The City Lord's residence—this was supposed to be his own territory, his dwelling place. Yet, why did it have to be shrouded in such secrecy?
This couldn't help but make Chen Chang'an suspect that this City Lord, Asura, must be a man with a guilty conscience. Otherwise, why go to such lengths?
When Wei Fengtang heard Chen Chang'an's words, he let out an awkward chuckle. Truth be told, even subordinates like him found it hard to understand, though none dared to voice it aloud like Chen Chang'an.
"Ahem, the City Lord is waiting for you inside. You should go in now," Wei Fengtang coughed awkwardly.
"Fine, I’ll go meet this City Lord of yours."
"By the way, have you ever seen what your City Lord looks like?"
Chen Chang'an had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned back and asked this question, leaving Wei Fengtang momentarily stunned.
"Alright, I see."
Though Wei Fengtang didn’t answer, the hesitation in his eyes told Chen Chang'an everything he needed to know.
He had never seen Asura’s true face either!
If he had, Wei Fengtang wouldn’t have hesitated—after all, Chen Chang'an was about to meet Asura in person. His hesitation only meant he wasn’t sure how to respond.
Chen Chang'an walked over to the artificial hill and discovered a hidden passage within it.
Strangely, the entrance wasn’t particularly well-concealed. So what was its purpose?
Chen Chang'an didn’t dwell on it. The passage was already lit with oil lamps, and as he ventured deeper, he eventually found himself in a vast chamber.
The space was arranged like a room—elegant but not extravagant, with a classical charm and a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.
Behind a folding screen, a shadowy figure could barely be discerned, clad entirely in black robes. It was impossible to tell whether the person was male or female.
Yet, Chen Chang'an recognized it instantly—this was the same black-robed figure he had seen in that wooden hut.
"Asura?" Chen Chang'an tested the waters.
"Indeed, it’s me."
"You wanted the Purple Gold Badge just to meet me?"
The voice was low and deliberately controlled.
This City Lord, Asura, not only concealed their appearance but also disguised their voice.
Chen Chang'an didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stepped around the screen and sat down directly across from Asura.
Admittedly, Asura’s black robes covered everything. Even face-to-face, not a single feature was visible—no skin, not even the eyes.
Just how much wrongdoing had they committed to be this terrified?
Was it really necessary to hide to this extent?
"Is there a need for all this secrecy?"
"To be honest, I’ve already formed some guesses about your identity."
"Why don’t we speak openly? What do you say?" Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"Oh?"
"No one in the entire Unreturnable City knows my identity. You’ve only been here a short while, yet you claim to have suspicions?"
"I’d truly like to hear your theory." Asura’s voice betrayed no emotion.
"You’ve done an excellent job keeping your identity hidden all these years in Unreturnable City."
"But everyone slips up eventually. Little clues can give you away without you realizing."
"Right… Boss Lady?" Chen Chang'an said, smiling faintly.
The moment the words "Boss Lady" left his lips, Asura’s body tensed ever so slightly—just for an instant, but Chen Chang'an caught it.
After a pause, Asura removed the black robe, revealing their true face: none other than the proprietress of the Joyful Pavilion.
"How did you figure it out?"
"Even my subordinates, who’ve followed me for years, never suspected a thing. How could you, after just a few days?"
"Where did I slip up?" The Boss Lady regarded Chen Chang'an with curiosity.
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an chuckled. "You didn’t really think I chose the Joyful Pavilion just because it was quiet, did you?"
"There are plenty of quiet places in Unreturnable City. I didn’t have to pick yours."
Hmm?
What did that mean?
Had Chen Chang'an suspected the Joyful Pavilion from the moment he entered the city?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Back then, Chen Chang'an hadn’t even known who the City Lord was. He’d even gathered information from her. Why would he suspect the Joyful Pavilion?
"I don’t believe you!" The Boss Lady’s gaze was skeptical. She refused to accept that Chen Chang'an had doubted her from the start.
Chen Chang'an wasn’t bothered by her disbelief. "You know Da Huang, right?"
"Its senses are incredibly sharp. The moment we entered Unreturnable City, it mapped out the entire place."
"Your Joyful Pavilion might seem far from the City Lord’s residence, but the two are connected by hidden tunnels."
"The passages are intricate and well-hidden, but Da Huang’s keen perception picked them up."
"That’s when I knew the Joyful Pavilion and the City Lord’s residence were linked."
"So…"
From the very beginning, Chen Chang'an had known the Joyful Pavilion was unusual—though he hadn’t immediately connected the Boss Lady to Asura.
But as time passed, he began noticing small clues. The most damning? The black robe left behind in the wooden hut.
"You know, you carry a unique scent—not from any perfume or powder, but something innate to you."
"That hut reeked, and you’d done your best to mask it. But on the robe you left behind, I still caught traces of that fragrance."
"That’s when I started suspecting you were Asura."
Hearing this, the Boss Lady frowned. "Just because of that tiny slip-up? Even so, that alone couldn’t confirm it, could it?"
"Was that all?" she pressed.
"Of course not."
"But it was the accumulation of little things that deepened my suspicions."
"Regardless, the facts prove I was right," Chen Chang'an said, smiling faintly.
The Boss Lady hadn’t expected Chen Chang'an to be so observant. Outwardly, he’d seemed completely normal, yet from day one—perhaps even their first meeting—he’d been piecing things together.
Just how cunning was this kid?
"You’re clever. And you guessed right about many things. Truthfully, when I decided to meet you, I never intended to keep hiding my identity."
"I just wanted to see how you’d react when you saw me."
"But while you’re sharp, there are still things you’ve missed."
"Chen Chang'an, you’ve underestimated others," the Boss Lady said with a smile.
Things he’d missed?
Chen Chang'an regarded her calmly. "And what might those be?"
"Your sister… or perhaps your twin?"
As these words were spoken, the Boss Lady's heart shuddered violently.
Impossible!
This is absolutely impossible!
How could he even know about this?
Seeing the stunned look in the Boss Lady's eyes, Chen Chang'an knew he had guessed right once again.
"What? Still not planning to show yourself?"
"The other Boss Lady!"
After Chen Chang'an finished speaking, a figure emerged from another direction and stepped into the secret chamber.
"So it's true—twin sisters!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
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...
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?"
