The End of the World Base Master (2): 

“Mr. Gu hasn’t been infected with the zombie virus,” Zhou Qinghao said. “He’s already out of danger. Take good care of him. Tomorrow I’ll have a doctor come and change his bandages.”

Hearing Zhou Qinghao’s words, Gu Juntian finally came back to his senses. “Thank you, Captain Zhou.”

“Old Gu won’t turn into a zombie? That’s really wonderful…” Gu Mother was still crying.

“Captain Zhou, could you tell me what happened when my dad was injured?” Gu Juntian asked.

Gu Father’s name was Gu Chengming, fifty-eight years old.

He was highly respected in the base, but people always thought he had one flaw.

Mainly, he spoiled his son too much.

A young man, yet he stayed at home every day doing nothing.

Many people disliked Gu Juntian, thinking he was cowardly and useless.

Zhou Qinghao, like others, had also thought Gu Juntian had no ability—just a good-looking face.

He did quite like Gu Juntian’s appearance.

But today, seeing Gu Juntian looking at him so pitifully, and thinking about how Gu Chengming’s accident would surely make Gu Juntian’s living conditions plummet, Zhou Qinghao felt a little sympathy for him.

Stop. Not a child.

Gu Juntian was only a few years younger than him.

“I still have things to do,” Zhou Qinghao said. “Later, I’ll have someone bring you the video of what happened. For now, take good care of your father. If anything comes up, you can come to me.”

The H City base had just gone through a zombie siege. Many had died.

With the base in chaos and Gu Chengming injured, Zhou Qinghao was running around without rest. He had no time to talk further with Gu Juntian.

He gave Gu Juntian a deep look, then turned and left.

Gu Juntian watched him go, unwilling to look away.

Gu Mother sat at Gu Father’s bedside, silently weeping.

She had been a full-time housewife since marrying Gu Father and depended on him entirely.

Now that something had happened to him, she felt her whole world collapsing.

Zhen Jiayun sat beside her, his eyes red. “Auntie Lu, please don’t be too sad…”

Gu Juntian glanced at them, then began checking Gu Father’s condition.

The original owner had been just an ordinary person, but he was not.

He vaguely remembered fragments of his past self—someone who could do almost anything.

Even now, he faintly sensed his own strength.

For example, when he held Gu Father’s hand, he naturally could probe his injuries.

Gu Father’s wounds weren’t actually that serious.

Those who awakened powers had stronger bodies, and they healed faster than ordinary people.

In the past, he would have recovered in just a few days.

But now, with his power core shattered, this injury would take a long time to heal.

In the original storyline, Gu Father never recovered.

A few days later, at night, someone broke into their house to steal supplies.

At the time, both the original owner and his mother were fast asleep, unaware. But Gu Father sensed something was wrong. Dragging his injured body, he tried to stop the intruders, and lost his life.

Because of this, some of Gu Father’s friends even resented the original owner and his mother, suspecting they had ignored his plight.

They thought it impossible that neither of them woke up during such an incident.

If someone had cried out for help, the nearby friends might have come in time to save him.

But Gu Juntian knew this wasn’t the fault of the original owner or his mother.

From the memories, he realized they had slept abnormally deeply that night.

They must have been drugged to sleep so soundly!

The looting and Gu Father’s death were very likely tied to Zhen Jiayun.

As Gu Juntian pondered, he let his spiritual power flow into Gu Father’s body.

He discovered that although the power core had shattered, fragments still remained.

These fragments were still releasing energy, though they would soon completely dissipate.

But not yet.

Gu Juntian gathered them with his spiritual power, pulling the fragments together and condensing them into a core once more.

He now understood that the energy he was using was called spiritual power.

Unlike this world’s powers, it felt higher, stronger. For instance, just now, he had used it to repair Gu Father’s power core.

Though the new core, formed from fragments, was much smaller. Gu Father, once a level five ability user, was now reduced to level one.

But powers could be cultivated, and with Gu Father’s relentless nature, he would eventually rise again.

Gu Juntian held his father’s hand silently.

Then Zhen Jiayun spoke. “Juntian, don’t be too sad, Uncle Gu will be fine! But those people went too far. As soon as Uncle Gu was injured, their attitude toward us completely changed…”

Before, Gu Mother hadn’t noticed. But now, hearing this, she thought of how those people dropped off Gu Father and left without even leaving a doctor, and she began crying again.

“What attitude change? I didn’t see any,” Gu Juntian said.

“Before, they treated us with so much respect, but today they looked like they couldn’t be bothered with us,” Zhen Jiayun said.

Gu Juntian was speechless. “The base just went through a siege. Even my dad got injured. Who knows how many people died. The base is in chaos. You can’t expect them to sit and chat with us.”

Hearing this, Gu Mother realized it made sense and stopped dwelling on it.

Zhen Jiayun looked guilty. “Juntian, I’m sorry, I don’t really know what’s happening outside, I misunderstood.”

“It’s fine. But you should try to understand more. In times like these, it’s hard to survive if you’re clueless,” Gu Juntian said.

Zhen Jiayun froze. “What?”

“My dad’s injured. From now on, my family has no source of income. You should leave,” Gu Juntian said.

Zhen Jiayun’s face changed drastically. “Juntian, you’re kicking me out?”

“Yes,” Gu Juntian answered directly.

“Why?” Zhen Jiayun asked.

Gu Mother also spoke. “Juntian, what nonsense are you saying?”

“I’m not,” Gu Juntian said. “Before, when Dad was strong, keeping one more person wasn’t a problem. But now Dad’s injured. We might not even be able to support ourselves. Why should we support him?”

“But Jiayun is your boyfriend,” Gu Mother said.

“He’s been living here for four years and never once let me touch him. What kind of boyfriend is that?” Gu Juntian replied.

Gu Mother was stunned to learn this, completely shocked.

“Zhen Jiayun, leave my house immediately,” Gu Juntian said.

Zhen Jiayun had lived with them for four years.

Even in the apocalypse, with him, the original owner, and Gu Mother seldom leaving the house, he had always been there.

He didn’t want to be with the original owner, so he spent his time accompanying Gu Mother. After four years, she had come to treat him like her own son. “Juntian, don’t be so impulsive. Let’s talk this out.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. He must go!” Gu Juntian’s tone was firm. “For four years, he hasn’t let me sleep in my own bed—I had to sleep on the sofa. I’ve had enough of him!”

Zhen Jiayun clearly had someone backing him, and Gu Juntian intended to find out who. So for now, he wouldn’t harm him.

But he had to go!

Keeping him in the house was far too dangerous. And since Gu Juntian had already fallen for Zhou Qinghao at first sight and decided to pursue him, he needed Zhen Jiayun gone. Besides, it would make clear that nothing had ever truly happened between them.

Gu Mother wanted to say more, but faced with the situation, Zhen Jiayun lost the will to stay. “Auntie Lu, don’t try to persuade him. This is my fault… I’ll leave now.”

He ran out immediately.

Gu Juntian let out a breath of relief, only to turn around and see Gu Father had woken up, staring at him with suspicion.

Regent (6): 

Although the King of Jin, Gu Juntian, held no real power, he still enjoyed all the privileges of his position.

The royal clan would only obstruct him when he made certain requests, but they never dared to deprive him of comfort in daily life.

However, in this era, productivity was low and technology backward, so there was not much to enjoy.

A bowl made of gold, silver, or jade would still just hold millet porridge.

For example, now, when Gu Juntian bathed, it was in a stone-built bathhouse that required a great deal of labor to heat, yet the stone pool in the middle was small—too small for two people to bathe together—and the washing experience was far from ideal.

Beside the pool, on a low table, were rare fresh flowers for the season, as well as some melons and fruits.

Next to the low table was a straw mat and a wooden bucket, each bucket filled with hot water.

After sending the servants away, Gu Juntian turned to Zhou Qinghao. “Uncle, you wash first. I’ll help scrub your back.”

“Your Majesty, you should bathe first,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

In the army, on the rare occasions they bathed collectively, those of higher status always bathed first.

For Gu Juntian to have him bathe first, and even offer to scrub his back, was excessive.

“Uncle, you go first—I have something to discuss with you,” Gu Juntian insisted.

The original host of this body had bathed just yesterday, so bathing today did not matter; Zhou Qinghao, however, truly needed a hot bath to relieve fatigue.

Zhou Qinghao sighed inwardly.

For him to bathe first, with the king scrubbing his back, was great disrespect.

But to disobey the king’s command was also great disrespect.

Never mind—if Gu Juntian was willing to go this far, he must have something to ask of him; when the time came, Zhou would give his utmost to fulfill it.

In fact, bathing first was better, so that he would not embarrass himself while Gu Juntian was bathing and reveal anything amiss.

Zhou Qinghao undressed.

When his clothes came off, Gu Juntian saw crisscrossing scars, both old and new, covering his body.

Zhou Qinghao was not born dark-skinned.

His face had been tanned by years of campaigning, but his body, unexposed to the sun and wind, was fair, making the scars all the more striking.

Gu Juntian sighed. “Uncle, after you were wounded, you didn’t receive proper care.”

Zhou Qinghao said, “The care I received was already the best possible.”

Gu Juntian knew this, but his heart still ached.

How could Zhou Qinghao have suffered such serious injuries?

In that moment, Gu Juntian realized something deeply—he was done for.

He truly liked the man before him.

He wanted to achieve great things, but he wanted even more to protect this man’s safety for a lifetime.

He wanted to be with him for a long, long time.

His entire plan might need to be rewritten.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian began scrubbing Zhou Qinghao’s back.

People in this era used rice paste to clean the body, which also helped scrub away dirt.

Zhou Qinghao had quite a lot of grime on him.

In the midst of war, it was hard to keep clean; although he had washed before entering the capital, it had been cursory.

Now, Gu Juntian helped scrub him thoroughly.

Of course, he focused mainly on the back, not touching anywhere else.

This was their first meeting—no matter how much he liked Zhou Qinghao, and no matter if Zhou Qinghao had feelings for him, he would not disrespect him.

They could take time to cultivate their relationship and then come together naturally.

Originally, Gu Juntian had planned to tell Zhou Qinghao about the original host’s hardships over the past three years, make himself sound pitiful, then embrace him in tears, saying things like, “You’re the only one I can trust.”

Such words worked well on people of this era.

If he did this, Zhou Qinghao would help him eliminate some of the royal clan.

But now, because he liked Zhou Qinghao, he could not do that.

He did not want Zhou Qinghao to see him only as someone who needed protection.

Gu Juntian said, “Uncle, today I killed a eunuch.”

He told Zhou Qinghao what the eunuch had done that morning.

Zhou was startled and immediately explained—he had already sent word to the capital that he would only arrive in the afternoon.

“Uncle, I know,” Gu Juntian said. “That eunuch was sent by the royal clan to sow discord between us.”

Gu Juntian removed his outer robe, sat on the straw mat beside the pool, and scooped hot water from a wooden bucket to wash himself.

His beloved was right in front of him, unclothed, but instead of being distracted, the sight of Zhou Qinghao’s scars and the weight of the matter at hand left him with only compassion.

