Volume 1, Chapter 40: Refusal

"Lord Yan, I only wish to live a peaceful life." Cheng Xi refused directly.

"The people of the Golden Capital all wish to live peaceful lives," Yan Yu looked at Cheng Xi and said slowly, "but I fear that is not easy."

"What do you mean by that, my lord?"

"The Dean of Qinghe Academy claimed to be traveling abroad, but that is not the truth. The seal between the two realms has loosened, and Dean Jiang went to reinforce it, only to be ambushed and injured by demonic entities. Tiantuo is now beset with dangers and is in dire need of talent. Why must you hide your light, Miss Cheng? You were able to identify the poison of the blood-gu parasite at a glance; if you join the Demon Suppression Pavilion, your future will be boundless."

"Lord Yan, since you have come to find me, I assume you have already looked into my background..."

"I had originally said Uncle Yuan was unfortunate, that your master would have someone to care for him in his old age, but looking at it now, Uncle Yuan’s early passing was perhaps a blessing. Zhu Da, it is not easy to survive; you must live well!" The knight surnamed Li sighed, patted Zhu Da on the shoulder, and departed.

"Referee, why is one person missing?" Looking at the contestants around him, Shikamaru could not help but ask, clearly remembering that nine people had passed the preliminaries.

Wang Haoxue’s lips trembled; it was clear he was about to buckle under the immense pressure. Indeed, when push came to shove, our dear Fatty Wang still lacked the nerve.

Upon seeing Lan Zhishui, the arrogance on Lan Zhiao’s face vanished instantly. As the strongest individual in the Ming-Shui Kingdom and a pillar of the Lan estate, Lan Zhishui’s presence commanded a level of awe that no one else present could match.

"Boom!" Various forms of phantom energy struck toward Yu Wei. Naturally, these people had their own selfish motives; every death was one less rival. With the palace right before them, who didn't want to be the first to enter?

When Zhu Da and his companions settled down, it was still quiet outside, but after dinner, when many had already retired, the outside world became as chaotic as a riot, with the sounds of crying, cursing, and hysterical shouting reaching everyone's ears.

Upon receiving the news, King Wang Yan of Shu could not sit still. The disparity in military strength was too great; the state of Shu was simply no match. With no other options, he could only seek help from the monks by his side, hoping for the support and assistance of Buddhism.

Xing Tianyu gave his staff a forceful shake, and a golden beam of light sliced the Shadow Realm creature in two.

* * *

Was she not right? Her lineage was nobler than Le Bing's, her reputation better, her beauty more striking, her strength superior, and her talent greater. Moreover, she possessed power, status, and wealth.

Perhaps I should change doors, or perhaps I shouldn't be opening these stone doors at all. That’s right, why must I open these stone doors? He was jolted by a sudden chill, as if he had snapped out of some strange, alien emotion.

After Zhou Botong left the mortuary on horseback, seeing that the day was still young and feeling anxious about Ma Congyi’s affairs, he let the sedan chair follow behind while he strolled slowly with his hands behind his back.

Yuzhi had never heard Lin Jia be so courteous to anyone else, even addressing him as "Third Brother," and the fact that the man was thanking Lin Jia for saving his life led her to guess that this "Third Brother Han" was likely Han Zhaoyang, the third son of the Crown Prince's tutor, Han Li, and the Magistrate of Yunzhou.

After fetching the meal, Yuzhi, Qingcha, Xiangcao, and Xiuyun arranged the dishes on the Eight Immortals table in the east wing. Only then did they go to invite the two first-class maids, Shui Lian and Shui Xing, along with the four second-class maids, to have breakfast.

But looking into Emperor Yongtai’s earnest eyes, Lin Jia pondered for a moment. With the help of Eunuch Ding, he loosened his belt, removed his brocade robe, and pulled back his white silk undergarment to reveal the wound on his back, kneeling on one knee before the Emperor’s feet.

According to the young soldier, operations like theirs were conducted periodically to collect supplies while rescuing trapped survivors. After all, in such a harsh environment, the chances of survival for a lone survivor were extremely low if they did not band together.

Seeing that Xia Han remained silent, Chu Fan assumed she had recalled something unpleasant and decided not to press her, instead shifting the conversation to other matters.

Although it was somewhat humiliating to admit that his son was disappointed in his lack of ambition, he felt that such a description was perfectly apt.

I pointed toward the translucent figure not far away. An Ning looked in the direction of my finger with a bewildered expression.

Seeing that Sun Hong was genuinely furious, and noticing the disapproval in the eyes of the captain, Ge Lei, and Luo Fei, as well as the cold expression on Su Jin’s face, Shan Rou felt even more resentful. However, she said nothing more, sitting down with her back arrogantly turned toward the table, as if she didn't want to see certain people.

In this world, there are always too many people who don't know what's good for them until they've suffered a bit. In this light, at least these people would be much more obedient now.

Threads began to multiply around his body, spreading outward and continuously slicing through the bodies of the venomous snakes; disgusting snake blood and various fluids splattered everywhere.

* * *

Leaving the hospital, Huang Jiajie dismissed Yang Yi and his men, sat on the sofa for a while, and began making phone calls.

As if trying to make up for the deficits of the past few months, Gan Yu exerted herself every day, relentless and unyielding.

It is a sad truth: the wealthy are already rich, yet they find it easier to become even wealthier. This is why people often say that going from zero to one million is much harder than going from one million to ten million. The poor have no money to invest and must mostly rely on their own labor to earn enough to subsidize their household expenses.

"..." Haidern remained silent once more. At this moment, Ralf finally reached Haidern’s side, intending to assist his superior, but Haidern pushed his subordinate away and eventually left the arena under his own power.

Originally, Chang Shengzi had forced Su Yao to abdicate her position as Sect Leader to Hai Wuyah. Though she said nothing, she remained unconvinced at heart.

Then, the familiar sound of engines appeared, and more transport ships began to land. Squad after squad of the Imperial Guard joined this holy battle against the demons. Following that, the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus joined in; this time, there were not only massive Titan mechs but all sorts of other weaponry and equipment.

From the common Great Waterfall Technique to the Exploding Water Colliding Wave and the Violent Water Wave, these techniques were all of the same nature. Their primary purpose was to provide the user with a favorable environmental advantage.

Since he no longer had to worry about his night stream disturbing Chen Qingluo’s rest, Chen Qingfeng streamed until eleven-thirty.

While waiting for the 200-meter medal ceremony to begin, Li Dai entered the system, eager to see what kind of rewards he would receive this time.

Because, although the strength of the Bai family was not quite equal to that of the Meng family, that did not mean the Bai family was afraid of them.