Volume 1, Chapter 41: The Vengeful Red-Scaled Serpent

Jun Feiyu took the tea she offered, his lips twitching slightly. A faint glint flickered in his serene, lonely eyes as he looked at the person before him, though his mind was flooded with nightmarish imagery.

He did not know when such scenes had become commonplace at the Chang family assemblies. It was the first time in two lifetimes that Xiu Qiqi had witnessed such a thing. She turned to look at Chang Guanyan with an inquisitive gaze. Chang Guanyan nodded, confirming that she had seen correctly; this routine had indeed become prevalent within the Chang family over the past few years.

Thinking of her son’s illness and the prospect of them wandering the streets in the future, Li Jingui felt a surge of sorrow and could not help but weep uncontrollably.

Once Gao Huaiyuan had finished unloading the carriages and horses from the official vessel onto the pier, the ship was immediately ordered away to make room for other craft. The attendants and boatmen who had accompanied them all received generous tips from Gao; they departed with profuse expressions of gratitude. Meanwhile, Gao Huaiyuan was immediately met by those waiting to receive him.

Gao Huaiyuan did not intend to beat around the bush with Zhang Lin; it was too exhausting. Being in the position of strength, he felt it better to cut to the chase and hear Zhang Lin’s thoughts directly.

She gazed with watery eyes at the two men, who were about the same height as her father and looked identical. She reached out and tugged at the hem of the man who appeared more amiable.

Only by severing the past between them could there be an end. Perhaps it was cruel, but it was the cleanest and most decisive method.

If anyone else had spoken to her in such a manner, she would have turned and walked away, but she could not do so with the man before her. He was a former relative, a dear friend, and once the lover of Li Lianyi.

How could he do this? He was his own flesh and blood! How could he treat him this way? Had he not considered what his circumstances would be after saying those words? Mu Heng felt profound distress.

After roaring, Zhou Liangping was no longer as angry. He lit a cigarette and began to puff away.

Perhaps because it was the rainy season, the sky gradually darkened. Rolling black clouds swallowed the sunlight, signaling that a heavy downpour was imminent, and the bustling crowds slowly began to disperse.

***

Dark Moon glanced at Xu Feng and said with visible dissatisfaction, "Fine, I will go back to rest now. Sister Jian, come with me." With that, she pulled the bewildered Bai Jian toward the interior.

It is said that once a lie is told, it requires countless others to cover it up. To avoid exposure, Jin Yuanbao had no choice but to venture further and further down the path of fabrication.

The heavens and the earth were filled with a wild arrogance, a crushing pressure that declared, "I alone am supreme between heaven and earth."

This was also what I found strange about the death livestream: it targeted only netizens from this city, so we shared a common language in the chat, and I never feared that the other party would not understand what I meant.

However, man proposes and heaven disposes. Not long after someone entered the territory of the Golden-Winged Roc tribe, he immediately sensed the sounds of battle ahead. Judging by the fluctuations of elemental energy, he surmised that one side was the demon race, while the other was, surprisingly, human cultivators. This piqued his curiosity: could these cultivators also be here for the fragments?

Xu Long nodded without a word and turned to lead him toward his father’s bedroom. Even before entering, he could smell the thick scent of medicine at the door, and his mood instantly sank. Upon entering the room, he saw his father lying on the bed beneath a heavy quilt, his breathing shallow.

My stomach suddenly growled, and I realized that I had been "dead" for a few days—which meant I hadn't eaten in days.

Chu Haotian looked dejected. He hadn't found the fragment and had been scolded by Ying Luan on top of it; he was in a foul mood.

"The money can be wired to Young Master Miao's account at any time, but before that, I need to see Qi Yurou and Helen!" After a pause, Liang Chen continued.

No one cared why the fire-creature had appeared, why it had merged, why it was attacking them, or why Qin Lin and his two companions were missing. None of these questions mattered as much as preserving one's own life.

However, things had to change. If they didn't, the one in the sky would be right on top of them.

***

Lan Fan apologized, then opened the leather bag in his hand, took out a photograph, and handed it to Ye Ziqing.

Roars, explosions, and the clashing of weapons reached the ears of the soldiers. They knew the battle had begun, and it was brutal. Some were terrified, others were excited; it was truly a mixed bag of soldiers.

The spring day was warm. After a full meal, it was easy to feel drowsy. Before long, Pang Xu, that glutton, could barely sit steady in his chair, incessantly chugging chrysanthemum tea to keep himself alert.

As the man finished speaking, the bell rang, and the classroom erupted into enthusiastic applause, just as it did every time. Since this man had arrived at Suzhou University, every session of his Western Modern Economics course was packed to capacity, and the students’ spontaneous applause at the end was always long-lasting.

It was unlikely that the remnants of Mailer could have reached the Imperial Preceptor of any nation. Even if they had, they would have reached the Preceptor of the Lant Empire. And this Yue Feixi was certainly not from the Lant Empire, or else she would never have allowed those merchant guilds to auction off her kin right here.

Lin Meimei felt very happy tonight. With no parents or elders by her side, she laughed and played uninhibitedly with her friends. Her state of mind, which had been fragile and shaken by the appearance of Luo Han, miraculously grew strong again after the man who had been manipulated onto the stage by Xixi sang a song for her.

Xi Hua, you must—how could you be so focused? Are you really going to observe the stone with a magnifying glass?

But I had already learned the truth. What role could Ren Qiang’s life or death play in this now?