After recounting the morning’s events, Gu Juntian briefly spoke about the past few years, then said, “With you away, I’ve not heard a single good word about you in my presence.”

Zhou Qinghao had already expected this. “Your Majesty…”

“Uncle, I have an idea,” Gu Juntian began, laying out his plans.

His current plan differed somewhat from before, but had similarities.

He must take control of the government, which meant Zhou Qinghao must kill members of the royal clan.

But instead of sending Zhou to guard the border against the Rong, he could have someone else do it—Zhou Qinghao did not need that extra military credit. Better to have him stay in the capital and rest.

“This will likely give you a bad reputation,” Gu Juntian said.

Zhou Qinghao knew that carrying out such an order would certainly earn him infamy; with a royal clan massacre on his record, he would have an even heavier charge when the reckoning came.

But he did not object—in fact, he had intended to do this anyway.

He agreed at once, though his gaze involuntarily lingered on Gu Juntian.

The man he liked was right before him, and apart from today, he might never again have the chance to be so open with him.

A few more glances couldn’t hurt.

But after a few glances, the heat in Zhou Qinghao’s heart was impossible to suppress.

Gu Juntian’s actions today had exceeded his expectations.

Judging by his words and deeds, Gu Juntian was now deeply calculating.

Such a Gu Juntian, when he needed him, would take whatever he wanted from him—after all, he was even willing to scrub his back.

Now, with twenty thousand troops under his command near the capital, and with Gu Juntian needing him to deal with the royal clan, could he use this as leverage to make an excessive request?

Perhaps to share a night with Gu Juntian?

He would be willing to serve Gu Juntian like a male consort.

Though he was older and not handsome, perhaps Gu Juntian would still be willing?

But as soon as the thought arose, Zhou Qinghao forced it down.

He had already decided to help Gu Juntian take the reins of power—how could he use that to threaten him?

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the idea aside.

Gu Juntian continued, “Uncle, I have quite a few people to kill.”

Originally, Gu Juntian had planned to take things slowly—kill a small number first, then pacify the rest, and send Zhou Qinghao to the frontier to avoid the backlash.

Then, in a few years, he would begin reform.

That would be safer.

But now, he did not want Zhou Qinghao going to the frontier.

In that case, why not finish it in one stroke—kill more members of the royal clan and start reform immediately!

It would leave him short of capable people, but he could work harder himself.

He did not know who he had been before transmigrating, but he believed that even without a large team of advisers, he could still govern Jin well.

It wasn’t as though there was no talent at all—though there were few scholars from humble backgrounds in Jin, scraping together a few would suffice.

Moreover, he only planned to kill the leading men from the opposing families, not the women; if the women were willing to work for him, they could.

Jin had a total population of only five million—six million including the hidden population—and he refused to believe he couldn’t manage it.

He would risk it all.

Gu Juntian told Zhou Qinghao all the people he intended to kill.

Zhou immediately said, “Your Majesty, you must think carefully!”

Zhou had planned to kill only a small number, but Gu Juntian’s plan would flood the court with blood.

This was to cleanse the court with slaughter.

“Uncle, I want to carry out reform,” Gu Juntian said.

Zhou’s breath caught.

“Reform will harm their interests, and they will resist with their lives,” Gu Juntian continued. “If that’s the case, it’s better to kill them first.”

Gu Juntian did not like killing.

In fact, when he had gone out of the city that morning to welcome Zhou Qinghao and saw the ragged commoners, his heart was full of sympathy.

But he knew that sometimes, iron-blooded methods were necessary.

Zhou Qinghao asked, “How do you plan to reform?”

Reform was an idea Gu Juntian had only thought of after arriving in this world; he had no set plan.

At this moment, he searched the original host’s memories, recounted the reforms of past rulers, and then, as if from nowhere, new ideas appeared in his mind. He laid them out methodically.

Zhou Qinghao listened with rapt attention.

Having grown up among commoners, he knew that Gu Juntian’s reforms would benefit them and strengthen Jin.

Such reforms must have been long in the making, and there must be capable advisers by Gu Juntian’s side guiding him.

After all, reforms like these were not something a young man raised in the deep palace could devise.

Therefore, Gu Juntian had not been as helpless under the royal clan’s oppression as he claimed, unable even to leave the palace.

His king had grown in ways he could not see.

Jealousy rose in Zhou Qinghao’s heart—toward the person who had persuaded Gu Juntian to reform.

That person must be close to him to make him, who once ignored commoners, agree to reforms that would benefit them.

But such reforms would inevitably draw the scorn of the scholar-official class.

Gu Juntian would not personally implement them—he would have someone else do it.

And who better than him?

Today’s kindness from Gu Juntian was clearly to persuade him to slaughter the royal clan and then implement reform.

Afterward, when Gu Juntian killed him, he would inherit a strong Jin without staining his own name.

That must have been the suggestion of the one who urged Gu Juntian to reform.

Did Gu Juntian now have someone closer to him than Zhou?

Zhou knew that once he agreed, there would be no turning back.

Before, he had a sliver of a chance to survive, but now, after killing so many royals, completely alienating the scholar-officials, he might be torn apart by five horses.

And in doing this, he might be paving the way for that adviser.

Zhou thought a great deal but agreed to all of Gu Juntian’s requests.

Gu Juntian was now undoubtedly a wise ruler, and if the reforms succeeded, he would be loved by the people.

Zhou was willing to give his life to help him; he hoped Jin would only grow stronger and that the people would have enough to eat and warm clothing.

He had already accepted death.

But if he was to pave the way for that person behind Gu Juntian, he would at least demand some benefit for himself.

The thought he had tried to suppress now burst forth.

Zhou Qinghao looked at Gu Juntian and suddenly said, “Your Majesty, I am fond of you.”

The Young man in Online Romance (4): 

In the afternoon, Gu Juntian went to the mall and bought a brand-new VR helmet.

Now, he took the VR helmet out and started downloading various apps and logging in.

The process was a bit slow, so he pulled out his phone and checked the original owner’s chat history.

Both of the original owner’s parents had been only children, so he had no close relatives—just some distant ones.

When his parents passed away, those relatives had helped out and later showed some concern, urging him to go out more and find something to do.

The original owner pretended to be dead and never replied, so eventually, they stopped sending messages.

His parents’ friends had acted the same way—concern at first, but when the original owner ignored them, they left him alone.

On the original owner’s phone, there were only two people he chatted with frequently: Little Sheep and Qingtian Bairi.

Gu Juntian checked and found the chats with Little Sheep were actually fairly normal.

The original owner had worked hard to maintain the persona of a successful man in front of Little Sheep. Although he was essentially Little Sheep’s bootlicker, he kept his messages short and carried himself with a sense of superiority.

In the game, he also spoke to others in the same manner.

Since Little Sheep was just as ignorant about finance as the original owner, they never talked about such topics, so there were no obvious slip-ups in their conversations.

But the chats with Qingtian Bairi… were eye-burning.

The relationship between the original owner and Zhou Qinghao had actually been encouraged by another apprentice he’d taken in the game—“Dark Overlord.”

When the original owner was short on money, Dark Overlord often chatted with him, mentioning that a friend of his had gotten into an online romance in Cultivation and managed to get a lot of money from their partner.

Dark Overlord himself kept shouting about wanting to find a rich woman, and he also told the original owner that Qingtian Bairi liked him.

Hearing it enough times, the original owner was tempted.

He didn’t know how to charm people, so he pursued Zhou Qinghao by following dating guides he found online.

Also, despite having poor character, the original owner had a shred of shame. He knew tricking Zhou Qinghao out of money was wrong, so he tried hard to coax him, collecting piles of cheesy love lines from the internet to send him.

Gu Juntian only had to scroll a little to find a flood of cringe-worthy messages.

When the original owner asked Zhou Qinghao for money, he sent even more of those greasy, nauseating lines.

Gu Juntian got goosebumps all over.

And to make Zhou Qinghao believe he was capable—and willing to invest in his “projects”—the original owner would sometimes claim he was a programmer developing a game like Cultivation, and other times claim he owned a company producing high-tech products.

The number of fake identities he invented was ridiculous.

Gu Juntian’s goosebumps worsened.

The most unbelievable part was… Zhou Qinghao believed it all!

What a naive, rich fool!

Gu Juntian sighed inwardly. Seeing that the game had finished downloading, he logged in.

It was after dinner, the peak time for Cultivation, and Gu Juntian happened to log into the original owner’s guild base—the Tianmo Pavilion.

The original owner had been playing Cultivation since its release, one of the very first players, and had spent a huge amount of money on it.

His parents had left him over ten million in inheritance, and he had also scammed ten million from Zhou Qinghao, giving him more than twenty million in total. Of that, ten million had been spent on Little Sheep over time, and the rest had been poured into Cultivation.

As a result, Tianmo Pavilion’s base was extremely well built, ranking among the top ten player guilds in the game.

The original owner himself was on several leaderboards—top ten in wealth, top ten in combat power, and owner of the eighth-ranked legendary weapon.

The ID “Emperor” was a big name in Cultivation.

For the original owner, this identity was more important than Little Sheep; he would rather kill someone than lose it.

But he had been truly foolish—someone who rarely left home couldn’t possibly commit murder without leaving clues.

Right after killing Zhou Qinghao, the police caught him.

“Emperor!”

“Emperor, why haven’t you been online the past few days?”

“Emperor, you weren’t here, and even your booster didn’t show up!”

…

Seeing Gu Juntian, the Tianmo Pavilion members began asking questions.

Gu Juntian said, “The booster quit. I’ve been too busy with work, so I haven’t logged in.”

Fortunately, the original owner’s usual high-and-mighty tone in chats was similar to his own, so he wouldn’t be exposed.

“I see.”

“Emperor, while you were gone, Little Sheep was worried about you.”

“We asked Little Sheep to contact you—why didn’t you reply?”

…

Indeed, Gu Juntian hadn’t replied to Little Sheep. As for why… he planned to cut ties entirely.

He didn’t like someone who constantly asked the original owner for money. Since that was the case, it was better not to stay in contact.

If possible, he’d like to get back the money the original owner had given Little Sheep—but that was impossible.

Those were platform tips and couldn’t be recovered.

Given that, he might as well cut his losses.

Gu Juntian said, “We don’t have much of a relationship. Don’t keep linking me with him.”

The Emperor had never said such things before, so the members quickly realized something—Little Sheep had fallen out of favor.

The Emperor had treated Little Sheep so well, not only gaming with him during his livestreams but also tipping him over ten million. Yet now, in the blink of an eye, he didn’t even want to be associated with him.

The emotions of rich people really did come and go quickly.

Still, Little Sheep wasn’t at a loss—he had gotten plenty of money out of the Emperor.

They were actually quite envious of him, but without his looks, they couldn’t hook the Emperor.

Otherwise… they wouldn’t even need ten million—give them a hundred thousand, and they’d happily keep the Emperor company for a year!

After all, Little Sheep had just played games with him, and during those games, the Emperor had given him equipment.

Little Sheep’s streaming popularity had soared thanks to the Emperor, since many viewers tuned in just to see the famous rich second-generation player from Cultivation.

Honestly, they wouldn’t even need a hundred thousand—they’d do it for free.

