In Jiangbei City, in an ordinary residential building of a common neighborhood.
The range hood hummed steadily.
The clanging sound of a spatula filled the air, stirring up the aroma of cooking.
A woman with delicate features, wearing an apron and with a slightly rounded belly, was cooking in the kitchen. She occasionally tasted the food with a spoon for seasoning, then sprinkled a bit of fine salt into the pot, and then a bit more.
Click!
The electronic door lock made a slight sound and slowly opened.
"Rui Rui, I'm home."
Zhang Fan walked in from outside, carrying several bags large and small.
"You're back. Change your slippers first. Dinner is almost ready. I made braised pork today."
Hearing the commotion outside, Xue Ruirui said with a smile, carefully turning the stove down to a low flame.
Zhang Fan changed into his slippers, walked in, and put the groceries he bought into the refrigerator.
Entering the kitchen, he put on a stern face and frowned, "Didn't I tell you? You shouldn't cook now that you're pregnant. You can't handle the cooking fumes."
"It's fine. A little activity is good for the body."
Xue Ruirui couldn't help but reach down and touch her already protruding belly.
They had settled down in Jiangbei for over half a year now. The baby in her belly was already five months old—a boy.
"I'm a doctor. You should listen to me. I'll prepare a new prenatal tonic for you later."
Zhang Fan rolled up his sleeves and took over the task from Xue Ruirui.
Xue Ruirui watched Zhang Fan's back as he focused on cooking, a slight smile curling at the corner of her mouth, her expression somewhat dazed.
Even she hadn't expected that guy to transform into this frugal, homemaking, warm-hearted man.
Rummaging through the bags, Xue Ruirui frowned, "A Fan, why did you buy so much formula?"
"These are all on-sale imported formulas. The ingredients are more reliable, so I bought a bit extra."
Zhang Fan carefully placed the clay pot on the table and untied his apron.
"And you call yourself a doctor? Breast milk is actually better than anything."
As Xue Ruirui spoke, she suddenly stopped.
She instinctively looked down at her still-flat chest, unchanged even after pregnancy.
Suddenly, she understood the reason behind Zhang Fan buying so much formula.
Zhang Fan cleared his throat lightly, "Well, I don't mind."
"Mind what!"
Xue Ruirui shot him a reproachful look, saying, "Do you even know? Those international supermodels all have this kind of figure!"
"Hmm, I completely agree with that point."
"You're lying. Men clearly all like big breasts. That's definitely not what you're really thinking!"
"I'm not—"
Looking at Xue Ruirui's puffed-up, angry face, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Fan's mouth. He took the pot of warmed medicinal soup off the stove. "Drink the medicine first, then you can be angry."
"I won't drink it. It's too bitter."
Smelling the strong herbal odor, Xue Ruirui pinched her nose and frowned.
Zhang Fan said seriously, "It can enhance your bust."
"Pour me a bowl!"
In the kitchen, Zhang Fan was washing dishes.
Xue Ruirui was watching a drama. A small kitten gently rubbed against her ankles.
Sunlight filtered softly into the room.
Everything seemed exceptionally cozy and warm.
"A Fan."
Xue Ruirui called out.
Zhang Fan wiped his hands and walked in. "What's wrong?"
"Our wedding..."
Xue Ruirui mustered her courage, but as soon as she started, she couldn't continue.
Zhang Fan spoke slowly, "We'll just follow the plan we made. But... I don't have any family on my side."
"It's, it's okay."
Seeing Zhang Fan's downcast expression, Xue Ruirui quickly added, "I, I was thinking of inviting Yuan Yuan. It's been a year since us sisters last met. Oh, she's a big star now, really amazing. She works with major directors. A few days ago, she finished filming a TV series where she played the second female lead..."
Zhang Fan didn't say much, quietly listening to Xue Ruirui talk.
After a long while, Xue Ruirui lowered her head, her eyes dim. "A Fan, let's just live a good life from now on, okay?"
She knew what her man had been involved in. She didn't want to be entangled in the world of martial artists anymore.
She preferred to live a secluded, anonymous, ordinary life in a quiet corner.
Zhang Fan nodded gently. "I've already disbanded the Poison Sect. In a while, I plan to open a clinic."
Hearing this news, delight flashed across Xue Ruirui's face. She stepped forward excitedly, hugged Zhang Fan, and gave him a hard kiss on the cheek. "Zhang Fan, I love you!"
Zhang Fan looked at Xue Ruirui, reached out, and gently stroked her belly, his eyes soft. "I also want to accumulate some virtue for our child..."
Unfortunately, he had committed too many evils.
Yunzhou, in a dark, damp alley.
A beer can was hurled out, crashing against the wall with a clang before falling to the ground, spilling golden liquid everywhere.
"Damn it, that bastard Zhang Fan! If I ever catch him, I'll tear him to pieces!"
A thin, sinister-looking man with a scar on his face said furiously, slamming a knife into the ground.
The handle of the knife quivered slightly.
In the alley, seven or eight martial artists, looking disheveled and dusty, also wore expressions of resentment.
They were all desperate outlaws.
They made a living through unclean means, constantly evading the law enforcement bureau.
Later, it was Zhang Fan who sought them out, formed the Poison Sect, and gave them a place to survive.
What they never expected was that just a while ago, Zhang Fan, the one who personally formed the Poison Sect, had abandoned them, quitting just like that, without a second thought!
Without Zhang Fan, the Poison Sect lost its brains.
Living off dwindling resources, they decided to take a desperate risk.
However, due to the disorganized nature of their operation, within a few days, law enforcement had raided their hideout!
Now, the once sizable Poison Sect was finished—some arrested, some on the run, completely disbanded!
"Brother Ma, I told you, we shouldn't have touched the powder. The boss never allowed us to touch it before; the law enforcement bureau watches that stuff too closely."
A martial artist said plaintively.
If they hadn't dealt with that stuff, they wouldn't have been hunted down like rats.
"Damn it, still calling him 'boss'! If that beast Zhang Fan hadn't run off, would we have had to risk our lives selling powder!"
The thin man's eyes grew even fiercer. He punched the wall. "Thinking of walking away so easily? Zhang Fan, I won't let you off!"
They had finally gotten a taste of the good life. Going back to those rootless, wandering days was worse than killing them.
"So that guy really is still alive. Tsk tsk, no wonder."
A man hidden in the corner, toying with a crimson dagger in his hand, said leisurely.
"Ah Lang, has your brain been screwed by a donkey? What the hell are you babbling about?"
The thin man glanced at the martial artist addressed as Ah Lang.
Ah Lang slowly walked forward and reached up to wipe his face.
A ferocious ghost mask came off, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face.
"You... who are you? Where's Ah Lang?!"
The group was stunned. Coming to their senses, they quickly surrounded the young man.
"My name is Night Emperor!"
An Yi grinned, revealing a smile, a glint of light appearing in his eyes.
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!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
