The next day.
The Azure Emperor had finally learned her lesson.
She locked herself in her room, windows and doors shut, refusing to see anyone.
Her room was a side hall on the western side of the Sword God Palace. Though far larger than an ordinary disciple’s quarters, to the Azure Emperor, who had once ruled over an entire realm, it was nothing but a cage.
She sat on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest, curled into a tight ball. Her blue dress was wrinkled, her hair disheveled, and her face haggard.
The red mark from yesterday’s slap still lingered on her left cheek. A fresh bruise had appeared on her right—Ye Xuan had struck her that morning.
Why?
That morning, Ying’er had been admiring the flowers in the garden. The Azure Emperor had merely glanced at her from a distance when Ying’er suddenly screamed, clutched her face, and claimed that the Azure Emperor had glared at her so fiercely it made her dizzy.
Ye Xuan hadn’t asked a single question. He had simply slapped her.
The Azure Emperor was numb by now. She no longer even tried to defend herself. She knew it was pointless.
Her heart was breaking, piece by piece.
She remembered how, ten thousand years ago, Ye Xuan had been falsely accused in the same way.
Back then, she had believed Lu Yanchen’s lies and personally cut out Ye Xuan’s kidney, transplanting it into Lu Yanchen.
At the time, Ye Xuan had been unable to make anyone believe him. Now, at last, she understood that kind of despair.
“Karma… This is karma…”
She gave a bitter laugh, and tears streamed down her face once more.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.
The Azure Emperor stiffened, instinctively shrinking back.
“Sister Azure Emperor.”
Ying’er’s voice came from beyond the door, sweet as poison.
The Azure Emperor didn’t answer.
“Sister, I know you’re in there. I’m coming in.”
The door swung open, and Ying’er stepped inside with a light, cheerful gait.
Today she wore a water-blue dress, her hair pinned up with a jade hairpin that revealed her smooth forehead.
A touch of makeup and a hint of rouge lent her the fresh, delicate beauty of a lotus rising from the water.
In her hands, she carried a steaming bowl of herbal soup.
“Sister, I made you some calming soup. I heard you haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, so my husband especially asked me to bring it to you,” Ying’er said with a bright smile, setting the bowl on the table.
The Azure Emperor lifted her head and stared at her blankly.
“What do you want?” Her voice was hoarse. “I’ve already been keeping my distance. What more do you want from me?”
Ying’er’s smile didn’t waver. She tilted her head, a sly glint in her eyes. “Sister, I only came to bring you some soup. Why do you make me out to be so awful?”
“Bring me soup?” The Azure Emperor let out a cold laugh. “And then what? Are you going to fall again and pin it on me?”
At last, Ying’er’s expression changed. Her smile faded, replaced by cold contempt.
“Sister, that’s not fair,” she said, her voice still gentle but edged with a chill that cut to the bone. “When have I ever pinned anything on you? Those things were all accidents, weren’t they?”
“Accidents?” The Azure Emperor sprang to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes. “Ying’er, you can fool Ye Xuan, but you can’t fool me! You’re a demon! You set me up on purpose, just so he’d hit me. You’re trying to drive me away!”
Ying’er looked at her, then suddenly laughed.
“Drive you away?”
“Sister, you think far too highly of yourself. To me, you’re nothing but an annoying fly. Why would I bother driving you out? I just want to see how long you can keep enduring this.”
The Azure Emperor’s pupils contracted sharply.
“You… You finally admitted it…”
“Admitted what?” Ying’er tilted her head. “I only said I want to see how long you can endure. What is there to admit?”
She walked slowly toward the Azure Emperor, each step carrying an oppressive weight. The Azure Emperor retreated without thinking, until her back hit the wall.
Ying’er stopped in front of her and gently stroked her swollen cheek. Her touch was as tender as a lover’s caress.
“You know, Sister? You really are beautiful,” Ying’er murmured. “So beautiful it makes people jealous. But no matter how beautiful you are, my husband doesn’t love you. He loves me and Sister Jiuhuang—not you.”
The Azure Emperor trembled all over, tears welling in her eyes.