Look at Qingtian Bairi, the apprentice the Emperor had taken in Cultivation—just to play with the Emperor, not only did he not ask for money, he even gave him equipment.

The original owner had a very high status in Cultivation, so when he said he didn’t want to be connected to Little Sheep, everyone dropped the topic and instead asked if he wanted to run a dungeon.

That day, Cultivation had just released a new dungeon.

Gu Juntian recalled it from the original plot.

The dungeon was called “Imprisoned Dragon.” The surface story was that many years ago, an evil dragon appeared and wreaked havoc, eventually being imprisoned by a mighty cultivator.

Now, after many years, the seal had weakened, and warriors from all sides needed to slay the dragon to prevent its escape.

But there was a hidden storyline—the so-called evil dragon had never committed any evil acts. It had been framed by the mighty cultivator, who then gathered experts to imprison it so he could harvest its blood and scales.

In his previous life, Little Sheep had uncovered this hidden plot, gaining more attention for his streams and earning his character the gift of dragon blood from a golden dragon—granting him the dragon race bloodline.

Unlocking the hidden plot was troublesome and could only be done once.

In the original story, everyone initially entered the dungeon to kill the dragon, which still yielded plenty of treasures—and if lucky, players could collect the Dragon Scale Set.

Gu Juntian decided to first take Tianmo Pavilion to kill the dragon and get a Dragon Scale Set for Zhou Qinghao, then unlock the hidden plot so Zhou Qinghao could receive the golden dragon’s gift.

Selling property would take time, so for now, he couldn’t repay Zhou Qinghao’s money—this could serve as compensation.

The Dragon Scale Set was one of the best in Cultivation at the moment!

As for whether killing the dragon despite knowing its tragic fate was cruel… this was just a game—killing a bunch of data didn’t bother him in the least.

In Cultivation, players were always killing each other anyway.

Besides, even after unlocking the hidden plot, the dungeon would remain, and players would still only have the option of killing the dragon.

“When Qingtian Bairi comes online, we’ll run the ‘Imprisoned Dragon’ dungeon together,” Gu Juntian said.

“Okay!” everyone agreed.

The dungeon required a team—at most twenty people, at least twelve.

Gu Juntian saved a spot for Zhou Qinghao, then picked eighteen members from Tianmo Pavilion and had them prepare the necessary items.

Just as he was getting ready, another person appeared in the base.

He didn’t see the face at first, but the equipment told him it was Qingtian Bairi.

“Qingtian Bairi, want to run a dungeon together today?” Gu Juntian asked, and as he spoke, he saw his face clearly.

From the original owner’s memories, he knew Qingtian Bairi’s in-game appearance, and from knowing the future, he had seen what Zhou Qinghao looked like in real life.

There was some difference, but not much—Qingtian Bairi was a young, handsome man.

Even back then, Gu Juntian had thought Qingtian Bairi suited his tastes better than Little Sheep.

And now… Qingtian Bairi’s looks were almost exactly his type in every way.

His heart sped up. He stared at Qingtian Bairi, reluctant to even blink.

Was he really going to break up with him?

After the breakup, would Qingtian Bairi find someone else? Being so naive, would he be scammed dry?

No way—absolutely not!

The thought of Zhou Qinghao having a new boyfriend, possibly being taken advantage of, was unacceptable.

As for the breakup… he had only been toying with the idea before. Why would he seriously do it?

The Young man in Online Romance (20): 

This “Cultivation” event was mainly for the launch of the new map, Immortal Realm.

“Cultivation” occasionally added new maps—the secret realm that Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao had visited before was one of the newly added maps.

But those new maps were small; Immortal Realm was different.

Immortal Realm was huge, and along with its release, the entire game of “Cultivation” would undergo a major upgrade.

This morning was both the event day for “Cultivation” and the day of the game’s upgrade.

While the game was being updated, those usually addicted to it couldn’t play, so they simply wore their game helmets, waiting for the livestream to start while browsing the forums.

“Lots of top players are going to this event. I want to see what they all look like.”

“Wonder if any of them are really handsome or beautiful.”

“Probably not, good-looking ones are rare.”

…

As they chatted, someone brought up the Heavenly Emperor. “I heard he’ll be attending too.”

“Those photos online before—were they really him?”

“Who knows? Many people have asked him, but he never answers. Every time he’s online, he’s just with Bright as Day, leveling, fighting monsters, and showing off their romance.”

“I think those photos were real. If they weren’t, he would’ve denied them already.”

…

At 9:30, the livestream officially began.

People arrived one after another to sign in, take photos, and enter the venue—many of them well-known top players.

They had tidied themselves up for the event, but since attractive men and women were rare, most of them looked quite average, and some were downright unattractive.

Capricorn Unmatched was counted among the unattractive ones.

When he first got the invitation, he hadn’t planned to attend, but then he learned Qida Technology would reimburse travel expenses, and provide free food and lodging—he came happily.

Only a fool would turn down free perks.

He was a gear seller, not relying on looks, so he wasn’t afraid to show his face or be called ugly.

Besides, he could serve as a backdrop to make Heavenly Emperor look better—perfect!

Over the past two months, Heavenly Emperor had gifted him quite a few items, which he sold for forty to fifty thousand.

He liked Heavenly Emperor a lot and hated seeing people online call him ugly.

With him as comparison, everyone would surely think Heavenly Emperor wasn’t bad-looking!

But… where was Heavenly Emperor?

Capricorn Unmatched found his own nameplate but, after searching, couldn’t find Heavenly Emperor’s.

He had wanted to switch nameplates to sit next to him, but that wasn’t possible now.

While he was looking, Little Lamb, not far away, was also searching for Heavenly Emperor’s nameplate.

Little Lamb had switched to another account and was attending under a different name.

He was here just to see Heavenly Emperor embarrassed.

But he was puzzled—last lifetime, after his ugly photos were exposed, Heavenly Emperor had vanished from the internet, so why would he agree to attend this time?

Wasn’t he someone who cared a lot about face?

This “Cultivation” event was fully livestreamed, with close-up shots of each entrant and cameras inside the venue.

With holographic helmets, viewers could zoom in and out at will, making it easy to see everything clearly.

“Why haven’t we seen Heavenly Emperor yet?”

“Didn’t they say he was attending?”

“Not even his nameplate’s there.”

“Maybe he backed out last minute.”

“He’s been bragging in-game, but wouldn’t dare show up for real. When he said he’d come, he was probably bluffing.”

…

Just then, a young, handsome man appeared on screen.

“That guy’s so handsome!”

“He’s the best-looking person in this event so far!”

“Ahhh! Who is he?”

…

As the livestream audience discussed, the event staff began greeting him: “President Zhou!”

It was Zhou Qinghao.

He knew Gu Juntian had arrived last night, but he’d been too busy to meet him.

Besides, Gu Juntian had asked to meet this afternoon—if he wasn’t in a rush, neither was Zhou.

This morning, Zhou came straight to the venue, sending President Wang to pick up Gu instead.

Zhou took his seat; his nameplate read “Qida Technology General Manager Zhou Qinghao.”

Online viewers were surprised.

“The GM of Qida is so young!”

“A real-life tall, rich, and handsome!”

“He looks kind of familiar…”

…

Then, people noticed the nameplate to his right.

Zhou sat in the front row; behind him were partner representatives and Qida executives, all in suits, seated early, clearly separated from the players further back.

Capricorn Unmatched and other early-arriving players didn’t dare venture forward, and the livestream cameras had only been showing the players, not the front row.

But now, with the camera on Zhou, both nameplates to his sides were visible.

On his left: Qida Technology CEO Wang Youchen.
On his right: the name “Heavenly Emperor.”

Heavenly Emperor’s seat was right next to the GM of Qida?

What was going on?

As people wondered, a sudden flurry hit the livestream chat:

“Check the forum!”

“Huge news!”

“I’m shocked!”

…

With split-screen helmets, viewers opened both the livestream and the “Cultivation” forum.

There, someone claiming to be an insider from Qida Technology posted explosive information.

First: Zhou Qinghao’s identity.

They said Zhou was the Zhou family heir, born with a silver spoon, and was also Bright as Day.

They claimed this young master had been deceived by Heavenly Emperor, believing his made-up stories, falling in love with him, and giving him lots of money.

The post even accused Zhou by name of embezzling company funds to keep Heavenly Emperor.

Netizens were stunned.

“Zhou Qinghao really does look like Bright as Day…”

“There’s proof—Bright as Day’s account was registered at Qida under Zhou Qinghao’s name.”

“A tall, rich, handsome guy being this naïve? Hard to believe.”

“It’s not unheard of—there was that chaebol heiress who dated a security guard. A family heir dating someone from an online game isn’t strange.”

“Zhou looks so young, maybe he’s inexperienced and got duped.”

“If the accusation is by name, it can’t be fake.”

…

Gu Juntian’s information was also posted.

Before his parents died, the original owner had gone out occasionally, leaving behind some photos.

So netizens learned that Heavenly Emperor’s real name was Gu Juntian, and after losing his parents, he stayed home playing games, knowing nothing else—a shut-in.

The info was accurate—attending the “Cultivation” event required real names, and Heavenly Emperor had registered as Gu Juntian.

“So the photos Little Lamb posted really were of Heavenly Emperor.”

“This is all from Qida’s internal records—it has to be true.”

“Apparently everyone at Qida knows the GM is in an online romance.”

“Do they know his online lover is this ugly?”

“What kind of taste does President Zhou have?”

…

Online discussion exploded, curiosity about Heavenly Emperor soared.

Zhou Lin, seeing it all, was very pleased.

He’d arranged for the embezzlement accusation and wanted to see how Zhou Qinghao would handle it.

Soon, the players at the venue also learned about the forum drama.

Heavenly Emperor’s photos spread quickly.

At that moment, Gu Juntian arrived at the sign-in area with President Wang.

The livestream camera instantly gave him a close-up.

Viewers and attendees could see it clearly—viewers through their screens, attendees via the giant screen at the front of the hall.

A devastatingly handsome face!

Another handsome man had appeared!

In an instant, people forgot the forum gossip and focused on him.

This was a VIP entrance—who was this man?

Wait, his face looked familiar.

Not just a little familiar—very familiar!

Wasn’t this exactly what Heavenly Emperor’s in-game character looked like?

Then they noticed—two men in black bodyguard suits followed him, along with a middle-aged man with an imposing presence.

The middle-aged man was Qida’s President Wang.

He hadn’t spoken much to Gu Juntian before, but knew who he was—Zhou Qinghao had personally given him an introduction for today.

Smiling, Wang introduced him: “This is Gu Juntian, CEO of Jintian Technology. Jintian is an important partner of Qida, providing technical support for our games. The game ‘Counter-Terrorism,’ co-developed by Qida and Jintian, will be released in two months.”

Those listening were stunned again.

Heavenly Emperor’s real name was Gu Juntian—so this really was him?

He was this handsome? And sounded impressive too!

Everyone was frozen, and Zhou Qinghao, looking at the giant screen in front of him, froze as well.

He’d been prepared to meet a chubby Heavenly Emperor—so why was he like this now?

