MTL - Disaster For the Country · Return Journey - Chapter 23 really first

I became the childhood friend of the protagonist in a novel. The childhood friend who died from taking drugs.

Pei Jiu picked up a girl by the riverside. He settled her on the mountain, and planned to send her back once she recovered. This delicate girl was a useless crybaby, so Pei Jiu had to be a nice person. He cooked her food and washed her clothes. He let the troublesome girl ride on his shoulders so she could pick fruits. During winter, he would warm up the bed for her. One day, she hugged Pei Jiu’s arm with a smile. “Big Brother Pei, you’re really an honest and a good man. I will marry you and give birth to your babies!”

Pei Jiu eyed her critically and scathingly enumerated her shortcomings. She was ignorant and spoiled. She only knew how to pester and flirt with people all day long. Give birth to babies? Go ahead, give birth to caterpillars.

The delicate girl bawled so hard that she passed out. The next day, Pei Jiu returned to his mansion and told his servants to prepare for his wedding ceremony. When he returned to the mountain in the evening, Pei Jiu opened the door as usual, but he found that the cheeky girl had disappeared. He searched the whole mountain for her to no avail. No one would act like a spoiled brat in front of him anymore. What a headache.

Note : 娇 (jiāo) : tender/delicate/pampered/spoiled

- Description from Novelupdates

He has been abandoned by his clan.

He has been considered waste from his childhood but he is a “Peerless Genius”.

His father with the help of another person has sealed his Dantian to stop him exposing his exceptional talent but after his rebirth, he becomes the most dazzling star of the continent. However he faces crisis and difficulties as his Dao goes against the Heaven’s will.

Overcoming everything, eventually he achieves the highest boundary “The God of War”.

- Description from Novelupdates

In a world where black holes, magical talents, and formidable hunters form the fabric of everyday life, Ethan Cross—a freshly graduated student with an uncertain future—once believed he would lead an ordinary existence like everyone else. However, everything changed when he awakened a seemingly feeble and inexplicable ability known as “Coexistence with Darkness.” No one took his talent seriously—until a catastrophic dimensional rupture unleashed terrifying creatures known as the “Demons of Corruption” upon him.On the brink of death, the pendant he had inherited from his father suddenly activated, summoning three dragon girls—beings of unimaginable power, yet with complex and rebellious personalities. Cursed in the past and trapped within that pendant, these three dragons have now become inexplicably bonded to Ethan. The twist, however, is that they neither recognize him as their master nor believe he is worthy of such a union.Now, Ethan must unravel the mystery of the darkness within him, learn to control his burgeoning powers, and find a way to tame these proud dragonesses—forces that could either aid him in his quest to conquer the underworld or lead to his ultimate downfall.A power that no one had believed in has become the key to mastering the shadows. Can Ethan harness it without being consumed by the darkness?