The mc name is Rajjin he was your normal person and he likes catching bugs. Rajjin favorite bug was the praying mantis.

A guy who experience a tragic relationship but did not left his responsibility and praying for the Godly woman who will understand his work as a soldier.

Wei Huo went straight toward the mountain. Not long after, a crowd of halted humans greeted his eyes.
Countless people were queuing up at an expansive plaza, waiting to enter the mountain. The staff at the ticket gate was sweating buckets, and security guards were scanning their surroundings vigilantly.
However, all of the people were at a standstill. It was just like a painting or a 3-D picture.
A sudden fear hit Wei Huo. If God had not neglected him, would he be watched by some other living creatures like what he was doing now? If mankind's time was halted forever, would these people in line now not become sculptures?
Just like the Moai Statues on Easter Island or the Terracotta Army in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, after years past and when new intelligent creatures are born, would they make the place into a tourist attraction? Would they pay to visit here?
Wei Huo passed through the ticket gate which had long broken down. He climbed inside, and right at that moment when he entered, he laid his eyes onto a giant red rock. The giant rock was engulfed in vegetation. Despite that, Wei Huo could still make out the words on the rock 'Emei Mount'. 
Staring at the words, his mind went blank. 'Emei Mount, what was that? Was it the name of that mountain? Is that mountain well-known? I never heard such a weird name before!'
It took a while for Wei Huo to realized, that was motherf*cking Mount Emei!
Mount Emei, it was an ideal place for people to seek divine advice from Buddha. It was an auspicious location for keeping ancient Qi Cultivator's scrolls.
Wei Huo was instantly spirited. He started hiking up the mountain. All along the way, he could see tourists. Some of them were halted in a position where they were ready to photograph the beautiful scenery. However, nowadays this kind of scenery could be found everywhere. Besides tourists taking pictures, there were couples, senior citizens, and tour groups. There were also quite a number of lone tourists who were taking pictures with their mobile phones and cameras. Barely anybody was taking in the scenery with their eyes.
No matter which method they chose to remember the mountain's beauty, they were now part of the landscape.
After walking a couple of steps, Wei Huo suddenly heard logging sounds. It was the sound of someone chopping woods using an axe. Wei Huo was astonished.
'Had God neglected someone else other than me?'
With complicated feelings, Wei Huo bolted towards the direction of that sound.
He hoped for that person to be a human. It would be better if that person was an attractive woman.
A thought struck his mind halfway through his run. He fished out his hunting knife to trim his beard. He ignored the 'Danger Deep Water' sign, raced to the streamlet, and washed his face. After calming down, he walked towards the direction of that sound again.
After walking for a long distance, he passed through a jungle. It was then that the logging sounds became more distinct. He was confused and surprised at the same time.
Did he run into a group of human contingent?
The sound of leaves rustling against his body echoed through his surroundings as he moved through the woods. The logging sounds suddenly stopped and a troop of monkeys holding stone axes in their hands turned their head towards Wei Huo.
Wei Huo was speechless. "..."
Those monkeys were very unusual. They were dressed in coarse straw hats and woven rush raincoats with a little calabash tied around their waist.
He asked, "Tell me, are you guys humans pretending to be monkeys?"
The troop of monkeys eyed Wei Huo strangely, and they lifted their axes…
Wei Huo quickly said. "I'm sorry to interrupt you!"
Ending his sentence, he turned around and fled. The monkeys came chasing from behind him whilst lifting their axes.
Wei Huo shouted as he ran, "F*ck! Time was halted for humans and now you monkeys think you're the king!"
The monkeys chased him up a plank walkway. The walkway was crammed with halted humans, and that was why the time halt did not affect the walkway at all. Otherwise, the dilapidated walkway would collapse when Wei Huo stepped on it.
Wei Huo ran without stopping and dashed into a huge temple. The temple was filled with tourists. It seemed like photographing was not allowed in this temple as the tourists were just looking around. Multiple oldsters were kneeling on the praying mat, kowtowing to the Buddha statue in front of them.
The monkeys stopped chasing after Wei Huo when he entered that area. They looked afraid. Wei Huo let out a sigh of relief and started scrutinizing the Buddha Statue. His gaze then stopped at the praying mats.
'In the novel Demi-Gods And Semi-Devils[1], Duan Yu found a rare scroll in the praying mats…'
An idea came to Wei Huo's mind, but of course, he would not be knocking his head until the praying mats cracked. He had a knife with him!
"Now it's time to solve the puzzle!"
Wei Huo nodded in affirmation. The world was currently a game hence, one should put themselves in a gamer's shoes when encountering such situations. These places were usually used as checkpoints to solve puzzles. He might be able to find the rare scrolls there.
Wei Huo might not be able to touch the occupied mats, but there were other vacant ones. He took out his hunting knife and immediately started slicing the praying mats apart.
Much to his disappointment, he found nothing in the ruined praying mats. Those praying mats were just normal praying mats after all.
He started checking underneath the Buddha statue. Secret trap doors were usually located in such areas. These were common scenes one would find in Wuxia novels. When the main characters had no way out, they would hide behind these trap doors. The author would have then brought an injured girl into the story and everything would be perfect.
However, there were no secret trap doors there either.
Wei Huo stroked his chin. 'Don't f*cking tell me God had not created the checkpoint and puzzle system?'
Only then had Wei Huo realized that the game world appeared to be still under development.
Wei Huo shook his head and exited the temple. He trailed along a stony path, passed through a crowd of people, and continued hiking up the mountain. A golden dome was located at the peak of Mount Emei. Although Wei Huo knew that he might not find any rare scrolls there, he still wanted to take a look. Moreover, he could enjoy the landscape of the golden dome for free.
All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks.
His mind went blank from astonishment as he stared attentively at a woman in front of him.
'Why is she here?'
He walked up and scrutinized that woman. After a few moments, his heart ached not because of a man who seemed close to her standing next to the woman but because Wei Huo saw his own appearance through her sparkling eyes. 
Time had halted for 13 years and Wei Huo was already 32 years old.
Could these halted humans saw those who were alive and kicking? Of course, they could, after all the humans' retina was just like a concave lens. However, what difference would it make when the brain could not receive any signal?
A deep sorrow pierced his heart. Everybody around him was still young, but he could only age with time. Who would still remember a guy named Wei Huo when time recovered?
[1] A Wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha) where Duan Yu kowtowed to the Buddha statue 1000 times. He broke the praying mat and obtained two rare manuscripts.


Wei Huo has been ignored and overlooked by almost everyone his entire life, including God. In a bid to transform the world into a more game-like one, God halted time for all humanity except for Wei Huo, leaving him to fend for himself. The teenager has no choice but to strive for survival whilst waiting for the day humanity’s clock to start ticking again. But wait a minute! What if that wait is longer than a person’s lifespan? Follow Wei Huo on his survival journey in a world infested with mutated beasts and carnivorous plants.

