Gu Xian'er's words left Chen Chang'an momentarily stunned.
Become his disciple?
Chen Chang'an studied Gu Xian'er for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"What a clever girl."
Gu Xian'er was intelligent, composed, and knew how to seize opportunities.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want revenge—she simply hadn’t found the right chance.
The way Chen Chang'an and Xuan Wudao had conducted themselves earlier had given her a deeper idea.
Even if Chen Chang'an hadn’t approached her with his story, she would have found a way to speak to him, perhaps even prolong their conversation.
As for why she chose Chen Chang'an over Xuan Wudao—
It wasn’t just because Chen Chang'an had initiated the conversation. Comparing the two, Gu Xian'er felt Chen Chang'an might be the more reliable one.
"In this lifetime, this may be my only opportunity."
"It’s not just about revenge. I loathe living like this in a brothel."
"Benefactor, you said you wouldn’t intervene, but I… I can become your disciple."
"I beg for your mercy in granting me this."
Gu Xian'er was smart enough to know that honesty was the best approach when dealing with someone like Chen Chang'an.
Playing tricks in front of the strong was nothing short of foolish.
Taking on a disciple was something Chen Chang'an had never seriously considered before.
Though Chen Yunxuan and Chen Chang'an had a master-disciple relationship in practice, they had never formalized it.
Gu Xian'er was already twenty years old, yet her cultivation had only reached the first level of the True Qi Realm.
At twenty, reaching the True Qi Realm might be considered decent in the Northern Region, but in the Central Heaven Domain, it was merely average.
Seeing Chen Chang'an hesitate, Gu Xian'er grew nervous.
"Does Benefactor find my talent too lacking to achieve anything?"
"If so, I can give up on becoming your disciple. Even staying by your side as a servant would suffice."
For Gu Xian'er, escaping her current predicament required the help of someone as powerful as Chen Chang'an.
At the very least, in Langya, she knew of no one else who would dare disregard the Lin Family’s influence.
Even if such a person existed, would she ever get the chance to meet them?
"Perhaps this is fate’s design."
"Langya is vast, yet meeting you here must be some kind of providence."
"Fine. I’ll take you away from Langya—but not yet."
"I still have matters to settle here. Once they’re done, I’ll bring you with me."
"As for what path you take afterward, that will be your choice."
Thud!
The moment Chen Chang'an finished speaking, Gu Xian'er dropped to her knees.
Hope—she had finally glimpsed the hope of rebirth!
"Thank you, Benefactor, for your mercy and salvation."
"From this day forth, Gu Xian'er vows to serve at your side, unwavering for eternity."
"Should I break this oath, may my soul be condemned to eternal torment, never to be redeemed."
Chen Chang'an looked at her and gave a slight nod. "Get up."
"Yes, Benefactor."
"Benefactor, how should I address you from now on?"
"Should I call you 'Young Master' or 'Lord'?" Gu Xian'er asked after standing.
What to call him?
Chen Chang'an hadn’t really thought about it. Despite his long life, he’d never had a personal attendant before.
He’d spent most of his time being his master’s errand boy…
'Lord' didn’t fit—he was far too old for such a youthful title.
'Young Master'…
"Never mind. 'Young Master' will do."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Since you’re now my attendant, you can’t remain too weak."
"Your talent may be ordinary, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be changed."
"Here, take this Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb and consume it."
Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb?
Gu Xian'er had no idea what it was or what it did, but the name alone suggested it was no ordinary treasure.
This herb had been given to Chen Chang'an by Mu Yunyao, though it wasn’t suitable for men.
Mu Yunyao had once joked that he could gift it to a lover someday.
But Chen Chang'an wasn’t one for sentimentality. If something had use, it should be used—who received it didn’t matter.
"Young Master, this is far too precious. I’m merely—"
"Enough. Take it when it’s given. When I speak, you obey. Understood?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Consume it. Let’s see if it can refine your constitution."
"As you command."
Without another word, Gu Xian'er swallowed the Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb.
The herb dissolved the moment it touched her tongue, an astonishing sensation. She had expected difficulty swallowing, but it transformed into pure energy, washing over her body again and again in a baptism of power.
"Damn, Old Chen, what the hell are you doing? Such intense energy fluctuations!"
"Didn’t you think to set up a barrier? You trying to kill everyone nearby?"
As the energy within Gu Xian'er surged, Xuan Wudao—who had been enjoying drinks with the courtesans—rushed over in alarm.
Da Huang, however, was more in sync with Chen Chang'an. Without needing to approach, he cast a barrier around Gu Xian'er’s room.
"Didn’t expect such a reaction. Just gave her something to eat."
"You didn’t expect it? You fed her the Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb—a legendary treasure said to have vanished for millennia!"
"And you just casually handed it to a servant?"
"Are you out of your damn mind?"
Chen Chang'an wasn’t particularly concerned. To him, these things were useless—he had no need for them.
But Xuan Wudao saw it differently. Though he hadn’t been present earlier, he’d been observing everything from afar.
When he heard "Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb," he nearly spat out his wine in shock.
Internally, he cursed Chen Chang'an as the most wasteful man alive.
"Treasures exist to be used."
"Who uses them is my decision as the owner."
"If I’m not bothered, why are you?"
"The emperor isn’t anxious, yet the eunuch is." Chen Chang'an replied flatly.
"Damn it, I’ve never seen anyone as reckless as you!"
"Wait—who the hell are you calling a eunuch?"
"It’s been three thousand years. Care to test how much stronger I’ve gotten?" Xuan Wudao glared.
"Still itching to be a beggar?"
"You—"
"How about another wager? Same rules, but this time, the loser becomes a eunuch!"
"You game?"
At that, Xuan Wudao immediately deflated. The stakes were too brutal, and Chen Chang'an’s confidence left him with no courage to bet.
Though Xuan Wudao had grown immensely stronger over three millennia, he couldn’t be sure Chen Chang'an hadn’t progressed as well.
"Tch. Not worth my time."
"Still, I am curious—what exactly happens after consuming the Nine-Rank Phoenix Herb?"
Xuan Wudao turned his attention back to Gu Xian'er.
She was now enveloped in a violent surge of energy, her entire body wracked with agony.
Yet from beginning to end, she stubbornly refused to make even the slightest sound.
"This girl... I truly underestimated her. With willpower like this, she’s destined for greatness."
Even Xuan Wudao couldn’t help but regard Gu Xian’er in a new light.
"This energy seems... a bit too intense!"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
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...
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
