Xu Mu finally turned around, looking at Shen Wanning who was quickly approaching, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
"Are you an idiot? Didn’t you hear how fake that woman sounded just now?" Shen Wanning stepped closer to Xu Mu. "Let me tell you, she’s only after your money."
Xu Mu smirked. The last reason Dai Xingluo would approach him was for money—after all, she was from the Dai family.
"What are you smiling about? Are you already charmed by her? Where’s your brain?" Shen Wanning snapped.
"I’m smiling because you’re not my girlfriend, so why are you so worked up?" Xu Mu asked, hands in his pockets.
"I—"
Shen Wanning’s face instantly flushed red.
Right!
Why was she so agitated? If Xu Mu got scammed by some gold-digger, what did it have to do with her?
"I’m just looking out for you as a friend. I don’t want you to get tricked."
Shen Wanning scrambled for an excuse before waving her hand dismissively. "Whatever, I don’t care. I’ve warned you, so it’s on you now."
"Let me see what you bought," Xu Mu said, holding out his hand.
Regardless, she meant well, so he might as well help her out.
Shen Wanning hesitated, then finally relented and showed him.
She opened a black wooden box lined with red fabric, revealing a jade pendant inside.
"How much was this?" Xu Mu asked.
"Twenty-eight thousand. This is the finest mutton-fat white jade—"
"Stop."
Xu Mu cut her off. "High-quality mutton-fat jade is priced by the gram. You bought an entire pendant for twenty-eight thousand? Where’s your brain?"
"I—"
"This is worth two hundred eighty at most. Next."
Xu Mu noticed another wooden box in Shen Wanning’s bag.
She opened the second box, revealing a jade Buddha amulet.
"This one cost fifty thousand. It’s Bingzhong jade from Hetian, with a texture like glass—"
"That is glass."
Xu Mu stared at Shen Wanning. "The cost here is mostly craftsmanship. I’d say a hundred at most."
"That’s nonsense! It’s from a reputable store!" Shen Wanning clenched her fists.
"Then go try returning it. See if they’ll take it back."
With that, Xu Mu walked away.
Shen Wanning’s face burned with embarrassment. The store’s policy was clear: no refunds after leaving the counter, as they couldn’t verify authenticity.
"Xu Mu!"
She chased after him. "Fine, I’ll trust you this once. Help me pick something out, then."
Xu Mu thought for a moment, then pulled out the white jade cloud-patterned pendant he’d acquired earlier.
It had flaws, so he didn’t care for it, but to others, it was a treasure.
"Here, take it."
He handed the pendant to Shen Wanning. "If your dad likes antiques, this’ll definitely excite him."
Shen Wanning took it and frowned. "This? It’s even cracked."
"Give it back if you don’t want it." Xu Mu reached for it.
She immediately hid it behind her back. "Fine, I’ll trust you just this once."
"I’m leaving."
Xu Mu waved and walked out of the antique market.
Meanwhile, on a distant street corner, Dai Xingluo stood watching in her hanfu.
......
Xu Mu called Feng Yue to ask where she was.
Feng Yue told him she’d been out drinking with some wealthy wives from Heyang City the night before and was still at home, not yet up.
After getting the address, Xu Mu headed straight to her place.
He’d dropped her off before, so he knew the way.
Feng Yue’s factory was next to the sanitation department, and her current home was across from the police station—likely a precaution after the beating she’d taken from Lin Yang.
Xu Mu parked on the street and walked into the old residential complex.
As soon as he entered, he spotted Feng Yue waiting by the building entrance.
She wore a simple floral dress, her hair loosely tied up, and butterfly-print slippers on her feet.
"Mr. Xu, you’ve been visiting me quite often lately."
Her expressive eyes curved into crescents.
"You’ll thank me for this."
Xu Mu asked calmly, "Which floor?"
"Fifth."
Feng Yue turned and started up the stairs.
Her perfectly heart-shaped backside swayed with each step, a mesmerizing sight.
Xu Mu followed and asked curiously, "You’re well-off. Why live in an old walk-up like this?"
"I used to live here when I was in Heyang City."
Feng Yue glanced back at him with a smile. "I’m sentimental. When I had to leave for Jiang City, I bought this place to keep."
Soon, they reached the fifth-floor apartment on the left. She unlocked the door and let him in.
The wooden floors and cozy decor greeted Xu Mu as he stepped inside.
"So, Mr. Xu, what brings you here today?"
Feng Yue sat gracefully on the sofa.
"I met an expert who gave me two pills. He said they can help someone break into the Ancient Martial realm."
Xu Mu sat beside her. "I came to give them to you."
"Xu Mu, can you please not say such explosive things in such a calm tone?" Feng Yue's eyes flickered, her body trembling with excitement. "You're saying... you'll let me become a martial artist?"
She wasn't like Ye Tong or Ye Yu.
Ye Tong only knew of martial artists and that they were powerful, but she didn’t understand just how strong they truly were.
Ye Yu, on the other hand, had no clue at all.
But Feng Yue knew full well just how terrifying martial artists could be.
Whether it was Lin Yang or the abilities Xu Mu had previously displayed, they all filled her with awe.
"Exactly. While I can’t make you strong enough to take on masters, at critical moments, it might just save your life."
As Xu Mu spoke, he first took out a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. "Take this."
Feng Yue didn’t reach for it immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on Xu Mu. "I don’t understand, Xu Mu. Why are you being so good to me?"
"Because you’re mine now," Xu Mu said plainly.
[Affection Points +50]
Feng Yue’s peach-blossom eyes glistened with unshed tears.
She leaned back on the sofa, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling, refusing to let the tears fall.
Since childhood, she had always lacked a sense of security. Every man who approached her only wanted her body.
But Xu Mu didn’t seem interested in that. Even though a single word from him would have been enough for Feng Yue to give herself to him.
She didn’t know why, but now, just having Xu Mu by her side made her feel safe.
"This Marrow-Cleansing Pill will purge the impurities from your body, refine your bones, and transform your physique."
Xu Mu explained to Feng Yue, "After taking it, your body will expel filth, so remember to take a shower."
Feng Yue nodded softly, accepting the pill before heading toward the bathroom in the distance.
Xu Mu sat back on the sofa, lost in thought about the Feng family’s affairs.
The breakthrough lay with Feng Jian and Chen Cai. In any case, he doubted Feng Jian could hold out much longer.
"Xu Mu, why is there so much black stuff on me?"
Two minutes later, Feng Yue’s voice called from the bathroom.
"That’s the impurities leaving your body. It’s normal."
Xu Mu was currently observing through his senses.
If Xu Ningbing and Ye Yu had been slightly embarrassed, Feng Yue showed no such hesitation.
"Your voice is so far away—so you really didn’t peek? That’s beyond my expectations," Feng Yue’s voice drifted back.

e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"

pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"

] [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!"

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”