"Senior Sister, haven't you noticed that Master has been acting a bit strange lately?"
Cui Hao stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the corridor railing, asking Li Yingling beside him.
"Just a bit?"
Li Yingling raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone somewhat teasing.
A knowing expression also appeared on Cui Hao's face as he whispered:
"Well then, Senior Sister, what do you think it is?"
"What else could it be?" Li Yingling replied with a slight curl of her lip.
The two stood by the covered walkway, their gazes simultaneously directed towards their own master and Master Lingyu, who both wore exceptionally gentle smiles.
Master had been maintaining this state for several days now.
Furthermore, even though the illusion had already been dispelled, Master Lingyu had instead started visiting even more frequently and familiarly.
Master had also clearly become much more physically affectionate with Master Lingyu.
Li Yingling naturally understood her own master—full of smooth talk, but his actions were always the most honest.
Things he shouldn't do, things he shouldn't touch, he would never recklessly engage with.
But this kind of demeanor...
Tsk tsk.
"Senior Sister? Fifth Junior Brother?"
Li Xingtian had just rounded the corner when he saw Li Yingling and Cui Hao wearing rather... lewd smiles, their eyes fixed directly on their master's direction.
Li Yingling didn't even turn her head, just waved a hand behind her.
Li Xingtian hesitated slightly but still walked over to stand beside his senior sister.
Li Yingling tilted her head, gesturing: "Second Junior Brother, don't you think Master has been very odd lately?"
Li Xingtian was taken aback by the question, his gaze turning somewhat puzzled as he looked towards their master.
He looked for a long while but couldn't see anything unusual, so he shook his head gently.
Cui Hao seized the opportunity to interject, raising an eyebrow: "Senior Sister, asking Second Senior Brother this question is a bit unfair, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Li Yingling's smile widened, and she returned Cui Hao's raised eyebrow.
Li Xingtian, seeing the two openly teasing him, could only shake his head in resignation.
Looking at Li Xingtian's expression, Li Yingling sighed softly, then raised her hand to give her foolish second junior brother a light elbow nudge to the chest:
"Haven't you noticed that Master and Master Lingyu seem to be more... well... affectionate?"
Li Xingtian nodded gently: "Yes, I have."
"Then do you think Master and Master Lingyu might... ahem!"
Li Yingling didn't finish her sentence, instead raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Only then did Li Xingtian understand why his senior sister and fifth junior brother had been looking so sneaky—they were gossiping about Master behind his back.
But what was so special about this gossip?
Li Xingtian said calmly:
"Isn't that bound to happen sooner or later? Moreover, it's a good thing, isn't it?"
Li Yingling looked Li Xingtian up and down, asking in confusion:
"Huh? Didn't you say that lust is a bone-scraping knife? So quickly it's a good thing again?"
"That's what you said, Senior Sister. I only said one shouldn't indulge in women's charms."
Then why don't I ever see you with someone? Afraid of becoming obsessed with women?
Naturally, yuanfen (fate/predestined relationship) hasn't arrived yet. We cultivators strive for the Great Dao. If we can advance side by side, wouldn't that be a good thing?
Li Xingtian's expression was calm, with a hint of confidence.
Li Yingling looked at her second junior brother, who acted like a relationship expert, and simply scoffed, turning her gaze to Cui Hao—This sort isn't worth me speaking to personally, you handle it!
Cui Hao obediently nodded, looking at Li Xingtian:
"Second Senior Brother, to ask what love is in this world..."
Cui Hao's words got stuck in his throat halfway. Chen Baiqing was now standing outside the walkway, looking at him with an exceptionally calm gaze.
Even calmer than Second Senior Brother.
Li Yingling also sensed that something was amiss. Glancing sideways and seeing Chen Baiqing, she immediately wiped all traces of a gossipy expression from her face, adopted a perfectly natural demeanor, and gave Chen Baiqing a slight nod:
"Third Junior Sister, you're here too."
