The sound around her faded into nothingness, and her body began to tremble.
Mei Xue's pupils contracted sharply, as if struck by an invisible force, leaving her frozen in place.
Gu Yan's half-smile, half-sneer expression was like a sharp blade, effortlessly slicing through her last line of defense.
Her heart felt as though it had been ravaged by a violent storm—all her passion, excitement, and hope crumbled in an instant, replaced by a flood of helplessness and despair.
The man before her seemed like a lofty theater director, manipulating every scene and character, while she was nothing more than an insignificant pawn in his grand play.
"You... you knew all along...?"
"You knew Deng Feng was my brother... and yet you still..."
Mei Xue's voice trembled as she struggled to regain some semblance of composure, but her thoughts were already in chaos.
Her tone, however, only deepened the smirk on Gu Yan's lips.
He slowly rose to his feet and approached her, his piercing gaze locking onto hers.
"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"
"Neither of us could have predicted that Deng Feng would become the successor of the Black Tortoise Gate."
"Of the five tasks I asked you to complete, not one was meant to harm your brother."
"Even the fifth task—I only asked you to save everyone who still had a breath of life in them."
"But what did you do, Mei Xue...?"
Gu Yan's voice was low and mocking, each word striking her heart like a hammer.
Mei Xue's heart pounded like a drum, her soul seemingly enduring endless interrogations in those few seconds.
"I... I..."
"Was it me who failed to save my brother...?"
Mei Xue was utterly stunned, her heart consumed by despair—a despair as dark and all-consuming as a black hole.
Gu Yan stopped in front of her, looking down with even more amusement in his eyes.
"Yes, it was you."
"Your cleverness led to this outcome."
"You... abandoned your brother."
"In the end, the one who killed your brother was none other than yourself."
And with that, Gu Yan delivered the final blow to her soul.
"Swearing loyalty to the Night King, yet secretly wanting to protect your brother."
"Mei Xue... how am I supposed to explain this to Qingqiu...?"
At these words, Mei Xue's heart shuddered, and her eyes filled with boundless fear.
She looked at Gu Yan, her face pale as snow.
"You... know...?"
How...?
Why...?
How did Gu Yan know that her master's true identity was Leng Qingqiu—the Night King?!
Why?
How did he find out? When did he discover it?
In the next moment, Gu Yan provided the answer, his mocking gaze fixed on her.
"What, are you wondering how I knew Qingqiu is the Night King?"
"Haha... idiot~"
"Guess why your master gathered the world's geniuses? And why You Xingxue sent you to lead them?"
"Take another guess..."
"Did your master know that you and the successor of the Black Tortoise Gate are siblings?"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In an instant, Mei Xue's legs gave out.
She collapsed to the floor with a thud.
Fear pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She understood now. She understood everything.
There were no five tasks. There was no husband from the mortal world.
Someone like her master would never form even a superficial marriage with a mortal for the sake of a plan.
All of this... was just a task assigned to Gu Yan by her master.
This man... was a tool to test their loyalty.
Why had Gu Yan been able to call her by name the first time they met?
Why had she thought he was someone extraordinary?
It was all because Gu Yan had been sent by her master to test her loyalty.
Someone like her master must have known all along that her brother was Deng Feng and that he carried the Black Tortoise's energy.
The purpose was to have Gu Yan test whether she would choose her brother or the organization.
And in the end...
She had chosen her brother, completing the five tasks, but... her brother had died.
Now her master knew she was a traitor...
It was over... everything was over...
Mei Xue's eyes gradually lost their light.
How could she survive after being sentenced to death by her master?
Gu Yan looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
Well, the plan was going smoothly.
She probably understood her situation by now.
It was time to wrap things up...
"How pitiful, Miss Mei."
"What's the difference between you and a stray dog now?"
"You're quite different from the person I first met."
Gu Yan's mocking words stabbed into Mei Xue's heart, but she no longer had the strength to fight back.
Her brother was dead, and she would soon follow.
Everything was gone...
But in the next moment...
Gu Yan's words stunned her.
"Of course—I don't dislike you like this."
"After all... I'm not exactly loyal either."
Gu Yan raised his hand, and with a whoosh!
A black liquid surged out, floating in the air.
"Ahhh!!!"
A wail echoed from the center of the liquid.
Hearing this, Mei Xue froze, then quickly looked up.
Her eyes widened in shock.
The viscous black liquid gradually formed a face twisted in agony.
A familiar feeling washed over Mei Xue, and she cried out in excitement, "Deng Feng!!"
But as soon as she called out,
Whoosh!
Gu Yan retracted the liquid.
Mei Xue desperately grabbed Gu Yan's pant leg, kneeling on the ground as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling.
"Gu Yan... Gu Yan, is my brother still alive?"
Looking down at Mei Xue, who was caught between despair and hope, Gu Yan gave her a definitive answer.
"Of course, Miss Mei~"
"Your brother isn't dead. When I realized you weren't going to save him, I stepped in and sealed his soul here."
"I'm... actually quite a good person."
As he spoke, Gu Yan's expression softened with pity.
"I thought, if you found out your brother died because of you, it would be too painful."
"And I can't stand seeing girls cry, so I decided to save your brother and return him to you at the right time."
The more Mei Xue listened, the more her joy grew.
"Then... then..."
But as she spoke, she began to feel something was off.
Wait...
No... no!
Gu Yan was sent by her master to test her loyalty. Was this still part of the test?
But what if it wasn't? What if... what if Gu Yan also had rebellious intentions?
And what if neither of these possibilities was true?
Now that Mei Xue knew her brother was alive, she naturally wanted to survive and reunite with him.
But Gu Yan's words forced her to consider more possibilities.
What should she do?
What should she do?
After a few minutes of painful deliberation, Mei Xue took a deep breath and looked up at Gu Yan.
"What do I need to do to get my brother back?"
Mei Xue had made her decision. She would take the gamble.
If she didn't choose her brother, she might still die, as her master wouldn't tolerate a traitor.
But if she chose her brother, there was still a chance. She would bet that Gu Yan wasn't truly loyal to the Night King either!
Seeing Mei Xue's compliance, Gu Yan didn't beat around the bush.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"It's simple."
He extended a finger toward her.
Gurgle!
A thin tendril emerged from his fingertip.
"Open your mind and let me implant this tendril."
"Its purpose is to destroy your mind and life if you ever betray me."
Mei Xue stared at the writhing tendril extending from Gu Yan's finger, an inexplicable chill running down her spine.
But...
For her brother!
"Alright!"
Mei Xue nodded.
Little brother, wait for me. Your big sister will save you, no matter what!
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?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
