"How did you do that? Don't you have no cultivation at all?" Xue Yi was puzzled in his mind.
This was too outrageous and inconceivable!
Under his puzzled gaze, Xiao Qingruo sighed slightly.
"I didn't intend to say it, but it looks like I have to tell you today."
"Say it, say it quickly!" Xue Yi was almost dying of curiosity.
Xiao Qingruo looked at him with complex emotions and said, "Actually... I can make a move once every month. It's not an illusion, but real combat. My cultivation realm and disguise are the same, 3rd Layer of the Long Life Realm."
"This..."
Xue Yi's eyes widened in surprise.
So her strength was not completely fake!
Just what kind of system did she have?
This young lady, could she really become a peerless powerhouse someday??
Xiao Qingruo continued, "The manor lord inspects my strength once a month, so I save that one chance for the first day of each month. His guess is right, once I leave the manor I'm powerless. Only on the first day of each month am I truly powerful."
Illusions could fool passersby, but not those closest to her.
She was able to live safely under Xu Conglong's nose all these years thanks to this monthly chance, not by pure deception.
"Xue Yi,"
Xiao Qingruo was still looking at him.
"Miss..."
Xue Yi felt very complicated.
He thought he was already quite outrageous, getting a free Emperor Grade Cultivation Technique as soon as he arrived in this world, and it took him 3 years to fully comprehend it.
He didn't expect this young lady to be even more outrageous, actually having the strength of the 3rd Layer of the Long Life Realm!
She was only 17 years old!
Normally, Long Life Realm powerhouses started at least in their forties and fifties!
Although it was just a one time chance per month, combined with her exquisite acting and extensive knowledge, she had risen meteorically over the past decade. It was almost real!
"Thank you for telling me the truth, otherwise the risk of exposure would have increased a lot more." She said. Her previous anger was gone, replaced with faint joy and gratitude.
"I was forced to do this. Being caught in the middle is the hardest. Now that we have no more secrets, we can speak more plainly. Let's work together to deal with the manor lord's test." Xue Yi said solemnly.
Xiao Qingruo nodded, "Yes, with your real strength and my fake strength, as long as we handle it properly and don't encounter too powerful enemies, we should be safe from exposure."
"Before that, answer me one question first."
Xiao Qingruo: "Go ahead."
Xue Yi asked her, "Why do you pretend to be so powerful? The risks are so high, yet you persist. I won't believe it if there's no purpose!"
Xiao Qingruo smiled slightly, "If I said it was just for fun, would you believe it?"
Xue Yi firmly shook his head.
"Alright."
She smiled again and explained, "Then I'll tell you the truth. Actually I'm trying to reach higher, to see if I can obtain treasures that can reforge my bones and cleanse my marrow. You know, trash doesn't have to stay trash forever. There are many treasures in this world that can improve one's aptitude. As long as I pretend successfully enough, I can obtain a lot of resources. One day when I get a treasure that can cleanse my marrow and obtain the aptitude to cultivate, with all the cultivation techniques in my mind, I can absolutely become a very powerful expert."
"I see..."
Xue Yi could feel her sincerity. She was telling the truth this time.
A person with no aptitude, relying on an illusion system and a monthly chance to make a move, dared to go so far.
She was quite bold!
Beyond boldness, she also had meticulous thoughts. Otherwise she would have died countless times over the years!
"Alright, now that we've cleared the air, we can trust each other. You can tell me about anything you encounter outside in the future, and we'll think of solutions together. Especially things on the manor lord's side, we must be cautious!"
Xiao Qingruo was in a good mood. The manor lord's attitude had always been a knot in her heart. She didn't expect it to be resolved so easily because of Xue Yi, which was an unexpected delight.
Xue Yi was also in a good mood now.
Learning more of the young miss's secrets reassured him that he no longer needed to be anxious about this little trash.
"In a few days the manor lord will send us out. When we come back, I'll start bragging to him about your strength, pretend you really made a move, so he'll feel relieved and trust you." Xue Yi said.
Xiao Qingruo thought for a bit, "Don't exaggerate too much either, or else if he suddenly tests me twice a month one day, it'll be troublesome."
"OK."
The room became quiet as both stopped talking.
The tense atmosphere had finally dissipated.
Sitting in the chair, Xue Yi felt like the rain had passed and the skies had cleared, the weather had turned for the better. His whole body felt much more relaxed.
At this moment, Xiao Qingruo stood up and walked over to him with a smile, saying, "Xue Yi, nice to meet you."
Then she extended a hand towards him.
This gesture was very odd.
A handshake?
That wasn't a custom in this world!
Xue Yi was secretly surprised.
What was going on? Was she testing him?
How did she start suspecting him?
No, he absolutely could not fall for this!
Xue Yi pretended not to understand the meaning of this gesture, and asked in puzzlement, "Happy to be happy, why are you giving me your hand? Could it be... you want to reward me? Hehe..."
Then he grinned and grabbed her small hand, rubbing and squeezing it, experiencing the soft and smooth jade hand of this peerless beauty.
"You! Let go!"
After being grabbed and rubbed by him for a while, Xiao Qingruo realized the test had failed. She angrily shook off his hand and ran into the bedroom.
Xue Yi laughed and said, "Young miss, you've already rewarded me, so you shouldn't be angry about earlier, right?"
"I'm still angry! Furious!" She spoke in an annoyed tone.
Xue Yi joked with her for a few more sentences before stopping. He then observed his newly obtained weapon.
In his heart he was thinking, this test of hers was probably not because she had noticed anything, but rather...
Loneliness.
Xue Yi also had this feeling.
Although coming to this world felt very exciting and thrilling, the loneliness was also indescribable.
Everything here was different from his past life. Although he didn't have to work as hard as a corporate slave in his past life, in some ways it was less free and more dangerous here, with the possibility of losing his life over trivial matters at any time. He had to tread carefully.
Especially late at night, it was easiest to miss his previous life.
In the guards' quarters he had a few friends, and he had only been in this world for 3 years.
Even he felt some loneliness, let alone the young miss. Xiao Qingruo stood too high up, had been here even longer than him, so her loneliness was imaginable...
Today as they cleared up their misunderstanding, they both untied a knot in their hearts.
Xiao Qingruo probably felt that she finally had a friend, so she was in a very good mood.
She made this test hoping for a response.
If Xue Yi really responded, showing he was a "fellow countryman", she would be even happier, and their relationship would become closer.
But... this was not what Xue Yi wanted.
Sharing some secrets could be joyful.
But some secrets were best kept to oneself.
Especially when one's strength was still insufficient, one had to be prudent.
After all, who knew how many "fellow countrymen" there were in this world, and what role one played after coming to this world.
Until everything was clear, or... until he became an invincible powerhouse, any carelessness could lead to irrevocable consequences.
He had already taken a big gamble today, he didn't dare to gamble anymore.
Perhaps there would be a chance to tell her in the future.
But definitely not now.
] [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!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
