Shen Zhian brought up the matter of the hundred thousand taels of silver again. After all, that hundred thousand taels would immediately solve their most urgent problem.
But the moment the words left her mouth, Shen Zhian herself froze.
She suddenly realized where Zhang Shi’s money had come from.
“Could it be… perhaps… maybe…”
“The million-tael banknote I gave him?”
“So Zhang Shi took the money I gave him and used it to pay me to persuade Zhou Buzhang to come out of retirement?”
Shen Zhian’s thoughts were in a mess.
But as a self-proclaimed strong woman, she refused to let herself become distracted at such a crucial moment. Everything had to revolve around maximizing her own interests. She quickly declared, “A hundred thousand taels of silver!”
“If we get it, life will be much easier for us.”
“Besides…”
Shen Zhian issued Zhou Buzhang a final ultimatum.
“Zhou Buzhang, you’re going whether you want to or not!”
“You have to go!”
“Otherwise, you can just watch me—and watch our children—starve to death in the streets!”
As the person closest to Zhou Buzhang, Shen Zhian knew better than anyone exactly where to strike, and what pain would cut him deepest.
Although Zhou Buzhang had been dispirited every day, he was a man who placed tremendous importance on family and blood ties. He did not take much care of the children, but his sense of responsibility toward them was no less than anyone else’s.
That was why Shen Zhian was certain.
Once those words were spoken, Zhou Buzhang would have no room left to refuse. The only path awaiting him was to seek refuge with General Zhang Shi.
Whether he went willingly, or only after enduring anguish, conflict, and struggle…
He was going!
Having said her piece, Shen Zhian swaggered away.
Sure enough, Zhou Buzhang’s face was filled with pain as he sank into despair.
The children… His children…
He had already sold the family home, betraying his ancestors and forefathers. Was he now going to fail his children as well?
Was Zhou Buzhang destined to become the greatest sinner in the history of the Zhou family?
As his emotions collapsed completely, Zhou Buzhang could think only of one thing: Why had he not died on the battlefield back then? Why had he clung to life until now? If he had died, why would he have had to suffer such a disaster?
He shut himself away in his room for three full days. He neither ate nor drank, neither slept nor rested. Only when the final moment of the deadline set by Zhang Shi arrived did Zhou Buzhang finally emerge from the study.
Shen Zhian had been waiting outside the door for a long time.
“What about General Zhang Shi…”
“I’ll go and seek refuge with him!”
Zhou Buzhang uttered the words in a low, heavy voice.
His entire body seemed exhausted, and his expression was numb and lifeless.
By contrast, Shen Zhian’s face was bright with delight.
“Husband, I knew you would make your return for my sake and for the sake of this family.”
“I’ve already prepared the horses, equipment, and everything else you’ll need. Go to the military camp and find General Zhang Shi at once.”
“He’s probably growing impatient waiting for you.”
Zhou Buzhang turned his head and stared deeply at Shen Zhian.
The delight on Shen Zhian’s face was just as it had always been. But when he looked at her now, he no longer felt the stirring in his heart that her smile had inspired in him during their youth.
All that remained was emptiness and numbness—even…
A trace of hatred.
Zhou Buzhang drew a deep breath, stepped outside, and mounted his horse.
He brought the whip down, and the strong horse charged forward.
His body had gone untrained for many years, and the exertion of the past three days had left him weak. Even sitting on horseback was a jarring ordeal that made him feel as though his bones were about to fall apart. Still, he gritted his teeth and pressed onward.
The Zhou residence was not far from the naval camp.
By the time Zhou Buzhang arrived, he was barely holding himself together.
He dismounted and paused to catch his breath. When he raised his eyes, he saw the military camp he had been away from for decades.
This place held everything from his youth. It recorded his achievements and had also witnessed his downfall.
Returning now, he could not help but feel wave after wave of emotion.
Fear?
Perhaps it was the uneasiness one felt upon returning to a place that had once been home.
Just as he was trying to regulate his breathing and steady his mind, the soldiers guarding the entrance came striding over.
“Hey, you! What are you doing here?”
“This is a military compound. You think you can come and go as you please?”
The guards shouted angrily, but once they came closer and got a good look at Zhou Buzhang, they could not help freezing in surprise.
“Zhou Buzhang?”
“You’re Zhou Buzhang?”
Zhou Buzhang drew a shallow breath and said, “Yes. I am Zhou Buzhang. I have come to offer my services to General Zhang Shi…”
Before he could finish, the gate guards burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha… Zhou Buzhang, you actually had the nerve to come back?”
“Well, well. Back then, the Grand Commander drove you away like a stray dog, and you even swore you’d never have anything more to do with him. So why are you back now?”
“Come crawling back for another taste, did you?”
This guard was clearly one of Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s men, and he immediately launched into a merciless mockery of Zhou Buzhang.
He did not even content himself with enjoying the insult alone. He called over the other soldiers on guard duty, and together they ridiculed Zhou Buzhang.
