Chen Chang'an scrutinized the little turtle for a moment before picking it up from the ground.
Holding the small creature in his hand, Chen Chang'an smirked and asked, "Yi Tuo, don’t tell me you know Chen Tian too?"
"No way!"
"I’ve been stuck in the Crimson Moon Secret Realm all this time. How would I know Chen Tian?"
"Absolutely not." Yi Tuo hastily replied.
After Yi Tuo’s denial, Chen Chang'an burst into laughter, his piercing gaze fixed on the turtle, making Yi Tuo sweat under the pressure—literally, as a drop of sweat rolled down its head.
"If I recall correctly, I never told you who Chen Tian is."
"Yet when I mentioned his name just now, you didn’t even blink in confusion."
"Not to mention, while you claimed not to know him, you nodded subconsciously."
"Still trying to hide it?" Chen Chang'an sneered.
"Cough, you got me."
"Well, yeah, I do know him. I do."
Damn it!
Chen Chang'an had suspected something was off about Yi Tuo from the start, though he hadn’t dwelled on it. When they first met, Chen Tian was just a name to him—someone connected to Chen Wanqing.
He never imagined Yi Tuo would have ties to Chen Tian. But after the turtle coincidentally appeared near him twice, Chen Chang'an couldn’t ignore the possibility.
"Spill it. Why are you following me?"
"What mission did Chen Tian give you?" Chen Chang'an frowned.
"No idea. He just told me to wait for you and stick around. That’s it."
"That’s all?"
"Yep, that’s all."
"Oh, and he asked me to pass on a message."
"He said, ‘Don’t even think about ditching me, kid. You’ll regret it later.’"
Damn it!
Chen Chang'an had been about to toss Yi Tuo aside and leave the Xuantian Domain with Da Huang. But once again, Chen Tian had predicted his thoughts.
"Am I that important to you?"
"Who knows? I’ve been bored in the Crimson Moon Secret Realm anyway. Might as well tag along and broaden my horizons."
"Lately, I’ve been feeling more and more like a living being."
"Take me with you. I won’t be a burden."
"If Chen Tian sent me to follow you, maybe you’ll actually need me someday," Yi Tuo said with a grin.
What use could Yi Tuo possibly be? As a projectile to hurl at enemies? Or to bludgeon them with its shell?
"Big bro, I say we keep it around for now."
"Just go with the flow. Weren’t you planning to take it easy and follow Chen Tian’s script anyway?"
"Having everything laid out for you sounds pretty comfortable, doesn’t it?" Da Huang chimed in, grinning.
"Yeah, that’s a fair point."
"Fine, it can come along."
"You carry it."
With that, Chen Chang'an unceremoniously dumped Yi Tuo onto Da Huang’s back.
"What the—? Why me?"
"Big bro, I don’t wanna be ridden by a turtle!"
"Then ride it instead."
"No way. I’m not riding a turtle."
"Could you two consider my feelings for once?"
"Nope!"
When Chen Chang'an found Lu Xiaoyun, the latter gave Da Huang a puzzled once-over.
"Uh… what’s with the look? Quite… unique."
"A turtle carrying a dog?"
On the way there, after a fierce struggle, Da Huang had emerged victorious, forcing Yi Tuo to enlarge itself and serve as his mount.
"My new underling. Don’t mind us," Da Huang said proudly.
"Er… very creative. Bold choice. Nice."
Lu Xiaoyun concluded that Chen Chang'an was insane—and the dog following him was no better.
"Ready to leave?"
"I’ll take you to the teleportation array."
"What’s with the attitude? You sound way too eager to get rid of us."
Hearing Chen Chang'an’s remark, Lu Xiaoyun forced a strained smile. "No, no, you misunderstand, Brother Chen."
"If you weren’t in a hurry, I’d love for you to stay longer."
"Alright then. Since you insist, I’ll stick around a bit more."
Huh?
Damn it!
Was this guy seriously taking his polite gesture at face value? Couldn’t he tell it was just empty courtesy?
Lu Xiaoyun had lived comfortably in the Apex City for countless years, but ever since Chen Chang'an showed up, he felt like his life savings were being drained dry.
"I’ve got nothing left for you to loot," Lu Xiaoyun said, on the verge of tears.
"Aren’t you too old to be whining like this?"
"Relax, just messing with you. Let’s go."
"Yes, yes, let’s go now."
Lu Xiaoyun couldn’t wait another second. Dealing with Chen Chang'an was pure torture. As soon as Chen Chang'an stepped into the teleportation array, Lu Xiaoyun exhaled in relief.
But the sly grin Chen Chang'an flashed before leaving sent a chill down his spine.
"Why did he smile so deviously?"
"Oh no!"
A bad feeling struck Lu Xiaoyun. He rushed to the Apex Pavilion—only to nearly explode in rage at the sight before him.
"Chen Chang'an!"
"You bastard!"
"You took everything?!"
The Apex Pavilion’s stockpile of ingredients, accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, had been completely cleaned out. Not a single scrap remained.
"What now?"
"How am I supposed to run my business?"
"That jerk took it all!"
While Lu Xiaoyun fumed, Chen Chang'an had already arrived in the Flowing Clouds Domain via the teleportation array—though not directly at its Apex City.
Given the Apex City of Xuantian Domain’s status, it lacked the privilege of a direct link to the Flowing Clouds Domain’s Apex City.
Lu Xiaoyun had only set up this teleportation array to ensure Chen Chang'an’s departure.
"Big bro, what are you eating?"
"That looks kinda familiar."
Da Huang frowned as he watched Chen Chang'an enjoying his meal alone.
"Stuff from the Apex Pavilion."
"Lu Xiaoyun’s a cheapskate. He had plenty but refused to share."
"So I took it all before leaving."
"You want some?"
"Nah, Yi Tuo doesn’t eat this stuff. Here, Da Huang, have some."
As Da Huang wolfed down the food, Yi Tuo could only watch enviously. It longed to taste real food, but Chen Chang'an ignored it entirely.
In Chen Chang'an’s eyes, Yi Tuo was just a nuisance Chen Tian had foisted upon him. Letting it tag along was mercy enough—feeding it was out of the question.
"Big bro, where exactly are we?"
"This place looks pretty desolate."
Between bites, Da Huang glanced around. The teleportation had indeed dumped them in the middle of nowhere.
Chen Chang'an had noticed their surroundings the moment they arrived. He stayed put because he knew—every step he took was part of Chen Tian’s grand design.
"Eat up while you can. Work will be coming soon."
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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...