He knew every chubby person had potential, but wasn’t this transformation a bit too much?

All his mental preparation had been for nothing!

By then, Wang had led Gu Juntian into the venue, heading toward Zhou.

Gu Juntian immediately spotted Zhou, and also saw the nameplate in front of him.

This was his boyfriend, Bright as Day, the one he’d planned to meet after the event.

Bright as Day… was the general manager of Qida Technology?

Did he know about the fake background Gu had asked Qida to create for him?

Spiritual Energy Revival (13): 

That night, the cultivators of the Bureau of Demon Control noticed the surrounding spiritual energy once again rushing toward Zhou Qinghao’s residence.

Was Zhou Qinghao cultivating again? His talent truly made people envious.

After some discussion, those who wanted to cultivate no longer stayed in the dorms. Instead, they went to the training halls the Bureau had built specifically for cultivation.

Those places had formations set up, so the spiritual energy there would not be siphoned away by Zhou Qinghao.

Some people cultivated, some went to bed early, and others took the opportunity of nightfall to leave the Bureau.

One of those leaving happened to be the gatekeeper of the former high-risk warehouse.

He was not the only one who guarded the Bureau’s warehouses—there were others as well. It just so happened his shift was over, so he could go home and rest for a month before returning to take up guard duty again.

This job was given to injured cultivators who could no longer go on missions.

Like Gu Juntian, they were no longer able to fight demons or spirits, and had withdrawn from the frontlines.

Although the state gave them compensation and still paid them a salary enough to live comfortably, they were cultivators.

Ordinary currency could not buy what a cultivator needed.

If they were willing to live as ordinary people, they could still be happy. But if they were unwilling and wanted to continue cultivating, the best option was to take a minor position within the Bureau.

For example, this gatekeeper took turns every other month guarding the warehouse doors.

During that month, he could remain in the Bureau, bathe in its dense spiritual energy, eat meals infused with energy, and even use his salary to buy pills within the Bureau.

All of this was beneficial to his body.

At first, he was very satisfied.

But after seeing Gu Juntian eat heavenly treasures like common meals, dissatisfaction grew deeper and deeper in his heart…

This man’s name was Yu Shaocheng. He had joined the Bureau later than Gu Juntian, but still early enough. However, his strength was weak, his background not as good, so he had little presence within the Bureau.

After he was injured and unable to continue cultivating, the state’s compensation was generous, but nowhere near Gu Juntian’s.

Heavenly treasures were priceless—his allowance could never afford them. Yet Gu Juntian could casually take them from the warehouse.

How could that not make someone bitter?

Yu Shaocheng lived not far from the Bureau.

Returning home, he lit an incense stick, and soon, a phantom figure appeared before him.

Almost as if under compulsion, Yu Shaocheng recounted everything he had seen over the past month.

That phantom was the Ghost King.

The Ghost King knew that one day, he would clash with the Bureau.

So he laid his plans early, reaching out to Bureau members and corrupting them.

Yu Shaocheng was not the only one. Because of this, the Ghost King had near-complete knowledge of the Bureau’s affairs.

For example, he knew that Gu Juntian harbored thoughts of seizing another’s body.

He had once wanted to corrupt Gu Juntian directly, but never found the chance. Still, even without it, by analyzing the information he gathered, he could deduce that Gu Juntian did not want to die.

And if one does not wish to die, they will inevitably take action.

The most likely choice was body possession.

Because of this, the Ghost King deliberately sent items useful for possession into the Bureau through various channels.

For example, by giving a rogue cultivator a possession technique, then leaking information about him to the Bureau when he committed evil…

Once the Bureau killed the rogue cultivator, naturally they would seize the technique. And in the end, it would fall into Gu Juntian’s hands.

As long as Gu Juntian was not a saint, he could not resist the temptation.

The Ghost King originally thought Gu Juntian would choose a newcomer in the Bureau as his target.

With multiple agents inside, he was well-informed about Bureau matters.

When Gu Juntian suddenly inquired about the new recruits, he assumed Gu Juntian was selecting a suitable host.

But after Zhou Qinghao returned, Gu Juntian ignored the newcomers altogether.

Gu Juntian’s ambition was great—he actually intended to seize Zhou Qinghao.

But if it were him, he would have chosen Zhou Qinghao too.

That body was far too enticing.

“You should not have spoken out in front of Zhou Qinghao,” the Ghost King said coldly to Yu Shaocheng.

Yu Shaocheng had dropped a hint to Zhou Qinghao, which might have made him suspicious of Gu Juntian’s intentions.

The Ghost King intended to help Gu Juntian complete his possession.

In the meantime, he didn’t want Zhou Qinghao interfering.

Yu Shaocheng trembled. “I… I didn’t mean to…” He didn’t even know why he had spoken at the time.

“Luckily Zhou Qinghao didn’t notice. He trusts his foster father very much,” the Ghost King said.

Gu Juntian planning to possess Zhou Qinghao was excellent!

At first, he only wanted to weaken the Bureau. But now… he might even be able to eliminate Zhou Qinghao as well.

Gu Juntian had no idea the Ghost King was secretly watching him.

But he himself did want to deal with both the Ghost King and the Demon King. In the original storyline, after Zhou Qinghao’s death, the two unleashed countless massacres, killing untold numbers.

Especially the Ghost King.

He had turned a city of nearly ten million into a ghost domain, forcing its inhabitants to slaughter each other, feeding on their resentment and rising in power until he rivaled a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Not a single person in that city survived.

Gu Juntian did not want such a tragedy to happen again.

Unfortunately, he could not yet find the Ghost King or the Demon King.

Once his strength grew, he was determined to take Zhou Qinghao with him and end them both.

With that thought, dual cultivation had to continue.

At worst, he would just focus on tempering certain parts of his body first.

Early the next morning, Gu Juntian saw Zhou Qinghao looking refreshed once again.

It made him all the more determined to speed up his physical training.

He couldn’t afford to appear weaker than Zhou Qinghao!

Besides, after their soul fusion last night, Zhou Qinghao’s soul had grown stronger rapidly. By the time Gu Juntian finished tempering his body, Zhou Qinghao might already be capable of projecting his divine sense outward.

As expected of the one he liked—such astonishing talent!

During the day, Gu Juntian resumed his duties as usual.

Zhou Qinghao followed along, quietly observing.

“This mission will be led by Xiao Lou. Send him to Warehouse B and equip him with artifact B129.”

“Xiao Li, the monster at Xingyuan Village should fear fire. Bring more fire-elemental tools.”

“Seal off the sinkhole in City J for now. Don’t rush to explore it—avoid unnecessary casualties…”

…

Seeing Gu Juntian busy, Zhou Qinghao slipped away quietly.

He returned to Gu Juntian’s quarters and began searching carefully.

Gu Juntian treated him so well that he couldn’t help but secretly hope—perhaps his foster father didn’t really want to kill him.

Maybe he wasn’t planning possession at all.

But reality disappointed him. Soon, he found the missing items from the high-risk warehouse in his foster father’s room, including Netherworld Stone Milk.

If his foster father kept these things at home, it was definitely for a purpose.

Zhou Qinghao cleaned up all traces of his search and pretended to know nothing.

Over the following half-month, Gu Juntian diligently tempered his body every day, at least three hours each session.

For an old man, this was no small feat.

It was at this time that a great demon began causing trouble at the seaside.

In the original storyline, this same demon had appeared, killing many from the Bureau before Zhou Qinghao defeated it while heavily injured.

Afterward, Zhou Qinghao’s soul became even more unstable, leaving him unconscious for several days.

Ordinary cultivators could not handle this demon. Though reluctant, Gu Juntian still assigned the mission to Zhou Qinghao.

Now, however, Zhou Qinghao’s soul was stable and his strength had grown considerably. He should be able to deal with the demon easily.

Orc Priest (9): 

After Gu Juntian left Zhou Qinghao, he went back to his own place, changed into his beast form, and lay down in front of his house to cultivate.

While cultivating, he tried hard to block out the surrounding noises.

The hippo tribe’s houses had poor sound insulation, and the people of the tribe lived lively nightlife. It really wasn’t easy for him.

There was another reason why he wasn’t in a hurry to be with Zhou Qinghao—he was afraid that others would notice and it would be bad for Zhou Qinghao.

He didn’t want Zhou Qinghao to be questioned by the tribe.

Just as he was thinking this, Gu Juntian heard noises from the house nearby where his younger brother lived.

The lives of the hippo tribe were almost always the same. People generally didn’t think much about the long term—at most, they just wondered whether they could eat enough tomorrow. Once they were full, they would start looking for a mate.

Gu Juntian’s younger brother, Zhuang, had recently gotten very close with a woman a few years older than him.

Zhuang’s beast form was a hippo. In the hippo tribe, he was much more popular than Gu Juntian.

The women of the tribe were all willing to bear children with the beast form of a hippo.

Of course, Gu Juntian was also very popular—there were more than a dozen women in the tribe interested in him.

They had approached the original host, but he didn’t like women and rejected them all.

The people of the hippo tribe couldn’t understand his behavior.

If not for the fact that everyone in this prehistoric time only wore simple fur skirts, people in the tribe would have already suspected that Gu Juntian was incapable.

Even if they didn’t suspect that, they still thought Gu Juntian was strange.

Sleeping alone at night, how boring!

Gu Juntian also thought it was boring. He sighed silently and continued cultivating.

The next day, Gu Juntian, as usual, led the hunting team out.

The hunting team left early. After they departed, only then did the elders, children, and women of the tribe trickle out of their houses.

Zhou Qinghao woke up late. When he came out and didn’t see Gu Juntian, he felt a bit disappointed, but quickly gathered himself and started inspecting the tribe.

In last night’s prophecy, someone named Bai Yutian would come to their tribe, and this person clearly looked different from ordinary people.

Their tribe was already very clean, and the people lived well, but in Bai Yutian’s eyes, their tribe seemed shabby.

Bai Yutian himself was unusual.

His skin was very white, his teeth perfectly neat and snow white, showing that he had never suffered hardship before.

Only an extremely wealthy tribe could raise someone like Bai Yutian.

No wonder Gu Juntian would feel fondness for him.

Thinking about how, in the prophecy, after Gu Juntian brought Bai Yutian back to the tribe, he treated him with great care, Zhou Qinghao felt very unhappy.

As a priest, he had many valuable things in his possession.

In the prophecy, right after Bai Yutian came to the tribe, Gu Juntian gave those things to him, and even let Bai Yutian live together with him.

Why!

Thinking back to how Gu Juntian took care of him when they lived together, and then imagining Gu Juntian treating Bai Yutian that way… Zhou Qinghao felt very upset.

Would Gu Juntian make a bed for Bai Yutian? Sleep in the same bed as him?

He couldn’t accept it!

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. But after walking around the tribe, that unease gradually dissipated.

Bai Yutian looked extraordinary. He might even be a priest from a large tribe. Gu Juntian being kind to him was actually the right thing to do.

If Bai Yutian was well treated, perhaps they could even learn knowledge from him that they had never known before.

Besides, men of this world all liked women. Unlike him, who liked men. Aside from his own house, Gu Juntian’s was the best in the tribe—living with Bai Yutian was normal.

