Long Aotian had been gone for quite a long time this trip.
He didn’t even make it back for lunch.
In the meantime, Hu Yuying had called him several times, but the answer she always got was, "I’ll be back soon."
By six in the afternoon, the sky had completely darkened.
The weather forecast on her phone said it would snow tonight.
Standing outside the door, Hu Yuying kept stepping out to check. "Liar. Always saying 'soon,' but it’s never actually soon."
She regretted not insisting on going with him, no matter what he said.
In an unfamiliar place, being away for so long—how could she not worry? And with this weather, snow was likely.
She didn’t even know how many times she had stepped outside to wait for Long Aotian.
Time passed minute by minute, and the world outside was now pitch black.
Only the light from their front door cast a faint glow.
Under the illumination, a snowflake drifted down.
Hu Yuying looked up at the sky and instinctively reached out to catch it.
Just then, she heard the sound of a tricycle approaching.
She looked up and saw Long Aotian riding toward her through the darkness.
"Where have you been?" Hu Yuying rushed to him, not caring if anyone in the village might see, and gently wrapped her arms around him. "I was so worried."
Having been outside for so long in this weather, his body was chilled, but her embrace instantly warmed him.
"I’m back now. What, were you afraid I’d run off?" Long Aotian teased.
"Have you eaten yet? Let’s get you something to eat, okay?" Hu Yuying ignored his joke. If he ever did run away, she’d chase him to the ends of the earth.
Her stubborn nature meant that once she chose someone, it was for life.
He had already eaten outside, but under her concerned gaze, Long Aotian loosened his belt. "I haven’t eaten yet. Keep me company for a bit?"
"Okay." It was always like this—no matter what Long Aotian asked, she would agree without hesitation. That had never changed.
"Wash your hands first." Hu Yuying brought a basin of warm water, soaked a towel, and gently wiped his hands and face.
It gave Long Aotian the feeling of coming home—a wife, a family, warmth.
"Wow, dinner looks amazing today."
Hu Yuying smiled as she served him a bowl of rice. "This is just part of it."
Her voice softened. "I saved it just for you."
"There’s more?"
"Mm. Later, some of the uncles are coming over to drink, so I set aside some dishes."
"But you’re not allowed to drink. I’ll hide you away. You’ve had enough these past few days."
After the simple meal, Long Aotian checked the time.
"Should we sneak out now?" He pointed at his phone. "The uncles will probably be here soon."
Hu Yuying agreed, so she led him outside.
"Wait, let’s bring something."
Long Aotian went into the kitchen and grabbed two sweet potatoes. "Let’s go."
"Long Aotian, this way—it’s shorter." Hu Yuying pointed toward the village square.
Long Aotian chuckled and took her hand. "Let’s go this way. We can walk it off after eating."
With his phone’s flashlight guiding them, they followed the narrow path uphill.
Since it hadn’t snowed in the past two days, the path was much easier than the first time they’d climbed it.
Soon, they reached the platform.
Long Aotian skillfully lit a fire and placed the sweet potatoes on a piece of tile.
"Long Aotian, what were you doing all day? You were gone so long." Sitting on the platform, the glow from the fire and the phone’s light made the darkness feel less oppressive.
"I was preparing something." Long Aotian sat beside her. "Didn’t expect it to take this long."
Just then, fireworks burst from somewhere below.
At this height, the explosions looked especially dazzling.
"Long Aotian, look—more fireworks!"
"It’s New Year’s Eve. Of course people are setting them off. Celebrating the year’s end."
The sporadic bursts, though few, were breathtaking in their fleeting beauty.
Time passed.
When Long Aotian decided it was time, he sent a text from his phone.
Then he stood and pulled Hu Yuying up.
"Are we going home?" she asked.
She had wanted to leave an hour ago but stayed quietly by his side since he hadn’t seemed ready.
Now, assuming he meant to leave, she let him guide her.
"Wait one more minute." He pulled her close and covered her eyes.
"Three, two, one." As he finished counting, he lowered his hand.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A deep, resonant sound echoed as countless fireworks shot upward, exploding in the sky.
No longer sporadic—this was a synchronized spectacle.
The dark night was painted in vibrant colors.
Some fireworks streaked like meteors, vanishing in an instant.
Others erupted like volcanoes, cascading downward.
Some bloomed like chrysanthemums, radiant and dazzling.
Each firework displayed its own unique brilliance.
Under the shimmering lights, the sky seemed fragmented into countless pieces.
Every explosion cast a radiant glow on her face.
Every fading spark left her features soft and enchanting.
"Fireworks fade too quickly, their beauty fleeting—but all for this one moment of brilliance."
"Hu Yuying, Happy New Year."
Long Aotian wrapped his arms around her from behind, whispering the heartfelt wish in her ear.
Hu Yuying turned to face him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Her voice was tender, filled with warmth. "Long Aotian, Happy New Year. I love it. Thank you."
Then she felt something cool against her finger.
Lifting her hand, she saw a ring.
Under the fading fireworks, the gemstone shimmered with reflected light.
"Do you like it?"
Long Aotian’s voice was soft.
Hu Yuying gently took his hand.
The matching rings gleamed exquisitely under the firelight and fireworks.
"I love it."
Looking at the rings, she pressed her lips together, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hm?" Long Aotian tilted her chin up, seeing her slightly reddened eyes. He rested his forehead against hers. "Should I hit you?"
Hu Yuying burst into laughter, gazing at him with tender vulnerability. "I’m so moved, and you still want to hit me?"
"Don’t think being moved will save you..."
Then he pulled her close, murmuring, "This is perfect..."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