Back then, Zhou Buzhang had lost the struggle against Zhou Mengyan for the position and left in a fit of anger. As the years passed, the truth of what had happened became impossible to reconstruct. Moreover, Zhou Mengyan, as the victor, was always bound to glorify himself and vilify Zhou Buzhang.
As a result, the guards under him looked down on Zhou Buzhang tremendously.
“They say a good horse never eats the grass it has left behind, but look at this one—he’s come back for it!”
“Look at how miserable he is. How did he ever dare compete with the Grand Commander?”
“Oh, look at that! The man who was driven away has actually come crawling back!”
“Go report this to the Grand Commander. He’ll be overjoyed to hear that someone has shamelessly returned!”
…
Every insult struck his ears with perfect clarity.
Zhou Buzhang was a proud man, and his face had already reddened with rage. He truly wanted to turn around and leave this place that had once broken his heart and now filled him with even greater despair.
But he knew he could not go back.
Not only would he have nothing to show for it, Shen Zhian would also cause an earth-shattering uproar.
All he could do was suppress the rage boiling inside him. He bowed slightly and said, “Please inform him that I, Zhou Buzhang, have come to offer my services to General Zhang Shi.”
No one paid him any attention.
Even after he invoked the name of Zhang Shi, the rising star of the army, no one paid him the slightest heed. These soldiers belonged to Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan, and their loyalty lay with Zhou Mengyan.
They were simply waiting for Zhou Mengyan to arrive.
And Zhou Mengyan arrived very quickly.
After all, his own success was certainly gratifying, but seeing a former enemy reduced to such a state was even more satisfying.
A spectacle like this was rare enough to witness even once in a lifetime. Since he had finally encountered one, he naturally had to come out and savor it. Who knew when he would get another chance?
“Oh!”
The instant Zhou Mengyan saw Zhou Buzhang, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“Isn’t this General Zhou Buzhang?”
“What wind blew you here?”
“Our little military camp was beneath your notice back then. You turned around and left without even acknowledging Old Grand Commander’s attempt to keep you. So what brings you back now?”
“Come to visit your old comrades?”
“Ah, your old comrades didn’t come out to welcome you. Don’t tell me you’re upset?”
“Look at that pout on your face. You look as if someone owes you several million taels!”
Every word Zhou Mengyan spoke brought him another measure of satisfaction. After saying all that, he felt so delighted he could have taken flight.
The contrast with Zhou Mengyan’s mood could not have been greater than Zhou Buzhang’s expression, which had already darkened like storm clouds—or collapsed like a mountain.
Inside, his heart had been reduced to ruins.
This was one of the reasons he had always looked down on Zhou Mengyan.
Zhou Mengyan was far too petty and narrow-minded. He could not tolerate anyone else.
Now that Zhou Buzhang had returned in disgrace, Zhou Mengyan was mocking and ridiculing him like this. Clearly, all these years had done nothing to change him.
But… it was precisely this unchanging nature that was driving Zhou Buzhang to despair!
Even in such circumstances, Zhou Mengyan still refused to let him off. Not only did he refuse to let him off, he was intent on humiliating him even further!
—It had taken him so long to get an opportunity to humiliate Zhou Buzhang. Calling it a once-in-a-lifetime chance would not be an exaggeration. If he did not take the opportunity to get his revenge now, when would he?
Wasn’t life all about settling scores and savoring one’s victories?
If a person could not even live with that kind of satisfaction, what was the point of being alive?
Thus, Zhou Mengyan immediately shouted an order.
“Someone go fetch Old Liu, Old Zhang, Old Jiu, and the others who used to serve alongside General Zhou Buzhang!”
“General Zhou Buzhang has finally come to the military camp. We… certainly can’t treat him poorly!”
His personal guards instantly burst into laughter.
Who didn’t know that the men Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan had named were all his close associates—and all had some history with Zhou Buzhang?
Once they were brought here, everyone would get to watch a fine performance!
A truly spectacular performance!
Naturally, the guards sent to fetch them were all extremely excited.
A large-scale public humiliation like this was, frankly, a rare sight!
In fact, they had never seen one before!
How could they not be excited?
For a time, the military camp became a noisy mess, and the commotion attracted Zhang Shi’s attention.
“Shitou, what’s happening outside?”
“I don’t know, Deputy Commander!”
“If you don’t know, can’t you go take a look?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Shitou hurriedly agreed. When he left the tent, he even pretended to be annoyed by Zhang Shi’s order, maintaining the usual antagonism between himself and Zhang Shi.
It was not long before he came running back.
“Deputy Commander, someone named Zhou Buzhang has arrived at the entrance of the military camp. He’s the man who used to run a martial arts school here. Grand Commander is currently leading a group of people in humiliating him.”
The moment Zhang Shi heard this, his expression changed.
“Oh no!”
“This bastard came here looking for me!”
“How did it turn into a public humiliation?”
