After the Beast Emperor left, the entire hall relaxed noticeably. Everyone started casually sizing up those around them, chatting, “exchanging ideas,” and such.
Gu Bai sat there expressionless, watching the spectacle of a hundred kinds of behavior, feeling a bit bored.
Since everyone was just window dressing anyway, did they have to be so serious about it?
This feeling of “everyone’s drunk but I’m the only sober one”…
Then, Qiguan Rui escaped via a “pee break.”
That’s right, he used the excuse of needing to take care of something personal and temporarily left. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to greet Noyce, asking him to look after his beloved (hint hint) and not let anyone bully him.
Noyce naturally agreed, so amidst his busy attempts to please Zhu Ning, he still occasionally glanced over to check on Gu Bai.
Gu Bai didn’t pay any attention to it.
He was just wondering… why hadn’t male lead no.2 come back yet?
Damn, was this really a pee break or a poop break? If the former, was his kidney okay? If the latter, was his chrysanthemum okay?
The fact that his mind kept circling back to this question was a bit concerning.
But for some reason, Gu Bai’s heart was starting to feel uneasy.
It was like something expected yet unexpected was about to happen.
That kind of premonition, how to describe it?
Indescribable…
Qiguan Rui turned into a little snake.
That’s right—even though Cecil’s shell was far inferior to a Sky-Swallowing Mystical Python, he could still slowly “borrow” some of the abilities. With this beastman body, he could perform a portion of divine powers.
That alone was already enough.
Like, say, the ability to change size—just perfect.
Qiguan Rui rifled through his memory for the plot, quickly locating where the Beast Emperor should be now. Conveniently, Cecil’s original self had been familiar with the palace, making it easier for him to track the Beast Emperor down.
So just a bit ahead, he really did find him.
The Beast Emperor had transformed into a massive lion, bearing forty-nine raw stones on his back. The entire lion seemed as if cast from molten gold, glittering and magnificent.
—If not for his weary eyes, who would guess he was already a dying arrow at the end of its flight?
Unfortunately, fate no longer favored this Beast Emperor.
In the original novel, Zhu Ning found the life-extending magic stone for him. But when the Beast Emperor tried to absorb its energy, he failed. Not only did it not add to his lifespan, he tried to use Zhu Ning and several other stone-gamblers as sacrificial offerings, which backfired—turning himself into the offering.
The stone’s energy was absorbed entirely by Zhu Ning in a twist of fate, and because Zhu Ning nearly exploded during the process, most of the energy was transferred to a frantic Noyce who had rushed to his side…
The result? The Beast Emperor’s scheming deepened the bond between Zhu Ning and Noyce, and Noyce leveled up in a flash to a level-ten beastman! His power soared dramatically!
But this time…
Qiguan Rui arrived.
When the Beast Emperor appeared, Qiguan Rui instantly transformed into a giant python the height of a ten-story building and opened his jaws—yep, they were big.
The lion and all the raw stones on his back were swallowed in one gulp.
Roughly three seconds later, the giant python went “pfft.”
What came out was the corpse of the now lifeless lion…
The whole process took less than thirty seconds. The Beast Emperor was gone.
Qiguan Rui shrank back into a little snake and slithered deeper into the palace.
There lay the imperial harem…
Half an hour passed.
In the Beast Emperor’s harem—thirteen females, five sub-beastmen, plus the Beast Emperor’s children—three male beastmen, one female, and one sub-beastman, all of whom had been especially summoned to reunite today—all of them died to the little snake’s venomous fangs.
The harem became a land of the dead.
Anyone with the Beast Emperor’s bloodline, anyone loyal to him, was wiped out in this brief span of time.
A mountain of corpses piled high on a large cart, which Qiguan Rui pulled along with one hand, slowly walking forward.
Behind him trailed many palace beastman guards, including elite soldiers who were unwilling to lay down their lives for the Beast Emperor.
Every one of them looked upon Qiguan Rui with overwhelming fear.
They couldn’t even tell what level this terrifying man was—they only knew that every time they tried to raise their weapons, they were crushed by the pressure of his bloodline, forced to bow their once-proud heads and dared not move.
Now, they had all switched allegiance to this ruthless Duke.
They knew a brutal purge was coming.
From now on, the highest seat in the beastman kingdom would undergo a dramatic change.
As for the lingering question—just what level was this monstrous man—no one dared to ask.
Gu Bai sat at the banquet table expressionless, internally restless.
Had male lead no.2 fallen into a toilet or something?!
Wasn’t this imperial palace supposed to be safe? Why wasn’t there any word back…
This frustration built up, and seeing Noyce and Zhu Ning exchange glances (not really), he almost wanted to set them on fire!
