Strike Down Your Beloved First

[Preorders: "After Transmigrating into a Book, I Pin the Big Shot Down in a Fishpond," "Nontraditional Scum and Their Victims [Quick Transmigration]," and "Underworld Online [Infinite]. Please add them to your collections~ Blurbs at the very bottom~ The next book will be a Quick Transmigration story.]

One day, the Sword Sect's leader received a secret manual. Ten golden, shining characters were written on it:

"To attain the Great Dao, first slay the one you love."

The Sword Sect's leader: I understand.

First, he would find a lover, then get killed by that lover. That way, he could sacrifice himself to the Dao, while his lover would achieve the feat of attaining the Dao by killing their spouse. Together, they could ascend to immortality.

Two birds with one stone!

He looked at the fox demon lying on the bed and asked solemnly, "Would you be willing to form a bond with me?"

Fox demon: ?

*

A young master in the Hehuan Sect received a strange manual. It said he had to slay the one he loved first.

Young master: ...

After much thought, he packed up all his belongings and secretly went down the mountain under cover of night.

The Hehuan Sect's manual contained a technique called "Lotus Slays Dragon," but he had neither real-world experience nor a beloved. If he wanted to cultivate the Great Dao, he had to go down the mountain and gain experience.

He took a fancy to a wealthy young master and pretended to be a delicate, helpless flower who had fallen into the pleasure trade. Clingy and coy, he begged to go home with him.

But the other man turned out to be the Demon Venerable.

He laughed wildly and whispered in his ear, "Young master, you can't take it back this time."

*

The Great Elder of the Medicine Sect furrowed his brow. He felt someone was messing with him.

Who would give someone a thing like this as a birthday present?

Slay the one you love first? How? Slay myself?

He and the one he loved shared one body and two souls. It had taken a great deal of effort to develop a formula to separate them and give his beloved a body of his own. Now they wanted him to destroy it all and start over? What a joke.

"If you don't like this body, just say so. Don't go doing all these strange things." The Great Elder threw the manual to the ground and sulked.

Second Elder: ???

Though he had no idea what he'd done wrong, he still had to kiss and soothe him.

The two stood together like a pair of twin lotuses.

*

The Heavenly Dao was invaded by unknown data and driven into a state of madness, so it decided to destroy the Three Realms.

So it gave three chosen ones a secret manual. Only by killing the one they loved could they attain the Dao and ascend to immortality.

Later, these three chosen ones happened to meet.

The Sword Sect's leader, holding the fox demon's hand: ...

The Hehuan Sect's young master, dating the Demon Venerable: ...

The Medicine Sect's Great Elders: ...

Why were everyone's partners still alive and well?

Heavenly Dao: Bunch of hopeless romantics. I'm done.

*

A series of connected episodes, in the order shown above. Each episode reveals part of the main story's background.

Mutual pampering, both leads are each other's only one. Narcissus romance warning!! Narcissus romance is the best!!

2021.7.3

*

Preorder 1: "Nontraditional Scum and Their Victims [Quick Transmigration]"

In his hundredth year working for the Scum and Victims Department of the Quick Transmigration Bureau, Rong Fei was finally promoted to department head and began a laid-back retirement.

But the world consciousnesses decided that since every other department had modernized, the Scum and Victims Department should keep up with the times too. They demanded that the department reform, so its scum could be different and its villainy could shine in new ways. They even provided a bunch of their own unfinished minor worlds.

Reform? How? Wasn't pouring your heart out and giving your life to someone enough already?!

Since he was such an outstanding department head, Rong Fei led by example and entered a brand-new minor world to work (and slack off). Everyone tearfully saw him off, praising him as a good boss.

Rong Fei: ***!

*

[Campus Romance]

Everyone knew Rong Fei was madly in love with Gu Qing. They knew the two had been childhood friends for twenty years, and they knew Gu Qing now stayed out all night and had grown tired of him.

Rong Fei: I never loved him.

Gu Qing: *** Who started that rumor? My wife ran off! You're going to make it up to me!

*

[The Abandoned Pearl in the Palm]

Rong Fei was a spoiled young master who threw his weight around. He had the greatest sect in the cultivation world backing him, and his older brother was the strongest Immortal Venerable. He grew up in luxury, carefree and without a worry.

Later, he met his rival, a domineering protagonist. The two fell into a love-hate relationship and eventually married.

Only at the very end did he discover that it had all been a carefully planned deception.

Rong Fei: I've made peace with it.

Domineering protagonist: QAQ

*

[The Canary]

Those who rely on their looks to please others lose their beauty, and then lose their love. The Gu family's master had doted on his canary for ten years, but now the canary had been kicked out of the Gu household with only a few dozen yuan to his name.

Rong Fei: Better to rely on yourself than on anyone else.

