"Young man, we truly owe you a great deal for this journey."
"Without you, our group might not have made it here safely."
"People like you, who uphold justice and righteousness, are rare to find these days."
An elderly man gazed at the young man before him, eyes brimming with gratitude. The group behind him also looked at the youth with deep appreciation—had it not been for his timely intervention, their fate would have been grim.
"You flatter me, elder. Acting with chivalry is simply what we young people ought to do."
"Turning a blind eye to those in need is not in my nature."
"It was merely a small effort on my part. There’s no need for such gratitude," the young man replied with a smile.
"What may seem trivial to you, benefactor, is a life-saving grace to us—greater than the heavens themselves."
"Please, at least leave us your name. Though we cannot repay you, we shall carve a longevity tablet in your honor and offer daily prayers," the old man said, his voice tinged with remorse.
"That’s far too generous."
"No, we insist. Otherwise, our guilt will only deepen."
"Very well. My name is... Heng Ruolin."
Heng Ruolin?
"Good. This old man will remember it. Are you leaving now, benefactor?"
"Yes, it’s time for me to go," Heng Ruolin nodded with a smile.
"Benefactor, once we part, we may never meet again. We..."
"No need for farewells. If fate wills it, our paths will cross once more."
Without further words, Heng Ruolin gave them a final smile and turned to leave. Watching his carefree demeanor, the old man and his group couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Who hadn’t once dreamed of such freedom?
Alas, they were but ordinary folk, nothing more.
"A kind soul who does good without seeking recognition—truly admirable."
"Don’t you agree, Lin Ruoheng?"
This person was none other than Lin Ruoheng, who had changed his name and disguised himself. Just as he had walked a short distance away, the sudden voice sent a chill down his spine.
How... how could someone recognize him here? And that voice—it sounded familiar. Where had he heard it before?
"Who’s there?" Lin Ruoheng frowned, his guard up as he scanned his surroundings.
"What’s wrong? Don’t you remember?"
The next moment, Chen Chang'an, accompanied by Gu Xian'er and Da Huang, stepped into view.
At the sight of Chen Chang'an and Gu Xian'er, Lin Ruoheng’s face paled.
Impossible!
How could this be?
How did they find him here?
After leaving Qingshui, Lin Ruoheng had changed his name, altered his appearance, and even wore a mask, claiming his face had been disfigured and should not be shown. To avoid suspicion, he played the role of a wandering hero, helping others and traveling with them.
Yet despite all his precautions, they had still tracked him down?
"Gentlemen, do we know each other?"
"You must have mistaken me for someone else."
"My name is Heng Ruolin, not the Lin Ruoheng you speak of."
Lin Ruoheng refused to admit his identity, hoping his disguise would fool them.
"A person’s instinctive reactions never lie. You tensed up just now."
"Besides, you can change your appearance, but not your aura."
"Do you really take others for fools?" Chen Chang'an remarked coolly.
Realizing further deception was futile, Lin Ruoheng let out a bitter laugh and removed his mask.
"As expected of Senior Chen. But I’m curious—how did you find me?"
"And why seek me out alone, when I didn’t leave with the Lin family?" Lin Ruoheng asked, puzzled.
"Caution is never unwarranted. When cornered, even the meekest will fight back."
"So when Lin Xiangliu sent men to Qingshui’s Lin family, I naturally kept my own watch on their movements."
"Rest assured, your clansmen will face Lin Xiangliu’s judgment. As for you, I’ve come to reclaim what’s mine."
"Hand over the orb," Chen Chang'an said calmly.
Hearing this, Lin Ruoheng fell silent. He hadn’t expected Chen Chang'an to be so prepared.
After a moment, he suddenly laughed.
"I see now. From the very beginning, you never intended to spare Qingshui’s Lin family."
"Because you knew they would never accept your terms."
"Once the Lin family rebelled, the main branch would be furious and wipe them out entirely."
"This way, you avoid conflict with the main family while still achieving your goal. Am I right?" Lin Ruoheng asked with a wry smile.
Chen Chang'an didn’t deny it. Instead, he nodded.
"I despise complications. So, I leave no loose ends."
"But you’re sharper than I anticipated. Now, the orb."
"If I give it to you, will you spare my life?"
"Do you truly think me a fool?"
"I’ve hidden it in a place only I know."
"Kill me, and you’ll never find that orb in this lifetime."
"Weigh the orb against my life—I’m sure you know which matters more." Lin Ruoheng smirked, confident he held the upper hand.
"I’ll take both the orb and your life."
"Xian'er."
"Yes."
In a flash, Gu Xian'er appeared before Lin Ruoheng.
The man who had once longed for her now stared in shock at her formidable strength.
"You—"
Thud!
Before he could finish, Gu Xian'er struck. A single palm strike effortlessly ended Lin Ruoheng’s life.
"Lin Ruoheng did save you once. No hesitation?" Chen Chang'an asked, watching her.
"He saved me for two reasons: lust and guilt."
"Had his family not annihilated mine, there’d have been no need for his ‘rescue.’"
"To me, he was never a savior—only a foe draped in a benefactor’s guise."
"You, young master, are the one who truly freed me from suffering."
"Your command is my duty."
Chen Chang'an nodded in satisfaction. He had always known Gu Xian'er was sharp, but as a woman, he wondered if sentiment might sway her. Seeing no such conflict, he let the matter rest.
Approaching Lin Ruoheng’s corpse, Chen Chang'an spoke coolly:
"If you were as clever as you thought, you’d know the most crucial item—like a fetal orb—is safest when kept close."
"I’m not some naive boy to be fooled by empty threats."
In the end, Chen Chang'an retrieved the third fetal orb from Lin Ruoheng’s spatial ring.
"Six more remain."
"However..."
Holding the fetal pearl in his hand, Chen Chang'an felt little joy, for according to the clan records, there was no way to pinpoint exactly when and where the other fetal pearls had been lost.
"Will it really come down to luck?"
"Never mind, I’ll fuse this fetal pearl first and see."
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [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!"
