Chapter 1

In the dead of night, on the sea, a luxurious cruise ship drifted slowly.

Inside the cabin, the lights were dazzling, and the atmosphere was lively.

The deck, however, was quiet and dim, with only the sound of the waves.

A blonde girl with blue eyes sat alone by the railing, gazing at the moon faintly shrouded by a light cloud.

She exuded a cold aura.

Her exquisite features, snow-white skin, and fiery figure, along with her wavy, voluminous hair... everyone knew she was a stunning beauty.

But few knew that she was a notorious female assassin in the world of killers—Blood Rose.

Even fewer knew that in one minute, she was about to carry out her mission to assassinate today's target.

And at that moment...

"Knock—knock—knock—"

Footsteps approached, and an ordinary-looking, harmless-looking young Asian man walked over.

Judging by his attire, he was a waiter, holding a small, exquisite wooden box.

He walked up to the girl, smiled somewhat naively, and said, "Miss, a gentleman asked me to give you something."

The girl frowned but didn't pay much attention.

With her looks, she was already used to such pick-up lines—and she was completely immune to them.

In her view, a man who didn't have the courage to approach her himself wasn't a real man.

Waving her pale hand, she said indifferently, "Take it back or throw it away."

"The gentleman said that if you see what's inside, you won't refuse," the young man smiled, opening the wooden box.

The girl was getting impatient.

She had encountered such situations too many times—those young, wealthy men always thought that showing off expensive gems and diamonds would make any woman obediently lie in bed, not knowing that her fee for one mission was many times more than what their entire families could afford.

She raised her hand to push the wooden box into the water, until—

She saw what was inside the box.

It was a diamond.

Wasn't that common?

But the diamond was at least the size of a quail's egg.

That was very uncommon!

It was entirely translucent and blue, emitting a lustrous glow, beautiful and dazzling even in the dim environment.

"Ocean Heart?" the girl couldn't help but exclaim.

She couldn't possibly be wrong, because this was one of her mission targets!

Kill the target, get the Ocean Heart—this was her mission.

Uh—

No!

How could this thing be here, in the hands of a waiter?

The girl instantly became alert, and as she sprang up, her left hand flipped out, revealing a sharp, dark dagger. However—

"Did you notice? Unfortunately, a bit too late."

The young man's naive smile had vanished, replaced by a mischievous grin. His hand, which had somehow already reached her shoulder, suddenly tapped a spot on the back of her neck—

The girl's vision went black, her body went limp, and her consciousness quickly faded.

"For an assassin, carelessness is always fatal."

"Filo, I've already killed him. I have to take his head back to complete the mission. I'm sorry. As compensation, I'll give you the Ocean Heart."

"Don't thank me, I'm Lei Feng."

Hearing the last few words in a daze, the girl finally fainted.

—

When she woke up again, it was already the next morning.

The girl found herself lying in her room on the cruise ship.

From the window, she could see that the ship had docked, and most of the passengers had already disembarked.

On the bedside table, the small wooden box was open, and the blue diamond was emitting a soft glow.

Recalling what had happened yesterday, the girl's eyes filled with a complex expression.

But soon, her face showed a mix of frustration and indignation.

She was a proud girl.

Proud enough not to allow herself to be so easily defeated!

"That guy... no matter who you are, I will find you! And then, I will kill you!"

But she didn't realize that her words were somewhat weak, and her resolve to kill wasn't as firm...

...

A day later.

In China, on a misty mountain, there was an old wooden house.

Inside the house, an old man sat with his legs crossed, smoking a pipe.

Yang Tian walked in with a bundle and threw it in front of the old man.

"Thud—thud—"

The old man glared at Yang Tian, "You brat, you're getting more and more unruly."

As he spoke, he opened the bundle and the wooden box—inside was a bloody human head!

The old man looked at the gruesome head but only pursed his lips, "What about the other thing?"

"I gave it away," Yang Tian shrugged, looking innocent.

Three black lines appeared above the old man's head, and he couldn't help but yell, "You wastrel! Do you know how much that Ocean Heart is worth? It could buy you so many steamed buns!"

"Damn, so expensive? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Yang Tian exclaimed in shock.

The old man sighed, "Forget it, forget it. I didn't expect you to bring that thing back anyway."

The old man stood up, walked to a cabinet, took out a stack of paper, and placed it in front of Yang Tian, "Rest for the night, and prepare to go down the mountain tomorrow."

Yang Tian was stunned, "Hey! Old man, you can't do this! I just got back, and we agreed that after this mission, I would retire and live on the mountain, eating and drinking for free, with steamed buns as a bonus. You can't be so unfair!"

The old man smiled slyly, "I did say you could retire, but I never said you could stay on the mountain and live off the land. We only have you as a male descendant. How can you expand our lineage if you don't go down the mountain?"

"Expand the lineage? What the hell is that?" Yang Tian was confused.

The old man chuckled and pointed to the stack of paper, "Take a look."

Yang Tian looked down and was stunned.

"Marriage contract."

The two large characters were so dazzling!

Yang Tian widened his eyes and opened the document—

It was indeed a marriage contract.

And the groom was him, Yang Tian, while the bride was a name he didn't recognize...

"Hey, wait. What's below this marriage contract?"

A few seconds later, Yang Tian was stunned again.

There were three marriage contracts.

The brides' names were different, but the groom was always him, Yang Tian!

"The old men in Tianhai City once owed me a life-saving favor. As a return, I asked each of them for a marriage contract, agreeing that if you agree, you can choose their granddaughters!" the old man said proudly.

"Damn, what era is this? You're still arranging marriages? I refuse!" Yang Tian shook his head firmly, showing himself to be a noble, kind, and principled young man.

"Huh? Refuse?" The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You can refuse, but I have to remind you that their granddaughters are all genuine beauties."

"Pfft, so what if they're beauties? I'm not falling for that!" Yang Tian sneered, showing his disdain.

The old man's smile froze, almost choking.

This brat actually didn't want the beauties!

Sighing, he realized he had to use his ultimate move.

"What if I told you that their families have an endless supply of steamed buns?" the old man said.

"Deal!"

Yang Tian immediately threw away his principles.

...

Over a decade ago, on a snowy and stormy night.

A hungry, pale-faced little boy was leaning against a trash can by the wall, almost starving to death.

Through the window, he could see a warm family inside, with the faint aroma of food and a sense of warmth.

But it had nothing to do with him.

It only made him hungrier, colder, and even more disoriented.

At some point, someone appeared in front of him and handed him something.

It was a steamed bun, still warm from the snow and wind.

It was the best thing he had ever eaten.

And the most expensive food he thought existed.

But he never ate it again after that, because his master took him up the mountain.

Until now...

Indeed, the only thing that should never be wasted is a steamed bun!