Cuihua’s father and mother froze on the spot.
Were they really going to sever the bonds of parenthood?
They had only said those words in the heat of anger. What parents in this world could bear to abandon their own child? No matter how troublesome their daughter might be, they were the ones who had brought her into the world and raised her!
Just as they were about to object, the villagers of West Slope Village sprang into action—or rather, the villagers who had been coached by Chen Liang did.
“Well, to be fair, Liangzi’s idea isn’t bad.”
“Exactly. With that money, you two will be set for the rest of your lives.”
“That’s right. If you’re really worried about having no one to carry on the family line, you can always try for another child. Take the money and find a doctor. If the older one’s beyond saving, raise a new one instead—it’s not too late. With money, you won’t have to break your backs working the fields anymore.”
“Oh, Cuihua’s father, Cuihua’s mother—what are you waiting for? Why turn down such a good deal? Have you forgotten what Cuihua caused two years ago? Could you handle it if it happened again?”
…
At first, Cuihua’s father and mother had no intention of listening to the West Slope villagers’ rotten advice. But when someone mentioned what had happened two years earlier, both their faces changed.
That incident had exhausted them body and soul. They had nearly both hanged themselves. More importantly, Liu Cuihua had hardly settled down afterward!
For a moment, they stood there, stunned.
They could not bear to cut off the blood ties and affection between themselves and their daughter, Liu Cuihua. Yet the shadow that past ordeal had left on their hearts made them fear that this new matter would once again drag them into the abyss.
Chen Liang saw through them at a glance and gave them no chance to speak again. He immediately made the decision for them.
“Fine. Since the two elders have agreed, we’ll do it this way.”
Then he turned to Liu Cuihua. “Miss Cuihua, what do you think? Will this do?”
Lowering his voice slightly, he added, “Don’t worry too much. Once your parents agree today, you can simply keep up the family ties afterward.”
“Visit them more often. Blood relations aren’t so easily cut off for good.”
“Don’t you agree?”
Liu Cuihua nodded frantically.
Once again, she was utterly impressed by Chen Liang.
Chen Liang was right. As long as her parents agreed today, this crisis would pass. She could slowly mend the relationship later. Most importantly, she would be able to marry the village chief.
From then on, she would enjoy endless wealth and splendor!
She immediately said, “Chen Liang, excellent. Very excellent.”
Chen Liang smiled. “And what do you think, sir?”
Village Chief Li Quan’s face, however, was full of reluctance.
Chen Liang was really asking for the moon—so much money, a house, fields, livestock… it would cost him dearly.
He… hated to part with it!
But when he turned and saw Liu Cuihua’s soft, affectionate gaze, half his reluctance vanished.
“Sir, just agree to it,” Liu Cuihua said in a tender, coaxing voice.
With that one gentle plea, the other half of Village Chief Li Quan’s reluctance disappeared as well. His heart swelled with bold resolve. For Cuihua, what did a little money matter?
With a grand sweep of his hand, he declared, “Fine. I agree!”
“Good!” Chen Liang clapped his hands, as though applauding. “Then it’s settled!”
“And now…”
“Strike up the music! Let the dancing continue!”
The atmosphere instantly surged back to a fever pitch, and everyone once again looked delighted and entertained. Village Chief Li Quan and Liu Cuihua resumed their wedding bows.
“Second bow—”
Before the officiant could finish, another voice rang out.
“I do not approve of this marriage!”
Village Chief Li Quan nearly stumbled. He thought, Why does someone always interrupt at this exact moment? But when he turned and saw a young man in luxurious robes, fat as a small mountain, making his way out of the crowd, his face immediately fell.
Because the newcomer was none other than the son he had spoiled since childhood—Li Laicai!
“Laicai, y-you weren’t you in the city?”
Village Chief Li Quan was utterly flustered.
Liu Cuihua, standing beside him, was even more panicked.
“Hmph! Good thing I made it back in time. Otherwise, you would have gotten your way!” Li Laicai was far more imposing when facing Li Quan and Liu Cuihua. He said bluntly, “Cancel this wedding immediately.”
“Liu Cuihua, wherever the hell you came from, go crawling right back there.”
“And you, Dad—today, no matter what, you are not marrying Liu Cuihua. Not even if the Jade Emperor himself comes down and says so. That’s final!”
Faced with such forcefulness, Village Chief Li Quan seemed to shrink by half. He immediately turned to Chen Liang as if begging for help. “Chen Liang, hurry and think of something! Think of something!”
Chen Liang made a reassuring gesture, then turned to Li Laicai and said leisurely, “Well, well, isn’t this Young Master Li Laicai?”
“What wind blew you here?”
“Oh, right—the wind of your father getting married.”
“Sure, your father didn’t notify you about the wedding, but that doesn’t mean you can stop him from getting married, does it?”
“This is love!”
“Love stronger than gold!”
“For the happiness of your father and your new little mother, I think you should agree to it, shouldn’t you?”
Li Laicai instantly flew into a rage. “Agree to my ass!”
“Whatever happens today, I will never approve of this.”
As he spoke, Li Laicai pointed at Village Chief Li Quan and unleashed a full barrage.
“Take a good look at yourself! At your age, marrying a young girl—have you no shame?”
“You may not care about your reputation, but I do!”
“And this Liu Cuihua—are you blind or what? Have you lived all these years with your brains in a dog’s stomach?”
“Can’t you see she’s only after his money?”
“You two standing together—who exactly are you trying to disgust?”
“Get lost! Both of you, get the hell out of here!”
“As long as I’m here today, there’s no way in hell this wedding is happening!”
It had to be said that Li Laicai was tremendously entertaining. With that outburst, he voiced exactly what everyone had been thinking. The villagers of West Slope Village immediately felt that attending the village chief’s wedding had been well worth it.
Their eyes were having a feast.
So were their ears.
Chen Liang thought so too, but his face wore a bitter expression, tinged with a hint of determination.
He shouted, “Hey, Laicai, that’s not right.”
“How can you call your father marrying Liu Cuihua shameless?”
“How can you say she’s after his money?”
“This is love!”
“Do you even understand what love is?”
“Love is higher than the heavens. For love, you can cast aside even life and death—let alone a little pride and money. You’re still young; you don’t understand. Your father is older. He understands.”
“So you can’t let your own ideas interfere with your father, understand?”
“All you need to do is give him your blessing!”
Every word Chen Liang said struck Li Laicai right in the heart. Rage surged inside Li Laicai, and his words grew increasingly incoherent as he shouted, “Li Quan doesn’t understand shit!”
“A woman his own father already had—he’s treating her like some treasure and wants to marry her into the family. He understands?”
“What the hell does he understand?”
……
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."
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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?”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
