Xu Mu was a bit confused. He glanced at Dai Xingluo before asking skeptically, "What do you mean?"
"Old Li, your words do sound a bit ambiguous. Anyone hearing it might think you're trying to set me up with someone."
Dai Xingluo covered her mouth and chuckled beside him.
"Actually, it's not much different from matchmaking—both involve finding someone to share life with."
Li Zizai smiled, twirling the Buddhist beads in his hand. "What I meant was, would you like to work at our shop under Miss Dai? Salary won’t be an issue."
"Sorry, but I have to take care of my master often. I probably won’t have time to help here."
Xu Mu refused without hesitation.
His schedule was already packed—how could he waste time here?
He had initially thought Dai Xingluo was almost won over by him, but now he understood the real reason.
She was only interested in his antique appraisal skills.
"You're Xu Mu, right?" Dai Xingluo asked.
"That’s correct."
Xu Mu nodded lightly.
"I understand. With an ability like yours, money isn’t an issue. You could easily become wealthy just by spotting hidden treasures."
Dai Xingluo carried an air of refined elegance. "I simply admire your talent. I won’t force anything."
"Thanks."
Xu Mu nodded again. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
"Going to meet that ‘ordinary friend’ of yours?" Dai Xingluo smiled faintly.
"I came here only to look for treasures."
With that, Xu Mu turned and left.
His visit to Dai Xingluo was merely to make an appearance and remind her of his existence.
He had other matters to attend to—namely, helping Feng Yue break through as a martial artist.
Watching Xu Mu exit the shop, Dai Xingluo reclined back into her chair.
"Even a beautiful boss like you couldn’t keep him around. This kid’s got some serious self-control."
Li Zizai grinned as he looked at Dai Xingluo.
"Earlier, I saw a pretty woman greet him enthusiastically. Maybe in his eyes, she’s the more attractive one."
Dai Xingluo leaned back, no longer holding the jade pendant Xu Mu had given her but instead a gold-edged dagger.
"That kid’s a martial artist too, and he could instantly identify an Earth-rank technique. He’s no ordinary guy."
Li Zizai smirked. "Should we test him?"
"What do you mean?"
Dai Xingluo turned her head toward him.
"I just want to see how strong he is. If he’s capable, wouldn’t it be perfect to recruit him? We’re short on skilled fighters right now."
Li Zizai picked up a magnifying glass and resumed examining a porcelain piece.
"Look at him—do you really think he’d join us?" Dai Xingluo shook her head slightly.
"With your beauty, plenty of men would jump at the chance to be your lapdog. Luring a young guy like him should be easy."
Li Zizai paused briefly before adding, "Besides, you seem to have a favorable impression of him."
Dai Xingluo recalled Xu Mu’s earlier words to her and smiled. "What good is that? I need top-tier fighters, not weaklings."
---
Xu Mu strolled down the street, hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the market stalls like a high-tech scanner.
Even the most skilled antique appraisers needed time to examine items carefully, but Xu Mu’s ability worked like an instant label—revealing an object’s age and value at a glance.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on an intricately carved jade pendant.
"A Tang Dynasty white jade cloud-pattern pendant."
Xu Mu was inwardly stunned. He hadn’t expected to find something like this at a street stall.
Upon closer inspection, however, he noticed a flaw—a crack running through it.
If intact, this piece would easily fetch over five million. But with the damage, its value was halved.
Approaching the stall, Xu Mu deliberately ignored the pendant at first, pointing instead at a plain white jade tablet. "How much for this, boss?"
"Haha, young man, you’ve got a good eye! This pendant’s made of Hetian jade—almost flawless—and it’s an antique."
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, grinned. "Twenty grand, and it’s yours."
"Too expensive. Got anything cheaper?" Xu Mu asked.
"Everything I display here is high-quality." The man chuckled.
"Really? Then what’s this? Low-grade jade with a crack—how much could it possibly be worth?"
Xu Mu pointed at the cloud-pattern pendant.
"That’s a premium piece!"
The stall owner glanced around before lowering his voice. "I bought this from tomb raiders."
"Boss, let me be honest—I wouldn’t even pay a hundred for it."
As he spoke, Xu Mu picked up a bracelet. "How much for this?"
"Ten thousand. It’s a celadon jade bracelet."
The man eyed the bracelet before answering.
"I’ll take it."
Xu Mu nodded.
The owner wasn’t lying—it was indeed celadon jade, and the price was fair.
"Great! I’ll wrap it up right away." The man beamed. "Anything else, brother?"
"What about this smaller one?"
Xu Mu pointed to another celadon jade bracelet.
Since he was buying, he might as well get two—one for Ye Tong and one for Ye Yu.
"Nine thousand for this one, but if you buy both, I’ll give them to you for eight and a half each."
The stall owner smiled.
"Deal. Pack them up."
Xu Mu then gestured to the cloud-pattern pendant. "Throw this in too."
"This one’s another ten grand." The man grinned slyly.
"Not honest? Fine, forget it." Xu Mu turned to leave.
"Wait, brother! We can negotiate!"
Seeing Xu Mu actually walk away, the owner panicked and called after him.
He’d found the pendant in an old wooden box while collecting antiques in a village. It looked aged, so he’d tossed it on display.
Selling it for even a hundred would still be profit.
"How much for all three?" Xu Mu stopped.
"Twenty grand for the bundle."
The man held up two fingers.
"Fine, I’ll reluctantly agree."
Xu Mu returned, scanned the payment, and took the items.
Since no one could see his storage space, he openly transferred the purchases into it right there.
Just as he was about to leave, he spotted Shen Wanning.
She stepped out of an antique shop, carrying a bag, and noticed him too.
"Hmph!"
Shen Wanning lifted her chin, ignoring Xu Mu as she walked away.
Xu Mu couldn’t help but smile. This woman was amusing.
But he didn’t chase after her. Unlike protagonists like Lin Yang, he didn’t lose all sense at the sight of a pretty face.
He was content—the women around him already provided a steady stream of justice points. That was enough.
Shen Wanning noticed Xu Mu seemingly following her and quickly turned left.
But Xu Mu hadn’t been pursuing her at all—he simply continued down the street.
Only then did she realize they’d just been going the same way.
She couldn’t stand it. Xu Mu clearly liked her—he’d even studied music for her sake.
Though she’d never accept his advances, being overshadowed by some green-tea girl was too much to bear.
With that thought in mind, Shen Wanning turned back and hurried after Xu Mu.
"Xu Mu! Stop right there!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
