Little Pink Starfish

Back when I was setting up the story with some logic, I decided that Tian Du City was actually managed by the elders. The original city lord, Ziche Xiong, only cared about cultivation, so all the city’s affairs and power naturally fell into the hands of the elders. Ziche Xiong himself was merely a figurehead, an idol set up to ensure the city’s security with his presence and force.

Ziche Xiong didn’t care about any of this. To him, as long as he had enough cultivation resources, everything was fine. So when Ziche Shubai took over Tian Du City, he became just like his father—nothing more than a symbol.

But Gu Bai was different.

If he hadn’t realized that he had transmigrated into his own novel, he would have been more than happy to be a lazy freeloader. Not having to worry about anything and just enjoying life sounded fantastic! (≧▽≦)/

—But the reality was that if he didn’t get things in order, the moment the protagonist arrived in Tian Du City, he’d definitely be looked down upon. And what usually happened to those who looked down on the protagonist?

Haven’t we seen countless cannon fodder in web novels get beaten or even wiped out just for offending the protagonist?

Gu Bai absolutely did not underestimate how overpowered his protagonist could be. He had to be extra cautious.

So, in order to subdue the power-hungry elders, the fifteen-year-old Gu Bai knew he was too young to command respect. He decided to constantly exude an imposing aura, paired with a perpetually cold and emotionless face to at least make himself look the part.

As an otaku, Gu Bai had no clue how to manage a city. But as the author of this novel, he knew exactly how arrogant the martial artists here could be—this world didn’t operate on logic at all.

So, he implemented the following measures:

Refuse to hand over the account books? Beat them up!
Try to use seniority as an excuse? Beat them up!
Refuse to promote new talents? Beat them up!
Still keeping useless parasites around? Beat them up!
Disobey orders? Beat them up!
Gather people to pressure the city lord? Then beat them up completely!

To sum it up, Gu Bai only said one thing: If you’re not convinced, fight me.

After getting beaten up one by one, all the troublemakers finally settled down.

For the older ones who were unwilling to step down but had deep connections, Gu Bai didn’t bother too much. He simply had them recommend younger family members, then promoted the useful ones and kicked out the useless ones. He also recruited passionate young people from the city, giving them opportunities to rise quickly. With both force and incentives, these people became utterly loyal to him.

A few years later, most of the capable officials in the city lord’s residence were young people. The ones who remained were either obedient or genuinely talented. Gu Bai also took some top-tier martial arts techniques from his father’s private stash and passed them down selectively, cultivating a group of loyal followers with steadily growing power.

But even all of this wasn’t enough to make Gu Bai so cold and expressionless.

The real reason was that he had taken lives.

An otaku had never encountered blood before. But after Ziche Xiong’s death, all sorts of people came to take advantage—some trying to invade the city lord’s residence, some using underhanded means, and some even hiring assassins after losing too many benefits. All of them came for Gu Bai.

At that moment, it was either them or him.

Gu Bai was terrified of dying. That’s why he stayed far away from the protagonist, why he trained so hard, and why he forced himself to overcome his psychological barriers.

So, he killed.

And now, after eight years, the number of people he had killed had reached dozens.

But Gu Bai wasn’t a bloodthirsty maniac. Knowing something was one thing, but actually doing it made it impossible for him to remain indifferent.

Keeping a cold face all the time was no longer just for maintaining authority. More often than not, he had simply forgotten how to smile.

After his first kill, Gu Bai had nightmares for several nights in a row. In the end, he comforted himself with some twisted logic.

For example: I wrote this book. If not for me, these people wouldn’t exist in the first place. I’m just taking back their existence, so I’m not wrong.

Or: These people are just 2D characters. I haven’t actually killed a real person.

And so on.

After a long time of convincing himself, Gu Bai finally calmed down.

Yes, since he was already here, he had to follow this world’s rules. The past and the present were different.

Except for the people he cared about, everyone else should just be paper figures to him, not real living beings.

Once he mentally separated himself from his surroundings as if they were in different dimensions, he no longer had nightmares. At most, he would feel a slight discomfort.

Unknowingly, Gu Bai had truly become the lord of Tian Du City. He had also grown accustomed to life here.

The citizens respected him. He worked hard at cultivation and had become quite powerful—now a high-level Wu Jun, two realms stronger than the original Ziche Shubai in the novel.

But just as he thought everything was stable, he encountered a woman as explosive as a bomb. At the same time, he suddenly realized that he was already twenty-three years old.

And twenty-three was precisely when the first major climax of the story began.

Doing a quick mental calculation, the protagonist should be at his lowest point—crippled by his enemies, fallen into the mud, and mocked by everyone for his past arrogance. In many people’s eyes, the protagonist had no hope of making a comeback.

Thinking about this, Gu Bai felt a little nervous.

He had done a lot of preparation, but he was still worried about maintaining the plot’s consistency. Of course, he absolutely wasn’t going to steal the protagonist’s fiancée. But the protagonist might still arrive at Tian Du City dressed in plain, shabby clothes.

Gu Bai clenched his fists in his mind: My citizens, this is the time to test your character! And the gatekeepers, you better not judge people by their appearance, damn it!

Afraid of alerting the protagonist, Gu Bai hadn’t dared to investigate his whereabouts. Instead, he placed all his hopes on the loyalty and good manners of the guards he had personally trained for years.

He refused to believe that, after all this time, there would still be problems!

With everything set, Gu Bai allowed the maids to dress and groom him.

That’s right—dress and groom.

As the city lord, he couldn’t completely refuse his subordinates’ goodwill. Today was the birthday banquet they had prepared for him.

That day, Tian Du City’s city lord’s residence was exceptionally lively. It was the birthday of the current city lord, Ziche Shubai.

City lords from nearby martial towns and influential figures from major clans all came to celebrate.

—After all, a young city lord who had already reached high-level Wu Jun at twenty-three—who wouldn’t want to curry favor with him?

Not to mention, they had another purpose for coming—this city lord was still unmarried, with not even a single concubine.

At the hour of Si-Mo (before noon), the banquet was about to begin.

Inside the grand hall, a hundred tables were filled with exquisite dishes.

Even the well-traveled guests couldn’t help but marvel at the city’s overwhelming wealth. Those with ulterior motives made even more calculations in their hearts.

The attendants were all handsome young men, and the guards were strong and good-looking.

The atmosphere was overwhelmingly masculine, reinforcing the rumors that the city lord was a martial arts fanatic who avoided women entirely.

But the next moment, their perception was shattered.

A fragrant breeze filled the hall, pure and refreshing. White petals drifted down from above, turning the grand hall into a celestial scene.

Outside, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Four stunning women in flowing white robes flew in, each holding a long silk ribbon carrying an ornate throne.

Seated upon it was an extraordinarily handsome young man—Ziche Shubai.

Expressionless, noble, and untouchable.

And as Gu Bai overlooked the crowd, he thought emotionlessly:

Damn, I really am ridiculously handsome!