Mu Ru was embarrassed by being looked at, so she looked at the road sign not far away. There seemed to be an Arrow pointing at the place in heavenly human realm. She only thought that this name sounded very nice, so she thought that she might as well go to heavenly human realm to take a look.
With this thought, she turned around and walked towards heavenly human realm. After about ten minutes, she finally arrived at the so-called heavenly human realm, but what she saw greatly disappointed her.
Because this so-called heavenly human realm was actually on a slope, on a green grassland, planted with red plants according to the strokes of the words 'heavenly human realm' . Standing at the foot of the mountain, looking from afar.. It was heavenly human realm.
Alright, this was the same effect as the map of China on the opposite slope that was planted with plants. It was a feast for the eyes, but it did not feel good to the touch.
Mu Ru came down from heavenly human realm absent-mindedly and found that the road sign was pointing to a place called the desert plant area. She was wondering if she should go to the desert plant area to take a look when her phone rang.
Of course, it was a call from Dongfang Yu. He asked where she was and told her to hurry back to the car. He said that he had finished burning incense and praying and was going home.
Mu Ru immediately gave up on the idea of going to the desert plant area. She quickly turned around and walked back to the car. Only then did she realize that Dongfang Yu, Dongfang Mei, and Xi Muxue were already standing by the car waiting for her. Furthermore, Xi Muxue was carrying a cloth bag in her hand She did not know what it was.
When Aunt Gu saw that she had returned, she said with a slightly unhappy expression, "Mu Ru, what's wrong with you? You didn't even finish burning incense and praying. Why did you leave? You didn't even draw the lot. Ah Mo originally wanted you to help him draw a lot? "
When mu ru heard Dongfang Mei's words, she realized that she had been too careless with the incense and praying for blessings. She reckoned that she had only burned the incense. As for the praying and praying for blessings and drawing lots, they had all been skipped because she had run out of the palace hall.
"I couldn't get used to the fragrance inside, " Mu ru said truthfully. She looked at Dongfang Mei and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, aunt Gu. The cigarette smoke made my eyes tear up. I really couldn't stand it, so I ran out. "
"You couldn't get used to the smell? " Aunt Gu's expression shifted slightly, and then she glanced at Mu Xue without a trace She said indifferently, "Oh, it's fine. It's probably because you rarely come to places like the temple since you were young. Next time you come, you can't just run away. "
"Okay, I got it, " Mu ru quickly replied. She thought to herself, let's talk about the next time. If there was really a next time when she came to the Dharma Temple to offer incense, she might as well just pretend to be sick and sleep at home. Who would come to this place to get smoked for no reason?
It was still Dongfang Yu who helped her drive back, but the journey back was very smooth. The car did not break down, so the journey was smooth and unimpeded back to the Dongfang family's one inch Mo city.
Mu Ru went to the temple and was fine, but Xi muxue complained of dizziness when she returned to one inch Mo city. Dongfang Mei said that it might be because the Dharma temple was halfway up the mountain, and Xi muxue caught a cold from the mountain wind.
Mu Ru did not know why Xi Muxue felt a little dizzy. She only thought that she might be a pregnant woman who caught a cold from the wind, so she seriously flipped through a book. In the end, it turned out that it was best for a pregnant woman to not take medicine for a small cold She was afraid that it would affect the fetus in her stomach.

Five years ago, she replaced her twin sister to marry him who was burned beyond recognition and even became a eunuch. Five years later, when they met again, he pressed her against the wall in the corner A low voice sounded with doubt. "Is your daughter mine? " The corners of her mouth curled into a sneer. "Are you sure you have the ability to do that? " His originally cold face instantly turned into the darkness before the storm His voice was fierce and low as he growled, "woman, you are challenging me! "

