Even though this place fell under the patrol jurisdiction of the [Skin-Shedding Clinic], with the full lockdown imposed by the guild, the heavy stench of blood still attracted the attention of the Scholar Academy.
Du Jun blocked the peace officer outside the villa.
“There’s something mystical involved inside—possibly even a aberration. We’re handling it. Everyone stays outside.”
The peace officer was furious.
“Everyone knows this family lived on the border between your guild and [Burger Workshop]. They were leaning toward joining [Burger Workshop], and you’ve been harassing them for ages. Now you’ve killed them, and you dare block the authorities while you destroy the evidence inside?”
Du Jun didn’t bother with him. “By regulation, mystical matters fall under guild jurisdiction. The waters here are too deep for a common peace officer. You don’t need to get mixed up in this.”
“What if I insist on going in?”
“Suit yourself. But I warned you—there’s a struggle between [mystical] forces in there, with traps and curses everywhere. If you’re determined to barge in, you’d better be able to guarantee the safety of these peace officers under your command.” Du Jun stepped aside, clearing the way to the villa’s front door.
That move put the ordinary peace officers in a bind.
Backing down felt like abandoning their duty, but going in meant risking death from a [mystical] conflict—no one would call it a heroic sacrifice, just “recklessness.” They wouldn’t even qualify for a death-in-service recognition.
“Du Jun, what [Skin-Shedding Clinic] is doing goes way too far. I can’t do anything to you right now, but don’t think there’s no one watching you.”
Du Jun smiled faintly. “That’s our concern, not yours.”
Inside the villa.
Chen Miemie was still muttering to Pure Water.
“Pure Water, what exactly is this [Eyes in the Water]? Is it a fish, a person in the water, or a pair of eyeballs?”
“None of those. Think of it as a flat head—like a human face painting placed in water.”
“And what can it do?”
“[Eyes in the Water] can tear open the water’s surface, blink its big eyes at you, and if you meet its gaze, you’ll feel happy and your potential will be unlocked.”
“What about its passive ability?”
“Unlocking potential is its passive. Anyone who meets its gaze—willing or not—will have their potential unleashed uncontrollably, like how their curses here were triggered.”
“Wait, if that’s the case, if someone is healthy and has no curse, wouldn’t [Eyes in the Water] only be beneficial? How is that a passive?”
“If it’s a short-term exposure, yes. That’s why I call it one of the rare aberrations friendly to humans—not just in attitude, but because it’s genuinely harmless in that sense. But ordinary people can’t stay with it for long. Human potential is finite. If it’s drained completely, something terrible will happen.”
“What?” Chen Miemie’s curiosity was piqued.
“[Eyes in the Water] blinks and occasionally sheds eyelashes. Since it loses them, it needs replacements. Those whose potential is exhausted end up falling into the water and being transformed into its new eyelashes.”
After sitting for a while, Chen Miemie got up from the chair at the dining table and walked toward the large fish tank in the living room.
His movement immediately caught the attention of Gongshu Key, who was nearby.
“Chen Miemie, without protection, you’d better not get near any water. An aberration might be hiding in this room and could attack at any moment.”
Chen Miemie gave her a dismissive glance, his inner thoughts lively: A mere [Bridge Maiden], clueless and flailing around without a clue—move aside, I’m about to show off.
“Gongshu Key, do you think I’ve just been waiting for you to find out the truth? No, no, no. I was just observing how capable you are. It’s been almost half an hour, and you’ve searched the whole house two or three times, yet you’re still not heading in the right direction.”
“You know what’s going on?”
Not only Gongshu Key, but Mu Ying, passing by, also stopped and looked over.
“[Eyes in the Water], a water aberration. It’s…” Chen Miemie began his performance.
Then, he turned everything he’d learned from Pure Water into his own knowledge, delivering it in detail to the audience.
Gongshu Key was stunned. “Chen Miemie, I always thought you were a bit unreliable, but I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable!”
“Keep it down, keep it down. In the [Silver Moon Court], I’m known for my vast learning.”
Mu Ying was practical and didn’t flatter him. “Then where would this [Eyes in the Water] hide?”
Chen Miemie pointed at the large fish tank in front of him. “Right here, in plain sight.”
“It’s here?!”
“Yes. Think about it—everyone in the villa is dead, which means they all met [Eyes in the Water]’s gaze. Whether it’s the courtyard pond or the upstairs rooms, those aren’t accessible to everyone. This house’s only must-pass location is the hall.”
No further explanation was needed.
The large fish tank was the only spot with water in the hall.
“You’re very clever, finding me so easily.” A crisp, pleasant voice sounded.
The water in the tank began to churn. An invisible force peeled the surface of the water facing the crowd upward and downward, revealing half a face in the middle. Only the eyes, nose, and some strands of pink hair were visible within the limited opening of the water curtain.
Those eyes held a faint, mysterious shimmer—deep and profound.
Chen Miemie went up and stared back at it, eye to eye.
This [Eyes in the Water]—its looks were impressive. He liked what he saw.
“I like you. Your potential seems endless,” [Eyes in the Water] exclaimed in awe.
“Not bad,” Chen Miemie said casually, not impressed by the praise. “Since you like me, you can come with me from now on.”
“Alright.”
“How do I take you with me?”
“Find a portable fish tank. Once I get in, I’ll follow you.”
Chen Miemie turned to Gongshu Key, signaling with his eyes: Don’t just stand there—get a clue and find me a portable fish tank.
Mu Ying, Gongshu Key, and Du Jun, who had just entered, were all dumbfounded.
Seriously, dude? You two just chat like it’s nothing, and now you want to take away the perpetrator of a massive mass murder?
Seeing them unmoving, Chen Miemie put on a stern expression. “We agreed I’d come to pick a fish. Now I’ve found one. Don’t tell me you’re getting stingy and want to back out.”
Before the three could reply, a new voice came from outside the door.
“You know this thing is a killer, yet you still want to take it away—an aberration no less. I won’t allow it.”
A red-faced man, his muscles bulging, strode into the house, followed by the peace officer and a few young people.
Gongshu Key whispered behind Chen Miemie, “That’s the head of the [Burger Workshop] guild. His codename is [Dying Pastor]. If he’s here in person, things are getting bad.”
Chen Miemie’s gaze didn’t focus on [Dying Pastor] but on the two young people behind him.
He gave each of them a slight wink.
“So,” he mused, “it seems Yi Zhu and Yi Xian’s guild is that [Burger Workshop] after all.”
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.”
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?"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
