Wu Xingzhou was taken aback for a moment. He had never expected that his master, whom he had met deep in the remote mountains, would have some connection to Zhou Xiong’s teacher. But that no longer mattered.
Facing Zhou Xiong’s accusations, Wu Xingzhou responded with a faint smile. “General Zhou, you’ve got that wrong.”
“In the beginning, did I not serve Yunjing with utter loyalty? But what kind of foul place has Yunjing become?”
“It’s infested with love-crazed demons everywhere!”
“Turning a perfectly good land into one where the people live in fear, where the common folk suffer and struggle to survive.”
“What loyalty is there worth offering to such a place?”
“Look at the Duke, on the other hand. He upholds righteousness, observes proper conduct, shows kindness to the commoners, and treats his soldiers with grace. He encourages proper relationships between husband and wife, yet cracks down hard on blind romantic obsession. He clears the air of this world, restoring a bright and open order.”
“A man like the Duke is a wise ruler.”
“He alone is worthy of loyalty!”
“Loyalty unto death!”
Pausing for a beat, Wu Xingzhou added, “General Zhou, your lifelong learning is extraordinary, and you haven’t committed any great wrongs. Why not join me in serving the Duke, and together we can forge a clear and upright world for all under heaven? Wouldn’t that be a joy?”
Wu Xingzhou’s words struck Zhou Xiong straight in the heart. Zhou Xiong knew well that what Wu Xingzhou said was true, but he had grown up in Yunjing, and the notion of loyalty to Yunjing was ingrained deep in his bones. He could not surrender just because of a few words from Wu Xingzhou.
Far from surrendering, it only enraged him further.
He brandished his spear and shouted, “You silver-tongued trickster! Take this!”
This was typical of Zhou Xiong—words failing, he resorted to action. In his nature, why talk when you could fight?
In an instant, his spear shot forth like a dragon, its power surging forward.
Wu Xingzhou showed no fear.
HIs foundation was already solid, and ever since the Duke had knocked three times on his forehead, he had taken every opportunity to pass on much of his wisdom. Wu Xingzhou’s skills with the halberd had grown even more refined.
He charged forward to meet the attack.
Clang!
Spear and halberd collided, sparks flying.
Both men silently acknowledged the other’s formidable arm strength as their horses crossed paths. In that brief gap, one tried a backward thrust, the other a rearward swipe.
Neither showed any mercy.
But it was clear that neither had fully mastered these killing blows, as both were blocked by the other.
Their positions now reversed, they faced each other head-on again.
This time, Wu Xingzhou struck first.
He had the advantage with his halberd—its reach was longer. More accurately, the technique with the halberd he’d learned from the Duke gave him the edge.
For the Duke had told him: as long as you grip the halberd’s shaft, you maximize your damage.
Thus, the halberd swung into action.
Zhou Xiong was forced into a defensive stance.
Soon, the two were locked in combat again.
They were evenly matched in skill—a perfect meeting of equals. Zhou Xiong’s spear work was divine, each thrust pressing hard, while Wu Xingzhou’s halberd techniques were astonishing, every move airtight.
Their horses circled, stirrups rattling, weapons clashing, sparks flying everywhere. They fought until the sky grew dim and the sun lost its light, clouds of dust rolling high to block out the heavens.
The soldiers on both sides were dazzled by the sight, their shouts of encouragement deafening.
After more than fifty rounds of combat, they were still evenly matched. It was impossible to tell who would win. Neither could overcome the other.
It was only when Wu Xingzhou jumped out of the fray and shouted, “Hold!” that they stopped.
“What, are you scared?”
“Scared? Not a chance!” Wu Xingzhou panted slightly, feeling a deep exhilaration from head to toe. Fighting a warrior like this brought him joy. More than that, he took pleasure in knowing that while he couldn’t defeat this opponent purely with martial skill, the man would ultimately have to kneel and beg for mercy.
He stopped showing off and shouted, "I, Wu Xingzhou, aside from the duke's martial skills, have never feared anyone."
"Stopping now is only because I want to give you a great gift."
"You? With such good intentions?"
Zhou Xiong was full of disbelief.
"Of course. Ever since I followed the duke, my heart has changed for the better—so much so that I've been called 'Timely Rain.'"
Wu Xingzhou gestured with ease and calm, waving his hand, "Men, bring forth the great gift I've prepared for General Zhou Xiong."
"Let General Zhou Xiong's smile stretch wide!"
The soldiers obeyed and promptly went to the back of the formation. Before long, a bound woman was brought to the front.
The woman looked rather disheveled, with a grimy cloth stuffed in her mouth, yet her fair, strikingly beautiful face was impossible to forget.
It was none other than Wanqing—captured from Source City and brought all the way here.
Zhou Xiong's body trembled violently.
"W-Wanqing?"
"You... you..."
"Weren't you dead?"
Zhou Xiong felt as though a bolt of thunder had exploded above his head, almost causing him to fall from his horse.
Just moments ago, he had been grieving Wanqing's death in his manor at Bukou City, but now... Wanqing stood right before him?
Risen from the dead?
"No, no!" Zhou Xiong didn't believe in such absurd nonsense as resurrection; instinctively, he sensed something was wrong.
"A body double. I know—it's a body double!"
"Hmph, Wu Xingzhou, you've really gone to great lengths, finding someone who looks exactly like Wanqing and trying to fool me."
"Let me tell you, I, Zhou Xiong, won't be deceived."
Wu Xingzhou sighed. This man wouldn't believe until he hit the wall. He immediately had someone remove the cloth from Wanqing's mouth.
Wanqing at once began to shout.
"Husband, husband, it's me, Wanqing!"
"I am Wanqing!"
"I truly am Wanqing—I'm not a double!"
"Quick, save me, save me!"
Her shrill cries rolled into Zhou Xiong's ears, and his burly frame shook again.
That voice—it was Wanqing's.
He looked closely, and the woman before him matched every detail of his wife in his memory: her smile, her demeanor, her movements; even the anxious look in her eyes was exactly the same.
So it wasn't a double.
After all, no matter how similar a body double was, it remained just a double.
Even with the prevalence of body doubles in the capital, it was rare to find one so perfectly identical.
"So, you... you really are Wanqing?"
"Of course!" Wu Xingzhou answered in her place. He was about to detail Wanqing's loving sweetness and scheming plans with Hu Shaoyou in Source City, to firmly crown Zhou Xiong with green horns.
But he stopped himself at the last moment.
Bukou City was more important.
The malicious fun could wait.
So Wu Xingzhou said, "This lady was rescued by people in Source City but has always been thinking of you. Well..."
"Zhou Xiong, will you dismount and surrender now?"
"Or should I take this Wanqing and reward the army with her?"
Wanqing's face turned pale, and she cried out desperately, "Husband, save me, save me! I don't want to be given to the army."
Zhou Xiong was now completely certain.
It was Wanqing!
His Wanqing was not dead!
Tears of excitement welled up in his eyes. Then, raising his right hand high, he shouted, "All troops, hear my command!"
"Yes!"
"Nock your arrows and shoot! Kill Wan Qing!"
"Our town of Pukou cannot be burdened by a single woman!"
Wu Xingzhou: "???"
Wan Qing: "???"
...
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
