The Three Calamities of the Wilderness

"What exactly are the backgrounds of that dragon and that bird?"

An Yi asked seriously.

This world seemed far less simple than he had imagined.

The car drove through a tunnel.

*Click!*

A lighter sparked, igniting a cigarette. The flame illuminated Hongtian's dog head, casting flickering shadows.

At this moment, Hongtian looked both brooding and mysterious.

*Clatter!* The chain was yanked upward.

"Don't you smoke in here!"

"Damn it, let go! Let go of me!"

After his unsmoked Huazi cigarette was flicked away, Hongtian spoke leisurely, "Five thousand years ago, this world was a barbaric wasteland where demon beasts ran rampant and the human race was the underdog. Among the demon beasts, we three were the strongest—what you call the Three Calamities. Of course, I was the most badass of the lot."

"Just a moment ago, you said the Big Black Dragon was the most badass!"

An Yi gripped the steering wheel and rolled his eyes at the dog.

"Don't sweat the details! Do you want to hear the story or not?"

Hongtian snapped in annoyance. He cleared his throat and continued, "I, Hongtian, am a Heavenly Dog in my true form! Those stupid humans even framed me for lunar eclipses, claiming I was eating the moon.

"The Big Black Dragon's true form is a Yinglong, and his name is Long Tianyuan. Back in the day, he protected you humans quite a bit. The fact that the Great Xia race has survived until today is largely due to his contributions. Legend has it he's still the totem divine beast of Great Xia.

"As for that bird, his true form is a Roc, and his name is Nie Xuan. He feeds on dragons and fought Long Tianyuan constantly during the barbaric era.

"Of course, if it weren't for the civil war between us Three Fiends, you humans never would have had a chance to rise."

Hearing this, An Yi looked curious. "Since you guys are so powerful, why were you sealed away?"

"Because you humans rose to power," Hongtian said with a yawn, looking like he didn't want to discuss it further.

An Yi pondered for a moment. "Those gods?"

He had vaguely heard legends about those gods.

He used to think they were just myths, but now it seemed there was some truth to them.

"Yeah..."

Hongtian nodded reluctantly.

As one of the once-glorious Three Calamities, being sealed by the human race wasn't exactly something to brag about.

Hongtian thought of something and added, "By the way, that kid named Long Aoyun? He's Long Tianyuan's grandson. I guess you could call him the third generation!"

"He's related to the Three Fiends, too?"

An Yi's hands froze on the wheel as he spoke in shock.

He knew that Long Aoyun's true form was a dragon.

He was likely related to Long Aoxue in his storage space, too, even though Long Aoxue claimed not to know him.

But he never expected that guy to be a descendant of the barbaric Three Fiends!

Hongtian curled his lip. "Is that so strange? A few days ago, that guy named Nie Chengwen came looking for me, saying he wanted to restore the glory of the Three Fiends. Oh, right, he's Nie Xuan's son. Theoretically speaking, he's the second generation..."

Hearing this, An Yi was instantly furious.

"Damn it! Why are you only telling me something this important now?!"

"You never asked... Let go! Let go of me!"

...

"Ye Sisi, I like you. From the first moment I saw you, I fell for you. Will you go out with me?"

"No, that's too simple!"

"Hello, Ye Sisi. Would you be willing to become Wang Yuan's girlfriend?"

"That's not great either; it might backfire."

The night was enchanting under the dim yellow streetlights.

Wang Yuan, dressed in a sharp suit and holding a bouquet of bright red roses, wore a look of excitement and anticipation as he rehearsed his confession over and over.

Four whole months.

He had been pursuing her for four whole months, and he was finally about to win over Ye Sisi, the campus belle of Donghai University!

Just thinking about the potential outcome made his heart race.

He had never liked anyone as much as he did today!

Waiting for a text from Ye Sisi every day was his greatest joy.

Movies, shopping, dining out, amusement parks... every date made his heart flutter.

Wang Yuan felt the time was right.

"Phew, Wang Yuan! Be brave! You can do this!"

Wang Yuan clenched his fist to pump himself up, adjusted his hair, and strode forward confidently.

On the other side.

Ye Sisi stood by the roadside, frowning slightly as she looked at the gloomy sky. "That retard. He asks someone out without even checking the weather forecast. It's about to rain."

The person she was meeting was a senior who had already graduated from Donghai University.

She had originally thought he was just a broke loser, so she kept him on the hook.

Unexpectedly, this loser had surprisingly deep pockets. After four months of lavish spending and luxury, he could still afford to keep up with her demands.

Thinking of this, Ye Sisi hesitated.

The guy didn't look like a rich person.

What if he wasn't actually wealthy and was secretly using his parents' retirement fund to spoil her?

After all, she had encountered simps like that before.

With that in mind, Ye Sisi secretly resolved to cut ties with him.

It wasn't that she had grown a conscience, but rather that she didn't want things to blow up and cause trouble for herself.

That senior was pursuing her too crazily; she had never seen such a desperate simp before!

Ye Sisi was getting impatient waiting.

Just then, her eyes lit up as she spotted a luxury Porsche stopping not far away.

"Trash! What terrible teammates! What? You want my address?! F*ck, you bastard, don't you wimp out!"

Qiu Xu went AFK in a rage and scrolled through his contacts.

He was ready to contact an expert hacker to track down that kid from the game for a face-to-face chat in the real world.

*Knock, knock!*

There was a soft tapping on the glass.

Qiu Xu rolled down the window, looking at the pretty girl outside, and was momentarily stunned. "Who are you?"

"Hey handsome, going my way? Could you give me a lift?" Ye Sisi put her hands behind her back and blinked playfully.

Qiu Xu looked Ye Sisi up and down.

*Top-tier goods!*

In terms of looks, Ye Sisi was still a notch below Qin Yao.

The reason she could rank among the campus belles of Donghai University was that she wasn't as unattainable as Qin Yao; she was much more approachable.

Her high-level "tea art" skills made every man who interacted with her feel like they might have a chance to get lucky.

Qiu Xu's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Of course. For such a beautiful lady, I'd be going your way even if you wanted to go to Mars."

Who didn't like a free hookup?

Especially when the quality was this good!

"You're so funny."

Ye Sisi giggled, opened the door, and hopped into the passenger seat.

She knew that rich second-generation heirs like him were just looking for fun.

She got it!

But wasn't she doing the same? What if she accidentally managed to charm him?

Then she would become a wealthy wife, living a life of luxury and extravagance forever.

She couldn't save her beautiful body for those losers to enjoy; did they even deserve it?

Qiu Xu looked at the legs in the passenger seat and grinned, his large hand slowly reaching over...

*Thud!*

A bouquet of roses hit the ground.

Wang Yuan's carefully styled hair was now a mess. He took two steps, unable to hold it in any longer. Soul-crushed and looking like a beaten dog, he slumped dejectedly onto the curb.

Four months...

Heh. He thought he had found the true love he would protect for a lifetime.

He had been heartbroken many times, but this time, he had truly fallen in love. He had imagined their wedding, the simple happiness of married life, taking their children to school together...

A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Wang Yuan stared blankly ahead, seemingly oblivious as the rain soaked his hair and his expensive suit.

"Ding! Misfortune Points +1000!"

The crisp sound of a system notification rang out.

A smile of utter bitterness tugged at the corners of Wang Yuan's lips. By now, he couldn't tell if it was rain or tears washing over his face.

"Boss, why did you have to give me this System? I could have kept on lying to myself..."