West of Jinling City, the Shen family villa, basement level one.
This floor was Shen Fei's private space; outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering.
The guest room's decor was low-key yet luxurious, featuring solid wood floors, leather sofas, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an artificial lake.
Ling Shuang and Ling Xue had been arranged to rest here.
The two had slept soundly through the entire night.
Although the basic antidote pill had suppressed the toxicity of the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Powder, their external injuries and physical exhaustion could not be cured by a single pill. Their bodies needed time to recover.
In the early morning, Ling Shuang was the first to wake up.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was not to take in her surroundings, but to reach under her pillow.
Her dagger was gone.
All of their weapons had been confiscated.
Ling Shuang's face darkened, and she abruptly sat up.
She found herself in an unfamiliar room with exquisite furnishings. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden glow across the floor.
On the adjacent bed, Ling Xue was still fast asleep. Her breathing was steady, and her complexion had returned to normal.
Ling Shuang quickly recalled everything from the previous night.
Being poisoned, on the verge of death, and then a man appearing and giving them half a pill each.
That man.
He had a handsome face and an imposing aura. From start to finish, he hadn't spoken a single unnecessary word.
Who was he? Why was he there? Why did he have such a heaven-defying antidote on him?
More importantly, what did he want?
Ling Shuang didn't believe in free lunches.
Growing up in an assassination organization, she had an instinctive wariness toward the word kindness.
Unprovoked favors hide ulterior motives.
Let alone a favor as massive as saving their lives.
Ling Shuang swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet stepping onto the floor as she silently walked toward the door.
She tried turning the doorknob.
It was unlocked.
The door wasn't locked.
Ling Shuang paused slightly, but her vigilance only deepened.
Not locking the door meant the other party wasn't worried about them escaping at all.
Either the security here was so tight that they couldn't possibly escape, or the other party had absolute confidence in controlling them.
Neither possibility was good news.
Ling Shuang took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked out.
The corridor was long, bathed in soft lighting.
She walked down the hallway and stopped when she passed a half-open door.
Inside was a spacious tea room.
Shen Fei was sitting inside.
He wore a white silk shirt, its sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms. Holding a cup of tea, he looked completely at ease.
The morning light fell upon him through the window, making it seem as though his entire figure was coated in a faint golden glow.
Like a painting.
But Ling Shuang had no mind to appreciate the view.
Her gaze locked onto the tea table.
Her dagger and Ling Xue's hidden weapon pouch were neatly arranged on the table.
Right within Shen Fei's reach.
Shen Fei glanced up at her.
You're awake? Have a seat.
His tone was casual, as if greeting an old friend rather than facing a professional killer.
Ling Shuang did not sit.
She stood at the door, her body slightly tense, her eyes fixed intently on Shen Fei.
Who are you?
Why did you save us?
What do you want?
Three questions, brief and direct, without a single superfluous word.
The style of an assassin.
Shen Fei set down his teacup and leaned back in his chair.
My name is Shen Fei. Shen as in the Shen family, Fei as in flying bird.
Ling Shuang's pupils shrank slightly.
Shen Fei.
The Shen family.
The number one wealthy family in Jinling, the Shen family!
Even though she had operated within the assassination organization for years, she had heard of the Shen family's name. They were a colossus that even her organization wouldn't dare provoke lightly.
This man was actually a member of the Shen family!
As for why I saved you.
Shen Fei reached out, picked up the dagger from the table, twirled it around his fingertips, and set it back down.
The reason is simple. I need manpower, and you happen to meet my requirements.
Solid skills, top-notch combat abilities, no attachments, and no way back. Most importantly, you've just broken away from your organization and are in exactly the right position to need a new backer.
His tone was utterly flat, as if stating the simplest of facts.
Ling Shuang clenched her fists.
Just as she thought.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
This man had an ulterior motive for saving them right from the start!
What if we refuse?
Ling Shuang's voice turned cold.
Shen Fei looked at her and smiled.
The smile was faint and shallow, but for some reason, the moment Ling Shuang saw it, a sudden chill shot up her spine.
You can refuse.
Shen Fei picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.
But there is one thing I think you should know.
The antidote pill from last night only temporarily suppressed the toxicity of the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Powder; it didn't completely eradicate it.
Ling Shuang's expression drastically changed!
What did you say!
Shen Fei put down the teacup, looking at her with a calm gaze.
The Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Powder is a complex lethal poison, divided into two layers: surface poison and inner poison. The surface poison acts fast and is highly fatal; the pill last night cured exactly that. But the inner poison lies dormant deep within your meridians, undetectable by ordinary means.
Within seven days, if you don't take a second antidote to completely clear the inner poison, the toxins will flare up again.
When that happens, your internal organs will fester, and you will die.
