The movement of Shen Yi getting up made a sound, causing Cheng Jun to open her eyes.
"What's wrong, Shen Yi?"
"Shh..."
Shen Yi gestured for Cheng Jun to be quiet as he slowly moved toward the car.
His right hand hung naturally, ready to summon his gun at any moment, while trying not to make too much noise.
Cheng Jun was no longer her former self, and the two worked in perfect sync.
After receiving Shen Yi's signal, she sat silently in place, even her breathing becoming lighter.
As Shen Yi rounded the side of the pickup truck, his footsteps halted.
The creature before him turned out to be a rat.
However, this rat had mutated in size, at least as long as his forearm, with fur that appeared purple-black in the sunlight.
Most peculiar was the small black flower growing from its forehead.
The flower had four petals, with roots like whiskers embedded in the rat's head, making it impossible to distinguish between fur and tentacles.
It was currently nibbling on a small piece of dried meat, its bean-sized eyes glancing around.
Slowly, its eyes turned and met Shen Yi's gaze.
Without panic or movement, it remained in place, continuing to eat.
Shen Yi cautiously stepped back to maintain distance.
The dried meat was what they had accidentally dropped during lunch, which the rat had apparently picked up.
Cheng Jun, whose view was blocked by the car and worried by the prolonged silence, slowly stood up and moved closer.
Not daring to make a sound, she gradually made her way behind Shen Yi.
Upon seeing the sleek-furred rat, Cheng Jun quickly covered her mouth to suppress a gasp.
This was the same dark shadow she had encountered on the first day!
Having finished the small piece of dried meat, the rat suddenly stood upright on its hind legs, the small flower on its head gently swaying.
The surrounding weeds, flowers, and plants seemed to lean slightly toward it.
"Squeak..."
Its bean-sized eyes looked at the two of them, seeming to reveal human-like emotions.
Then it crouched down and disappeared in a flash with incredible speed.
Shen Yi maintained his guard throughout, staying alert in place.
Though this strange creature appeared rat-like, Shen Yi couldn't possibly treat it as a normal rat, nor could he guarantee it was harmless.
Moreover, its speed was extraordinary - fortunately, it had no intention to harm them, or Shen Yi might not have been able to defend against it.
At once, both lost their desire for an afternoon rest and packed up their things to return to the car.
"Did you notice?" Cheng Jun suddenly asked.
"What?"
"That thing seemed to have consciousness. It looked at me before leaving."
"I know, it was staring at me earlier too."
"This is the only living thing we've encountered besides ourselves. It must hide some secret."
"We still need to be careful. It was just attracted by the dried meat, but small size doesn't mean harmless."
"Mm-hmm."
Cheng Jun recalled the strange-looking rat, its alert eyes making her shiver. She hugged herself, trying to find some warmth.
Shen Yi drove steadily, looking ahead as he reassured her,
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Though the words were light, they carried weight. After supporting each other for so long, no more needed to be said.
It started raining on their way back.
The rain was heavy.
The curtain of rain stretched from sky to earth, like a celestial river pouring down.
The white car moved through it like a small boat in water.
The villa stood quietly as they passed through the water curtain to return home.
As the downpour continued, Cheng Jun couldn't settle her heart and came to the window with a cup of hot tea.
Holding the cup with both hands as she sipped, the warm liquid couldn't reach her heart.
The world seemed to have turned upside down, everything before her becoming unfamiliar.
The steam from the hot tea swirled against the glass window, the moisture blurring her vision.
An overwhelming sense of loneliness engulfed her.
Suddenly, a blanket was draped over her shoulders.
"You just got rained on, keep warm."
Shen Yi stood beside her, stretching casually as if no one was there. Rainy days made people lethargic - perfect weather for sleeping.
His presence made Cheng Jun's dim eyes light up again.
Shen Yi watched the rain while Cheng Jun watched him.
Yes, only him, this feeling of security.
Holding his hand tightly, Cheng Jun felt that even if it were the end of the world, there was nothing to fear as long as he was by her side.
In her eyes, nothing was too difficult for Shen Yi.
He was sometimes energetic, sometimes spirited, neither pessimistic when trapped nor giving up in the face of apocalypse.
In comparison, she was lost, afraid, discouraged, and tormented.
In this environment, Shen Yi was like a steady light source that she couldn't help but want to chase and stay close to.
...
The strange rat incident left them uneasy, but life had to go on, they had to look forward.
After spending several peaceful days at home, they went out again.
By the artificial lake, Shen Yi set up his fishing rod, hoping to see if there were any fish in the deep waters.
The seeds they had planted earlier were almost ready for harvest.
A patch of lush green vegetables grew vigorously, a sight that brought peace to the mind.
Perhaps due to the fertile soil, they hardly needed to fertilize or water the plants.
Shen Yi's mouth watered; he wasn't craving meat now, just these green leafy vegetables.
While Cheng Jun was checking the field, Shen Yi quietly approached her from behind with a package.
"Ta-da, guess what this is?"
Cheng Jun took it from him, asking:
"A gift for me? What nice thing is it?"
"You'll see when you look."
Shen Yi's smile didn't fade, confident she would be pleased.
Curiosity piqued, Cheng Jun quickly opened the bag and her eyes immediately widened with joy.
"This is... where did you find these?"
The bag contained a complete set of watercolor paints, along with several brushes and a palette.
"Haha, you like it, right? The easel is in the car. I knew you would."
"I found these in a small shop off the main street. I don't know much about painting, so let me know if anything's missing and I'll find it for you next time."
Shen Yi wasn't sure which school of painting Cheng Jun followed, so he tried to get as complete a set of tools as possible.
Cheng Jun was touched that he had remembered just a casual mention in conversation and kept it in mind until now.
"I love it, this is the best gift I've ever received, thank you."
She held the paints, seemingly reminded of something as her eyes began to redden.
Shen Yi patted her shoulder, deliberately interrupting her emotional moment:
"I'll go get your easel, then we can admire your masterpiece."
Cheng Jun suddenly pulled away from her memories, giving him a side-eye as she retorted,
"Psh, I'm not going to paint, what masterpiece."
However, despite her words, she hadn't touched a brush in so long that now, with the tools at hand, her fingers were itching to paint.
Turning to see Shen Yi already setting up the easel, though she protested verbally, her feet were already moving in his direction.
"Hey, that's not how you set up an easel, I haven't even stretched the canvas yet."
"See? And you said you didn't like painting."
Shen Yi teased as he handed over the easel.
Cheng Jun's heart lightened, and she let out a coquettish snort, ignoring Shen Yi.
And so they stayed, one fishing, one painting.
The apocalypse seemed sealed away outside, creating a perfect pastoral scene.
However, at that moment—
"BOOM!"
The ground shook slightly, as if a dragon were turning in its sleep beneath the earth.
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
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.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
