Meng Wanyue looked at Xu Mu with a solemn expression. "The Dragon King has already given me orders to ensure their safety. I will do everything in my power, even at the cost of my life."
"Wanyue."
Xu Mu gazed into Meng Wanyue's cool, distant eyes. "I’d rather you protect them for my sake, not the Dragon King’s."
At these words, Meng Wanyue shuddered, unsure how to respond.
The Dragon King had ordered her to protect Ye Tong and Ye Yu. Xu Mu had asked the same.
This time, the task was identical, so she had no reason to hesitate.
But what if next time, the orders conflicted?
What if the Dragon King commanded her to kill someone, but Xu Mu forbade it? Whom should she obey?
Meng Wanyue’s mind went blank. As a former killing tool, she had never struggled with such dilemmas before.
But now, she didn’t know what to do.
"Wanyue, maybe I’m being sentimental. Don’t overthink it. Just focus on keeping them safe."
Xu Mu offered a faint smile.
"Boss Xu, regardless of the Dragon King, even if it were someone else, I’d protect them with my life if you asked."
Meng Wanyue met his gaze.
She understood her own heart. Compared to the Dragon King, she felt at ease and secure with Xu Mu.
Around the Dragon King, she was tense, uncomfortable.
She knew who truly cared for her.
"Wanyue, your words put me at ease. Here’s a gift—something I stumbled upon by chance."
Xu Mu handed her a rusted metal plate inscribed with the Mountain-Splitting Palm technique.
At first, Meng Wanyue didn’t recognize it. But after a closer look, her eyes widened in shock.
"Boss Xu, this… this is a cultivation manual!" she exclaimed.
"Exactly. I had someone check—it’s only a Yellow-grade technique, nothing too advanced. When I have time, I’ll find you something better."
Xu Mu grinned.
He had already mastered the Mountain-Splitting Palm himself. The technique was decent, allowing the user to channel energy into blade-like strikes.
Such attacks far surpassed ordinary energy projection.
"Boss Xu, this is too valuable! Even a Yellow-grade manual isn’t something just anyone can obtain. I can’t accept it."
Meng Wanyue shook her head vehemently.
In the world of assassins, only the elite few stood above the rest.
True masters disdained becoming hired killers.
Most cultivation techniques were hoarded by sects and hidden clans.
Assassins like her rarely had access to them.
Before, Meng Wanyue relied solely on skill and stealth for her kills.
But after joining the Dragon King, she nearly died on a mission once. As a reward, he granted her a Yellow-grade manual.
She had been endlessly grateful.
Yet here was Xu Mu, simply giving her one? How could she possibly take it?
"Not listening, are you?"
Xu Mu glared at her. "It’s not a one-time use item. Just take a photo of it."
He knew the lore—Yellow and Mystic-grade techniques could be recorded in writing.
Earth-grade and above, however, required the original manual to cultivate.
"But—"
"Keep refusing, and I’ll smack your fleshiest spot."
Xu Mu cut her off, pointing at her threateningly.
[Affection +10]
Meng Wanyue’s cheeks burned, but her heart swelled with joy and gratitude.
Nodding quickly, she pulled out her phone and photographed the manual.
"Boss Xu, I won’t let you down. I’ll master this technique as fast as I can." She tucked her phone away.
"Go on, then." Xu Mu waved her off with a smile.
"Right."
Meng Wanyue turned and left, eager to study the manual.
Once she was gone, Xu Mu stored the metal plate back in his spatial storage.
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes in thought.
Ye Tong’s commute from home to work was along main roads—likely safe.
He had also instructed Ye Tong to tell Ye Yu to stay on campus and avoid unnecessary outings.
As long as those two were protected, everything should be fine.
Just as he mulled it over, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—a virtual number.
Answering, he demanded, "Who is this?"
"Xu Mu? A video link will be sent to your phone shortly. Make sure to watch it."
The voice was distorted, impossible to identify.
"What if it’s malware? Not clicking."
Before Xu Mu could finish, the call ended.
Seconds later, a text arrived with the promised link.
Hesitating briefly, Xu Mu pulled an old phone from his desk drawer.
It wasn’t truly old—just replaced after he upgraded to the latest triple-fold model.
This spare had no sensitive data, used mainly for risky browsing. Even if infected, no harm done.
Typing the URL into the spare phone, he opened the link—a video.
The footage began with a woman tied to a pillar.
Had it not been for this, Xu Mu might have forgotten her: Mu Qingying, the flat-chested schoolteacher the original Xu Mu had pursued.
Her oval face was framed by a ponytail, but now, fear twisted her features.
"Xu Mu, your beloved ‘goddess’ is in my hands, waiting for her hero. If you don’t come to the abandoned chemical plant in Wu City, Jiang Province, by 4 PM today, who knows what’ll happen to her?"
The recorder paused, then added, "If you call the police, Mu Qingying dies. Then you. Be a man—come alone. Someone will meet you there."
The video ended.
Xu Mu sighed. Why did the kidnappers keep targeting women he didn’t care about?
He was starting to question Lin Yang’s intelligence.
First Feng Yue, now Mu Qingying. Should he panic or take a leisurely bathroom break?
Then again, he understood Lin Yang’s logic.
The original Xu Mu had showered Feng Yue’s bar with cash daily—his crush was no secret.
Similarly, he’d sent Mu Qingying flowers at school every day.
Lin Yang’s choices made sense.
His mistake was not realizing Xu Mu’s soul had been replaced.
Rubbing his temples, Xu Mu debated whether to go.
If Mu Qingying failed as leverage, Lin Yang might escalate—and then Xu Mu would really have to worry.
But since it was Mu Qingying, he had room to maneuver. She posed no real threat to him.
Decision made, he pushed off the desk, ready to move.
This dragon’s den was worth storming.
As he opened his office door, Meng Wanyue appeared in the hallway.
"Boss Xu, where are you going?" she asked curiously.
"I—"
After a brief hesitation, Xu Mu decided to bring her along. "Come with me."
An extra hand never hurt. Their target was him—perfect for Meng Wanyue to rescue Mu Qingying unnoticed.
Plus, he wanted to test his recent progress firsthand.
...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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.”
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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?"