Ling Shuang shuddered all over!
She immediately circulated her inner qi to sense her own body.
At first, she didn't detect anything unusual.
But when she probed deep into her meridians with her internal energy, her face changed completely!
It was really there!
In the deepest layers of her meridians, a trace of extremely faint, icy toxin was slowly flowing!
If Shen Fei hadn't warned her, she never would have noticed it!
Because this trace of toxin was just too well hidden, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, quietly waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal strike!
Ling Shuang's hands began to tremble slightly.
She wasn't afraid of dying.
What she feared was that her sister would die along with her.
Where is the antidote?
Ling Shuang's voice was hoarse.
Shen Fei pointed at himself.
I have it.
Ling Shuang stared at him unblinkingly.
What are your terms?
I've already told you.
Shen Fei stood up and walked over to Ling Shuang.
He was a full head taller than Ling Shuang, looking down at her from above.
Stay and work for me.
I'm not begging you. I am giving you a chance to live.
This sentence was spoken with a casual understatement.
But Ling Shuang heard it loud and clear.
Every single word was like a nail, driven ruthlessly into her bones.
He didn't threaten, he didn't intimidate, and he didn't even raise his voice.
Yet it was exactly this breezy, indifferent attitude that was more terrifying than any threat.
Because it meant that in this man's eyes, their life and death were truly just trivial matters.
If he gave it, they lived.
If he didn't, they died.
It was that simple.
Ling Shuang remained silent for a long time.
She knew she had no choice.
No, to be precise, from the moment she woke up by the drainage ditch last night, she had already lost all choices.
Alright.
Ling Shuang closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the struggle in her gaze had vanished.
I agree.
But I have one condition.
Shen Fei raised an eyebrow.
No matter what you ask me to do, I will do it. But if you hurt Ling Xue, I will fight you to the death.
Shen Fei looked at Ling Shuang.
This woman was covered in injuries, so weak she could barely stand straight, but when she spoke those words, her eyes were as sharp as a blade.
For the sake of her sister, she truly dared to do anything.
Shen Fei let out a light chuckle.
"Don't worry, I never hurt my own people."
He turned and walked back to the tea table, picked up the dagger and the pouch of hidden weapons, and handed them to Ling Shuang.
"Your weapons. I'm returning them to you."
Ling Shuang took the dagger, her fingers trembling slightly.
She hadn't expected Shen Fei to actually return her weapons.
What did this mean?
It meant this man wasn't the least bit afraid of her using the weapons to kill him.
This sheer confidence was more persuasive than any words could ever be.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Ling Xue dashed into the room.
She had just woken up to find her sister missing from their room and had followed the voices all the way here.
"Sis!"
Seeing Ling Shuang safe and sound, Ling Xue first breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, her gaze landed on Shen Fei.
The face she had seen right before falling unconscious from the poison last night was now right in front of her.
In the sunlight, she could see him even more clearly.
His facial features were flawlessly exquisite, and the noble aura surrounding him was almost suffocating.
But Ling Xue wasn't as composed as her sister.
Her first reaction wasn't to assess the situation, but to instinctively put her guard up.
"Are you the one who saved us last night?"
Ling Xue stood in front of Ling Shuang, adopting a protective stance over her sister.
Shen Fei glanced at her but said nothing.
Ling Shuang gently pulled Ling Xue's hand.
"Little Xue, he is from the Shen family. We are staying here for the time being."
"What?"
Ling Xue snapped her head around to look at her sister.
"Sis, are you crazy? We finally managed to break free from the organization, and now we're going to be someone else's dogs?"
"Little Xue!"
"No!"
Ling Xue shook off Ling Shuang's hand and glared at Shen Fei.
"Don't think you're a big deal just because you saved our lives! I, Ling Xue, submit to no one! My sister and I have lived on the edge of a blade since we were kids, and we didn't survive this long just to kneel at the feet of some rich guy and wag our tails!"
Her eyes were bright and fierce, like a bristling little leopard.
Shen Fei picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Then he looked at Ling Xue, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"There is still residual poison deep within your meridians. If you don't take the second antidote within seven days, the poison will flare up and you'll die. Your sister has already verified this with her inner energy. If you don't believe me, check it yourself."
Ling Xue froze, subconsciously circulating her qi to sense it.
A few seconds later, her face drained of color.
It was really there!
There was indeed a trace of poison deep within her meridians!
Ling Xue clenched her jaw tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
She looked at Shen Fei.
Shen Fei looked back at her.
His gaze was completely placid without a single ripple, even carrying a faint hint of a smile.
That smile wasn't mocking; it was the composure of a hunter watching their prey make its final struggle.
You can refuse to submit.
You can resist.
But the outcome won't change.
