"Amazing! Simply amazing! You're way better than the keyboardist I had in my previous band!"
"Little sister, this piano is yours!"
The young man finally stopped playing, seemingly still immersed in their impromptu duet.
True musicians never need words to communicate; they can engage in a musical dialogue with their instruments anytime, anywhere.
What just happened was exactly that.
"It's been so long since I performed. Makes me nostalgic!"
The man couldn't hide the emotions on his face - a mixture of joy and melancholy.
That's what led to his impulsive decision to give the piano to Ning Yu.
Ning Yu had just stopped playing as well.
In her previous life, she didn't have many hobbies, but music was one of them.
After learning privately from a teacher, she often disguised herself and played jazz in bars.
When night fell, she wasn't always the cold-blooded assassin taking lives.
Sometimes, she was just an anonymous performer, quietly playing piano in the shadows of some underground bar.
Ning Yu truly enjoyed this process - it was one of the few pleasures from her previous life.
This moment felt like a long-awaited reunion with her former self.
"No need, I'll pay you properly. How much is it?"
However, she declined the young man's casual offer, thinking that simply accepting it might not fulfill the "transaction" task requirement.
Besides, she hadn't enjoyed this hobby for a long time either. For her, this was also a rare encounter, so she didn't want to take the piano for free.
"Uh..."
The young man hesitated.
He had indeed fallen on hard times and was forced to sell these instruments to survive.
He had originally thought that even in the apocalypse, he might still find time for his hobby.
But such luxuries meant nothing in the face of survival, and he quickly came to his senses.
His friends had realized this even sooner than he had.
"Then 10 exchange tickets!"
He named a price casually, no longer being overly polite with Ning Yu.
In this post-apocalyptic world, it was hard to put a price on musical instruments - one could even say they were worthless.
After all, who would care about entertainment when they couldn't even feed themselves?
So now that he was alone, there was no point in holding on, right?
"Deal."
Ning Yu didn't haggle, simply taking out 10 Ark Base exchange tickets and handing them to the man.
"The piano is yours!"
The man cheerfully brought out a case and packed up the electric piano complete with pedals and power supply.
He handed it over to Ning Yu with professional courtesy.
"Do you need help carrying it?"
He was worried the large case might be too heavy for her to take home.
But then, Ning Yu effortlessly lifted it with one hand. If only she were taller, she could have slung it over her shoulder.
Seeing how easily she handled it, the man stopped worrying about that.
He pointed to the other instruments:
"Are you interested in any others?"
Rather than letting his precious instruments gather dust, he'd prefer to give them to someone who understood their value.
"You can have any you want, free of charge!"
Ning Yu smiled wryly but understood his feelings. She gently waved her hand:
"No need, I don't really know how to play the others."
"Ah... alright, if you change your mind, come find me anytime!"
The man looked disappointed, wondering when someone else might want these instruments.
Still, 10 exchange tickets would sustain him for three days, enough time to find work at the base.
In Ark Base, no one would starve if they were willing to work.
Ning Yu said nothing more and waved goodbye.
The man sat in his room, watching her beautiful figure disappear, feeling empty inside.
If the apocalypse hadn't happened, he would have loved to invite her to join his band, or even join hers.
But from now on, he'd have to bid farewell to such unrealistic dreams.
At least this farewell was perfect.
So, he began packing up his belongings.
......
[Ding! Task: Complete a transaction with the man - Accomplished!]
[Reward issued: Charm +1, Points +2000]
Damn! Even this counts!
Ning Yu held the newly acquired electric piano in one hand, feeling speechless.
It would be inconvenient to buy groceries while carrying it, so she decided to return to her apartment to drop it off first.
Then she headed back out to the Ark Base's grocery section.
Following her list, Ning Yu queued up in the food section to buy ingredients for tonight's dinner.
Unfortunately, not all the ingredients she wanted were available at Ark Base, though she had anticipated this.
She had already discussed this with the Shen sisters, agreeing to substitute ingredients if necessary.
The total cost was about 10 exchange tickets, making it quite a luxurious meal.
For five people, this amount could normally cover three days of basic meals, but they were using it all for one dinner.
Besides cooking ingredients, she also exchanged for some seasonings and kitchen supplies.
Some were traded directly with the base, others through the free trade zone.
From Ning Yu's experience:
If you wanted to live exactly as you did before the apocalypse at Ark Base, it would take extra effort.
But if you just wanted basic sustenance without many demands, that was easily achievable.
By the time Ning Yu returned to the apartment, it was almost 4 PM.
So as soon as she entered, she headed straight for the kitchen to prepare for dinner.
Shen Yiyue was already waiting, wearing a kitchen apron.
"Sister, I'll help too!"
Shen Qianqian had been drafted to help, though Shen Yiyue hadn't really intended to let a child assist, and patted her head saying:
"Just kidding, silly sister, go play."
Ning Yu also handed Shen Qianqian a shoujo manga she'd found in the free trade zone.
"Wow!! It's 'Reborn as the Fifth Wife, Spoiled by the Domineering Prince!'"
Shen Qianqian happily accepted it, her eyes sparkling.
"Ning Yu sister is the best!!"
She cheered and jumped onto the sofa to start reading.
After sitting down, she secretly glanced at the two who were about to get busy:
"Actually, I've been wanting to try something different lately..."
If Shen Yiyue were closer, she would definitely poke her sister's head: such a precocious child!
"What kind of mess are you cutting?"
Ning Yu looked at the carrot pieces Shen Yiyue was supposed to be helping with - some chunks were big, some small, and some had even flown onto the floor.
She stopped Shen Yiyue's disruptive behavior with an exasperated expression.
"You'd better just wash the vegetables..."
"Wuu wuu, Little Yu, you're so mean..."
Shen Yiyue put down the knife dejectedly and walked to the sink to silently wash vegetables.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and familiar voices came from outside:
"We're here!"
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!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
