In a Mary Sue novel, readers all adore the second male lead, The Lord, who loves only the heroine and is willing to give up everything for her, while the heroine loves only the main lead who torments her both physically and emotionally.

Readers: Why on earth doesn’t the heroine like The Lord?!

The Lord: I want to know too. More importantly, I want to know why I like her.

With self-awareness, The Lord sets out to figure out why the heroine doesn’t like him, and ruthlessly interviews every character in the novel.

Supporting characters: I have something to say, but I don’t know if I should say it.

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After obtaining the book, The Lord also discovers that after he dies saving the heroine, his originally loyal and silent subordinate, the fourth male lead James Walker, turns dark and insists on dragging the heroine to die with him.

The LordEdward Morgan: James Walker, I really want to know, why do you want to kill the heroine?

James Walker is silent.

Edward Morgan: If you don’t speak, I’ll cut out your tongue and use it as a drinking snack.

James Walker: ……

Edward Morgan: Why the hell are you blushing?!

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Chapter 1: The Divine Book Descends

At the main headquarters of Xuanyuan Sect, The LordEdward Morgan had been in seclusion for seven days. The door to his room was tightly shut, and the food and water delivered daily by his subordinates remained untouched. No one knew what profound technique he had comprehended this time.

Mr. Turner, who was in charge of the sect’s affairs, was in a dilemma. The Lord had gone into seclusion without any instructions, and he didn’t know when the Lord would emerge, whether he had truly mastered a new move or advanced in cultivation. Should he prepare a celebration or not?

The LordEdward Morgan was not one for extravagance and had always disliked formalities. But if the Lord’s power had advanced, at the very least, he should instruct the disciples to wait in the main hall for Edward Morgan to emerge, congratulate him on his advancement, and look forward to Xuanyuan Sect’s future dominance in the cultivation world.

After much thought, Mr. Turner finally decided to seek help from the sect’s Left Protector, James Walker. As the Lord’s confidant, James Walker had interacted with the Lord before his seclusion and should be the one who understood Edward Morgan’s intentions best.

For seven days, James Walker had stood guard outside the cultivation chamber, dressed in black, his face cold as frost. He was a man of few words. After hearing Mr. Turner’s concerns, a rare blankness appeared on his cold face, making him look a bit lost and helpless.

Short in stature, Mr. Turner looked up expectantly into James Walker’s eyes, waiting for his instructions.

James Walker’s lips moved, and he squeezed out a few words: “No need for now.”

“Huh?” Mr. Turner was stunned. “I heard that seven days ago, the Lord obtained a manual and immediately went into seclusion. The Lord’s cultivation has not broken through for years, and there are few techniques that catch his eye. Now that he’s in seclusion, isn’t it likely he’s about to break through?”

“I said no need, so no need.” James Walker said coldly. A flash of sword light flickered from the long sword in his hand, and Mr. Turner dared not ask further, hastily withdrawing.

After he left, James Walker glanced at the tightly closed door behind him, his cold expression turning to confusion.

Seven days ago, the Lord did indeed obtain a book. Everyone else thought it was a manual, but only the Left Protector James Walker, who was closest to Edward Morgan at the time, caught a glimpse of the book’s title—“Tortured Love: You Are My Unchanging Only One.”

The title alone nearly gave James Walker a toothache. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like a cultivation manual. Even the most melodramatic romance novels written by worldly scholars had more literary merit than this title.

At the time, James Walker thought Edward Morgan would just burn this nonsense, but to his surprise, the Lord opened the first page, glanced at it, sighed deeply, and then took the book into seclusion.

A worldly romance novel, worth The Lord’s careful reading for seven days?

The longer James Walker stood guard outside the Lord’s door, the more complicated his feelings became.

One must know that this is the cultivation world, which cannot be compared to the mundane martial world. The martial world is a place where ordinary people, through training and all sorts of means, become slightly stronger than average. No matter how high their internal energy, they are still at the acquired stage—at best, strong enough to kill a wild beast with a single punch. The cultivation world, however, is a level above the martial world. Cultivators transcend the mundane, using various methods to pursue immortality, and their power surpasses the acquired stage of martial artists, reaching what is called the innate stage.