Volume 1, Chapter 45: Do Not Fear Me, Qingqing

Xu Qingning had no idea how things had ended up like this. The two of them had simply wanted to sneak out for a quiet date, after which Pei Xi would walk her home.

The moment the water came into contact with the fire, it produced a massive explosive sound. The flames subsided for a split second, only to flare up with even greater fury.

Hearing this information provided by Ye Jinmu, Xiao Moshan looked at her with a gaze brimming with undisguised scrutiny.

Lin Xi crept closer to the corner. Upon reaching it, she poked her head out and discovered a door ahead, with a bright chandelier hanging in the corridor outside.

At least back when Ye Jinmu was masquerading as Mu Ye, the only ones who knew this secret were Ye Xuan and Ye Wan.

"How could you possibly know that?" Chiyou had no reason to be aware of rumors from the outside world, as such knowledge would require real-time monitoring of Earth. According to Xiao Yu, ever since the founders of the Qin Dynasty departed this place, all communication with the earth had been completely severed, let alone any awareness of legends concerning them on earth.

Turning around, the young man continued walking forward, his figure growing increasingly blurred until he vanished from sight entirely.

"Why?" Now it was Gao Fei's turn to be stunned. He stared at Ning Xiaofei in utter astonishment, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"Liu Shitao, the thirty-sixth generation successor of the arithmetic lineage, was ousted as head of the family by his cousin three years ago and went on the run after being hunted down, eventually seeking refuge here in Taoyuan Village." Old Man Wu recounted Liu Shitao's background fluently and in great detail.

Even Ning Xiaofei, who was usually rather slow to pick up on such things, noticed that something was amiss. Lowering his gaze once more to look at the fluffy creature that still lacked the courage to lift its head and meet his eyes from its shyness, Ning Xiaofei's expression grew deeply, deeply complicated.

Meanwhile, Xu Yun opened his eyes. He had simply ignored the incoming call and switched off his phone.

If the person he pushed forward failed to resolve the issue, his seat would hardly be warm before he met the same fate as Lei Shaoyu and Ding Daiwei. Forget about holding down the fort at the Public Security Bureau by then; he wouldn't even keep his current position. Who would be willing to take that kind of risk?

"Sakato, let's step back a bit, or we'll get caught in the crossfire." Vitaliga flew onto his shoulder and said to him.

For someone in the Eternal Realm to contend with the Non-Void Realm was an overwhelmingly difficult task, to say nothing of facing an opponent at the absolute peak of the Non-Void Realm.

"You all should slowly withdraw from your cultivation; otherwise, you won't even know how you died when the time comes." As soon as Qingyou finished speaking, quite a few people withdrew from their meditative state.

Another muffled, thunderous roar echoed from the towering Mount Nicie, followed by the sound of something shattering. Midway up the mountain, a protruding section of rock—as if cleaved vertically by a massive cleaving blade—broke away and plummeted straight down.

Lingyang Jitong, with his slender figure, raised his knightly lance and charged directly toward Li Wei. A brilliant radiance emerged from the tip of the lance. Even though there was still some distance between them, Li Wei could already feel the formidable threat emanating from the weapon, yet he remained confident in his own offensive capabilities.

It was evident that both of them were naturally lively by nature; their gloomy demeanor had merely been the result of external influences.

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"Is this what you call good news?" Looking at this visibly thrilled, foolish son of his, Tchaikovsky genuinely felt the urge to slap him dead on the spot.

Remo quickly employed an illusion technique he had acquired back in the Forgotten Lands to resist the hallucinatory spell clouding his mind. The illusions before his eyes instantly vanished, while his sea of consciousness grew even stronger.

Recovering his wits, Mai Jicai flared into a rage, looking up at Tuolei, who wore a look of utter dejection due to his failed throw. When Tuolei met Mai Jicai's beast-like glare, he froze completely, sensing that Mai Jicai truly intended to kill him.

Had Tang Luo not given her special treatment last night, she probably wouldn't even have been able to walk today after such a night of madness.

One had to know that the pain of alcohol invading an open wound was not something ordinary people could endure. Wuzi was only human, and when his pain reached a certain threshold, even he could not resist it. Under an agony that surpassed even the pains of childbirth, Wuzi ultimately... finally passed out.

I once heard my grandfather say that in ancient times, the completion of the tombs of emperors and generals also marked the death sentence for the craftsmen who built them.

Thus, Remo made his decision instantly: "Vivian, do you trust me?" Remo gripped Vivian's shoulders tightly, gazing directly into her eyes.

"No way, once a person dies, everything is gone. We must both seek our return and ensure our own safety; striking a balance between the two is the true path." No matter the occasion, Blue Fox always habitually ruined the mood, which was how he earned his moniker as the mood-maker.

The sharp-faced man had wanted to hurl an insult as well, but upon seeing the bald man's miserable state, he didn't dare utter a single curse.

With that, she turned and walked toward Xing Tianyao, clearly having no desire to deal with Xing Junsheng any further. Watching Huangfu Rou gracefully approach him with a trace of worry on her face, Xing Tianyao felt a weight lift from his chest when he saw she was completely uninjured. Those who had been locked in mortal combat just moments before had somehow split into two distinct groups.

Lü Chao happily took the wooden box and reached out to open it, only to hesitate once more. He suspected that Shanhua might have rigged another one of her contraption boxes, planning to spring a sudden, indefensible trap the moment he opened it, just like last time.

"When did Sister arrive? Why didn't you give me advance notice so I could go pick you up?" As she spoke, Shanhua closely observed every subtle movement of Wu Rongyan, even sensing her calm heartbeat as they touched, but ultimately discovered nothing out of the ordinary.

"You're quoting classics at me now, but if you won't agree, why don't you find a way down yourself? Otherwise, I am definitely not letting go." Ding Jiuxi remained obstinately unyielding.

"I don't care for that remark of yours. Do you think people's industrial products and goods just fall from the sky? Did we not have to open our wallets when making purchases in Europe and America? If Commander Ding from the Northeast hadn't provided us with equipment and technology, could we manufacture airplanes, tanks, semi-automatic rifles, and other military hardware?"