He quickly strode outside. Before long, he arrived at the entrance of the military camp, where he saw a crowd surrounding Zhou Buzhang as if he were a performing monkey. Every face was filled with amusement, while their mouths spewed nothing but mockery.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here? If it isn’t our General Zhou Buzhang! How full of spirit you were back then. What happened to you now? Why are you looking so down-and-out? What brings you to the military camp? Don’t tell me you couldn’t make it out there and have come begging for a job?”
“Grand Commander, this is where you’re being unfair. General Zhou Buzhang has come all this way to seek your protection. Surely you can at least arrange some work for him? I seem to recall that our camp has always been short of someone to clean the horse dung. I think General Zhou Buzhang would be perfect for the job.”
“Perfect? Absolutely perfect! General Zhou Buzhang has always been meticulous in everything he does. If he cleaned the horse dung, it would be spotless!”
“Hahaha, that’s a great idea!”
…
Under this barrage of ridicule, Zhou Buzhang’s face shifted from green to red, then from red back to green. His expression changed again and again. His fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palms, yet he continued standing there without moving an inch.
Zhang Shi watched from not far away…
And was very satisfied.
“Looks like Zhou Buzhang really has been driven into a corner. Otherwise, with all the honors and achievements he earned in the past, he would have simply walked away!”
“But now, he’s letting these people humiliate him like this and still managing to stand there without moving…”
“What on earth did Shen Zhian do to him?”
“How could he drive such an honest man to this point?”
Zhang Shi could not help sighing.
He had seen plenty of extraordinary people. Like Ren Tianye, he had gradually developed nerves of steel and felt that nothing could surprise him anymore.
But now… he could not help feeling sorry for Zhou Buzhang.
Zhou Buzhang had been a renowned general. Even if he had retired, he should have been able to enjoy his later years in peace. How had he ended up in such a miserable state?
Feeling a sense of sympathy for someone in the same profession, Zhang Shi strode forward.
The moment he appeared before the crowd, all the voices abruptly fell silent. Even the look of gleeful satisfaction on Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s face vanished.
Everyone felt a deep, instinctive fear of Zhang Shi.
The man had joined them and, on his very first day, dared to kill twenty-seven naval commanders. The impression he had left on everyone was simply too deep!
So deep that they instinctively kept their distance from him!
“Greetings, Grand Commander!”
Zhang Shi was the first to break the silence. He said, “This is someone I summoned, Grand Commander. Leave him to me.”
Zhou Mengyan was startled. “General Zhang Shi, you were the one who called him here?”
“Why did you call him?”
Zhang Shi let out a helpless sigh. “Isn’t it because the military camp is short of personnel? What choice did I have? If we can’t train some capable naval commanders in a short period of time, who will stop Ren Tianye when he attacks?”
“Me?”
“Or you?”
“Since we have no other option, I could only invite Zhou Buzhang. At the very least, he has a fearsome reputation and exceptional ability. If we have him train our naval commanders, he will surely be able to help us resist Ren Tianye in the future!”
“You want him to train naval commanders?” Zhou Mengyan was even more shocked. He immediately refused. “No! Absolutely not!”
Zhou Mengyan knew very well that Zhou Buzhang was his enemy. Would the naval commanders Zhou Buzhang trained remain loyal to him?
If they ended up producing a whole group of enemies, that would be a disaster!
“No?” Zhang Shi said. “Then what do you suggest, Grand Commander?”
“As far as I know, Ren Tianye’s naval training is progressing in an orderly fashion. It won’t be long before he launches his attack. When that happens, should I split into twenty people and lead them into battle?”
“But even I can’t do that!”
“When Ren Tianye attacks, I might be able to stop him on land, but on water… I can’t stop anyone on water!”
After a pause, Zhang Shi continued, “Then perhaps you should split into twenty people, Grand Commander, and lead the troops into battle yourself. How does that sound?”
Zhang Shi’s words were harsh, but they were entirely in keeping with his usual forceful nature. He then walked straight toward Zhou Buzhang.
The men on both sides tried to stop him, but one sweep of Zhang Shi’s eyes sent them all retreating in fear.
Zhang Shi came to a stop in front of Zhou Buzhang.
“Let’s go, Zhou Buzhang. You’ve come to join the military camp, so come with me. Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, let’s see who dares say another word.”
At that moment, Zhou Buzhang truly felt as though he had seized a lifeline. He followed Zhang Shi step by step, while Zhang Shi led the way with his head held high.
Still, Zhang Shi did not push matters too far. After walking a few steps, he paused and glanced back.
“I say, brother, could you stop looking so miserable?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures!”
“I didn’t have a choice either!”
“We’ll talk about everything after we defeat Ren Tianye. All right?”
This consolation, which barely qualified as consolation at all, still did nothing to extinguish Zhou Mengyan’s anger. His face darkened on the spot, and once he returned to the military camp, he flew into a furious rage!
…
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
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?”
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
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."
