Over a dozen men in suits stared coldly at the mother and daughter.
One of them checked his watch.
"Start the timer!"
The mother and daughter exchanged another glance.
Xu Lan trembled as she looked at Xiao Ruohan.
"Ruohan, I'm your mother!"
Xiao Ruohan's body shook.
At present, her cultivation had barely reached the level of a martial artist.
However, her mastery of martial techniques had already reached the realm of meticulous precision.
Xiao Ruohan knew how rare it was for someone her age to comprehend martial techniques up to the fifth realm—meticulous precision.
This also proved how perfectly suited she was to the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms."
But it was a pity—damn Chen Feng had held back a crucial part, preventing her from mastering the technique completely.
Otherwise, her achievements today might have been even greater.
Yet, she never expected that her mother would drag her into such a desperate situation.
She channeled her inner energy, and a faint golden dragon materialized, coiling around her.
Xu Lan looked at her daughter in horror.
"Ruohan, what are you doing?!"
"I'm your mother!"
"You—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Ruohan spun around and struck with her palm.
"Hidden Dragon Lurks!"
The blow landed squarely on one of the suited men behind her.
Yet, the man didn’t budge.
Xiao Ruohan felt her energy being drained in an instant.
Smack!
A crisp sound echoed as the man backhanded her, sending her flying.
The middle-aged man in a suit adjusted his jacket.
Then, he glanced at his smartwatch.
"Don’t waste your strength."
"I’m a Martial Arts Grandmaster. You’re still too green."
"Let me remind you—you have seven minutes and fifteen seconds left."
Hearing that he was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, Xiao Ruohan’s heart sank.
She knew there was only one way she might survive this.
Xu Lan’s heart, which had just settled, clenched again.
At first, she thought her daughter was going to strike her—but instead, she had attacked the men behind them.
For a moment, she felt relieved.
But upon learning the man was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, despair took hold.
Xu Lan looked at her daughter and said,
"Ruohan, I’m sorry."
"Once I get out of here, I’ll find a way to avenge you."
Avenge her?
Xiao Ruohan suddenly laughed.
Her laughter grew louder and louder until tears streamed down her face.
"What a touching promise!"
"How? With your idiotic little schemes?"
Then came a dragon’s roar, followed by a scream.
More roars and furious shouts followed.
"You brought this on yourself."
"Why do you always cause trouble for me?!"
"Why?! Why?!..."
A few minutes later.
The suited men left the villa one by one.
After a long silence, Xiao Ruohan stumbled out, her face and hair drenched in blood.
"Why did it come to this?"
"What did I do wrong?"
"Was it because I betrayed Chen Feng?"
Suddenly.
Lightning split the darkness.
Then, heavy raindrops began to fall.
In the pouring rain, Xiao Ruohan wandered aimlessly.
At this moment, she didn’t know where to go—or where she even wanted to go.
She walked until the rain stopped.
Walked until dawn.
Walked until sunrise.
Then, she abruptly halted.
Before her lay a ruined sea of flowers.
Petals, torn apart by last night’s storm, lay dead on the concrete.
She lifted her head.
Bathed in the harsh morning light, she saw a statue—familiar yet distant.
---
Kunlun Mountains.
Jade Mountain, Heavenly Pool.
The Mystic Tortoise and the Spirit Crane observed the Mountain Spirit and Water Essence within the pool.
The two had taken human form, surrounded by illusory scenery.
The vision showed Chen Feng sprinting frantically.
The Mystic Tortoise burst into laughter.
Ha, ha, ha…
The Spirit Crane spoke in human tongue:
"If Qianqian’s master keeps running like this, he won’t escape until the next mountain opening—sixty years from now."
At the peak of Jade Mountain.
Gu Qianqian was playing the zither.
The melody was ethereal, light, and soothing.
Beside her lay the last qilin of Kunlun.
Then, the Spirit Crane flew over and landed nearby.
The qilin cracked an eye open, then closed it again, savoring the music.
The crane approached Qianqian and said,
"I saw your master."
Qianqian stopped playing, delighted.
"Wonderful!"
"I already dug the grave."
"And I carved his tombstone myself."
"I was afraid the dinosaurs would leave nothing behind."
The crane blinked, its eyes darting, before uttering two words.
"He’s alive."
Qianqian frowned.
"Alive?"
"Then my grave and tombstone were for nothing!"
"But alive is good too."
Originally, after learning from the Mountain Spirit and Water Essence that Chen Feng hadn’t left Kunlun in time, she had mourned for him.
She assumed he’d be stripped of his energy and devoured by beasts.
Yet, against all odds, he had survived.
"As expected of my master."
"Qilin, take me to him."
The massive qilin stood up—over four meters tall.
It opened its jaws and swallowed Qianqian whole.
The crane watched, stunned.
With a single step, the qilin transformed into lightning, crossing thousands of miles in an instant.
In the qilin’s vision, a towering surge of energy was moving rapidly.
Another step, and it appeared right in front of Chen Feng.
The sudden appearance of the colossal creature startled Chen Feng.
The beast had a head resembling an oversized goat’s, but with multicolored mane and massive antler-like horns.
Its body was covered in white scales, with vibrant fur running down its back to its tail.
Its limbs ended in wolf-like claws.
A qilin!
Chen Feng was taken aback.
"Why is a qilin blocking my way?"
"Is it planning to attack me?"
Before he could react, the qilin opened its mouth and spat out a person.
Gu Qianqian wiped the saliva off her face.
"Are we there? Master, where are you?"
Chen Feng stared in shock.
The situation had short-circuited his brain.
First, a qilin appeared.
Then, it regurgitated his disciple.
This was beyond absurd.
His disciple always defied logic.
"Qianqian, I’m here."
"Why did you come out of a qilin’s mouth?"
Without her zither, Qianqian was completely blind.
Following his voice, she turned toward him and saw a glowing silhouette.
"Master, I can’t believe you’re really alive."
"I asked the qilin to bring me to you."
"It moves too fast—if I didn’t hide in its mouth, the wind would’ve killed me."
Chen Feng was speechless.
So this is how you’re supposed to ride a qilin?

th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"

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!

【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.)

or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?