If he didn’t want those two to live together, then he could always invite Bai Yutian to stay with him instead.

Having thought of a solution, Zhou Qinghao relaxed.

He had only prophesied the events of Bai Yutian’s arrival, not what came after. But when Bai Yutian first arrived, he taught them how to eat with two sticks, so he must be friendly.

That day, Gu Juntian returned with the hunting team, once again bringing back plenty of prey.

By now, the hunting team completely admired him.

Although Gu Juntian had been appointed chief by the priest, because of his youth and weaker strength, they hadn’t taken him too seriously before.

But now, following him always led to good hunts. They came to truly accept him as chief.

As soon as Gu Juntian returned to the tribe, he started looking for Zhou Qinghao. When he found him, he couldn’t help but smile: “Qing, I’m back.”

Zhou Qinghao saw him and also smiled.

While the tribe busied themselves handling the prey, Gu Juntian went to chat with Zhou Qinghao, telling him about the day.

Zhou Qinghao had already set aside some meat from the prey to prepare porridge for the children.

Gu Juntian sat on the hay beside him. While talking, his leg touched Zhou Qinghao’s.

Zhou Qinghao didn’t move his leg away, but his heart was in turmoil.

He felt that Gu Juntian must also like him—otherwise he wouldn’t treat him this way. But he still feared he might be mistaken.

As for Bai Yutian from the prophecy, Zhou Qinghao had already forgotten about him for now.

When the tribe finished processing the prey, Gu Juntian distributed the meat.

He and Zhou Qinghao got the biggest and best portion, and then, as usual, went to Zhou Qinghao’s place to cook it.

Though the meat without seasoning was bland, Gu Juntian still ate a lot. While eating, he couldn’t resist rubbing up against Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao didn’t dodge at all.

Feeling pleased, Gu Juntian held Zhou Qinghao’s hand and squeezed it for a long while.

His A-Qing was truly adorable, just a little shy.

After everyone in the tribe had eaten and gone to sleep, the tribe grew quiet. Only then did Gu Juntian leave Zhou Qinghao, change into a tiger, and continue cultivating.

Though the cultivation session wasn’t long, it was effective. He felt his senses had grown sharper than before, and his strength had increased.

If he continued like this, his power would surely keep growing.

While Gu Juntian cultivated, the sleeping Zhou Qinghao once again saw a prophecy.

After Bai Yutian arrived in the tribe, Gu Juntian treated him very well, but became increasingly impatient with Zhou Qinghao.

One time, when someone in the tribe was injured and sought Zhou Qinghao’s healing, he failed to cure them. Rumors spread that he could not communicate with the beast god and wasn’t a true priest at all.

Compared to him, Bai Yutian grew more and more loved by the tribe.

After all, Bai Yutian’s background was extraordinary.

He came from a very large and prosperous tribe. According to him, no one in his tribe ever starved to death.

Bai Yutian could also tell stories, draw pictures, and do many things Zhou Qinghao couldn’t.

Before Bai Yutian came, the hippo tribe had faced one difficulty after another, and the atmosphere was heavy. But after his arrival, things improved greatly, and the people became spirited again.

Zhou Qinghao considered trying to get along with him and learn from him, but Bai Yutian rejected him, showing obvious dislike.

Gu Juntian treated Bai Yutian far too well, while treating Zhou Qinghao poorly. Under such circumstances, it was hard for Zhou Qinghao to feel goodwill toward Bai Yutian…

The conflict between them grew deeper and deeper…

Zhou Qinghao suddenly woke up, realizing it was still before dawn.

The prophecy he saw last night truly wasn’t good news for him.

He took a deep breath, and hearing sounds outside, walked out—just in time to see Gu Juntian preparing to leave with the hunting team.

“Qing, you’re awake?” Gu Juntian smiled as he walked over.

Seeing him, Zhou Qinghao felt dazed.

In the prophecy, Gu Juntian disliked him, while always circling around Bai Yutian.

But right now, Gu Juntian’s gaze was full of love for him. In his prophecy, Gu Juntian had looked at Bai Yutian this way, not him.

“I’m awake. Tian, do you go hunting every day? Don’t you get tired?” In their tribe, hunting was daily, but those who joined usually rotated.

Hunting was hard work. Doing it every day was exhausting.

Gu Juntian said, “My body is strong, I’m not tired.”

“You must take care to rest.” Zhou Qinghao reminded him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll rest well.” Gu Juntian was in a particularly good mood from being cared for by Zhou Qinghao.

Did Zhou Qinghao get up early just to see him off?

It was still dark, and Gu Juntian couldn’t clearly see Zhou Qinghao’s face, but he wanted very much to kiss him.

But with others around, doing so might startle him.

In the end, he only held Zhou Qinghao’s hand: “Wait for me at home.”

Zhou Qinghao responded, watching him leave.

That day, Zhou Qinghao remained in low spirits.

As a priest, although he cared for the tribe’s children and the injured, he wasn’t close to the people.

And the tribe didn’t dare get close to him either.

Bai Yutian accused him of being useless while still putting on airs, whereas Bai Yutian easily blended in with everyone…

So naturally, people preferred Bai Yutian.

Though upset, Zhou Qinghao forced himself to adjust his mood.

In the prophecy, he wasn’t liked because he lacked ability.

But now he could foresee the future, allowing the hippo tribe to live better lives. Things wouldn’t be as miserable as in the dream.

Telling himself this, he was able to face Gu Juntian calmly that night.

Sitting beside him, Gu Juntian chattered as always: “Qing, you were right. Hunting every day is too tiring. Tomorrow I’ll take a rest and stay home to make something.”

That day while hunting, Gu Juntian had gone further and discovered a vast bamboo grove.

The bamboo, each as thick as a child’s arm, was quite tough. The moment he saw it, ideas flooded his mind.

Bamboo chairs, bamboo rafts, bamboo beds… There were so many things bamboo could be used for!

In the tribe, people liked to weave with a type of reed growing in the marshes, but bamboo would surely be better.

Though without proper tools, splitting bamboo was troublesome. He could only try using his claws with the spiritual power from cultivation.

“You can rest a few more days in the future,” Zhou Qinghao said.

If Gu Juntian had taken a rest on that day, he might not have brought Bai Yutian back…

“I’ll do whatever you say!” Gu Juntian beamed, delighted by Zhou Qinghao’s concern.

Seeing this, Zhou Qinghao grew even more certain he didn’t need to worry about the prophecy.

In it, Gu Juntian disliked him, but the Gu Juntian before him clearly liked him very much.

And then, that night, Zhou Qinghao once again saw the future.

In it, Gu Juntian looked at him with loathing, as if he were something filthy.

The End of the World Base Master (4): 

After Gu’s father finished doubting Zhou Qinghao for a while, he let his own son continue helping him cultivate.

Gu Juntian said: “Dad, I can only help you for two hours. Later I have something to do.”

“What are you going to do?” Father Gu asked.

Gu Juntian said: “I’m going to cook and then bring it to Zhou Qinghao.”

Father Gu: “…” This was the son he knew, the one who was lovesick.

Gu Juntian added: “Oh right, Dad, when Zhou Qinghao came over this morning, he brought me big meat buns. They smelled amazing. Do you want some? I’ll go get them for you.”

Father Gu was a little displeased: “Why eat something so greasy in the morning? You need to take care of your health, understand? Grain porridge is the best!”

Father Gu and Mother Gu were born in the countryside, and their family was dirt poor when they were children.

Although before the apocalypse they lived in luxury, after it began, they became frugal, learned to live simply, and focused on saving food.

Their family did not eat poorly in the apocalypse; every day they had meat and vegetables with balanced nutrition. But they never indulged themselves or wasted work points at the cafeteria buying expensive food.

Because of this, even though their family had three people who didn’t earn work points, their villa’s underground cellar still stored a lot of food.

To store the food, Father Gu had an earth-ability user dig a cellar beneath their basement, and then asked an ice-ability user to place plenty of ice blocks inside.

That place had become a giant refrigerator.

“Do you want to eat the meat buns or not?” Gu Juntian asked.

Father Gu said: “I want them!”

Mother Gu’s cooking was decent, but she was frugal and focused on health, so her dishes were always bland.

She was born in the south and didn’t know how to make flour-based foods.

But meat buns were delicious!

And cultivation consumed a huge amount of energy… Gu Juntian brought up four meat buns, and Father Gu ate two in a row, wanting a third.

Gu Juntian quickly snatched it away and took a bite: “This one’s mine!”

Father Gu said: “You unfilial son, don’t you know how to show filial piety to your father?”

Gu Juntian bit into the bun and hummed: “I’m already very filial. Zhou Qinghao gave these buns to me, and I didn’t eat them all myself!”

The Gu father and son talked warmly, always about Zhou Qinghao. Zhen Jiayun, who had lived in the Gu family home for four years, was no longer mentioned.

But Zhen Jiayun was talking to others about the Gu family.

The man Zhen Jiayun liked was Shao Huirui, a level-four ability user.

He possessed lightning powers, was strong in combat, and had even founded the Thunder Team.

Zhou Qinghao and Gu Chengming also went out to collect supplies, but they spent at least half of every month at the base.

When they went out to collect or kill zombies, they were careful and steady.

People who went with them were very safe, but the harvests were smaller.

The Thunder Team was the opposite.

They stayed outside for long periods and ventured into dangerous places. Each trip yielded a lot, but many team members died.

The core members of the Thunder Team rarely decreased, but newly recruited ability users had an extremely high death rate.

Even so, many ability users still flocked to join, because the lifestyle of Thunder Team members was enviable.

It had already been four years since the apocalypse began. Almost all pre-apocalypse food had expired.

Though bases planted crops, vegetables, and even opened processing factories, food varieties had decreased sharply.

For ordinary people, eating meat was a luxury, but Thunder Team members ate well every day, so of course they were admired.

Many thought the lives of Thunder Team members were the kind of good days they themselves deserved.

The Thunder Team was not an official organization, but during the recent zombie tide, they also accepted employment to fight. Usually they lost members, but during the tide they barely lost any.

They weren’t very active in killing zombies, but after the tide, they were very enthusiastic about digging out zombie crystal cores.

Yesterday, while directing his men to dig cores, Shao Huirui was in a great mood.

Heaven was truly helping him!

During the zombie tide, not only had his ability advanced to level five, but Lu Chengming, that old fox, had his ability destroyed!

If one day Zhou Qinghao were ruined as well, then the base would be his!

As for how to ruin Zhou Qinghao… he often led teams outside and knew one thing.

Some laboratories had developed a drug that attracted high-level zombies, gathering them together so they could be wiped out with hot weapons.

This drug was hard to obtain, but crystal cores could buy it. If it were put on Zhou Qinghao, all the high-level zombies would target him, and he would surely die!

The tricky part was secretly getting the drug onto Zhou Qinghao.

Shao Huirui very much wanted the H City base.

He had always wanted to be a base leader like Gu Chengming.

In the apocalypse, each base ruled itself. Becoming a base leader was like becoming a local emperor.

With the strength of the Thunder Team, seizing a small base would be easy, but those bases were chaotic, poor, and sparsely populated—he wasn’t interested.