Gu family master: Where's my wife? Where's my one-and-only wife?

--

Preorder 2: "After Transmigrating into a Book, I Pin the Big Shot Down in a Fishpond"

Gu Changqing woke up one day and discovered that he had transmigrated into a book.

He had entered an extremely steamy, melodramatic romance novel and become a beautiful musician with slender fingers and a boneless grace.

According to his Heavenly Dao father, he had to avoid the original ending, then get killed so he could attain the Dao, ascend to immortality, and return home.

Gu. Foolish Beauty. Heavenly Dao's Darling. Changqing: ...?

What?!

*

In the original story, the beautiful musician was a playboy.

He was entangled with a general, a Grand Tutor, and a State Preceptor. In the end, the villainous Emperor Qi Che appeared out of nowhere and executed him on the spot, running him through the heart with a sword under the pretext that he was a reincarnated demon.

Fortunately, when Gu Changqing arrived, the story had only just begun.

He decided to lie low, avoid flirting with these men, and be their good friend instead. That way, the friendships could last and he could stay alive.

So...

On Mondays, he went horseback riding, hunting, and fruit-picking with the general;

On Tuesdays, he watched the stars and moon with the State Preceptor and talked about poetry and literature;

On Wednesdays, he brewed tea, cooked wine, admired flowers, and looked at paintings with the Grand Tutor;

On the remaining days, he wandered here and there, and soon captured the hearts of everyone in the palace.

But later...

The general gripped his throat and demanded to know what was going on between him and the Grand Tutor;

The State Preceptor pressed his cool fingertips against Gu Changqing's red lips and casually asked why he wasn't wearing the ceremonial robe he had given him;

The Grand Tutor brewed tea and painted with him, admired flowers and the moon with him, then, unable to contain his feelings, asked for a title. He also casually asked why Gu Changqing had spent the previous day alone with the State Preceptor.

Gu Changqing: ...Damn.

Why did this plot feel so damn familiar?

*

Countless men and women in the Zhao court fell for Gu Changqing, causing chaos throughout the capital.

The emperor, who had watched it all, couldn't help pinning him down on the imperial bed. With a string of cold laughs, he said, "You even dare to toy with me? How bold!"

Gu Changqing's eyes reddened. "What, Your Majesty? Are you going to kill me?"

Was the day he would be killed to attain the Dao, ascend to immortality, and be welcomed back to the Heavenly Palace finally here?

Qi Che paused, kissed his forehead, and sighed helplessly. "How could I bear to?"

Gu Changqing lay there like a corpse.

He was tired. He was numb.

*

The Lord Emperor returned from his tribulation. Before he could finish absorbing the memories of his soul fragments, the hall doors were kicked open.

Gu Changqing leaned against the doorway and smiled faintly. "My lord, do you like your cuckold's hat?"

The Lord Emperor fell silent for a moment, found a clean spot on the ground, and dropped to his knees.

*

?

*

"Underworld Online [Infinite]"

After finishing his shift at work, impoverished college student Lin Xi received a flyer.

"Ding-dong!

Since its launch, Earth Online has sold trillions of copies and received a flood of praise. It has won first place in the Most Beloved Game by All Species in the Universe Awards!

To thank players of all species and address issues such as early deaths, low birth rates, and a lack of gameplay variety, we are now proudly launching the upgraded version of Earth Online: Underworld Online!

Here, you can experience the joy of real ghosts, witness the courage and wisdom of all species as they face natural and man-made disasters, and enjoy even more thrilling chase scenes after transforming into different species!

You can also discover NPCs such as kind, beautiful, weak, and easy-to-bully poor workers; aloof and noble college students; and wealthy young masters with mysterious backgrounds!

What are you waiting for? Hundreds of millions of dungeons await your exploration!

P.S. Don't underestimate the NPCs!"

Lin. Poor Worker. College Student. Mysterious Background. Xi: ...?

What?!

*

It turned out that there was a second world after death.

Unfathomable ghosts, strict and bizarre rules, scheming, and bloody murder were its eternal themes.

The top-ranked player, "Stranger," was known as a dungeon-destroying machine who killed gods when gods stood in his way and killed Buddhas when Buddhas stood in his way. Countless players worshiped him as a god, seeing him as their hope of returning to the normal world.

And Hope himself was constantly entering dungeons. Rumor had it he was looking for a special NPC.

Lin Xi angrily tore down the missing-person notice. "I've told you, special NPCs can't be romanced!"

*

It was a long time before Lin Xi learned the difference between the two worlds. "Huh? You don't have ghosts or mutant rabbits over there? That sounds so boring... No, I mean, so safe."

Under his lover's confused gaze, Lin Xi flashed his signature sweet smile: innocent and adorable.jpg

Theme: Keep your hopes up for tomorrow.