Miao He’s face was as pale as paper—she had already realized the gap between the two of them.
If Xu Mu had stabbed her in the back of the neck just now, her life would have been over.
The outcome of their fight was already decided.
“Who exactly are you?”
Miao He asked with a serious expression.
“I’m the one asking the questions!”
Xu Mu kicked Miao He’s backside. She stumbled and fell onto the sofa in front of her.
“You…”
There was a mix of embarrassment and anger on Miao He’s face.
Two golden butterflies now circled above her head.
“Answer my question, or I’ll stab you until you’re bleeding all over!”
Xu Mu brandished the dagger in his hand.
Clenching her fists, Miao He finally spoke, “We came here on a mission.”
“What kind of mission?”
Xu Mu frowned.
“We’re assassins. Of course, it’s an assassin’s mission.”
Miao He sat on the sofa, and the two golden butterflies slipped inside through her collar.
“Who’s the target?”
Xu Mu stepped closer, grabbed Miao He’s collar, and said coldly, “If you lie to me, it won’t just be death waiting for you.”
“I don’t know yet. We haven’t received any orders.”
Miao He’s mind was racing for a plan.
This guy was clearly not easy to fool.
“Then who’s your employer? You’re the second-in-command, so it can’t be just some ordinary target, right?”
Xu Mu pressed on.
Suddenly, Miao He put on a seductive smile, her slender fingers resting on the back of Xu Mu’s hand holding the dagger.
“Big brother, please…”
“Cut the crap!”
Xu Mu slapped Miao He across the face.
[Affinity +5]
“?”
Xu Mu was a bit stunned, thinking he had misread the situation.
He had caught a glimpse of some black characters flashing above Miao He’s head just now but didn’t make out whether it was a plus or minus sign.
“You little brat! How dare you hit me!”
Miao He clutched her face, fuming, “I’ve grown up this way, and my dad’s never hit me before!”
Xu Mu looked at her reaction and relaxed a little. This was more like a normal person.
“If you talk back again, I’ll hit you even harder!”
Xu Mu’s face darkened. “Now tell me! Who’s your employer?”
“I’m mad! I’m not telling you. If you can, just kill me!”
Miao He’s eyes were full of fierce determination.
“Do you really think I’m some desperate puppy that won’t move just because there’s a beautiful woman in front of me?”
Xu Mu said as he slapped her again.
[Affinity +6]
This time, Xu Mu didn’t get it wrong—the affinity was definitely increasing, not decreasing.
Could it be that this woman...
“Hit me again! If you don’t have the strength to hit, are you even a man?”
Miao He said coldly.
“Damn?”
Xu Mu was speechless. This woman... was actually enjoying this.
Flash!
Xu Mu’s dagger shot out in an instant, stopping just one centimeter from Miao He’s exposed eye.
Startled, Miao He instinctively closed her eyes; her silver lashes brushed against the tip of the dagger.
Xu Mu was surprised. This punk’s whole look was quite complete.
Her hair was dyed silver, and even her eyelashes were colored.
He just didn’t know if the rest of her body hair was the same.
“Miao He! I’m too lazy to hit you again. If you don’t talk, I’ll ruin your face and turn you into an ugly monster!”
Xu Mu tapped Miao He's delicate face with the flat side of his dagger. "You don’t want to ruin such a beautiful face, do you?"
"Such a beautiful face, yet no one appreciates it," Miao He said, regaining her composure as she opened her eyes again.
"Don’t try to hook me! Don’t think I don’t know you bug players. There’s no way I’ll connect with you!"
Xu Mu said coldly, "Your bugs can enter my body and harm me—I’m not falling for that."
"You’re overthinking it," Miao He exhaled, "Fine, I might as well tell you."
She felt he was actually pretty decent—not as disgusting as other men—and he hadn’t tried to kill her.
"The employer didn’t hire me directly, but hired our subordinate from the Zang Ai group."
Miao He looked at Xu Mu and said, "As for the employer’s identity, it’s the Chai family from Yang City."
Hearing this, Xu Mu put down his dagger.
The Chai family.
Could it be they were planning to follow the Feng family’s lead and strike at their competitors?
"If they hired ordinary assassins, then why are you, the second-in-command, here?" Xu Mu asked Miao He.
"Not many know the secret," Miao He crossed her arms and said calmly, "Rumor has it, the Yang City Sanitation Department recently discovered an ancient relic."
Xu Mu sat on the sofa, deep in thought.
In stories, there’s a big difference between an ancient relic and just any relic.
Ancient relics are usually remnants left behind by once-powerful forces.
Such places often hold not only rare treasures but also powerful cultivation techniques.
If you manage to find a high-level cultivation method, it can skyrocket your abilities.
Xu Mu knew this well—he understood just how much a good cultivation technique could improve someone.
But the rewards and risks always go hand in hand.
The stronger the treasure, the greater the danger.
The last relic Xu Mu explored was relatively safe—in fact, the biggest problem was just thirst.
But this ancient relic might be a different story.
"Is the location only known to the Yang City Sanitation Department?" Xu Mu asked, glancing at Miao He.
"Exactly. I came here this time to investigate the location."
Miao He looked at Xu Mu and said, "I’ve told you all this because I value your strength. How about we team up?"
Xu Mu didn’t reply immediately but stroked his chin, lost in thought.
No wonder Zhang Que was hiding in Feng Yue’s company—there, he could keep tabs on the cleaners’ movements at any time.
He was probably after this relic too.
"Your strength surpasses mine; I won’t shortchange you. We split the loot 60-40," Miao He said, noticing Xu Mu’s silence.
"I’ll think it over," Xu Mu said, standing up and heading outside the villa.
"I don’t even know your name," Miao He called after his retreating figure.
"Xu Mu," he replied, then left.
He needed to prepare for this ancient relic as well.
...
Chai Family Manor.
Today, three oddly dressed youths with brightly colored hair—looking like something out of a punk rock band—arrived.
Opposite them sat another trio.
One was Fang Chu, dressed in a casual suit, sitting on a single sofa with his legs crossed.
Another was a man in his mid-thirties with a crew cut.
He was Chai Xiongtao, who had previously had dealings with Feng Yue.
However, Xu Mu said Feng Yue was crazy, so he ran off.
Besides the two of them, there was also a stout elderly man puffing on a cigar.
His cheeks were a bit chubby, and he looked to be around sixty years old.
This was none other than Chai Wang.
As the chairman of an entertainment company, he often appeared on TV and was famous nationwide.
The number of female celebrities rumored to have been involved with him was countless.
At this moment, Chai Wang stared at the three punk-styled youths in front of him, clearly bewildered.
Chai Xiongtao, on the other hand, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Come to think of it, more than ten years ago, he dressed exactly like this.
Seeing them now gave him a feeling of traveling through time.
“Mr. Fang, are these… assassins?” Chai Wang asked, turning to Fang Chu.

ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...

【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.