Chen Liang had no idea why Zhang Shi was reacting so strongly, but he honestly repeated what he had heard.
“Ning Wanqin!”
“Lu Chaosheng’s betrothed!”
Zhang Shi immediately shouted, “How is that possible?”
“How could Ning Wanqin possibly be the leader of the all-female army? Her? What does she have to qualify her?”
Now it was Chen Liang’s turn to be surprised. “General Zhang Shi, could it be that you’ve met Ning Wanqin before?”
“No!” Zhang Shi replied. “But I know plenty about her. She’s a shameless, fickle woman who makes outrageous demands. If it weren’t for her, General Lu wouldn’t have surrendered so readily.”
Chen Liang nodded.
Although Zhang Shi had not explained things clearly, Chen Liang had once led the entire Love Mutual-Aid Alliance in Pukou City. With only a few words, he could infer what had probably happened.
“General Zhang Shi, judging from this, it seems the matter has nothing to do with General Lu Chaosheng.”
“However… as far as I know, Ning Wanqin has always used General Lu Chaosheng’s name.”
“I imagine that, in Ning Wanqin’s eyes, even though she and General Lu Chaosheng have supposedly broken up, she has never acknowledged it.”
“To Ning Wanqin, General Lu Chaosheng is still her fiancé.”
“And it is precisely because of that background that Gu Qingyue chose Ning Wanqin as her partner.”
Zhang Shi was dumbfounded.
“H-holy shit?”
“It must be so. After all, General Lu Chaosheng used to be the de facto ruler of the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. Without that connection, why would Gu Qingyue even take Ning Wanqin seriously?”
After a pause, Chen Liang continued, “Even now, General Lu Chaosheng still wields tremendous influence within the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. That is what Gu Qingyue values.”
“So, the matter of Ning Wanqin being a partner of the all-female army is as good as confirmed!”
Zhang Shi could only curse. “Damn it!”
…
Across the Yangtze River, in the military camp.
As Ning Wanqin’s closest friend, Shen Moyan hung his head dejectedly, like an eggplant beaten down by frost. He had none of the bold, spirited confidence he had shown when resisting Lu Chaosheng.
There was no other reason. Reality had proved far crueler than he had imagined.
He had given up a fairly promising position in the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster and crossed the river to seek refuge with Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan. Unfortunately, things had not gone as planned.
Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan had not taken him seriously.
More precisely, Zhou Mengyan had not even been willing to meet him.
Instead, he had simply ordered a vice general to arrange accommodations for him.
Shen Moyan had been given the insignificant position of a naval officer. On the surface, his rank seemed comparable to what it had been in the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster, but in reality, the authority he could wield was worlds apart.
It could be said that Shen Moyan had traded a future he could see for one shrouded in darkness.
How could he not be depressed?
The only consolation was that Ning Wanqin was still by his side.
“Mo Yan, don’t be upset. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
Ning Wanqin entered the tent, her gentle voice filled with concern. “Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan is simply incapable of recognizing talent. He has a treasure like you right in front of him, yet he chooses to bury you. Even I feel it’s unfair.”
“Mo Yan, how about we return to the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster? I’ll talk to Chaosheng and ask him to restore you to your old position…”
“Or have him promote you by another rank.”
Unfortunately, her tender words did not make Shen Moyan happy. Instead, they only intensified his anger.
“Return?”
“How could I return?”
“Wouldn’t everyone laugh at me?”
“I finally managed to leave that place. Was it all so I could go back and endure their judgment?”
“What kind of looks would they give me?”
“Like I’m some pretty boy!”
“I’m a person too! I have my dignity. I absolutely refuse to let them look at me that way again.”
“Besides…”
A trace of fear flashed through Shen Moyan’s eyes. “The Jiangbei Fortress Cluster has already been occupied by Ren Tianye. If I went back, I wouldn’t just be under General Lu Chaosheng—I’d also be under Ren Tianye.”
“What kind of person is Ren Tianye?”
“Would he tolerate me?”
“If Ren Tianye decided to deal with me, could General Lu Chaosheng even stop him?”
“I, Shen Moyan, can only remain on this side of the Yangtze.”
When Ning Wanqin heard this, she hurriedly apologized. “I’m sorry, Mo Yan. I didn’t think things through. You’re right.”
“We really can’t return to the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster now.”
“We can only try to make a living under Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan…”
“So we have to think of a solution.”
Ning Wanqin spoke with determination, and her eyes filled with thought. Shen Moyan, however, grew increasingly anxious. Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan clearly looked down on him. Asking Zhou Mengyan to promote him now was nothing short of wishful thinking!
How could it possibly happen?
Just as his anxiety was reaching its peak, Ning Wanqin suddenly said, “I’ve got it, Mo Yan. I have a way. I’ll go find someone first and discuss it with them. I guarantee it will give you a future you can actually see.”
“Who?”
Ning Wanqin smiled brightly, like a flower in bloom. “That’s a secret!”
“Wanqin, you’re keeping secrets from me?” Shen Moyan put on a pitiful expression. “Do you not consider me your best friend anymore?”
“You and I worked so hard to cross the river from the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. We’re all alone here, relying on each other for survival, and you’re still treating me like this…”
Shen Moyan’s expression was something Ning Wanqin could never bear to see. She hurriedly explained, “Mo Yan, it’s not that I can’t tell you. The time isn’t right yet. Just wait a little, all right? I’ll go ask and come right back.”
“But… I don’t feel safe.”
“Then… what do you suggest we do?”
The moment Ning Wanqin finished speaking, she saw Shen Moyan move closer. The overwhelming scent of his masculinity washed over her, and her face instantly flushed. Realizing what he was about to do, she quickly stepped back.
“Mo Yan, we agreed. You’re my best friend, and I’ll always regard you as my best friend.”
“But I’m still Lu Chaosheng’s betrothed. I only married you and put a wedding ring on your finger so that you would have a place here with the Grand Admiral of the Navy. I can’t betray Lu Chaosheng.”
“Don’t do this!”
“Wanqin…”
Shen Moyan let out a resentful sigh, his tone almost identical to that of a newlywed wife complaining to her husband.
Ning Wanqin’s heart began pounding wildly.
But she still gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and hurried out of the tent.
The moment she left, the expression on Shen Moyan’s face changed completely. The pitiful look vanished, replaced by rage and fury. He began smashing everything in the tent, sending objects crashing to the ground until the entire place was in ruins.
Ning Wanqin saw none of this. She rushed off to devise a plan for Shen Moyan, and it was not until three hours later that she returned, her face glowing with delight.
“Mo Yan, I’ve taken care of everything for you.”
“Really?” Shen Moyan was overjoyed. “Wanqin, I knew it. You’re the only person in this world who truly cares about me. Having you by my side is wonderful.”
“How did you manage it?”
“I got you a proposition,” Ning Wanqin replied. “As long as you accomplish an unparalleled feat for Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan, he will immediately treat you as an honored guest.”
…
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
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?”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