In front of the jade white skeleton laid a praying mat.
This scene looked so familiar to Lin Fan’s eyes, as though he’d seen it a thousand times. Just then, Lin Fan spotted some tiny words inscribed beside the skeleton on the stone bed.
These words were no trouble to Lin Fan.
‘Whoever reads this has an affinity with me. Using the praying mat, kowtow for 18,800 times. You will then receive my legacy.’
Reading these words, Lin Fan looked at the skeleton again and laughed.
"HAHA! No wonder Yours Truly found this so bloody familiar! Isn’t this the exact storyline from ‘Demi-gods and Semi-devils’? Frankly, if not for that manhood on your skeleton, Yours Truly would have thought that you’re Li Qiushui’s sister!"
Lin Fan was extremely used to a development like this. Man, to kowtow 18,800 times, wouldn’t that smash someone’s head right open or destroy this praying mat entirely? But c’mon, wasn’t the treasure just hidden under the praying mat? What was so difficult about this?
Instantly, Lin Fan ripped a hole in the praying mat. Indeed, a golden book laid beneath it.
Looking at the material used, this must be the same material from the King Golden Silkworm, to be able to resist corrosion till now. Beside the book, Lin Fan caught sight of another piece of paper. The contents of the paper left Lin Fan in disbelief as he gaped at the skeleton with open jaws.
‘The world has never lacked in talented individuals. After kowtowing your due kowtows, the skeleton which contains this old man’s lifelong powers will turn into a current and be transfused to you. If you had broken through forcefully, your thoughts and intents are not pure enough. However, as an appreciation for your effort in making this long journey, this is a ‘Seven Saints Glorious Records’ book for you.’
Reading it entirely, Lin Fan could only stand there and blink his eyes dumbly. The only thought that came into his mind right now was to pray to the Heavens for another chance.
This tricky thing was not trickier than Lin Fan! If he were to pray hard enough, he was sure that his sincerity could break him out of this unfortunate situation right now instead of getting the lesser reward!
"Your Highness, please give me another chance!" Lin Fan howled tragically. The pain he was feeling now over this loss could only be understood by him.
He was so close... SO CLOSE to getting it!
BOOM!
Just then, the secret room began vibrating violently.
Behind the jade white skeleton, a void opened up in thin air. Right under Lin Fan’s nose, the skeleton was sucked deep within, disappearing entirely.
‘Your Highness, please don’t do this…!’
But it was all too late. Lin Fan realized that even the secret room itself was starting to distort and contort. The stone table and stone bed twisted into a ball and disappeared.
‘Cuckookoo!’ Chicky started crying out on Lin Fan’s shoulders.
"Cuck your head!" Lin Fan threw Chicky along with the ‘Seven Saints Glorious Records’ into his storage sack and ran towards the entrance.
But the suction from the black void was way too strong. Lin Fan could barely move forward.
‘F*ck me…!’
Lin Fan’s vision turned black as he drifted into darkness once more.
...
The base of the mountain of Glory Sect’s Entrance…
A series of carriages rushed over as though they had been through countless hardships along the journey, stopping only at the entrance of Glory Sect.
"Mistress, we’re here." As the chief housekeeper of the Gong Family, it was Wang Hu’s responsibility to ensure his mistress’s safety.
He didn’t approve of his mistress’s decision to head over to Glory Sect. After all, they could not afford to offend Glory Sect no matter what. But seeing his mistress’s resolute face, Wang Hu could only sigh exasperatedly and follow her orders.
From the Mo City to Glory Sect was a shortcut. If one were to rush through it, they could arrive within a matter of days. However, the shortcut was treacherous and filled with beasts.
In the end, they could only use the safer alternative. Even though this road was safer, the journey was extremely long, and the road was very mountainous and rocky.
After more than a month, they had finally arrived at their destination.
A jade-like smooth hand reached out from within the carriage and out stepped a peerless beauty. On the face of this beautiful woman was a look of sorrow as well as signs of hesitation.
Gong Bingye had a beauty that was unparalleled in this world. However, as a woman, she only had 2 choices. She would either belong to a powerful man, or she had to possess absolute strength.
But to Gong Bingye, the first path was the most suited for her.
Even though the Gong Family was pretty well to do, they weren’t strong enough to provide her with indefinite amounts of supplies required for cultivation. Furthermore, she knew herself well. She wasn’t born with an extremely talented potential to be groomed into a skilled martial artist.
For her to even enter precelesital cultivation base had already expended too many resources of the Gong Family. Even if she were to continue pushing in this direction, the future was pretty bleak.
"Mistress, would you consider this? A sect isn’t all perfect and wonderful as we outsiders would think it to be." Even though Wang Hu knew that his mistress’s heart was firm, he couldn’t help himself from cautioning her once more.
Gong Bingye smiled gently like a blossoming flower, "I’ve thought it through. The Gong Family isn’t something a mere maiden like me can shoulder entirely."
Wang Hu gripped his fists tightly, lamenting at his helplessness in this situation. He reared his head at those soaring peaks of Glory Sect. This was it, THE Glory Sect that everyone could only dream of entering.
"Let us head forth." Gong Bingye said.
"Yes." Wang Hu nodded.
For this journey, the Gong Family only brought along the guards that had served them for many years.
...
"Who are you guys?" When Gong Bingye arrived at the main entrance, she was halted by Glory Sect disciples who were keeping watch.
"Kind sirs, my name is Gong Bingye. Head of the Gong Family of Mo City. My purpose for this journey is to look for Lin Fan." Gong Bingye said calmly.
The 2 disciples who were keeping guard were stunned. "Why are you looking for Junior Master Lin? Junior Master Lin had left the sect for 2 months and have yet to return."
Gong Bingye once had her doubts about Lin Fan’s identity. But upon seeing the reactions of these disciples, she let loose a sigh of relief in her heart.
"I am Lin Fan’s wife, here to look for him. He had told me that I could come by anytime."
The two disciples gaped at Gong Bingye. They looked at one another in disbelief. Junior Master Lin’s wife? How was this possible? But then, they took another look at Gong Bingye.
They couldn’t deny that even the female disciples of Jialan Peak might not be a match for her. Other than the big disciple of Jialan Peak, Mu Bingyan, no one else could truly measure up to her beauty.
Even though lust should not be present in men of cultivation, which man could truly let go of such mortal emotions?
Thinking back, Junior Master Lin was also a man. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had let loose a little after he left the sect.
"Wait a moment. We’ll report on this."
"My gratitude."
...
These disciples immediately made haste to inform Senior Elder Wuya of this matter. Ever since Junior Master Lin had left the sect, Senior Elder Wuya had gone down the sect in search of him multiple times in a row, but to no avail. And now that this woman who proclaimed to be Lin Fan’s wife was here, this was strange indeed.
Wuya could barely eat or sleep much these past 2 months, as he was worried where this kid could have run off to.
He had searched 10,000 miles around Glory Sect, but he could not find a single trace of Lin Fan. Especially since this kid could hide his aura entirely without a single trace, Wuya could only give up on his search helplessly.
"Elder! There’s a woman at the entrance claiming to be Lin Fan’s wife!"
The moment Wuya heard these words, he appeared in front of the sect’s entrance in a flash, leaving only a rainbow streak behind him.
The moment Wuya appeared, he took a close inspection of this woman. Even though Wuya was already 100+ years old and had long grown weary of these mortal affairs, he could not deny that this woman was captivating indeed. Pity her potential wasn’t as satisfactory.
Whether or not this was that kid’s wife, he could not say for certain. After all, if he were as young as Lin Fan, he may have fallen for someone like her as well.
Especially someone like that kid, even though he did not mess around in the sect, Wuya could tell that he wasn’t simple or pure. Who knew whether he might have flirted around casually after leaving the sect and left these traces behind. That wasn’t impossible as well.
After all, even someone like the Grand Master had his fair share of love affairs back when he was younger. But for someone to turn up at the doorsteps just like this was a first for them as well.
He must definitely have a good talk with that kid once he got back.


Yours Truly shall have all of you bow down to me!

Arriving in this brand-new world, Lin Fan found himself in possession of a system which allows him to level up indefinitely unbounded by the limitations of this world. Upon learning a powerful technique of Monkey Steals Peaches, Lin Fan realises that he’s poised to literally become the strongest person in this entire world. But of course, how boring would that be unless the whole world gets to know about his great name?

Shameless. Righteous. Smart. Lin Fan will let no one (or balls) stand in his way to glory!

Hilarious for all the wrong reasons and exciting for all the right ones, this novel will definitely have you roaring out in laughter and set your blood pumping all at the same time. Join us in this rollercoaster of a masterpiece with Lin Fan and his trusty sidekicks as he shows the world what it truly means to be YOURS TRULY.

There is a person, whose entire life is a legend. 
There is a person, whose extraordinariness radiates from his brows 
There is a person, his name is Lin Fan. 
Everybody: “Lin Fan, I want to have your babies.” 
A dominating life of unrestrained swag needs no explanation.

