This is what you call forced optimism.
Having persuaded Mu Miao, Little Wei was in an especially good mood. Humming a tune, she tied her skirt around her waist, waded into the water, and began spearing fish with a tree branch.
"Damn it! Why won’t this fish cooperate?" The moment Little Wei thrust her branch into the water, the fish darted away with nimble agility.
"Do you even know how to catch fish?" Si asked skeptically.
"Of course I do! Who do you think you’re looking down on?" Little Wei fired back, suddenly fired up.
After thirty failed attempts—and nearly choking on water when she lunged into the stream—she gave up on the idea of having meat for dinner.
"Cough, cough." Little Wei spat out the water, patting her chest to catch her breath. Soaked and uncomfortable, she sighed in frustration.
"Why do you like fish so much?" Si asked, puzzled.
"This fish is delicious, and humans can’t just live on greens and potatoes, right?" Little Wei tugged at her damp clothes, her face full of dejection.
"Got it," Si said abruptly.
Before Little Wei could react, a golden flash lit up the stream. Several plump fish leaped out of the water, landing in the bucket by the shore with a couple of splashes.
This guy’s cheating—no fair.
Little Wei froze in shock.
"Can… can I do that too someday?" She was instantly envious of city folks.
And they even know magic.
"Sure. After completing missions in a fantasy or cultivation world, you usually get rewards like cultivation techniques or immortal arts."
Little Wei was utterly smitten.
"Consider this payment for the mung bean cakes," Si said, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Who knew why, but seeing Little Wei so downcast had made him unable to resist spoiling her.
This was against the rules.
Hopefully, the company wouldn’t notice—otherwise, his paycheck would take a hit.
"Alright, thanks, Si! I’ll go grill the fish." Little Wei perked up immediately. Noticing Mu Miao still basking in the sunlight, she chirped, "Master, we’re having grilled fish today! And fish soup!"
There were so many fish—enough for two or three days.
Mu Miao’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Good."
"Oh, Si, can I go to a fantasy or cultivation world next?" Little Wei was already looking forward to it.
"Nope." Si poured cold water on her excitement.
Before she could ask why, he continued, "In those worlds, the villains don’t get treated any better than the protagonists. You’ve read those novels—the main characters cheat their way through everything, and the world’s order is way more chaotic. You’ll probably have to wait two or three more worlds before getting a cultivation mission."
Little Wei knew he was right. By then, brains wouldn’t matter anymore.
Just brute force.
And she loved that kind of violence.
While the protagonists were busy romancing, she’d secretly cultivate and outshine them all.
Her mood lifted even further as she gathered firewood for the grill—perfect for fish and sweet potatoes. The soup simmered in a pot nearby.
Half an hour later, Little Wei emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of fish soup.
"Master, I picked out all the scallions—just fish left, and I removed the bones. There’s some diced potato in it too. Try it!" She ladled a small portion into a bowl and set it on the stone table.
Mu Miao cautiously found the spoon, leaned in to inhale the fragrant aroma, then took a sip. Pleasure flickered across her face.
"Your cooking has improved."
"Of course!" Little Wei gloated inwardly.
She had apprenticed under a restaurant chef, after all.
Turning back, she saw the grilled fish and sweet potatoes were ready. She plated them carefully.
The fish was perfectly charred on the outside, tender inside, and—most importantly—boneless. The aroma alone made her mouth water. Taking a small bite with her chopsticks, her eyes lit up.
"This is amazing!"
The spicy, numbing flavor was her absolute favorite. The fish was so silky and tender she couldn’t put her chopsticks down.
Mu Miao’s portion wasn’t spicy. Little Wei picked out the meat and placed it in her bowl.
"Master, try this one—no chili."
At the mention of no spice, Mu Miao’s expression shifted oddly, but she still picked up a bite with her chopsticks.
Then, her neck tilted slightly, as if eyeing Little Wei’s plate.
"You want mine?" Little Wei hadn’t expected Mu Miao to like spicy food.
Mu Miao nodded.
Little Wei fed her a bite. Mu Miao parted her lips cautiously, and the bold, numbing heat flooded her mouth—delicious.
"Are these your chopsticks?" Mu Miao asked suddenly after swallowing.
"Yeah," Little Wei confirmed.
Mu Miao: "…"
A visible blush spread across Mu Miao’s cheeks. Too flustered to speak, she buried herself in her meal.
After dinner, Little Wei brought Mu Miao a rattan chair to lounge by the bonfire, shielding her from the night’s chill.
Changed into fresh clothes, Little Wei sprawled on the soft grass. The firelight danced across her features, and the stars speckled the night sky like scattered dots.
It reminded her of that meadow she’d once visited with Ning Moqing.
A scene like this was too perfect to waste on anything but sleep.
She dozed off instantly.
The next morning, Little Wei jolted awake from a nightmare—a post-apocalyptic world where someone stole her last pack of instant noodles. She’d fought desperately but lost.
"My noodles!" she lamented.
Then she blinked. She was lying on a rattan bed.
Wait, hadn’t she fallen asleep on the grass?
Did Master carry me in?
No way. Blind and still managing to haul me back? That’s ridiculous. Yawning, she flopped around lazily, refusing to get up.
The journey from the valley to the capital had nearly wrecked her legs.
Today, she’d take a break—her entertainment? Teasing her master.
"By the way, how are the main couple? Fighting yet?"
If the female lead had any conscience, she’d argue with the male lead over her father’s sake.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have all that angsty back-and-forth.
(Though they’d still end up happily ever after.)
"They fought—pretty viciously. But then they still ended up… you know."
Little Wei knew exactly what Si meant, but…
At a time like this? How could they still be in the mood for that?
Is this the whole "couples fight and make up in bed" thing?
"Disgusting," Little Wei spat in disdain.
Meanwhile, Su Qingyun and Mo Yujun were still embroiled in their dramatic, tragic soap opera.
] [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.”
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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?"