By comparison, H City’s safety base was a good choice.

It wasn’t too big or too small. H City was located on a coastal plain, industrialized before the apocalypse, with many light-industry factories. Now the H City base had many factories and vast farmland, achieving self-sufficiency.

He had visited many bases, and even some large ones weren’t as good as H City’s.

As for large bases, the Thunder Team couldn’t swallow them yet.

With Gu Chengming around, it was hard for him to take H City, but now that Gu Chengming had been crippled, things were different.

Shao Huirui was clever. As soon as Gu Chengming had an accident, he spread rumors that Zhou Qinghao had orchestrated it, setting zombies on him in order to seize control of the base.

He also planned to connect with those dissatisfied with Gu Chengming and Zhou Qinghao, gain their support, and then kill Gu Chengming while framing Zhou Qinghao.

He knew Zhen Jiayun, who lived at Gu Chengming’s house, and knew the Gu family stored a lot of supplies. He could also take advantage of the chance to rob them.

Although his income from leading the Thunder Team surpassed Gu Chengming’s, he spent lavishly. In terms of savings, he didn’t have a tenth of Gu Chengming’s.

After robbing Gu Chengming, his team could finally live in luxury. How wonderful!

Shao Huirui was enjoying his thoughts when troubling news reached him.

Zhen Jiayun had been thrown out by the Gu family and was looking for him.

He absolutely did not want people to know he was connected to Gu Juntian’s boyfriend! Shao Huirui didn’t want to see Zhen Jiayun, so last night he didn’t return home.

He thought Zhen Jiayun would go back to the Gu family if he couldn’t find him, but instead Zhen Jiayun kept wandering near his house.

If he kept avoiding him, Zhen Jiayun might start asking around and cause a scene.

But he couldn’t just kill Zhen Jiayun—he still had some feelings for him.

After all, Zhen Jiayun was his first love.

He was also from H City, and in high school he and Zhen Jiayun were classmates. They liked each other and were very close.

His family was poor, which made him mature early.

He knew only studying could change his fate, and he also knew that love between two men was not accepted by society, so he never confessed to Zhen Jiayun.

But their relationship was no different from lovers.

Later, he accidentally discovered that Gu Juntian liked Zhen Jiayun.

That was how he learned about Gu Juntian’s family background.

Gu Juntian had such great resources, yet his grades were mediocre. He was a useless good-for-nothing. And yet this useless man had a good father, so no matter how incompetent, he still had wealth Shao Huirui could never attain in several lifetimes.

No one knew how much he despised Gu Juntian!

When the apocalypse came, he was away at university.

He awakened powers and thought he could finally rise above Gu Juntian. But when he returned to H City, he found Gu Juntian’s father had become the leader of the H City safety base!

At that time, he hadn’t formed the Thunder Team yet, had few men, and limited resources—just an ordinary ability user. But Gu Chengming was different.

Gu Chengming organized people to clear zombies from H City, gained vast cultivation resources, and became the strongest in the base.

With Gu Chengming around, Gu Juntian’s life was far better than his. Even Zhen Jiayun became Gu Juntian’s boyfriend.

He hated Gu Juntian even more!

Now that Gu Chengming was ruined and Gu Juntian was about to fall, just thinking of it made Shao Huirui happy.

And the fact that Gu Juntian’s beloved Zhen Jiayun liked him wholeheartedly made him even prouder.

“Jiayun, I’m sorry. Last night I was busy clearing zombies outside and didn’t come home. I didn’t know you were looking for me. I made you suffer.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t suffer,” Zhen Jiayun said.

Yesterday he hadn’t eaten much, and after staying the night at Ji Jianghai’s place, he hadn’t slept well. Right now, he actually felt terrible.

But when he saw Shao Huirui, all his earlier unhappiness vanished.

This was the man he liked, so much stronger than Gu Juntian!

Zhen Jiayun looked at Shao Huirui with love, wanting to say many things, but in the end, reality made him bow his head: “Brother Shao, do you have any food?”

He had never gone hungry for this long in his life!

At the start of the apocalypse, even though he hadn’t lived with the Gu family, Gu Juntian had secretly given him food. He’d never lacked.

Shao Huirui immediately had someone bring food, then asked: “Jiayun, why did you leave the Gu family?”

Zhen Jiayun’s eyes reddened: “It’s all Gu Juntian’s fault…”

At that moment, Gu Juntian also guessed the person behind Zhen Jiayun was Shao Huirui.

The original body hadn’t known much about the base or its experts.

Even with the original’s memories, he couldn’t figure out who killed Father Gu or plotted against Zhou Qinghao.

Today, while helping Father Gu cultivate, he asked some questions to learn about the base, and immediately realized Shao Huirui was suspicious.

“Dad, I suspect the one Zhen Jiayun is involved with is Shao Huirui,” Gu Juntian said.

With such a shrewd father, whenever something happened, he just needed to tell him and let him handle it.

Father Gu said: “I’ll investigate.”

“Okay! Then I’ll go cook now!” Gu Juntian said. “I need to make the food early so I can bring it to Qinghao.”

Father Gu took a deep breath: “It’s fine to call him Qinghao in front of me, but not in front of Zhou Qinghao. You need to be respectful to him and not make him angry.”

If his son angered Zhou Qinghao, and Zhou quietly made a move against him, he wouldn’t be able to protect him!

Gu Juntian ignored his father’s warning.

What was wrong with calling him “Qinghao”? At least he wasn’t calling him “baby”!

Regent (7): 

Gu Juntian, in the course of his conversation with Zhou Qinghao, sorted out the plan for what needed to be done next.

It was to rely on Zhou Qinghao’s soldiers, employ iron-blooded measures, and completely crush and suppress the scholar-official class of the Jin State.

In this era, many people had fiefs, and with fiefs came the ability to maintain private soldiers and household retainers.

According to his original plan, he would only kill a few people, take direct control of the government, and then slowly proceed. This would not cause large-scale resistance.

But if he wanted to kill many people, Jin State would likely fall into chaos, and the scholar-official class would fiercely resist.

However, this approach also had its benefits.

Originally, he could only carry out reforms; now, he could carry out a complete transformation.

To implement an entirely new system, the existing ruling class had to be completely overthrown.

If it were only reform, in the future when he wanted to appoint people regardless of their background, or to distribute land to commoners, he would surely face obstruction. If he eliminated everyone in one sweep now, the Jin State could then be run entirely according to his vision.

Of course, ordinary people in this era lived in ignorance, without independent thought. Carrying out a thorough transformation and governing them well would be difficult.

But it was not impossible.

As the saying goes, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. With Zhou Qinghao’s help, he could certainly succeed.

A complete transformation would also be beneficial for Zhou Qinghao.

If he didn’t take such measures, the people in the court would continue to look down on Zhou Qinghao, and being together with him would be fraught with difficulties.

But after using iron-blooded methods, those people would fall in line.

So, be a tyrant.

Just as Gu Juntian was preparing himself to be a tyrant, he heard Zhou Qinghao’s confession.

Gu Juntian, who had been somewhat distracted, instinctively looked toward Zhou Qinghao.

It was already dark. Although an oil lamp was lit in the bathhouse, it was still dim.

The rising steam made the space around Zhou Qinghao appear hazy.

But the two of them were close enough that Gu Juntian could clearly see Zhou Qinghao’s face and body.

In Zhou Qinghao’s resolute eyes, the candlelight was reflected like shining gemstones, making Gu Juntian want to lean in and kiss him.

At that moment, Gu Juntian also recalled the sensation of Zhou Qinghao’s skin when he had helped him wash his back earlier.

Zhou Qinghao was like a bewitching spirit, pulling Gu Juntian, who had been discussing the future and ideals, back into reality.

Gu Juntian’s body reacted instantly.

Fortunately, after bathing simply on the floor, he had covered himself with a piece of silk, avoiding too much awkwardness.

Gu Juntian hadn’t expected Zhou Qinghao to confess.

In the original plot, although Zhou Qinghao’s feelings for the original host were accidentally discovered, when the original host deliberately tried to seduce him, Zhou Qinghao refused.

Being with the king brought no benefit to a minister.

Although Zhou Qinghao liked him, he was an ambitious man and would not want to be seen as a mere male favorite.

So Gu Juntian had originally planned to slowly cultivate feelings with Zhou Qinghao, waiting until Zhou Qinghao trusted him and was free of reservations, and then let their relationship develop naturally.

But now, Zhou Qinghao had suddenly confessed!

Was it because the atmosphere in the bathhouse was too good?

Because he had been close to Zhou Qinghao and honest with him?

Or because he was more liked by Zhou Qinghao than the original host?

Gu Juntian didn’t speak right away, and then saw Zhou Qinghao’s gaze darken as he lowered his head.

Without thinking, he said, “Uncle, I like you too.”

No matter what, Zhou Qinghao had confessed—he couldn’t just leave it unanswered.

After speaking, Gu Juntian realized he was still calling Zhou Qinghao “uncle.”

Uncle… repeating the word twice in his mind, Gu Juntian suddenly found it a bit thrilling.

In the future, if he called him that in bed…

He mustn’t think about it anymore. If he did, he feared he would lose control.

The silk covering his body had already changed shape…

Gu Juntian felt his self-control was a little weak, but he couldn’t be blamed—if someone could share a bath with the person they liked and feel nothing, that person must be a eunuch.

After speaking his confession, Zhou Qinghao began to regret it.

He was taking advantage of the fact that Gu Juntian needed him, essentially forcing him.

But if he didn’t do this, he would probably never have a chance to be with Gu Juntian.

Seeing that Gu Juntian didn’t respond for a long time, he felt even more regret, and also some embarrassment.

If Gu Juntian became furious, what would he do?

Just as Zhou Qinghao was caught in turmoil, Gu Juntian spoke, responding to his confession.

Zhou Qinghao suddenly looked up at him.

Gu Juntian was smiling, showing no trace of displeasure.

But how could someone be happy about being desired by an elder?

It was just that Gu Juntian had learned to hide his emotions.

The Gu Juntian of the past hadn’t been like this. Had he suffered a lot over the past three years?

Or was it that Zhou Qinghao had failed to raise him properly, and in those years someone else had taken care of him?

Zhou Qinghao’s mind was a mess as he kept looking at Gu Juntian.

Seeing him in such a daze, Gu Juntian couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He leaned down, kissed Zhou Qinghao’s face as he stood in the bath, and said, “Uncle, the water is getting cold, we should get out.”

Zhou Qinghao felt a tingling sensation where he had been kissed, the feeling rushing straight to his head.

His mind was in chaos. Without thinking of anything else, he simply answered, “Alright.”

Seeing him like this, Gu Juntian couldn’t help but laugh and took his hand.

Gu Juntian had originally prepared separate lodgings for Zhou Qinghao.

But remembering that in the original plot Zhou Qinghao had been assassinated several times, he suddenly didn’t dare let him stay alone.

People in this era could be very direct—if they couldn’t beat you in court, they might resort to assassination.

He couldn’t fully control the people in the palace, so it wasn’t entirely safe for Zhou Qinghao to live there, unless he stayed with him.