Two weeks later.
Early morning at 7:00.
John woke up to the sound of his phone's ringing. It's Ramon calling, he immediately answered it. "What's up Ramon?"
"Boss, I just heard a news in the radio this morning that an unidentified dead woman's body had been found in a vacant lot somewhere in Emerald St. The dead body was naked when found and has been in an early stage of decomposition, signs of multiple stab wounds were all over the dead woman's body. According to the police preliminary report, it's rape with a homicide case. The dead body was taken to the nearest morgue waiting for relatives to identify the body. I will go there now Boss to check the body," offered Ramon.
"Wait for me, Ramon. I will just splash some water on my face and have a coffee and we will be going to the morgue together," John responded.
He rose to his feet and entered the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, he feels like vomiting. The way Ramon's describe the gruesome way the woman died was every husband's worst nightmare.
What if that woman that has been found dead in the vacant lot... was...Catherine?
Damn! As soon as the dreadful thoughts come flooding in his mind, he flushed it out immediately from his consciousness. He refused to entertain that horrifying possibility, it's too much to bear if his wife will die in the same horrible death. He was still 100% sure that Catherine is alive and was being held captive against her will, somewhere...
But if he was indeed right on his guess...
Then, where is Catherine right now?
And who held her captive?
And for what reason and motive she was being abducted?
For now, he needs to get into that morgue and see the decomposing body of that woman with his own eyes, he just wants to be sure that it's not his beloved wife. That's the only way he can have peace of mind and be able to sleep tonight.
He changed into cargo pants, white t-shirt, and black bomber jacket.
When he went to the kitchen to make his coffee, nobody was there, done in making his coffee he took the mug with him and check the ladies. He found them in the living room watching the morning news on TV with baby James wide awake in the arms of Caroline, his proxy mother.
He sipped his coffee while looking at the news.
It's a piece of breaking news featuring the dead woman found in the vacant lot thousand miles away from Infinity Jade Tower.
Minerva and Caroline were looking at each other with a grim expression on their faces.
Done sipping his coffee, John took one last look of his son cradled comfortably in Caroline's arms and went back to the kitchen to put his empty mug in the sink.
He passed by in the living room before going out. "I'm going out ladies, going to the morgue to identify that woman's dead body, let's pray it's not Catherine," he said with a worried look in his eyes.
The women were not able to say anything they were fearful of the possibility.
When John was finally out of the flat...
Caroline was finally able to find her voice. "God, please, hope it's not my sister!" she starts praying fervently towards the heavenly father.
Minerva made a sign of the cross and already starts praying. She suddenly feels a chill running all over her body.
They waited for John's call all morning.
...
When Ramon parked the vehicle in the city morgue's parking area, there are already several people milling inside the reception area, all of them wanting to see and identify the woman's body if she was their missing relatives.
A total of eleven people waiting to see the body.
John was the 11th on the list.
At 10:00, the first person was allowed to see the dead woman. Ten minutes later, that person comes out, another person comes in for their turn to identify the body.
John and Ramon waited patiently for their turn.
While they were waiting, John was already feeling sick inside, dreading the moment he will lay his eyes on the cadaver, he was so afraid of what he will see. God, please, hope it's not my beloved Catherine! he pleaded to the Almighty Father over and over again.
Ramon was also feeling uneasy, praying to God as well that the dead woman is not Catherine. No matter what happens today, he just has to be in his boss's side to comfort him just in case it's his wife that was lying dead inside the morgue.
Finally, after one hour, it's now John and Ramon's turn.
John was having difficulty breathing while they were walking in the hallway that will lead them to the room where the cadaver was lying on the table. The room was glass-walled and the body can be seen from the outside for viewing purposes without necessarily getting inside the room. John and Ramon were able to see the dead woman's face and body clearly from the outside.
They lingered for ten minutes observing and trying to identify the body...
At this point John knew it's not Catherine, the dead woman's face was still intact and it's not his wife, he was 100% sure of that. He released a deep sigh of relief.
"It's not Catherine, Boss!" exclaimed Ramon.
"Yes I know, it's not my wife. But before we get out of this place, let's offer a prayer first for the dead woman's soul, hope her murderer will be caught soon by the police authority and sent to jail for his crime," John said.
John and Ramon murmured their prayers for the unknown woman's soul to have a peaceful rest in heaven.


{COMPLETED} The twin sisters, Catherine and Caroline, robbed an old ancestral house out of  pressing necessity. Unfortunately they were caught empty handed by the owner himself and his bodyguards. 

To avoid jail time, Catherine offered her body to the owner in exchange for their freedom.

What happened next...?

