The Master's Task

"Do you think there are such coincidences in this world? Or would you rather believe you're a Heavenly Mandate stallion than consider... whether someone has already prepared a Perfect... toy box for you?"

Dongli Cang felt a chill creep up his spine, and his scalp tingled slightly. "What... do you mean?"

Shui Huaimeng lowered her eyes and remained silent, her fingertips slightly curled.

The uncontrolled lightning in Dongli Cang's hand exploded, and he suddenly grabbed Shui Huaimeng's wrist with such force that he almost crushed her bones, his voice squeezing out from between his teeth:

"Explain!"

Shui Huaimeng looked up, a strange smile appearing on her lips.

Are you ready... to hear the truth behind this world?

Meanwhile, in the plaza outside the headquarters.

"Come on! Line up! Everyone, stay focused! Don't rush!"

A man wearing a conspicuous green hat stood on a makeshift platform, shouting through a megaphone; his voice echoed across the empty square.

"Waaaaah..."

"Go and stop her!" The man pointed in a direction, and soon the crying stopped.

I've brought everyone here today mainly to prepare for a performance! It's urgent, we need to start right away!

"Everything! Is for! Saving the world!"

"Does anyone have any questions now?"

Looking around, below the stage, a dark mass of over a thousand men, all wearing green hats, stood silently, the atmosphere eerie and strange. One of them raised his hand.

"Isn't this a bad thing to do? The chief will definitely kill us!"

"No, this is him." The man on the stage first shook his finger, then pointed to the top of his head.

"But..."

"Stop fucking complaining! You've already come all this way, and the benefits are right in front of you, what more could you want?!"

"Listen to my orders! Unleash the most passionate energy you've ever had! Remember the gesture the director made when he came out! 3! 2! 1! Warm-up!"

"The Great Yong Beauty Ranking... has never been just a list. They are the private possession of a certain being. That being's terror is such that none of the deeply entrenched, thousand-year-old families of Great Yong dare to covet the people on the list in the slightest."

She was still smiling, a smile that made Dongli Cang feel nauseous. He swallowed hard, his throat tightening.

"Wh... what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the Great Yong Beauty Ranking is nothing more than a ' Stardew Valley that someone has created personally."

"Huh?! But... but they're all innocent!"

"Modern society has a complete set of technological solutions for this."

"Who... is that person?" Dongli Cang felt his brain buzzing, as if he were in a nightmare from which he could not wake up.

"An otherworldly being who has already descended upon this world." Shui Huaimeng slowly uttered two words, "He calls himself... a 'mage'."

"Another world?!" Dongli Cang couldn't hold back. Wasn't he the mastermind? Where did this other world come from?

"Are you crazy?" Dongli Cang looked surprised and thought for a long time before suddenly questioning Shui Huaimeng.

Shui Huaimeng shook her head, took out a stack of photos, and kept more than a dozen in her hand.

Dongli Cang's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He took the stack of photos, but his gaze was fixed on Shui Huaimeng's face.

Shui Huaimeng turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

His hands trembled even more as Dongli Cang lowered his head to flip through the photos.

It was a posture and tension that pushed the limits of human imagination. Dongli Cang saw many familiar bodies and... the appearance of a strange man.

A flash of lightning, and the photograph was charred black.

"This... this... this..." Dongli Cang suddenly seemed a little bewildered.

"It's so blurry, is it photoshopped?"

As we all know, photos can't be photoshopped, so this must be real.

Shui Huaimeng simply smiled, but clutched the remaining photos tightly in her hand.

Of course it's photoshopped. Where would they find the photos of that monk? But these are photos forged by the best photographers in the Great Yong Dynasty.

Do you think you can fool them? Those photos of the bodies are real; they just photoshopped the monk's face onto them.

Moreover, Shui Huaimeng didn't lie to Dongli Cang at the beginning; few beauties at the top and enjoying great fame are truly untainted.

This isn't a novel.

The so-called "Great Yong Beauty Ranking" consisted of only a few of the most distinguished and noble families; the others had long been playthings of various aristocrats, hence the photographs...

As I've already said, this is the Great Yong Must-Eat List.

This is the cruel truth.

"System, are these photos photoshopped?"

[No]

The system's cold voice finally extinguished Dongli Cang's previously anxious heart.

He sat back on the sofa blankly, stunned for a moment, and suddenly wanted to laugh. His lips twitched a few times, but it looked worse than crying. Then, a huge wave of bitterness and grievance surged into his nose.

I, Dongli Cang! Director of the Superpower Management Bureau, savior, Beast Tide Nemesis, human supreme, system owner, the mastermind behind everything... been cuckolded?

No... it's okay... it's okay... at least, at least there's still...

Dongli Cang looked at Shui Haimeng with hopeful eyes.

He was greeted by Shui Huaimeng's evasive gaze and the photos she was trying to conceal.

He reached out for the remaining photos with a blank expression, but failed to snatch them.

Dongli Cang looked at the almost torn photos and Shui Huaimeng, who was clutching the remaining photos tightly.

There are people here you absolutely don't want to see, and I have one more question... Will you still love me?

Dongli Cang pried her hand away and looked at the photos; in front of him were the photos of the top ten beauties on the Beauty Ranking.

To his great relief, Di Yubing was not there.

But when he flipped to the last page, he was stunned.

In an instant, it felt as if all the blood rushed to my head and was then instantly drained away!

Mom!

His mother...

Are the truly capable always the ones who are outdone...?

He was so angry that his mouth and eyes twisted into a crooked shape.

Is this true?

[Real]

"I love you so much... I'm even willing to reveal all this cruelty to you..." Shui Huaimeng's voice suddenly became mournful and pitiful as she gazed tenderly at Dongli Cang was completely frozen in place.

"Now... are you still willing to accept me?"

Dongli Cang felt as if he had been torn into countless pieces.

He raised his head blankly, looking at Shui Huaimeng's tearful, pitiful face.

He hesitated, like a puppet on a string, and slowly raised his hand to place it on her head.

Should we... accept this?

In a daze, Dongli Cang accepted Shui Huaimeng's embrace and kiss.

After the kiss, she smiled, a strange look on her pretty face.

"All of this is Master's task~"