The royal clan might block his power, but they didn’t intend to kill him. The Queen Dowager certainly wouldn’t—if he died, she and the people from Qi by her side would be driven away.

So they wouldn’t kill him.

With that in mind, he took Zhou Qinghao back to his bedchamber. “Tonight, I will sleep foot-to-foot with Uncle.”

It was only then that Zhou Qinghao came back to his senses and began to look around.

The room was lit, but still dim.

He had been here before, but now that he looked around again, it felt different.

This was where Gu Juntian lived, and today, he would also sleep here?

What did Gu Juntian mean by bringing him back?

His bedchamber was large, and with few furnishings, there was no place to hide anyone. Once the servants were dismissed, they could speak without fear of being overheard.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao was a bit nervous, Gu Juntian started making conversation. “Qinghao, tomorrow I want to visit your military camp.”

He wanted to deal with the royal clan, but there was no rush.

Before dealing with them, he needed to make preparations, and that meant contacting Zhou Qinghao’s soldiers.

His next actions would rely entirely on them.

“Tomorrow I’ll take Your Majesty to the camp,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

Gu Juntian’s visit must have some purpose, but he didn’t intend to stop him.

Gu Juntian smiled, then said, “Uncle, let’s rest.”

Zhou Qinghao’s gaze fell on the bed. He thought of Gu Juntian’s earlier “I like you,” thought of how he would likely soon lose his life, thought of the person behind Gu Juntian…

He said, “Your Majesty, let me serve you.”

Gu Juntian froze for a moment.

Zhou Qinghao spoke again: “Your Majesty has not yet taken a wife; I can serve you.”

The thoughts Gu Juntian had barely suppressed all came flooding back.

Zhou Qinghao was offering himself!

He had just bathed, but hadn’t shaved.

Now, standing before him, was a burly man.

Such a man and the word “serve” didn’t match at all, but Gu Juntian found it thrilling.

He stared at Zhou Qinghao, his voice deepening. “Uncle…”

Zhou Qinghao, however, regretted it again.

He suddenly remembered he hadn’t shaved—like this, he was hardly pleasant to look at.

When he was young and favored by the late king, some people had called him the king’s boy lover—back then, he had the looks to seduce.

But now…

“Your Majesty, I am coarse and unrefined…”

Before he could finish, Gu Juntian pulled him into an embrace and kissed his lips.

Gu Juntian said, “Uncle, you must shave tomorrow.”

Fortunately, Zhou Qinghao didn’t have much beard, and had kept it trimmed—otherwise it would be unpleasant to kiss.

As for the rest…

He was now a young man full of vitality. With the person he liked confessing and making advances, he couldn’t possibly remain calm!

Besides, he would be very busy in the coming days, with little time to spend with Zhou Qinghao—he had to seize the moment!

In this era, relationships often developed quickly—not just romantic ones, but also friendships or bonds of loyalty between ruler and subject.

Meeting once and pledging life and death to each other was not uncommon.

So it was normal for his and Zhou Qinghao’s relationship to develop quickly.

At this point, Gu Juntian no longer thought about anything else—he just wanted to be close to Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao responded with passion.

He wasn’t particularly good-looking, and he was older. If he wasn’t enthusiastic, how could he compare with the young men and women around the king?

Besides, he might only have this one chance, so he had to cherish it.

Today, Gu Juntian must have brought him into the palace because it would have been awkward to reject him—that was why he succeeded. In the future, he might not be able to enter again.

With that thought, Zhou Qinghao embraced Gu Juntian.

But soon he realized something was wrong.

His hands were too rough—they might scratch Gu Juntian’s skin.

Right now, he really wasn’t someone easy to like.

The Young man in Online Romance (5): 

Gu Juntian was looking at Zhou Qinghao, and Zhou Qinghao was also looking at Gu Juntian.

Zhou Qinghao was the young master of the Zhou family, twenty-eight years old this year. Four years ago, he returned from studying for his master’s degree abroad and joined Qida Technology.

The game Cultivation was released two years ago, and he had watched it being gradually perfected.

For ordinary people, Cultivation was very fun, but for him, someone who had participated in its development, it held no mystery. He wasn’t addicted to the game; he only went online from time to time to take a look, which was part of his work.

So, before he started dating Gu Juntian, his game level had always been very low.

After they got together, Gu Juntian took him in as a disciple, carried him through the game, and let him leech experience points, so his level gradually rose.

However, since he only logged in for a few hours after dinner and not even every day, his rank in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion was just average.

But he didn’t care about rank anyway. The main reason he went online was to see the face Gu Juntian had customized for his avatar, and to listen to Gu Juntian’s sweet words.

He was usually exhausted from work, so after getting off, having an online romance and playing a game was just a way to relax.

Today, he just wanted to find Gu Juntian and hear some sweet talk.

But when he saw Gu Juntian, he suddenly felt his throat go dry and couldn’t help but swallow.

Had Gu Juntian spent money on another face customization? Why did he keep getting better looking?

He had originally thought they would break up sooner or later, but now that Gu Juntian looked this good, how could he bear to part?

Of course, this wasn’t Gu Juntian’s real face—it was his game avatar’s.

Otherwise… maybe one day he should just buy Gu Juntian’s account?

Thinking this, Zhou Qinghao asked, “What dungeon are we running?”

At this moment, Gu Juntian also came back to his senses.

The face he saw was that of a game character, not Zhou Qinghao himself. Falling in love at first sight with a game character… was that really necessary?

But Zhou Qinghao’s voice was also pleasant and made his heart flutter. That voice belonged to the real Zhou Qinghao.

Forget it, no point overthinking.

Anyway, right now Zhou Qinghao was his creditor—he just needed to treat him well.

Gu Juntian said, “It’s the new ‘Imprisoned Dragon’ dungeon in Cultivation. No one’s cleared it yet—we’ll try to be the first.”

This dungeon was triggered this morning when someone doing a quest entered a certain cave. Many people had already tried it, but so far, no one had passed.

“Alright,” Zhou Qinghao said.

He was very familiar with this dungeon, knew exactly how to pass it, and even knew its hidden storyline.

But he wasn’t about to tell anyone.

“Let’s go!” Gu Juntian said, initiating a trade to give Zhou Qinghao some items.

The original Gu Juntian had been willing to spend heavily and practically lived in the game 24/7, so he owned a lot of valuable gear.

Zhou Qinghao was different.

According to him, he was a student who attended classes during the day and could only play at night. And while he had money, he didn’t like to spend on the game, so his equipment was fairly average.

Zhou Qinghao didn’t refuse the items Gu Juntian gave.

He had given Gu Juntian far more money than the value of this gear anyway.

Still, he said, “Thank you, Master.”

Hearing the word “Master,” Gu Juntian shuddered, a little excited.

After Zhou Qinghao spoke, he realized Zhou Qinghao’s looks in the game matched his aesthetic, but his voice was also so pleasant it made his ears itch—he could listen to it for a lifetime.

Now, with this “Master” uttered… he wanted to hear Zhou Qinghao call him that forever.

Did he really only like the face of Qing Tian Bai Ri’s game avatar?

When he thought back to Zhou Qinghao’s real-life appearance, he realized he actually liked that even more.

Various thoughts flashed through Gu Juntian’s mind, and he finally confirmed one thing—

He just liked this sweet, innocent, rich second-generation young man in front of him!

Having such a devoted partner wasn’t bad. He just needed to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t get tricked by others.

And he still wanted this person to call him “Master” forever!

In that case, shouldn’t he do things to make Zhou Qinghao happy?

As for what Zhou Qinghao liked… Gu Juntian thought of the “1,000 Lines of Sweet Talk” folder left by the original owner.

The original owner had copied over a thousand love lines into a folder and would say a few each time he met Zhou Qinghao, then delete those lines to ensure no repeats.

The original owner had really put in the effort.

Gu Juntian had seen the folder before and remembered some of the lines. Now…

He cleared his throat, switched to private chat, and said to Zhou Qinghao, “Ah Qing, when I’m troubled, I think of you, like longing for the sun in winter. When I’m happy, I think of you, like seeking shade under the blazing sun.”

When he first thought about saying it, he felt embarrassed, but once he actually spoke, it didn’t seem so bad.

Zhou Qinghao trembled when he heard it.

That voice was too intoxicating!

He had always liked Gu Juntian’s looks and voice, but today, both were more outstanding than ever.

His heart beat a little faster.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao clearly enjoyed the sweet talk, Gu Juntian breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the original owner’s approach was right—he just needed to keep it up.

As they talked, they arrived at the cave entrance to the dungeon.

“This dungeon is brand new—there’s no guide online yet. Once we’re inside, we’ll need to be careful,” Gu Juntian said in team chat.

“Don’t worry, Great Emperor, we’ll be careful.”

“Good. Just follow my lead,” Gu Juntian said, then added to Zhou Qinghao, “Ah Qing, stick close to Master.”

“Alright, Master,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

Gu Juntian felt dizzy again from that “Master.”

Since Zhou Qinghao called him Master, he couldn’t let him down.

He had to complete the Dragon Scale set and give it to Zhou Qinghao!

Gu Juntian entered the dungeon with high spirits.

In the original plot, the original owner had farmed this dungeon many times, obtaining parts of the Dragon Scale set himself and buying the rest at high prices to complete the set for his own use.

Although he liked “Little Lamb,” his greatest love was still his “Heavenly Emperor” account.

So back then, he gave Little Lamb his old gear that was inferior to the Dragon Scale set.

This meant Gu Juntian knew exactly how to clear the dungeon.

But he couldn’t make it too obvious, or the game company might get suspicious.

Besides, a dungeon could be cleared either through guides or raw skill.

After playing for a bit, he realized his control over the game character was better than the original owner’s.

And in Cultivation, skill mattered a lot—two players of the same level could have vastly different combat power depending on their control.

In this game, everyone started as an ordinary villager, but later could choose to cultivate immortality, demonhood, or Buddhism, and with special opportunities, they could gain unique bloodlines or become a demon cultivator.

Each path had sub-branches—for example, immortals could be sword cultivators, healers, or spell cultivators.

The Heavenly Emperor account was a sword cultivator with very high attack power, and Gu Juntian also had a peerless divine weapon, the “Asking Heaven Sword.”

With the sword in hand, he charged forward, clearing the cave of small monsters.

They had to kill the small monsters first to reach the final dragon.

“Ah Qing, I’ll handle the monsters—you pick up the loot,” Gu Juntian said while fighting.

These drops were useless to him but useful for Zhou Qinghao.

“Alright, Master,” Zhou Qinghao replied.

Gu Juntian fought with even more enthusiasm, even showing off some skill.

He wanted Zhou Qinghao to see how amazing he was!

The people with them were all Heavenly Demon Pavilion elites, so the small monsters at the start weren’t a problem. For Gu Juntian, this also helped him get used to the controls.

Playing was actually easy—it was just that the original owner’s physical condition was poor.

If he were in better shape, he could make his character even stronger.

“Great Emperor, your skill is incredible!”

“As expected of the Great Emperor!”

“You should join the arena, Great Emperor!”

…

In Cultivation, players could duel in the arena for rewards.