Ling Xue remained silent for a full ten seconds.
Then she turned her head away, avoiding Shen Fei's eyes.
"I can stay."
Her voice was very low, seemingly squeezed through gritted teeth.
"But I won't acknowledge you as my master."
She suddenly whipped her head back, a relentless, unyielding fierceness in her eyes.
"One day, I will kill you."
Shen Fei set down his teacup.
"You're welcome to try anytime."
When he said those words, there was a smile on his lips, but an absolute calmness in the depths of his eyes.
That calmness was more powerful than any retort.
Ling Xue clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.
She knew it clearly.
But she just couldn't swallow this anger.
Ling Shuang reached out and pressed down on Ling Xue's shoulder, shaking her head slightly.
Ling Xue bit her lip and ultimately said no more.
Shen Fei turned and walked toward the door, pausing for a step as he passed by Ling Xue.
"By the way."
He tilted his head, his voice not loud but every word distinct.
"From today on, your lives belong to me. But I don't keep useless trash. Rest and heal up. In a few days, I have something I need you to do."
With that, he walked away without looking back.
His footsteps gradually faded, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Only the two sisters were left in the tea room.
Ling Xue looked in the direction Shen Fei had left, her chest feeling incredibly tight.
"Sis, this man is too dangerous."
Ling Shuang leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
"I know."
"Then why did you agree to him!"
"Because he is right."
Ling Shuang opened her eyes, her gaze tranquil.
"We have no way out. The organization won't let us go, and the poison hasn't been completely cured. He is currently the only person who can keep us alive."
"Besides, you felt it too, didn't you? The hidden guards around this man."
Ling Xue froze.
She thought back for a moment, and her expression changed slightly.
From the moment she entered this villa until now, she hadn't seen a single guard.
But her intuition had been screaming warnings the entire time.
There were at least four presences hidden in the dark, and every single one of them was no weaker than their strength at its peak!
These people had been secretly monitoring their every move.
If they had actually made a move, they wouldn't have been able to walk out of this building.
"This man's background is too deep," Ling Shuang said in a low voice.
"Let's stay for now and get a clear read on the situation."
Ling Xue fell silent.
She just bit her lip hard, clenching and unclenching her fists.
She was unwilling.
But she had no other choice.
...
In the study, Shen Fei leaned back in his chair, watching the text jumping on the system panel.
[Ling Shuang Affection Level: 40 (Cooperative Relationship)]
[Ling Xue Affection Level: 15 (Hostile but Submissive)]
The corners of Shen Fei's mouth curled up slightly.
40 and 15 weren't high.
But they were enough.
Taming couldn't be rushed.
First, bind them with interests and life-or-death, then conquer them with strength and methods, and finally, harvest their true loyalty with genuine "liberation."
Yes, liberation.
In the corner of the system panel, a line of small text lay quietly.
[Abnormal Gu worms detected in the bodies of Ling Shuang and Ling Xue—Heart-Locking Gu. Implanted by: Assassination Organization. Function: Remote control, can be activated at any time to cause death. Recommended to handle as soon as possible.]
Shen Fei looked at this line of text, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Heart-Locking Gu.
Something even more sinister than the Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Powder.
It was the ultimate insurance planted in the twins' bodies by the assassination organization. As long as they dared to defect, remotely activating the Gu worm would kill them on the spot.
The reason Ye Chen was able to subdue the twins in the original plot was because he used his Medical Immortal inheritance to help them extract the Heart-Locking Gu.
This was a true life-saving grace.
Curing the poison was only the first step.
Extracting the Gu was the real key to making the twins completely submit their hearts.
Shen Fei opened the Villain Mall, his gaze sweeping over the item list.
[Gu-Breaking Art: Can destroy all low-tier Gu worms. Price: 300 Luck Points]
Current Luck Points: 900.
Spending 300 leaves 600.
It's enough.
Shen Fei clicked exchange without hesitation.
[Ding! Exchange successful! Gu-Breaking Art has been transmitted into the host's mind!]
A massive stream of information instantly flooded into Shen Fei's brain.
The types of Gu worms, the methods to break them, the casting techniques—he comprehended all of it.
Shen Fei closed his eyes, digested it for a few seconds, and then opened them.
The smile on his lips deepened.
"I'll let them stay on edge for a couple more days."
"I'll help them extract the Gu on the third day."
"Favors must be given bit by bit so people remember them well."
He stood up and walked to the window.
The sunlight was perfect.
Jinling City was a picture of peace and tranquility.
But in the unseen shadows, the chess game had already quietly begun.
Ye Chen was still acting as an honored guest at the Zhao family, dreaming his sweet dreams of conquering Jinling.
He had no idea that his most important chess piece was already firmly in Shen Fei's grasp.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
] [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!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
