Dai Xingluo knew all too well that it was her father’s wife who had made her despise hidden aristocratic families.
She understood women, especially after they had children.
Every woman would become selfish and ruthless for the sake of her own child.
Women from hidden aristocratic families could never truly be united.
For example, the two formally wedded wives of her father had treated her mother like an enemy, bullying her relentlessly.
Even though her mother had such a gentle nature.
Dai Xingluo hated all of this.
From a very young age, she had made up her mind.
If she ever found a man in the future and he dared to betray her, she would kill him without hesitation.
If she liked him too much to kill him, then she would kill every woman who dared to flirt with him.
This mindset had stayed with her until now.
Back then, in the mountains outside the city, when she saw Xu Mu with Xia Sihan, the steel nails she threw weren’t just meant as a warning—she genuinely wanted the other woman dead.
But today, after meeting Ye Tong, something in her thoughts began to shift.
Perhaps… she really could coexist peacefully with her.
"From now on, let’s sleep together. When your belly grows bigger, I can help take care of you," Ye Tong said warmly, holding Dai Xingluo’s hand.
Dai Xingluo was deeply moved. For some reason, she suddenly saw traces of her mother in Ye Tong.
"Sister… I lied to you," Dai Xingluo clenched her fists, lowering her head in shame.
"What?"
"I… I don’t have Xu Mu’s child. I just… like him. What I did earlier was to drive you away."
Dai Xingluo bowed deeply to Ye Tong. "I’m sorry."
Ye Tong’s eyes widened in realization, then she smiled and asked, "Since you like him, do you mind my presence?"
"I… don’t mind."
Dai Xingluo shook her head.
If it were any other woman, she would never agree. But this woman in front of her… seemed different.
"Great! Then from now on, we’ll sleep together."
Ye Tong’s face lit up with excitement—finally, someone to share the burden.
"Huh? Sister, what’s going on?"
Dai Xingluo was baffled. She had already admitted she had no real ties to Xu Mu, so why were they still sharing a bed?
And judging by Ye Tong’s expression, she seemed eager for it.
Ye Tong hesitated to explain directly, simply saying, "Ah, you’ll understand when the time comes."
……
Xu Mu had now reached the level of an intermediate alchemist. After extracting all the necessary medicinal ingredients, he had rolled them into three blue pills and placed them inside a piece of Fire Sun Wood.
In a corner of the courtyard, he lit a fire and set the Fire Sun Wood atop the flames.
After burning for over ten minutes, the wood had turned completely red, glowing like molten iron—yet it remained intact.
"Good."
Xu Mu inhaled the scent. The energy of the Fire Sun Wood had been fully released, merging with the pills.
Just then, he heard the familiar roar of an engine and turned to see a Porsche 911 pulling in.
Once the car was parked in the garage, Xu Mu greeted with a smile, "Welcome back, wif—Dai Xingluo?!"
"Brother."
Dai Xingluo lifted the hem of her hanfu slightly, nodding at him with a sweet smile.
Xu Mu’s expression darkened. He strode forward, grabbed Ye Tong’s hand, and pulled her protectively into his arms.
"Dai Xingluo, did you think I was joking with you?"
"Ah, so Brother really does despise me now, treating me like this."
Dai Xingluo pouted, her expression full of grievance.
"Husband, why are you speaking to her like that?"
Ye Tong quickly stepped in, taking Dai Xingluo’s hand.
From behind Ye Tong, Dai Xingluo stuck her tongue out at Xu Mu.
"You little—"
Xu Mu rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach Dai Xingluo a lesson, but Ye Tong blocked his path.
"Husband, let’s talk this out calmly."
"Dai Xingluo, I’ll say it again—if even a single hair on my wife’s head is harmed, I won’t forgive you."
Xu Mu pointed at her, his voice icy.
His worst fear had come true.
Ye Tong was so kind and naive—she could easily be bullied by a scheming woman like Dai Xingluo.
"Husband, Sister Xingluo is so sweet. Why would she ever do that to me?"
Ye Tong studied Xu Mu’s expression and had already pieced together some of the truth.
From the moment Dai Xingluo first met her and lied about being pregnant, it was clear she wasn’t like Meng Wanyue.
But her goal had been to drive Ye Tong away from Xu Mu—proof that she had feelings for him.
And since she had later confessed her deception, it showed she wasn’t beyond redemption.
Besides, Dai Xingluo still didn’t know just how powerful Xu Mu truly was.
If she really wanted to be alone with him, Ye Tong was happy to oblige.
She doubted Dai Xingluo could handle him—she’d probably end up begging Ye Tong to come back.
Xu Mu had already issued his warning. Logically, Dai Xingluo wouldn’t be so reckless as to harm Ye Tong right in front of him.
He returned to the fire, tossing in a few more logs.
Dai Xingluo approached him curiously. "Brother, what are you doing?"
"Alchemy."
Xu Mu said with a calm expression.
Just as Xu Mu was speaking, Ye Yu arrived in the courtyard, riding an electric scooter with her backpack slung over her shoulder.
"Brother-in-law! Playing with fire makes you wet the bed!"
The moment Ye Yu saw Xu Mu lighting a flame, she blurted out the remark.
Dai Xingluo glanced at Ye Yu—this woman was also quite beautiful, with shoulder-length short hair and a slightly chubby face that made her look utterly adorable.
However, since she called Xu Mu "brother-in-law," she was clearly Ye Tong’s younger sister.
"Who are you?"
After parking her scooter, Ye Yu turned to Dai Xingluo and asked.
"Xiao Yu, this is your sister Xingluo," Ye Tong stepped forward to explain. "She’s… a good friend of your brother-in-law."
She hesitated slightly, as in her eyes, Ye Yu was still just a kid, and some things couldn’t be shared with her.
"Hello, I’m Dai Xingluo."
Dai Xingluo greeted her with a smile. It seemed she hadn’t misjudged the situation.
From the way Ye Tong and Ye Yu treated Xu Mu, she could already tell what kind of person he was.
Ye Yu eyed Dai Xingluo warily. She wasn’t here for a photoshoot, yet she was wearing a hanfu.
Did she smell like a fox spirit or something?
"Xingluo, why don’t you stay for dinner today?" Ye Tong invited with a smile.
"Sure," Dai Xingluo replied, turning back to Ye Tong with a grin.
"Then I’ll go prepare the meal."
Ye Tong nodded cheerfully and headed toward the villa.
Xu Mu sniffed the air, deciding the timing was about right, and stopped feeding the fire, letting it die down naturally.
Even after the flames had faded, the Fire Sun Wood remained a glowing red.
He waited patiently until the wood finally reverted to its original state before picking it up.
Tipping it over, he poured out three refined pills—deep blue in color with a glossy surface.
Seemed like a success.
...
"Dinner’s ready!"
Ye Tong’s voice rang out.
Xu Mu first stored his items in his spatial storage, then went to wash his hands.
Seated at the dining table, he rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Five dishes today? What a feast!"
"Well, we have a guest, don’t we?" Ye Yu shot a glance at Dai Xingluo, emphasizing the word "guest."
Then she proactively picked up food for Xu Mu. "Brother-in-law, have some."
Dai Xingluo narrowed her eyes slightly at the scene.
This little girl was clearly targeting her!
Ye Tong: Rumor has it that readers who support this book with likes are even stronger than Xu Mu. Wonder if it’s true.
Dai Xingluo: It is!

] [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!"

and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!

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.”

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?"