“You…”
“Shh.” Ying’er raised a finger to her lips. “Don’t speak. Let me finish.”
Her gaze turned icy, though her voice remained soft. “How did you treat my husband back then? You took out his kidney and made him wish he were dead. Do you think apologizing now can make up for it? Do you think becoming his concubine can erase everything?”
“Dream on.”
“My husband is keeping you around so he can torment you little by little. I’m just helping him speed things up.”
The Azure Emperor’s tears finally spilled over.
She had considered that possibility before. But hearing Ying’er say it aloud hurt so sharply it was almost suffocating.
“All right, I’ve brought the soup. Remember to drink it, Sister.” Ying’er turned and headed for the door. When she reached it, she looked back with a dazzling smile. “Oh, right. My husband is taking me out on the lake tomorrow. Would you like to come, Sister?”
With that, she left, still walking lightly and cheerfully.
The Azure Emperor leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.
She stared at the steaming bowl of calming soup on the table, then suddenly swept it away with her hand.
The porcelain bowl shattered, splashing soup across the floor.
She covered her face and wept in silence.
The third day.
At last, the Azure Emperor had been pushed to her limit.
The afternoon sun was bright. In a pavilion in the Sword God Palace’s rear garden, Ye Xuan was sipping tea. Ying’er sat beside him, peeling grapes for him with a sweet smile.
The Azure Emperor stood at the far end of the garden, watching them, her heart aching as if it were being cut open.
She didn’t want to go closer. She didn’t dare.
She only watched from afar, greedily taking in Ye Xuan’s profile, his deep-set eyes, and the occasional smile on his face.
Those smiles had never been meant for her.
Just then, Ying’er suddenly stood and carried a teacup toward the Azure Emperor.
The Azure Emperor’s heart clenched, and her body instinctively backed away.
“Sister, why are you standing over here? Here, have some tea,” Ying’er said with a bright smile, quickening her pace toward her.
The Azure Emperor turned to leave.
But as soon as she took a step, a scream rang out behind her.
“Ah!”
The Azure Emperor turned. Ying’er was sprawled on the ground, a shattered teacup scattered beside her. Tea had soaked her dress, and blood streamed from her knee, which had struck the stone paving.
At her feet lay a stone that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
The Azure Emperor’s mind went blank.
Could you stop this already?
You’re not even trying to hide the fact that you’re framing me!
“Husband! Husband!” Ying’er cried from the ground, her eyes brimming with tears as she called toward the pavilion. “Sister Azure Emperor… she tripped me…”
Rapid footsteps rang out.
Ye Xuan appeared outside the pavilion and hurried over. The moment he saw the blood on Ying’er’s knee, his face turned livid.
“Azure Emperor!” he roared, his voice filled with murderous intent.
The Azure Emperor stood where she was, looking at Ye Xuan’s face, twisted with rage. Suddenly, an exhaustion unlike anything she had ever felt rose within her.
It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t hurt.
It was exhaustion.
An exhaustion that reached to the very depths of her bones.
“I didn’t trip her.” Her voice was terrifyingly calm. “She fell on her own. She was the one who put that stone there.”
Ye Xuan’s gaze turned even colder. “You still dare to argue?”
“I’m not arguing.” Azure Emperor met Ye Xuan’s eyes directly, speaking each word distinctly. “I’m telling you the truth. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
Ye Xuan stepped in front of her and raised his hand to slap her.
Azure Emperor didn’t dodge.
She closed her eyes, waiting for that familiar slap.
But this time, a terrifying realization struck her:
Ye Xuan knew Ying’er was framing her.
The thought flashed through her mind like lightning, sending a jolt through her entire body.
She abruptly opened her eyes and saw Ye Xuan’s hand suspended in midair. A complicated glint flickered in his eyes.
It vanished in an instant, but Azure Emperor caught it.
It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t disappointment. It was…
Amusement.
Azure Emperor’s heart felt as though an invisible hand had clenched it hard.
“Ye Xuan.” Her voice began to tremble. “You… you knew she was framing me?”
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