A tumultuous, intense and passionate love story between Catherine and the owner named John began to take shape in each chapters of the story.

~~~~~

For John, his first encounter with Catherine was embroiled with lust, not proper and wasn't even built on a solid ground. He thought he already lost her. But he nurtured and kept her memory alive in his mind. How many times he was willing to chase the woman he loves?

For Catherine, she met John for the first time in a cruel stroke of destiny. He ravaged her body for two nights straight. But he left a lasting impression on her. He was her first kiss, the first guy she was physically intimate with. But he wasn't even her boyfriend! He was just a stranger that appeared in her life once, but the imprint he left on her body, his gentleness and his generosity was bound to hunt her forever. How long she can deny the true beating of her heart?

In another time their path was destined to cross again...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*** This novel is controversial, gripping and mind engaging! But more importantly you will be amazed of one man's enduring love for one woman 'till the very end. It's rare to find a guy who's love for a woman can endure the test of time...

*** The novel contains smut, steamy scenes but done in good taste, lol. Btw. you can skip chapter with steamy scenes, not all chapter has smut theme though.

*** This novel is for Adults only! For mature readers and audiences, lol. Only 18+ above please! Thank you. 

*** If you don't like the novel, please don't bash the novel and the Author. This is a work of fiction, although some of the events and scenes in the story happens in real life...still everything in this story was a work of fiction, please don't take it personally. Thank you!



~My Other novels in this site~

* The Last Embrace~ Vampire Fantasy Romance, 472 chapters, completed.
* Sweet Surrender: The CEO's Second Wife~ ongoing.
* The Tale of Three Sisters ~ ongoing.

Hearing this, the girls participating in the selection of female priest and the guests were all surprised.
The books placed in front of these girls by the praying hall were all secret scripts, ones that were not even collected by the College of Divinity; where did she get these?
The people suddenly recalled that she was a member of the priest clan, thinking that the priest clan was indeed resourceful.
Mr. Xia was aware of the true reason. He glanced at Jiang Yuxia imperceptibly and then asked a preacher to bring over another divinity script for her.
Along with the chiming of a bell, ninety-nine girls with black hair and a girl with red hair opened the books at the same time, creating a gentle breeze; it was a remarkable scene.
The girls read the books in different manners.
Jiang Yuxia turned the pages of the book gently with her elegant and long fingers, at a steady and desirable pace. Mo Zong turned the pages of the book more quickly than the others with a great deal of concentration; she finished reading the book only after a few minutes, and closed her eyes to start meditating. Hua Xi flipped the pages curiously with her eyes opened wide, as if she had seen something truly interesting. She turned the pages erratically; it was unclear if the pace of her reading depended on how much she liked a specific content.
Yet no matter what, the girls were all paying a close attention to their postures, making sure they read the books in a graceful fashion.
It was because they suspected the female priest behind the sky-like screen might be watching them.
Zong Lizi was the only exception. She turned the pages swiftly, but she often came back to the earlier pages to recheck the content. The worry was written all over her beautiful face.
Many people wondered if she forgot the earlier parts when she reached the later pages.
As time went by, Zong Lizi grew more anxious. Her sitting posture changed slightly, and she almost crossed her legs under the skirt out of habit.
Jiang Yuxia had already finished reading the entire book. She noticed Zong Lizi from the corners of her eyes and tapped the green ceramic bowl lightly with her finger.
Hearing the reminder, Zong Lizi resumed her kneeling posture hastily and continued reading the book.
…
…
Ding!!!
Twenty minutes had passed. One hundred preachers and female caretakers started checking the results at the same time to avoid being unfair to those who would be tested later than the others.
Jiang Yuxia, Hua Xi and Mo Zong could answer the questions fluently. They could easily repeat the contents accurately no matter which page of the book was chosen for the test.
Zong Lizi had a little trouble to answer the questions in the beginning because she was a little nervous, but she had passed the test in the end.
Now that Zong Liz had passed the test, the vast majority of the girls had easily passed it. Only two girls were eliminated, because they were too nervous.
This test was indeed very simple. Everybody, be it the girls participating in the selection, the guests in the praying hall, the people partying on the prairie and billions of audiences in front of the TV sets, felt it rather odd. How could the selection of female priest be so casual after more than twenty years?
Next, Mr. Xia announced the content of the second test.
The girls were to fight against a highly achieved warrior from the military who was invited by the praying hall for the purpose. Those who could last the longest would be ranked closer to the top.
Whoever could defeat the military warrior would be the winner of the test.
The people thought that the highly achieved warrior must be a general in the Star State, but unexpectedly, the person walking out from behind the screen was also a young woman.
Judging from her appearance and bearing, the woman in military uniform was at most twenty years old.
How could a young woman twenty years of age be strong enough to defeat ninety-eight talented girls? Was she qualified to be a testing officer?
Mo Zong, a proud person, felt a bit angry, as she thought that the praying hall underestimated them. So she decided to do her best to defeat her opponent.
The governor suddenly stood up and said to the young female officer mildly, "Colonel Ran, why didn't you let me know when you arrived on the Stargate?"
Whoosh!!! Whoosh!!!
Many guests stood up.
Though they had no idea who this young female officer was, they could tell based on the attitude of the governor that she was not an ordinary person.
The people had gradually learned from the whispered discussions that she was a military officer in a fleet of the seventh army, her name being Ran Handong.
Yet, why did the praying hall have her in charge of the test for martial arts? And why did the governor show such an amiable attitude toward her?
…
…
Sitting on a spot close to the gray screen, Jing Jiu looked at the young female officer below silently. He felt a bit surprised when he saw her behind the stone pillar. He didn't expect this "Rabbit" to come to the Stargate Base from the fleet. He guessed that she must have some sort of a relationship with the female priest.
Jing Jiu were not interested in the second round of tests, the test of martial art.
As he expected, the second round proceeded very quickly and uneventfully.
In the very beginning, the surprised screams and heavy inhaling could be heard in the grand hall. However, as time elapsed, those sounds were replaced by the quietness and the noise of objects dropping to the floor.
None of the girls with black hair could resist Ran Handong's attack for more than a few moments; they had all fallen down on the floor, looking rather deplorable.
Mo Zong and Jiang Yuxia were defeated by Ran Handong without mounting any effective defense.
The two of them were the favorite for this selection of the female priest, especially for the test in martial arts, as they were known to have entered the Golden State. But unexpectedly, they lost the fight without being able to put up much of one. In other words, this young female officer must have a very high Cultivation state.
Zong Lizi didn't produce a miracle either. She was knocked down by Ran Handong with a simple swing of fist to a spot one hundred feet away, and was in too much pain to speak. If Jiang Yuxia and Hua Xi hadn't helped her, she wouldn't have stood up for a long time.
Ran Handong shot a strange glance at Zong Lizi, feeling a bit surprised. She didn't say anything and went back to the spot behind the gray screen.
Different from the prairie where tens of thousands of people gathered and the grand hall where thousands of guests congregated, quietness loomed behind the gray screen.
The lights from the battleships and the stars streamed down through the roof windows, illuminating the water in the bowl and the flower petals on the surface of the water and revealing the deck behind the screen.
Sitting before the green ceramic bowl, the female priest looked at the flower petals on the surface of the water rippling with the wind. It seemed that she paid no attention to the selection taking place at the moment.
"Aunt…Is it true that the Stargate Base lacks talent? Besides that girl and Jiang Yuxia, no one can fight." Ran Handong came up next to the female priest and knelt on the floor. "The redhaired girl you favored is even worse than the others; she is not even in the Golden State," Ran Handong commented in bewilderment.
The female priest lifted her head and looked at the grand hall outside, a surprised expression showing in her eyes as well.
…
…
The picture on the gray screen changed again, replacing the scenes of fighting during the test of martial arts with one word.
It was a large word written with distinct strokes, making the onlookers feel comfortable. Everyone could see it easily no matter where they were in the praying hall.
It was the word "serenity".
A main preacher walked out and announced the decree of the female priest, which was the content of the third test.