Just as Gu Bai was stewing in it, suddenly, the nobles around him began to stir.
Noyce’s expression turned serious. He immediately stood up and called out: “Carlo!” grabbing Zhu Ning’s hand.
Gu Bai: The double standard between a protagonist shou and a background shou…
But he understood—whatever it was, it wasn’t a minor thing.
For his own safety, he had to—
Before he could finish that thought, he saw what had happened.
From outside the hall, a man slowly walked in.
He had stunning looks, peach blossom eyes glowing, a smile like a spring breeze, a composed air, and a flawless image…
If one ignored the cart he was dragging.
And the towering pile of corpses atop it.
In an instant, many recognized them.
“T-That’s His Majesty!”
“The Third Prince!”
“Two, Five, Six… those princes—”
“That’s Lady Lan! And the Empress!”
Right. Everyone understood.
People had died—a lot of people.
The royal family was wiped out!
The nobles were stunned. They never imagined this would happen.
The terrifying aura radiating from the man pulling the cart made a horrific truth dawn on them.
The empire… was changing hands!
Noyce and Zhu Ning stared at each other.
Gu Bai felt like if his facial muscles hadn’t failed him, his whole face would be a giant 囧.
Was this really male lead no.2?!
Did he transmigrate into the wrong story?!
Qiguan Rui casually flung the cart aside and took his place atop the Beast Emperor’s former throne.
His aura surged and climbed—level ten, eleven, higher!
The nobles couldn’t take it anymore. One by one, they roared in submission, prostrating themselves before the new king!
From this moment on, he was their emperor!
—Who even remembered the Beast Emperor’s little “game” anymore?
Noyce was utterly confused: Since when did Cecil have such power? Strange…
Zhu Ning: Well, at least the new emperor is someone I know.
As for Gu Bai…
He suddenly had two thoughts flash in his mind.
First: Damn it, how was he supposed to chase him now—it just got harder!
Second: …What happened to the plot?
A year later, although the Beast Emperor had changed, the main couple’s love and revenge storyline from the novel progressed steadily.
If anything changed, it was that the new emperor gave Noyce more power, and Zhu Ning’s enemies were more thoroughly crushed.
Qiguan Rui and Gu Bai were still together. Qiguan Rui lived in the palace, and Gu Bai lived there too.
Gu Bai kept awkwardly pursuing Qiguan Rui, while Qiguan Rui restrained his desires, wanting to receive more “love” from his gege.
So… was this dungeon arc really over?
One year passed. On a dark and windy night.
Qiguan Rui finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He wrapped Gu Bai in his arms, their noses almost touching, eyes meeting.
His voice was tender beyond words:
“Gege, do you really not remember me? It’s been so long, and you still haven’t recalled… I’m Xiao Shan, the one you named ‘Gu Shan.’ I’m the Qiguan Rui you personally wrote into life. Do you really… not recognize me?”
“I’ve endured for so long. I’ve missed you for so long…”
“Gege… can’t you remember Xiao Shan?”
Right then, Gu Bai felt a stabbing pain in his head.
It was as if an overwhelming amount of information exploded inside his brain, nearly bursting it open!
“Gu Shan…”
“Xiao Shan…”
“Qiguan Rui…”
“My… protagonist?”
Gu Bai’s eyes suddenly brightened. But the next second, the pain intensified!
His vision went blank, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely.
Put simply: information overload, system crash.
Bluntly—his brain couldn’t hold it, so he died (temporarily)!
Qiguan Rui’s expression froze: “Gege—”
Behind him, a terrifying black python revealed its true form.
Three years later, all was settled.
Noyce held Zhu Ning in his arms, staring at the giant crater where the palace once stood, a deep sorrow in his eyes.
Zhu Ning had taken his revenge, and he and Noyce were now in love. He sighed, full of affection for Noyce.
They didn’t know what had happened that day—
Suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion rang out across the land.
As a powerful beastman, Noyce saw it with his own eyes: a giant snake that could overturn the world appeared from nowhere.
Then came the palace’s violent quake, and a huge black crack split the sky.
Noyce didn’t dare approach, but he saw Cecil—the Beast Emperor—holding the body of his beloved, already dead before the catastrophe hit, being drawn toward that massive rift…
Then, they vanished from this world.
Was Cecil still alive?
No one knew.
Noyce hoped so—but he also understood Cecil’s feelings.
If it had been Zhu Ning… he wouldn’t want to live alone either.
From then on, every year on this day, Noyce would come here to mourn his only friend.
A year later, Zhu Ning would come too.
They would never forget.
That deeply affectionate, gentle Cecil.
That dazzling, fleeting, once-in-a-lifetime stone-gambling genius.
Little Pink Starfish 
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