Chen Miemie hadn't even left the Society yet.
His watch received a new message.
The message was from his partner, the Ninth Seat of the Silver Moon, [Painter] Xi. They had just exchanged contact information.
Time: 21:17
Sender: [Painter] Xi
Content: I have something important to discuss with you. Please come to my room on the second floor of the Society.
"Little Leng, how do I get to the second floor? Where is Xi's room?"
Leng Ruxue froze for a long moment before realizing that "Little Leng" was directed at him.
"You can call me Vice President Leng. Of course, I wouldn't mind if you drop the 'Vice' part."
"I challenged the President and fought to a draw, making me a half-step President. Are you really that reluctant to let me call you Little Leng?" Chen Miemie looked displeased.
Leng Ruxue thought about it for a second and nodded. "I'll take you there."
Leng Ruxue wasn't agreeing with the "half-step President" claim; he was recalling Chen Miemie's unkillable nature.
If he possessed that level of [Immortality], he figured he would be even more arrogant than Chen Miemie.
On the way, the aloof Vice President Leng naturally couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Chen Miemie, you're quite something. Just graduated, and you already have such strong [Immortality]. It's truly enviable."
For all Mystics, the advancement of their [Mystery] was a step-by-step process, moving from low to high in a relatively fair manner.
[Immortality] was different. Everyone's starting [Immortality] was on par with their own [Mystery], but for some creatures, their [Immortality] would far exceed their [Mystery]. Bloodkin, for example, were born with naturally high [Immortality].
Chen Miemie comforted his future subordinate:
"Don't be discouraged. I also endured the harsh beatings of life and suffered the bitter realities before slowly training myself to my current level."
Leng Ruxue sighed. "I've tried that training method too. Unfortunately, it didn't work very well for me."
"Oh? Is there a story there? Tell me about it."
Leng Ruxue looked up at the moon. "Life knocked me to the ground, and I found that lying down was more comfortable than standing up. What doesn't kill me just keeps hitting me. Sigh..."
Chen Miemie suddenly felt a chill and quickly ended the topic.
The so-called second floor of the Society was actually quite high up. In any other building, it would probably be at least the fourth floor.
The cave-like hall of the [Silver Moon Court] had an incredibly high ceiling, which made its second floor correspondingly high.
The structure of the second floor reverted to a normal residential layout, with about a dozen rooms on the entire floor.
"Our Society gathered through our shared faith in the moon. The members live quite scattered; this is just a place for them to occasionally rest."
Chen Miemie stared at Leng Ruxue without saying a word.
Leng Ruxue instantly understood his meaning. "You have one too. A room will be arranged for you."
A smile immediately appeared on Chen Miemie's face.
The two arrived at a room door.
There was a frost moon pattern on the door, along with the number 9.
"This is Xi's room. Doors with numbers correspond to the rooms of the Seat holders. I'll be taking my leave now."
Leng Ruxue left straight away.
Since Xi hadn't invited him, he wouldn't take the initiative to enter another Mystic's private room.
Chen Miemie knocked on the door. "It's Chen Miemie."
"Come in."
The door was unlocked, and Chen Miemie pushed it open.
His first glance inside.
Messy. Very messy. Extremely cluttered.
The entire room was filled with easels and canvases. Pen holders stuffed with paintbrushes were everywhere, and the floor was splattered with various colors of paint.
Xi was half-lying on a sofa bed, holding a paintbrush and gesturing towards a canvas, seemingly planning the proportions of a painting.
Chen Miemie only took one look at Xi before quickly averting his gaze, not daring to stare.
Looking too much could easily become addictive.
His designated Ninth Seat partner was languid yet charming, focused yet aloof, innocent yet alluring—a complete walking contradiction.
"You're here." Xi put down her paintbrush, still maintaining her reclining posture without any intention of sitting up properly to speak.
"Mhm." Chen Miemie couldn't find a single place to sit in the room.
"I'll have to trouble you to stand for a while. You probably heard the daily rule our President just refreshed: 'Once you get into bed, you must stay in bed for a full 10 hours.' When I heard it, I had already lain down, so I can't get out of bed. I could only call you up here."
Chen Miemie let out an "Oh."
No wonder she called him up. It turned out she was stuck in bed thanks to that Rubik's Cube head, Feina.
"As partners, what exactly are we going to be doing together?"
"The Society often receives various request missions. Some are dangerous, some offer high rewards, and some are semi-mandatorily assigned. There are also collective activities where the Society acts together. Groups that are willing can take them on."
"No problem, but I prefer acting at night."
"That's fine. Most people in our Society prefer the night. Before we act together, we need to understand each other's basic abilities."
Chen Miemie found this a bit strange. "Aren't we supposed to keep our [Mystery] a secret from others?"
"Chen Miemie, you might not be very clear on what being in the same Society means in the Mystic circles."
"What does it mean?"
"Once you join a Society, there is no quitting, except through death."
"Ah! The [Silver Moon Court] is that tyrannical?!"
"No, all Societies are like this."
The surprise on Chen Miemie's face lasted barely two seconds before it was replaced by joy. "So, you're saying this is a lifelong iron rice bowl?"
Xi was truly the aloof type and didn't play along with Chen Miemie's joke:
"Joining a Society means becoming a community of mystery. Every [Mystery] is an isolated island, but when facing the vast ocean, one still needs companions. Therefore, members of the same Society share a certain degree of trust.
And a partner is an exclusive role, even closer than fellow Society members. It's highly likely that you'll spend more time together than with family, fighting side by side and experiencing life and death."
Chen Miemie didn't interrupt, quietly listening until she finished before speaking.
"If partners are so intimate and important, what happens if you realize halfway through that you chose the wrong person?"
"You make your choice, you bear the consequences.
I have already seen part of your [Mystery]. I am very satisfied with your unparalleled [Immortality], and I admire your courage in challenging the President.
So, now it is time to let you see my [Mystery]."
"My public codename is [Painter], but my actual, hidden full title is [Probability Painter]. I can paint with light, shadow, and 'possibility'.
As long as it is an unfinished painting of mine, it will randomly evolve. The colors mix themselves at every moment, the lines change on their own, and every second it becomes a new piece of work."
As [Probability Painter] Xi lifted her disguise.
All the paintings on the canvases throughout the entire room came "alive."
Every image slowly shifted on its own; lines wriggled like earthworms, and colors twisted like whirlpools.
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.”
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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.
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."