It was quiet in the praying hall. Everybody listened to the decree announced by the main preacher carefully, because none of them wished to miss a word of it.
Even those inhabitants in the Federation of the Milky Way who didn't believe in the god had some knowledge about the inheritance of the female priests and the meaning of the word "serenity".
The final test was about this word in the last two selections of female priest on this planet. The only difference was the method of testing.
One of the two former tests was to wait and observe the first cereus flower petal coming out at night.
The other test was to wait and observe the first silk spat by the silk worm.
What would be the content of today's test?
The word "serenity" on the gray screen disassembled, changed, and then reassembled into a new word:
"Alcohol".
The scene had displayed itself clearly in front of everybody, including those in the praying hall, on the prairie, and those in front of the TV sets on this planet.
Nobody believed that the praying hall would be stupid enough to use the tolerance of alcohol to determine the selection of the future female priest. They thought there must be a deep meaning for this test. Hence, they waited quietly.
However, the main preacher didn't offer further explanation or elaborate on the rules. He merely asked the girls to drink alcohol freely.
As the soft footsteps and occasional clanking of the wine wares rang out, many bottles of alcohol were brought to the tables in front of the girls, including a variety of alcohol of large quantity, such as strong spirits brewed from the crops, wheat wine, grape wine and rice wine. It was believed that these girls, regardless of how high their Cultivation state was, could in no way drink all of them.
The type of the alcohol, its place of production, and its percentage of alcohol were all marked on the bottle except for the brand name.
The girls were at a loss. They didn't know what to do, wondering what this test meant.
The guests couldn't help but discuss among themselves in a low voice. They came up with several conjectures. Some of them thought that this test was intended to observe the self-control and demeanor of these girls under the influence of alcohol. Since the main preacher didn't specify how much they should drink, some people argued that those who drank less than others would make less mistakes if this was the purpose of the test. Some of them thought that the praying hall wanted to test the knowledge of these girls by asking them to identify the production years and brand names of these wines, but many people didn't believe this was the purpose of the test because it was the selection of female priest, not a selection of wine-tasting master. Some people believed that this test had no rules at all; it was intended to evaluate the girls from a comprehensive perspective. As for how to gain a higher score, they had to wait and see.
The CEO of the Twirling Rain Company sat on a seat in the second row. He had remained calm, not revealing any moot emotions, watching Zong Lizi closely in silence.
He hadn't expected Zong Lizi to have passed the first two tests, and the test "serenity" was so strange. If she could perform well today…she might end up on the final list.
He had such a hope because he knew that this red-haired girl had a secret relationship with his father-in-law, though he had no idea what kind of a person she was.
Those who truly knew Zong Lizi, like Jing Jiu, didn't have such a hope. Jing Jiu only hoped that this little girl could keep her calmness and not drink too much.
The owner of the barbecue stand in the underground Mingshen neighborhood was another one who knew her. He had seen Zong Lizi get drunk twice with his own eyes. Seeing the scene on TV, a terrible look showed on his face. He didn't even pay any attention to the eggplants burning on the barbecue grill.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Dan failed to understand why the owner of the barbecue stand was so upset. He thought that it would be in that little girl's favor if the test were more unpredictable and wondered why the owner of the barbecue stall was so worried.
The owner of the barbecue stall stand irately after he put the half-burned eggplant on his plate, "You know freaking nothing about her. This girl can only drink one bottle of rice wine."
Upon hearing this, the residents of the neighborhood who had been watching the event on TV eagerly eyed one another, thinking this would be the end for her.
…
…
Only those who had never gotten drunk didn't know their true tolerance level of alcohol. Zong Lizi was not such a person and knew her own low tolerance of alcohol…Looking at the bottles of alcohol piled up like a small hill on the table before her, she was almost stupefied.
She instinctively lifted up her head to look at the place where the guests of the University of Stargate were situated, but she didn't find that familiar figure.
She couldn't care so much about demeanor at the moment and searched left and right, but failed to find him. In the end, she had no choice but to give up, feeling dejected.
What was the purpose of this test? Even if it was not intended to test one's tolerance of alcohol, she still had to drink some…
She could just have a sip of it in secret, she thought. But this would be dishonest behavior. Based on her tolerance of alcohol, she would get drunk after drinking a half bottle even if it was the rice wine…
No matter how much she was to drink, she would get drunk, so she decided to drink as much as she could before she passed out.
Zong Lizi suddenly thought of a way to do it. She picked the spirits made from the crops with the highest percentage of alcohol first and gulped down one whole glass of it.
It was a large glass, containing about half a liter of alcohol.
She closed her eyes and brought the glass to her lips, then started getting herself drunk. She didn't even dare to look at the wine glass.
A barrage of surprised cries went up among the guests; it was because the way she drank alcohol was truly gallant.
Mo Zong shook a glass of red wine in her hand slowly while shooting a mocking glance at Zong Lizi, thinking that this girl from the underground was really ill-mannered since she drank the strong spirits with the glass made for rice wine.


I am the sword.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one dares take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one can take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, ten steps? Not possible!
I am the sword, the sword is me,
On the path towards heaven, each shall wield their own.

The moon barely began to sink beyond the horizon. Snow birds twittered softly in the trees as they started to wake up. Morning was beautifully serene… until an ear splitting scream broke that magic. 

The storm Dragon's woke to it, staring in alarm at the Palace. There was no mistaking their Queen's voice. Inside the palace, the door to the baby's room stood open. 

A tiger lay across the floor, blood smeared on the white tile and matted his fur. Kyera stood over the cradle of her son, tears falling from her eyes as she stared at the mattress. Blood coated the sheets, but there was no sign of Gale. 

Clovis ran into the room stunned as he saw what lay in the room. It took a moment for him to register his wife was still screaming from the deepest part of her heart. He ran to her side and pulled her into his arms. Her body trembling as the tears poured down her face. All he could do was hold her close, his hand in her hair and the other across her back rocking with her shuddering cries, no longer a scream but pitiful whimpers of a broken woman. 

"Tell me it's not true… it's a dream… please? Please Clovis tell me it's not true." Kyera begged but he didn't answer. He couldn't, it took all.he had to force back the tears in his own eyes. 

"Kan!" Raina's voice broke the air as she ran to the tiger's side. She dropped down and laid her head to his chest listening for a heart beat. Time seemed to slow as she waited… praying to hear something… anything. Kyera turned back to her daughter then looked at the Oslo and Race standing at the doorway. 

"Get her out of here." Kyera demanded as she pulled herself together. She didn't have a choice. There was work to be done. 

Oslo gently forced Raina to her feet. "Come now Princess let your mother work." He whispered half guiding half dragging the distraught child away. Kyera set to work healing Kan, her mind praying with everything in her that her father didn't have her son.  
*************************
Miles away, in the snow and ice, a baby could be heard crying. A woman cloaked in brown fur hid her face with a scarf, forcing the wolf to move faster. The sled raced over the snow, deeper into the woods. 

Hours had passed since she and her precious cargo had stolen away into the night. Hopefully; by dawn they would be far enough away that no one could find them. The baby hadn't stopped crying yet. He would though, soon. 

The feeling of danger hit her only just in time to turn the wolf before he could smash into the tree that fell onto the road they had been traveling across. The sled turned too quickly, flipping onto its side, spilling both woman and child onto the snow.  His cries intensified as snow seeped into his bundle of blankets. 

Two slender hands scooped him up, holding the child up to look at his face. Bright red and tear stained, he had her cheeks, her hair but blue eyes clear as the winter sky. This was indeed their mark. 

"Thank you so much for doing the hard part for us. We had no idea how we were going to get the Baby Prince out of that blasted palace." Prim purred as she cradled the baby who decided to start crying again. Gale didn't like this woman either. She was cold and hard, nothing like Mommy's loving warmth. 