The original owner rarely did—his focus was always on running the guild.

Also, many arena players were professionals, and he simply couldn’t beat them.

Gu Juntian said, “When would I have time for the arena? I still have work.”

“That’s true,” everyone agreed.

The Great Emperor usually logged in after dinner, played until midnight, then went to sleep.

Late at night and during the day, someone else supposedly played for him.

Occasionally, he’d log in during the day for events.

Although he played quite a bit, running a guild left no time for PvP.

Hearing him say he had work, Zhou Qinghao felt a bit helpless.

As an insider, he knew that despite claiming to have a substitute player, the account had always been logged in from the same IP and even the same device.

That “substitute” couldn’t possibly live in his house using his headset.

The man was a liar.

So why did he like a liar so much?

Thinking this, Zhou Qinghao said, “Master, since you work so hard, you must take care of your health.”

“I will,” Gu Juntian replied, remembering the lies the original owner had told Zhou Qinghao.

If he didn’t want to break up, he couldn’t let Zhou Qinghao find out he was a fraud.

So every lie the original owner had told, he had to cover up.

And… the original owner had made up quite a lot!

He had claimed to own several companies, that many firms including Qida Technology were fighting to hire him as a programmer, that he held stock in many companies, and that he was developing AI robots.

He had even said he had eight-pack abs and looked exactly like his game avatar!

Gu Juntian: “…”

Fine—for Zhou Qinghao’s sake, even if it killed him, he’d fill in all the holes the original owner had dug!

The Young man in Online Romance (21): 

Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao looked at each other in silence.

It was Zhou Qinghao who reacted faster. He reached out to shake hands with Gu Juntian first. “President Gu, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Gu Juntian took Zhou Qinghao’s hand, suppressing the stormy waves in his heart. “President Zhou, hello.”

The two bodyguards behind Gu Juntian had already been seated in the second row by the staff, right behind Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao.

Still in a bit of a daze, Gu Juntian sat down in his own seat, but he couldn’t help turning his head to glance at Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao was even more handsome than he had imagined. When he first saw Zhou Qinghao just now, he had been not only shocked, but his heart had also skipped a beat.

No wonder he was his boyfriend—he was really good-looking!

But wait, wasn’t he supposed to be just a simple college student? How did he suddenly become the general manager of Qida Technology?

Gu Juntian suddenly remembered that Zhou Qinghao had once told him there was something he had hidden from him.

So this must have been what Zhou Qinghao was hiding?

He had quite a few collaborations with Qida Technology. As its general manager, Zhou Qinghao couldn’t possibly not know who he was, so Zhou Qinghao must be aware of his background.

Thinking about how he had once proudly told Zhou Qinghao about his collaboration with Qida Technology, and even asked President Wang to send the payment directly to Zhou Qinghao, Gu Juntian felt a little embarrassed.

He had wanted to fill the hole left by the original owner, but never expected that the person he brought in to help fill it would turn out to be connected to Zhou Qinghao.

Still, how could Zhou Qinghao, already in the position of general manager, be such a love-struck fool?

Even if he wasn’t a college student, he still seemed too naïve.

As Gu Juntian was thinking this, President Wang, sitting on Zhou Qinghao’s other side, spoke to him over Zhou Qinghao. “President Gu, you should have a good chat with Xiao Zhou. He’s always held you in high regard. Your collaborations with Qida were all thanks to him.”

Hearing this, Gu Juntian felt something was off.

Hadn’t all his dealings with Qida been through President Wang?

Knowing that it wouldn’t be long before the truth came out, Zhou Qinghao opened his phone, pulled up his chat app, and showed Gu Juntian the conversation history where he had been talking to him while using President Wang’s identity.

Gu Juntian looked at the avatar for “President Wang” on the phone, then back at Zhou Qinghao.

Silence. More silence.

Zhou Qinghao, however, smiled and quietly called out, “Tian-ge.”

When they had first started dating, he hadn’t believed that Gu Juntian truly liked him. But later, seeing all that Gu Juntian had done for him, he had come to believe it.

Now, seeing Gu Juntian in person, he was more certain than ever.

For Gu Juntian to change so much for him, he must genuinely care.

If that was the case, there was no need to fear Gu Juntian’s anger.

And besides, if we’re being honest, Gu Juntian had deceived him first!

Gu Juntian wasn’t angry at all—in fact, he felt a little guilty.

Zhou Qinghao now knew that everything he had said before had been a lie!

But even after being deceived, Zhou Qinghao was still calling him “Tian-ge.” Didn’t that mean Zhou Qinghao liked him a lot?

Gu Juntian suddenly became cheerful. “Call me that again.”

Zhou Qinghao coughed lightly. “It’s ten o’clock. The event’s about to start.”

They were speaking softly, and the venue itself was noisy.

No one around them could hear what they were saying, let alone the people watching the livestream.

The audience could only see two handsome men whispering to each other.

“My god, Emperor Tian wasn’t lying—he really looks just like his in-game character.”

“He’s so handsome! I knew the person in that old photo wasn’t him.”

“Well, not necessarily. His eyebrows and eyes look similar to the guy in the photo—maybe he just lost weight.”

“Are you sure it’s weight loss and not plastic surgery?”

“If surgery could do this, everyone would be getting it.”

“No wonder President Zhou likes him. Who wouldn’t like a man this handsome?”

…

The people on the forum were talking about Gu Juntian, and so were the people at the venue.

Two people next to Little Sheep were whispering, “Didn’t expect Emperor Tian to be this good-looking!”

“Being rich and skilled is one thing, but to also be this handsome…”

Little Sheep couldn’t resist saying, “Didn’t people online say he has no money and spends what Zhou Qinghao gives him?”

When Little Sheep used to stream, he would wear makeup, use beauty filters, and even cross-dress.

Today, he had only done minimal grooming, so the two didn’t recognize him. They just said, “People online also said he was ugly. This is ugly? Total nonsense.”

“Exactly. Just look at his demeanor—you can tell he’s not an ordinary person.”

Little Sheep’s lips twitched nervously.

With his memories from his past life, he was convinced Emperor Tian was a big liar.

But… could it be that wasn’t the truth?

In his past life, Zhou Qinghao had developed Qida Technology into a huge success. He didn’t look like someone who’d be duped in both love and money.

Meanwhile, Capricorn Wushuang was completely dumbfounded.

Tian had told him before that the photo was real, so he had been scanning the crowd for a fat man.

And it turned out that Tian had secretly slimmed down without telling him?

If Tian could become this handsome after losing weight, maybe he could also look better if he slimmed down?

Among everyone present, the most upset was Zhou Lin.

How had Emperor Tian ended up looking like this?

He had wanted to use paid posters to stir up rumors online about Zhou Qinghao embezzling funds, but just then, he noticed that all the posts about Gu Juntian he had recently put up had been deleted!

After making the posts, he had kept watching Zhou Qinghao. Zhou Qinghao hadn’t been using his phone much, nor had he made any calls or sent messages. So who deleted them?

Could it be that Gu Juntian was actually capable?

At that moment, Qida Technology’s official account posted on the Xiuxian game forum, announcing that they had a partnership with Jintian Technology and that there was no such thing as their president embezzling funds to keep Jintian’s CEO.

Before, Zhou Lin had assumed his grandfather was just biased, so he hadn’t thought much of it. But now, replaying everything in his head, he suddenly felt clear-minded.

Zhou Qinghao was cunning—there was no way he was just a love-struck fool.

And his grandfather was an old fox.

That day, when he had mentioned Gu Juntian’s name, his grandfather’s attitude had changed instantly. This meant Gu Juntian must be truly capable.

He had indeed investigated Gu Juntian, but learned only that he had dropped out after middle school and stayed at home for over a decade. He had no idea what Gu Juntian had been doing in that time.

For all he knew, Gu Juntian could have been self-teaching programming and become a famous programmer.

As these thoughts flashed through Zhou Lin’s mind, the Xiuxian event continued.

During the event, Zhou Qinghao took the stage to talk about Qida Technology’s achievements over the past two years, as well as Xiuxian’s data over the same period.

He also revealed details about the new Immortal Realm expansion, and mentioned that the game would be improved in many ways with this update.

Finally, he thanked Gu Juntian for providing technical support.

Meanwhile, the Xiuxian game had finished updating.

Players logging in found the overall game to feel more realistic, with a better experience.

Qida Technology hadn’t been lying.

According to their announcement, this was possible because of Gu Juntian’s technical support.

“Those people on the forum were just talking nonsense.”

“They even claimed Zhou Qinghao was giving Gu Juntian money to keep him… when it’s clearly a collaboration.”

“I always thought that didn’t make sense. Who embezzles funds by directly transferring money from the company account to their lover?”

“Qida Technology is a big company. They have rules!”

…

Before long, the old CP fans popped back up. “Emperor Tian and Qing Tian Bai Ri are such a shippable pair.”

“Two handsome guys! So nice to look at!”

“They’ve been whispering to each other this whole time!”

…

Gu Juntian had no idea about any of this.

Zhou Lin, however, had been keeping an eye on things. He couldn’t resist sending Little Sheep a message: “Didn’t you say Gu Juntian can’t do anything? This Xiuxian update is supposedly led by him!”

Little Sheep also realized something was wrong.

Emperor Tian wasn’t quite what he had imagined.

In the previous life, could it be that Emperor Tian had quit the game not because his true identity had been exposed, but because he was fed up with them?

Maybe he had pretended to be poor on purpose, borrowed money from people, then left when he realized no one in the game truly cared about him.

Back then, Little Sheep had dumped him immediately upon learning he had no money.

If he hadn’t done that, could he have become the boyfriend of a CEO, living in luxury?

The more Little Sheep thought about it, the more he regretted it. At that moment, Zhou Lin got a call from his grandfather.

The old man called him out and gave him a severe scolding.

Gu Juntian was now a national treasure. If not for Zhou Qinghao’s ability to make him deeply attached, Gu Juntian wouldn’t have attended such an event for them.

And Zhou Lin had the nerve to stir up trouble at a time like this—it made him furious!

Especially since he hadn’t known about this at first—it was someone from the government who had discovered it and contacted him, making him rush to clean up the mess…

“You don’t have even a tenth of Qinghao’s ability!” the old man said.

He knew Zhou Qinghao had deceived Gu Juntian and had been worried that Gu Juntian would be angry upon learning the truth.

But after seeing Zhou Qinghao, Gu Juntian hadn’t been angry at all—his gaze had never once strayed from him.

That second grandson of his really had skills!

From his grandfather’s words, Zhou Lin picked up on something different.

His grandfather valued Gu Juntian highly—he was even more capable than Zhou Lin had thought.

Whether it was genuine ability or an extraordinary background, Zhou Qinghao must have known about it from the start.

No wonder Zhou Qinghao had suddenly started an online romance—there had to be another motive!

After thinking it over, Zhou Lin sent Gu Juntian a text message: “Do you really think Zhou Qinghao truly likes you? He knew your identity in advance and approached you on purpose. He doesn’t like you at all—he’s just using you to seize the Zhou family inheritance!”

Gu Juntian: “???” What was there to use about the original fat liar?