One, the actual male lead is not a scum gong, and is actually very sweet and self-sacrificing. Like Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the tr*sh Bin, the scum gongs are simply there to be abused and to learn from their mistakes. The main character, Qiao Xuan, doesn’t get back together with any of them.

though he does develop his own OP-ness by the end.

The emperor was a figurehead without power, while Rong Xuan was the sickly grandson of a court minister. Rong Xuan’s family secretly supported the emperor, Xiao Lu. The empress dowager and her brother, General Zhenguo, discovered the Rong family’s support, so they exterminated the entire family under false charges. Only Rong Xuan managed to survive. Xiao Lu wanted to send him away for his protection, but Rong Xuan wanted to see the destruction of his family’s killers, so he convinced Xiao Lu to let him enter the palace harem under a new identity. While he was in the palace, the two slowly fell in love.

Qing Xun was born into a typically miserable life as a villager under the harsh rule of the devil cultivators. He was taken to serve in the devil sect, and since he had a rare pure yin physique, he was chosen to be the sect leader’s furnace. Enjoying fine clothes, good food and affectionate treatment for the first time in his life, he quickly grew attached to his master. However, Bai Cang brought him to another sect leader and traded him for a thousand-year-old blood vine.

Despite the love and care he received from the sect, he had a bad aptitude for cultivation, and was only interested in eating and playing around. His father brought home a disciple with exceptional talent, Jiang Weiqing. Qiao Xuan and Jiang Weiqing fell in love and became cultivation partners. However, with his profound talent, Jiang Weiqing wanted to ascend, while Qiao Xuan was unable to. Faced with the threat of eternal separation, Jiang Weiqing killed his partner.

The villagers later sacrificed him to the demon king, but the demon king, Xue Ming, was surprised by his lack of fear for death, and spared his life. Qiao Xuan ingratiated himself with Xue Ming as a s*ave, and moved into his cave. After living peacefully together for a while, an immortal lady appeared at the cave, wanting to cross the border on her way to the underworld. Apparently having some relationship with the woman, Xue Ming insisted on accompanying her, and his s*ave refused to be left behind.

One day, he found a man lying wounded before his house, and took him in. As he cared for the stranger, Ye Siluo, they slowly fell in love. After Qiao Jiayu’s older brother was met with bandits while traveling and ended up comatose, Ye Siluo took more of a role within the family, becoming the right-hand man of Qiao Jiayu’s father. Meanwhile, the Qiao family faced further attacks; it seemed like there was someone working against them behind the scenes.

Huo Ping’s island was conquered by a devil cultivator, and he and his sisters were taken as s*aves, then separated. Suffering in the lowest level of society, Huo Ping secretly became a demon cultivator, then overthrew his master. He eventually found his sisters, but they had already been turned into soulless servants. He changed his name to Huo Chou and began conquering islands himself. While on his warpath, Huo Chou came across an ethereally beautiful monk, and took him in as a pet. The monk was bent on saving him, but Huo Chou had already lost all hope in the goodness of humanity.

Xiao Pei, the son of the current emperor’s favorite concubine, was suppressing the benevolent crown prince, Xiao Liang. Qin Mu was determined to fight for the crown prince’s cause and participate in saving the realm. Along the way, he met a rogue cultivator, Lu Chen. The two became friends, while Qin Mu developed a slight crush on him. However, Lu Chen warned Qin Mu that if he continued on his current path, he was sure to die.