"Give him back, Primrose… please. You want her to come after you, she will now. I made sure of it. Please let us go." The woman begged a she rolled onto her knees from where the sled through her. The Tiger chuckled at her request as though it was foolish. 

"Oh but she won't. You made it look like the baby is dead. Death means revenge and Kyera has proven she's willing to wait a long time for revenge, Akira. However… if she knows I have her baby…" the wicked smile that played across her lips was chilling. It only lasted a few moments though, before the ear piercing screams began to grate her nerves. 

In a world left with scars from a great war, the humans rejoice in their victory, but also weep at the cost. Unaware of the blind hatred that led to the slaughter, an entire race was nearly erased from the face of their lands. They believed they had wiped the shifters from the face of the planet, little did they know very few lived on in the very forests they visited, and in the villages they traded with. Forced into hiding, the shifters built a new clan, and lived by the old rules, hiding from humanity. 

Kyera Shade of the Moon is a Shapeshifter who takes the form of a White tigress with silver stripes. Alone in the world, and carrying the weight of her clan on her shoulders, she attempts to uphold the law she was born to, and protect the remaining of her kind. Her heart decimated by the deaths of her brothers and the absence of her mother, she finds herself caught in a net and unable to break free. In her moment of desperation, a hand reaches out and catches her. A man who threatens to steal her heart away, but can she learn to forgive herself? Can she find love and salvation in another's arms after the betrayals of so many? 

Clovis of the Dancing Rain is the fourth Prince of the Forest Kingdom. He is a clever man, but had no wish to be king. Perfectly happy to raise is Daughter in peace now that his young wife had passed. There was darkness and secrets in his past, but there was no place for revenge in his future. Not until they took it too far. Pushing his bottom line a need to take the crown lit in his heart. However, he needed one thing more than anything else... the right woman by his side. As if the answer to a prayer, a woman appeared. Beautiful and trustworthy who loved his daughter as much as he did, if not more. Yet her heart was broken, her world surrounded by secrets and shadows, perhaps she was best left alone. However, would he be able to live without her?

At the same time, in the restaurant where FlowersBlossomToDie was, there was silence. Everyone looked at him as though he was a retard. FlowersBlossomToDie's face turned red with gloom. As for the beauty? He didn't even dare to look at her. He knew he had embarrassed himself terribly!
At this moment, the beauty suddenly stood up. "Sorry, but I'm not feeling too well, so I'll be making a move first."
With that said, she gave FlowersBlossomToDie a look like he was retarded. When she turned to leave, another woman followed her. She asked, "Sister Hong, what's the problem?"
"I can't be friends with people who have poor morals, who act shamelessly just to show off. I lose my appetite eating with someone like that." She didn't speak loudly, but everyone could hear her in the silent restaurant.
The redness of FlowersBlossomToDie's face intensified, but it was unknown if that was due to embarrassment or anger.
After Sister Hong and the other woman left, FlowersBlossomToDie said angrily, "Can't I make a joke? To treat it so seriously…"
The moment he said that, everyone looked at him in unison. A man who had been joking all night with a fun attitude even spoke seriously for once. "There are certain things that cannot be joked about. It's fine doing it in private, but to say it publicly to a Weibo account with a million fans, that's not a joke but slandering, denigration, and provocation! If Abbot Fangzheng hadn't replied, how many people would have been misdirected by your words? How many monks would have suffered unwanted disaster as a result?"
With that said, the man got up as well. "I'm sorry, but I have a matter to attend to. I'll be making a move."
"Brother Guo. Me too. Let's go together."
"Oh, I need to work overtime."
"My boyfriend just called me."
… 
In minutes, FlowersBlossomToDie was the only one left in the rowdy private room. He sat there staring at the boiling hotpot in a daze. He never imagined that just a few words would leave him miserable and alone… What really stumped him was that it had been only a few words concerning a mere Fangzheng. Did they need to do this to him?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. FlowersBlossomToDie took out his phone and thought for a bit. He reposted a message—something that Fangzheng hadn't replied to in the past. He felt that Fangzheng's lack of a response had to have been because he didn't know how to reply. He believed that using the message again would balance the situation a little. "Kneeling before Buddha for three thousand years, yet never have I seen Buddha's compassion.
"Imagining that Buddha's eyes have screened the mortal world, the reason for his lack of compassion can solely be a lack of donations! 
"Buddha isn't greedy for wealth? Then why does He accept the worship of others? Buddha isn't evil? Then why can't He stand being disrespected by people?
"I have Buddha in my heart, but Buddha doesn't have me in his. After suffering in misery, I ask Buddha, but Buddha says that it's fated and that Heaven's will cannot be violated! I scoff, wondering what's the point of worshiping Him if He can't help me?
"Buddhism talks about redeeming life, but never has anyone been seen redeemed. Daoism talks about paying attention to one's own moral uplift, but it also helps others in tragic times.
"In a chaotic era, Buddhism preaches about closing the doors and shutting oneself off from the world, while Daoists come down the mountains, saving the people with medicine. In a flourishing era, Buddhism talks about liberating the world, but Daoism retreats into the mountains to cultivate the Dao.
"Foreign religions corrupt the heart and scheme for money and food. This deserves vanquishment!
"Never have I seen Buddha save a person. I have only seen Buddha covering himself in gold. This deserves annihilation!
"Never have I seen a monk eat vegetarian and chant the scriptures. I have only seen bald donkeys in gold and silver!"
After typing out all of this, he immediately felt as though he had vented his anger. He felt a lot better, but at the instant he was about to post his message, he thought about it and deleted the parts about chaotic and flourishing eras. He didn't want Fangzheng to use his previous words to smack him in the face again. After making sure that everything was fine, he posted it.
When Fangzheng saw this, he was instantly bemused. This punk wasn't giving up!
Venerable One Ingenious asked in surprise, "What the heck is up with this guy?"
Fangzheng smiled and didn't say a word. Instead he replied on Weibo, "Treating ignorance as elegance, making a fuss about nothing."
When One Ingenious saw this, he laughed. "Haha! Well said, ingenious!"
The netizens also laughed.
"Abbot Fangzheng is being cheeky again. It wasn't easy for this kid to put those words into a sentence, can't you give him some credit?"
"Oh, this poor baby can now write. Everyone, show mercy on him."
"Hehe, this kid really has been brainwashed by such excerpts. And they aren't even his. Doesn't he have something that he came up with by himself?"
"Abbot Fangzheng, please retaliate!"
"Abbot Fangzheng, I'm curious as well. How should one reply when encountering such a person? Please explain!"
"Same here!"
Fangzheng originally didn't plan on harping on this matter, but since people asked, he couldn't just ignore it. Hence he replied, "What is Buddha? Buddha is in everyone's heart. Everyone is Buddha. Therefore, praying to Buddha is equivalent to praying to yourself. When things happen, one should face them on their own with the firm belief that there's a Buddha in their heart. Be firm about your values and beliefs. Only by forging ahead will you see success. What that patron said looks ridiculous to This Penniless Monk as well. He doesn't believe in Buddha, but talks about praying to Buddha. Neither is he praying to the Buddha in his heart, but to a statue… If he fails, he claims Buddha doesn't save him and says it is because there's no incense donations. Might This Penniless Monk ask, would Buddha save you even if you gave incense donations? If you don't try to save yourself first, who else can do it for you?
"As for people praying to Buddha, those who are truly aware know that they aren't praying to the statue, but to the Buddha in their hearts. The statue before them is nothing but a spiritual crutch. They are projecting the Buddha in their hearts onto a physical thing, so as to find their true selves, understand something, and affirm their beliefs. It's nothing like what he said, that Buddha will bless you with a smooth-sailing journey once incense is offered and a prayer is made. That isn't Buddha, but a lazy demon, a slothful fiend!
"Buddhism teaches about redeeming yourself first before redeeming others. Only when one is good can one be a role model to lead others into doing good, helping all life survive the misery. When everyone is good in the world, that will be the redemption of all life. This Penniless Monk has always been puzzled. In ancient times, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were considered one. There were no misgivings among them, and instead they complemented and helped each other. Why have they become three separate bodies that can't see eye to eye when they reach the populace? Why seek trouble with one another? Can a patron explain this to This Penniless Monk?"
Upon seeing this, many people laughed.