"Mm." Chen Baiqing walked over, asking pointedly, "What are Senior Sister and Fifth Junior Brother doing?"
Li Yingling cleared her throat softly, her gaze drifting away as she said with a rather sentimental tone:
"Naturally, reflecting on the development inside and outside the sect, and feeling happy that Master has broken free from the illusion spell. Our conversation just got a bit... miscellaneous."
Chen Baiqing first responded to her senior sister's words with a smile, then shifted her gaze horizontally to Cui Hao:
So, Junior Brother's "what love is" must be a personal reflection, then? Have you perhaps met some good person—a suitable match?
Cui Hao's expression shifted, and he shook his head repeatedly:
"No, no, it was just discussion."
Li Yingling coughed lightly to interrupt the topic:
"Master said there's a full-sect gathering tonight. I'm the organizer and had almost forgotten—there are still things I haven't prepared. I won't keep Third Junior Sister chatting. See you tonight."
With that, Li Yingling left without even glancing at Cui Hao, who was shooting pleading 'help me' looks at her.
Cui Hao watched Li Yingling leave with extreme disappointment, then faced Chen Baiqing's interrogative gaze, stammering out a few rare, unclear words:
"I... I..."
Chen Baiqing said:
"You should go help Senior Sister too."
"Right away!" Cui Hao replied as if granted amnesty, immediately turning to leave.
Li Xingtian watched Senior Sister and Cui Hao leave, his gaze finally settling on Chen Baiqing, now the only one remaining.
Chen Baiqing walked forward slowly, standing beside her second senior brother. Her gaze also calmly turned towards their own master, who was currently laughing and joking with Master Lingyu.
Neither of them spoke.
Li Xingtian pondered for a moment, then suddenly said:
"You don't want Master and Master Lingyu to be together?"
Chen Baiqing shook her head slightly: "Master Lingyu has a very good temperament, and Master likes her very much. As a disciple, I am naturally happy for Master."
"I thought Second Senior Brother would see things more clearly than Senior Sister and the others."
Li Xingtian looked puzzled:
"See what more clearly?"
Chen Baiqing said calmly: "Senior Sister likes watching the commotion and always wants to view things in the most dramatic way. Cui Hao also likes to add fuel to the fire and watch the fun. But sometimes, the facts aren't like that."
Chen Baiqing looked towards the horizon:
"I just want a sect with a Master, a home with a Master. Just like how Second Senior Brother also hopes to always stay by Master's side."
Hearing this, Li Xingtian also nodded in understanding.
Chen Baiqing suddenly asked: "Second Senior Brother, if we started calling Master Lingyu 'Shiniang' (Master's Wife) now, do you think she would be shy?"
Li Xingtian actually gave this question proper thought before replying:
"She probably would."
A smile appeared on Chen Baiqing's face. She suddenly called out loudly towards Xie Lingyu's direction:
"Shiniang, does Baiqing need to come make tea?"
The voice was loud.
At least Xie Lingyu in the distance heard it.
She looked up at Chen Baiqing, showing no hesitation, and nodded in response:
"Yes!"
Having received her answer, Chen Baiqing glanced sideways at Li Xingtian with a smile:
"Looks like Second Senior Brother guessed wrong."
With that, Chen Baiqing walked quickly towards Xie Lingyu.
Li Xingtian remained standing where he was.
Watching his third junior sister join them so naturally, he could also tell.
Third Junior Sister had never held any aversion towards Master Lingyu.
It's just that matters of the heart have always been hard to separate clearly. To like is simply to like, and if you like something, you want to possess it alone.
Like a child who loves its mother and cannot bear to see the mother be good to others.
The more you like, the more you want to possess.
Li Xingtian was perhaps the same.
"Xingtian, what are you standing there for? Come join us!"
"Coming, Master."
Li Xingtian nodded in response.
After all, who wouldn't want to be the absolute best/closest to a Master like this?
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
