The Sword Dynasty - Volume 8, Chapter 44: Madman

Lao Chen was just an old, underpaid security guard in a rundown apartment complex, living a miserable life under a stingy, ungrateful boss.His wife left him, his daughter wanted nothing to do with him, and poverty was his only constant companion.In the end, death came in the form of a drunk driver, leaving him broken and forgotten on the cold pavement.But fate wasn’t done with him. In his final moments, he prayed—desperate, pleading to any deity who would listen.And someone did.The God of Wealth and Love took pity on his wasted life and granted him a second chance.Wake up again as Zhao Yiming, a 25-year-old gambler and alcoholic drowning in debt with nothing but a good face and a strong body to his name, he was given the Affinity Money Maker System—a mysterious power that let him gain wealth and influence by forming relationships, whether as lovers, friends, or even enemies.Before he knew it, he had stumbled his way into unimaginable riches.But things never go as planned. One moment of recklessness—one affair with the wrong woman—led to an unexpected murder.Now, the system has thrown him onto a new path: The Villain Route. With a negative perk that keeps the police off his trail but tightens the noose around his future, Zhao Yiming is faced with an impossible choice.Will he claw his way to the top and become the billionaire he was meant to be? Or will his second life end behind bars, just as tragic as his first?

Lu Chen woke up to find himself participating in a live-streamed creative competition show!Contestants were tasked with creating works based on themes given by the show.When the theme ‘Countryside’ was announced, other participants quickly began crafting heartwarming rural stories, tales of pastoral love, and picturesque depictions of harmony and simplicity.Lu Chen decided to take the road less traveled—he wanted to blow the audience away!He chose ‘Operation Icebreaker’ as his inspiration.At first, the audience thought they were getting a story about rural development. But as the plot unfolded, something felt… off.A village of 20,000 people, every household with the same type of large pot, and a full-scale drug production operation?The internet exploded.[Countryside theme, and you’re writing about a drug-making village getting rich together?]The producers were in chaos.We said countryside! What’s this Taizhai nonsense?Lu Chen, unfazed, replied, “Director, rural anti-drug campaigns are a countryside theme. Now, are we sticking to the theme or not?”And thus, the Master of Sticking to the Theme was born.Given the theme Fishmonger, he wrote The Legend of Gao Qiqiang.

A thousand years ago, a Rain of Evolution fell, and the world entered the Era of Evolution.Animals, plants, and humans all gained the potential to evolve into higher-level life forms.However, the human method of evolution is unique; they must absorb the extracts of higher-level life forms to complete their evolution, and each time they absorb an extract, they also acquire a skill from the extract's original owner.Absorb the extract of an “Undying Salamander” and gain the ability of limb regeneration;Absorb the extract of an “Iron Armor Oyster” and possess a flexible gender;Absorb the extract of a “Forest Giant Cockroach” and transform into an unkillable cockroach;Su Ze has come to this world, but before he can begin his evolution, he must solve his life-and-death crisis.“My name is Su Ze.”“I originally thought I had transmigrated and become a scion of a powerful official, but I never expected that I was just his clone, a scapegoat for him to escape punishment, a tool used for him to fake his death and get away.”“What's worse is, I'm scheduled to be executed tomorrow, but my cheat has not yet arrived...”

After three years of hidden marriage, she has always been well-behaved and obedient, and she never made a fuss when she saw him having an affair with others.

On the day he Bai Yueguang returned to China, she silently handed over a divorce agreement.

He asked in a cold voice, “Why, do you have someone you like?”

She smiled lightly: “Yes, if you don’t admit that I am your wife, someone will always admit that I am his lover.”

Later, she was recognized by the Xie family and became the daughter of the Xie family that even he could not afford.

Seeing her doing well among men, Gu Jinmo realized that the love roots she had planted in his heart during those three years had already grown into towering trees, imprisoning him for the rest of his life.

- Description from novelbuddy