you... you're actually still thinking about that kind of thing? At worst, I'll just give it to you one more time. Why must you treat Brother Jiang Ping like this?
I just told you, I'm sick of it!
Wu Xingzhou said indifferently, then ordered, Tie these two up and send them to Lady Su Jin at the Demon Suppression Division.
The subordinates Wang Ming had given Wu Xingzhou, or rather, the soldiers trained by Ren Tianye, followed orders with absolute strictness. His personal guards immediately rushed forward and, with lightning speed, tied up the still blood-spitting Jiang Ping and the bewildered Qin Shuyao.
At this moment, Qin Shuyao's expression finally changed drastically.
She realized that things were not going as she had imagined.
She couldn't help but cry out in alarm, Wu Xingzhou, what... what exactly are you doing?
Are the soldiers you brought with you the men of that traitor Ren Tianye?
Have you... have you defected to Ren Tianye?
How... how could you defect to Ren Tianye?
Don't you know that Pingling Settlement is my personal paradise? Do... do you not love me anymore?
That's right! Wu Xingzhou replied briskly. Before his voice even faded, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, rushing straight toward the defensive works of Pingling Settlement with his soldiers!
It didn't take long for them to arrive. Seeing the place where he had once poured his heart and soul now in ruins, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow. However, he had always been calm and restrained, and quickly pulled himself together.
He ordered everyone to halt and faced his former subordinates, who were now trembling in fear.
He shouted loudly, Brothers, I, Wu Xingzhou, have now abandoned the darkness for the light. I have pledged my allegiance to the Duke and to General Wang Ming.
I have personally verified for all of you that under the command of the Duke and General Wang Ming, military merit is highly rewarded, and military pay is distributed in full.
I ask you, my brothers, are you willing to join me in defecting to General Wang Ming and the Duke? We can...
...continue to be brothers in arms in the days to come!
...
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...
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!"
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!"
