Seeing Ye Xuan in such a straitened state now, Xiao Honglian was so exhilarated she was practically going mad.
Senior Brother needs money? Senior Brother needs resources?
Wonderful!
Xiao Honglian might have nothing else, but she possessed the vast resources of the entire Endless Flame Domain!
This was the only thing she could offer him now—the only thing that could allow her to surpass Ye Jiuhuang!
“How could five possibly be enough?!”
Xiao Honglian shouted almost instinctively. She sprang to her feet, so excited that she had even forgotten the pain in her face.
She clutched the formula for the Creation Pill tightly to her chest, as though it were an incomparable treasure.
“Senior Brother, you are destined for great things. Five Creation Pills are nowhere near enough.”
With a sweeping gesture, Xiao Honglian finally regained a trace of the Flame Emperor’s commanding presence.
“Rest assured, Senior Brother! You will not need to provide so much as a single spirit stone for the ingredients! The Endless Flame Domain will cover everything! I will personally refine them for you, using my Origin Flame!”
“I will help you refine one hundred pills!”
One hundred!
That was an astronomical number—enough to bankrupt even a Great Emperor. Yet Xiao Honglian did not so much as blink, and even felt that it was too little.
To her, as long as it could win back Ye Xuan’s heart, let alone a hundred Creation Pills—even if she had to package up the entire Endless Flame Domain and give it to him, she would not hesitate in the slightest.
Xiao Honglian looked at Ye Xuan with blazing intensity.
The lofty majesty had vanished entirely from her swollen, reddened eyes. All that remained was endless humility, burning desire, and a desperate resolve to stake everything on this one chance.
She no longer cared for the reserve expected of a Female Emperor. Speaking plainly, she said,
“Senior Brother, you know how I feel. I do not wish to dress it up with any grand-sounding words.”
“I ask for nothing in return. I only beg you for one thing!”
Xiao Honglian stepped closer again, almost pressing herself against Ye Xuan. Her voice trembled with overwhelming longing, carrying a plea so humble it had reached the very depths of despair.
“I only hope... that I can remain by your side.”
“Even if I must serve you like an ox or a horse, even if Ye Jiuhuang mocks me... I only ask that you leave me even the most insignificant place in your heart.”
Ye Xuan silently regarded the peerless Female Emperor before him, whose gaze burned with fervor, who was willing to cast aside all dignity for his sake.
Not the slightest bit of emotion stirred within him. Instead, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and mockery welled up in his heart.
The mighty Flame Emperor. A Supreme Overlord.
And now, she was like a dog eagerly throwing herself at him, crying and begging to become his pill-refining drudge—bringing her own materials, no less—just for the chance to remain at his side.
Ye Xuan forcibly suppressed the wild delight surging within him. His face showed no unnecessary expression.
Once again, he fell into thought.
He gazed out at the distant sea of clouds and remained silent for a long while.
Xiao Honglian scarcely dared to breathe. She stared fixedly at his profile, awaiting fate’s final judgment.
At last, Ye Xuan turned toward her, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
“Junior Sister, have you truly thought this through?”
Ye Xuan’s tone was extremely solemn, even carrying a trace of cold warning. “Jiuhuang is my wife. That is an unchangeable fact. If you truly insist on staying by my side…”
Ye Xuan paused, a sharp, condescending edge flashing through his eyes. “If you don’t consider it too humiliating, and if you are truly willing… to become my concubine. From now on, in the Sword God Palace, you must show Jiuhuang absolute respect and never harbor the slightest thought of overstepping your bounds.”
“Then, for the sake of the fact that we were once fellow disciples…”
Concubine.
Those two words were like the final period at the end of this long and brutal confrontation.
Upon hearing his condition, Xiao Honglian felt no humiliation whatsoever. Instead, an overwhelming, ecstatic relief burst forth from within her.
He isn’t driving me away!
He agreed!
He’s willing to let me stay by his side!
“I’m willing!”
Xiao Honglian practically screamed the three words.
She nodded frantically, tears scattering through the air like pearls from a broken string. “I don’t mind! Fine! I’m willing to be your concubine! I absolutely won’t compete with Ye Jiuhuang! I’ll listen to everything you say! As long as I can stay by your side, I’m willing to do anything!”
Seeing her ecstatic expression, the corners of Ye Xuan’s lips finally curled into an extremely satisfied yet deeply concealed sneer.
He nodded lightly, his tone once again as gentle as a spring breeze.
“Since that is the case, I agree.”
Upon hearing those words, which sounded like a heavenly pardon, Xiao Honglian’s nerves, stretched taut to their limit, finally relaxed completely.
She let out a long breath, her entire body seeming to go limp as she collapsed into Ye Xuan’s arms.
At this moment, she felt that the suffering of the past several thousand years, the despair of being humiliated by Ye Jiuhuang just now, and the humiliation of admitting that she was a second-hand woman—all of it no longer mattered.
At last, she had him again.
Even if it was only as a lowly concubine.
Driven by overwhelming joy and the exhilaration of having regained what she had lost, Xiao Honglian suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and wrapped both arms around Ye Xuan’s neck. Her stunning red lips, still carrying the scent of blood and stained with tears, pressed fervently against his.
She kissed him with tremendous force and awkward desperation, as though she wanted to offer up her entire soul to the man before her through that single kiss.
Ye Xuan did not push her away, but neither did he respond.
He merely remained there like a cold stone, allowing her to vent her emotions. Within his deep, dark eyes flickered a calculating ruthlessness that saw through everything.
A moment later, Xiao Honglian reluctantly released Ye Xuan.
Her face carried an excited flush, and her eyes once again filled with renewed determination and hope for the future.
“Husband, wait for me!”
Xiao Honglian clutched the scroll containing the Creation Pill formula, her voice filled with urgency and ingratiation. “I’m going back to the Endless Flame Domain right now to gather the necessary resources! Don’t worry. I’ll refine those one hundred Creation Pills for you as quickly as possible, and I’ll make sure they’re of the highest quality!”
“Once I’ve finished refining the pills, I’ll come to the Sword God Palace to find you. When the time comes, I… I’ll serve you…”
By the end, this Flame Emperor, who had once stood high above all others, had actually blushed in embarrassment. She lowered her head like a young girl experiencing love for the first time.
Ye Xuan gently smoothed her disheveled hair and smiled as he nodded.
“All right. Go. I’ll wait for you here.”
Having received Ye Xuan’s promise, Xiao Honglian no longer hesitated in the slightest. She took a deep look at Ye Xuan, as though she wanted to carve his features into her very soul.
Then she turned around and transformed into a dazzling streak of dark-red light, shooting eagerly through the void toward the Endless Flame Domain.
She was going to refine pills for her man. She was going to use the entire foundation of the Endless Flame Domain in exchange for the humble position of a concubine by this man’s side.
Above the sea of clouds in the void,
Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction where Xiao Honglian had disappeared. The tenderness on his face instantly vanished without a trace.
A cold wind swept past.
He raised his hand and viciously wiped his sleeve across the lips Xiao Honglian had just kissed. His eyes flashed with unconcealed disgust.
A laugh, icy cold and filled with mockery and disdain, slowly spread across the silent sea of clouds.
“Idiot.”
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
] [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!"
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?"