"Master Fangzheng, at times, the people in question don't have misgivings, but it's the people who are just watching that create countless misunderstandings. It's like they are afraid that they will miss a show if people don't come to blows."
"This is called hiding a malicious intent!"
"The act of wretches!"
"Heavenly Lord of the Immeasurable. Abbot Fangzheng is right. Buddhism and Daoism were one to begin with, so why quibble over such trivialities? Abbot Fangzheng, if you have the time, please visit Mt. Wudang." At that moment, a verified account from Mt. Wudang's Daoist temple sent a comment.
One Ingenious instantly said, "That's the account of a Perfected One from the Wudang Sect."
Fangzheng nodded slightly and replied politely, "Perfected One, thank you for the invitation. This Penniless Monk will definitely visit if there's an opportunity."
"We will await you with open arms, Venerable One." The Wudang Daoist temple's account replied.
Fangzheng thanked him again with a reply before closing Weibo. He then asked curiously, "Venerable One Ingenious, you seem to be familiar with Weibo? Do you often go online?"


In the rural northeastern mountainous regions stands a tiny Buddhist temple, named One Finger Temple. It isn't a large one but it is extremely miraculous.

The temple has rice that emanates an aromatic fragrance.

The temple has sweet and refreshing water that rivals ambrosia.

The temple has Buddhas that grant wishes to the sincere.

The temple isn't large but it has everything. The temple isn't large but it has flourishing incense offerings that far exceed all temples. The temple isn't large but it attracts both citizens and foreigners that line up overnight…

The temple has a bald but handsome monk. Every day, he would bawl, "I want to renounce asceticism! I want to marry a chick that's not too pretty, have a cute baby, and lead a stable life!"

This book is a casual novel that introduces various Chinese traditional customs, as well as Buddhist ones. It strives to be a positive book, allowing people to reflect on how they should live their lives and treat others.

After traveling in the plain lands for approximately an hour, Celes and Arthur reached the insect-infested area. There was a large swamp that was situated at the center of the area, it looked disgusting and the smell was nauseating, to say the least. In addition to the countless types of insects found here, there were also all kinds of poisonous plants and water-creature that were able to adapt to his harsh environment.
"Are you sure the Bee is here?"
Celes looked disgusted, frowning and waving her hand around, trying to get rid of the flies clustering around her. She looked uncomfortable and unwilling to spend an extra second in this place. Unfortunately, Arthur replied with words she most likely didn't want to hear.
"I never said I'm sure but considering how many insects there are here, the Bee should be hiding somewhere in the swamp or in its vicinities."
Currently, the two were inside an unusual small forest around the swamp, their footsteps were light as to not alert any enemies. While it is true that they were both very strong, Arthur didn't dare behave recklessly as he was able to sense several monsters that are able to equally fight Overgods. 
Thanks to his detections skills, he's able to locate the threats and make a detour. After all, fighting would only alert other monsters and, possibly, contestants too.
Up until now, Arthur didn't see or sense any pairs that have entered the swamp beside them, which made him a tad relieved. 
As the two were silently walking, a small tree, which reached their waist, suddenly moved, latching itself onto Celes' ankle, its branches becoming poisonous thorns. Before this half-sentient plant could do anything, it disintegrated into dust. The moment it made contact with the woman's skin, its body ceased to exist due to the latter's Death Physique, which is able to turn anything she touches into nothingness.
Actually, it accelerates one's growth and makes it die much faster than it should. Such plants do not live for a long time so Celes didn't do anything as the Physique automatically took care of the attacker. If it was human, he wouldn't die so fast unless he's much weaker than the Grey Seat.
Arthur witnessed everything but didn't comment, choosing to continue walking without minding his silent and grumpy companion. 
…
Ten minutes later, Arthur abruptly halted his steps, motioned for Celes to remain silent as his body vanished, transforming into a large praying mantis with two long scythe-like limbs and two transparent wings. Before the Grey seat could say anything, the mantis disappeared, leaving afterimages as it traversed the forest with incredible speed. The place was a bit narrow for Arthur but he managed to easily zigzag between the trees until he reached the Southern part of the swamp.
Unlike what they do invaders, the weaker insects and plants didn't try to attack Arthur and, instead, backed away, leaving him standing alone on the edge of swamp, which had dirty green water and felt ominous. Without even needing to look, Arthur felt the presence of at least two strong monsters deep into the swamp. One seemed to be gauging him while the other was uninterested, simply laying on the floor of the swamp, these two, at least, had the power-level of a peak Overgod, if not more.
Such monsters can easily fight against Exalted Gods and leave unscathed if they ever wanted to. Fortunately, none of the two was a Bee so Arthur doesn't have to provoke them, furthermore, the more problematic matter is the arrival of another pair.
If it were two people that Arthur deemed as non-dangerous, he wouldn't have acted like this, however, one of the incomers was Maxine. She the boss of the mage and thief who attacked him on the 2nd floor and the Appraisal results from last time told him more than enough about her.
She was one of the strongest contestants and seemed to be mentally unstable. She kind of reminded him of his brother, Wolfram, and that is very good news. She was a battle-freak and won't stay still if he and Celes were to meet with her.
As for the woman accompanying her, the pink-haired one, she was totally unfamiliar to Arthur. Maxine and her companion were standing on the other side of the swamp, three to four hundred meters away. They seemed to be preoccupied with something. Plus, the monster who was gauging his strength seconds earlier has shifted his attention to the two women. It slowly crept towards them, its body magically slithering in the water, smooth and almost unnoticeable, it seemed about to merge with the transparent water, becoming one with it.
'It'll make them busy for some time but I shouldn't get my hopes up.'
Maxine and the woman beside her didn't seem weak and even if the monster were to initiate a fight, they would be able to deal with it sooner or later.
"Hey, the Bee is not here so let's go."
Celes followed Arthur and shrouded himself in Death Energy while talking to the praying mantis from a distance.
"Wa-"
Arthur was about to reply only for his insect-eyes to meet with the pink-haired woman, who, unlike air-headed Maxine, was sharp and very aware of her surroundings. The distance between them wasn't that big, however, the sheer number of insects and monsters in-between made it quite difficult for anyone to notice him, in addition, he was using skills that lowered his presence.
Like a shooting star, Lucy kicked the ground, launching herself toward the praying mantis though he target wasn't the insect but something close it. 
Sadly, before she could even cross half the distance, the swamp water rose into the air and an enormous monster revealed itself. It actually resembled a very ugly and grotesque merman. Its upper body was humanoid with long dark green hair and light green skin, its eyes were jet black, as for its lower body, it was like a fish… or a mermaid, albeit more unsightly.
It used its kind of slimy body to block the incoming Lucy, who punched a hole through the merman's abdomen. Her fist enveloped by Lava, melting the tough skin and reaching deep into the organs. The monster screeched loudly and retaliated by lashing out with tail, its speed faster than Lucy's reaction. She was flung in the air but wasn't seriously injured and just when the merman was about to follow-up, another monstrous force attacked it, cutting parts of its scale-riddle tail and pushing back into the water.
Maxine smirked as she drank a green potion before falling in the water, surprisingly not drowning and actually walking on it as if it's solid. As for Lucy, she managed to stabilize her body and retrieve the flying feather, using it to move freely.
Arthur didn't have the time to watch the fight as was shocked to see a seemingly normal Bee appear out of nowhere. The moment the pink-haired woman noticed him, the insect appeared from the emptiness and started buzzing around him. He remained motionless and patiently waited for it to get within his range.
Of course, he could still jump and catch it but the task was definitely not as easy as it seemed. The Bee looked normal but he couldn't appraise it and it didn't seem afraid of him at all as it flew from one flower to another.


Arthur, a Rich businessman was kidnapped and tortured for months by men his wife hired. After months of this hell, he was given a second chance, a new life in a different world and, of course, Arthur would rather start a new life than stay and continue to be tortured, so he accepted the deal that was proposed by a mysterious individual, but when he finally was reincarnated, Arthur discovered he was a..... parasite?

If you're interested, you can join my discord: https://discord.gg/49aFUmN

 

PS: Don't expect a kind MC who saves everyone but don't also expect a full anti-hero MC.
MC is a hypocrite, deal with it.

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