Li Zi clearly didn’t understand the meaning behind Li Xingtian’s words—If you put it that way, then I also owe you an apology.
A look of confusion flashed across her face.
Li Xingtian couldn’t help but chuckle softly. His way of speaking had been influenced by his master’s habits.
As his senior sister had said, their master’s playful remarks were quite amusing.
Without realizing it, he’d picked up the habit too.
He explained to Li Zi that he had already sought out the Ling Li and reported her for standing him up.
Contrary to what Li Xingtian had expected, Li Zi didn’t beg for mercy, make excuses, or play the victim upon hearing the news.
She simply let out a deep sigh and then asked in a negotiating tone,
“Then… can I repay the spirit stones a little later?”
Li Xingtian didn’t respond. He just turned and walked away. He had plans to make—this matter wasn’t even a minor distraction for him.
One shouldn’t act recklessly. Only by having a plan could one avoid panic when unexpected situations arose.
He didn’t have much sympathy to spare for others.
His master’s grand hall was still missing a beam, after all.
Li Zi watched as Li Xingtian turned and left, then slowly got up from the ground.
Many in the tavern had witnessed the scene, but no one said a word.
Being a Ling Li was no easy job.
No one found Li Xingtian’s handling of the situation inappropriate either.
Li Zi said nothing and simply walked out of the tavern.
The sun had just set, and dusk was creeping in.
Inside the guest room, Li Xingtian carefully recalled the details of the secret realm while jotting down seemingly unrelated words on a piece of paper.
To others, these words made no sense, but Li Xingtian alone could decipher their meaning and connect them into a coherent plan.
Tonight, he would finalize the preparations—steadiness was key.
Knock, knock…
After the rapping on the door, the voice of the inn attendant came from outside:
“There’s a blue-dressed Ling Li here to see you. She says there’s been a resolution regarding today’s matter.”
“Understood,” Li Xingtian replied, still writing on the draft paper. “Tell her it’s their internal affair—they can handle it themselves.”
“I don’t have time to waste on trivial matters.”
Outside the door, the attendant responded, “Right away.”
But before long, the attendant’s voice sounded again:
“The Ling Li says she’s returning the spirit stones to you…”
Hearing this, Li Xingtian gathered the papers on the table into his spatial ring and pushed the door open.
His gaze fell on the attendant, who was staring delightedly at the spirit stone in his hand—clearly assuming it was now his.
But as the door swung open, the attendant’s cheerful expression froze.
Li Xingtian ignored him, plucked the spirit stone from his hand, then turned and shut the door without another word.
In the hallway, the attendant stood dumbfounded, staring at the closed door.
Only the faint warmth of the spirit stone lingered in his palm.
With a sigh of regret, he walked away. So much for generosity—still as stingy as the rest.
Back in the room, Li Xingtian examined the spirit stone. It looked different—this wasn’t the one he’d given Li Zi, but the one he’d handed to the blue-dressed Ling Li.
No matter. He hadn’t intended to meddle in their affairs anyway.
But a returned spirit stone was still a returned spirit stone. He tucked it into his spatial ring.
At dawn, just as Li Xingtian stepped out of his room to scout the area, he spotted Li Zi crouched in a corner.
The tomboyish girl’s face was now bruised purple and blue, two fingernails on her right hand were missing, and her once-neat linen clothes bore faint bloodstains—some areas already faded from vigorous washing.
She sat curled up in the corner, one eye blackened, her gaze fixed intently on the staircase.
Li Xingtian didn’t spare her another glance and strode straight toward the exit.
Rules were rules.
If you broke them, you bore the consequences.
No one had ever pitied him in the past.
Li Zi quickly scrambled to her feet and limped after him, her voice hoarse:
“Senior, what are your plans for today? Let me guide you.”
Without turning, Li Xingtian replied coolly,
“Someone already repaid that spirit stone for you yesterday. I don’t plan to hire you again.”
“I don’t need payment,” Li Zi insisted, hobbling behind him. “A Ling Li’s reputation is everything. Please, Senior, give me a chance—I can’t afford to lose this job…”
Li Xingtian shot her a sidelong glance, his tone icy:
“I’m under no obligation. Don’t waste my time.”
Li Zi fell silent but continued to trail him at a distance.
Ignoring her, Li Xingtian headed straight for a shop selling live spirit beasts.
The tomb he planned to excavate, as his master had put it, was exceptionally treacherous—riddled with unpredictable traps and pervasive poisons.
Using creatures to scout ahead was the safest way to avoid nasty surprises.
As for the poison-infested puppets inside, Li Xingtian still remembered the heavy price he’d paid the last time.
When it came to past mistakes, his motto was simple: Never repeat them.
Li Zi limped along silently behind him, following him into the shop.
When she saw the shopkeeper quoting an inflated price—the kind reserved for outsiders—she immediately spoke up:
“Shopkeeper, please recalculate.”
The shopkeeper glanced at her, sizing her up before asking, “Ling Li?”
Li Zi nodded eagerly, forcing a pained smile. “Yes, Ling Li.”
“Then, by custom, a ten percent discount.”
The shopkeeper adjusted his abacus and gave a new figure.
Li Xingtian glanced at Li Zi, then reached out and flicked the abacus beads again.
“Old Deng from the Treasure Pavilion recommended me.”
The shopkeeper eyed the new number on the abacus and nodded without hesitation.
“Done. I’ll throw in a little spirit sparrow—handy for scouting ahead.”
“And I’ll swap out these two rabbits for you as well.”
Li Zi, her blackened eye widening, checked the abacus again. A thirty percent discount?!
That was practically wholesale price!
And who was this Old Deng from the Treasure Pavilion?
How was this guy even more well-connected than her?
Just as Li Xingtian picked up an ordinary bag to pack the spirit beasts, the shopkeeper stopped him.
From a drawer, he produced a small Qiankun pouch and grinned.
“The bag’s on loan. If they escape, I’ll charge Old Deng triple.”
Li Xingtian didn’t refuse. “Then my thanks. I’ll return it within a month and pay the rental fee.”
The shopkeeper nodded approvingly. “Just as expected from someone Old Deng vouches for. You know how things work.”
With the pouch in hand, Li Xingtian prepared to head straight for the secret realm.
Buying live creatures like this could easily raise suspicions—after all, few would splurge on such delicacies.
Qiankun pouches that could hold living beings were expensive, and ordinary bags made one’s intentions obvious.
To avoid unnecessary attention, it was best to make such purchases on the day of departure.
First, it ensured the creatures stayed alive—these things were fragile, and prolonged captivity could kill them.
Second, it kept the operation discreet, warding off prying eyes.
Before stepping out, Li Xingtian glanced back at Li Zi.
"I don't have time to deal with you. Stop following me. Go explain things to them however you like—I won’t say another word about it."
Li Zi quickly let out a relieved sigh and said, "Many thanks for your generosity, Senior..."
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
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."
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
