Volume 1 Chapter 23: Yan Saibei

"You have not forgotten to tell me, though you do not say it, I know you love me from the very first glance you give me each day." Why must some love be expressed through those three vulgar words? He understood everything about her, and naturally, he knew her heart that loved him.

Up ahead, An Ran pressed forward without the slightest hesitation, searching for an exit from the temple while remaining vigilant of her surroundings.

For a long time, the leadership of the Nine Cities of Huaxia had upheld the philosophy that to lead the gifted and win their trust, one must set an example. The Heavenly Fox had achieved this, but the price was his life.

After Duanmu Hao finished speaking, he glanced at Han Jingxuan and turned to leave. An Bo offered a meaningful smile before following him.

To prevent Zhang Qian from becoming a demonic vessel and to save Mo Xiaoxiao's life, Zhou Yi, Xu Zhenhao, and I consulted and decided to use the tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain to draw out Yu Shun, the apprentice of Nati.

Because there were few participants, the practical combat matches for this entrance examination would only use the central arena. Yao Beibei did not care about this; she only needed to keep in mind her two opponents and the two opponents of Bai Ziming.

Jin Yunmo knew what tomorrow’s newspapers would write, but she did not care how she was portrayed. What she cared about was how severely the reputation of the Mo family would be tarnished. "Duanmu Hao, you should thank me; at the very least, while I seek my revenge, I have also brought you quite a few benefits."

Mo Yi tried to steady his emotions, then, with trembling arms, picked up Tao Siyue and carried her back to his car, driving toward the hospital.

Maintaining one posture for a long time is exhausting, yet Xing Shaoming had not moved a single inch, holding that position the entire time.

He was the prince raised by the Empress Dowager herself, and could be said to be the hope upon which the Empress Dowager pinned her aspirations for the resurgence of her maternal clan, the Du family.

Since all three of them were at the quasi-Marquis level of cultivation, what could be more important to them in this world than obtaining the Blood-Vitalizing Pattern Pill?

Yet, such manufacturing rankings would at most remain outside the top twenty, struggling only for the lower twenties.

***

"Then have us both treated at the same time. You lot, use this time to adjust yourselves," Feng Chen commanded.

What else could he say? Zhang Jun, feeling utterly stifled, could only force a dry laugh and thank Li Yang.

He knew how terrifying a frenzied hermit crab could be. Yet the human before him had taken the initiative to attack, blinded it, and managed to escape back.

Even if he had been foolish before, he was not so dim-witted as to fail to understand this simple logic. Furthermore, they did not have much silver left on them, so how could they possibly pay them?

In their view, betting on Jiang Tian was a guaranteed loss, and the odds for Wang Lei were too low to be worth the trouble.

Although the Northern Qi never mastered gunpowder production, they utilized their strong technical reserves to manufacture large quantities of high-quality iron armor, horse-slaying swords, giant axes, and other heavy weapons. Combined with their abundant human resources, they armed a force of at least twenty thousand heavy infantry.

"What about these people?" Zhang Zhigang gestured toward the men sent by Song Chaoshen and Huang Jiaxi, as well as those belonging to Feng Shiyun.

The mayor was bewildered and had no chance to speak before a cold, sharp blade pierced his chest, aiming straight for his heart. A surge of hot blood rushed upward; his heart felt like a punctured balloon. Before the pain could even register, his breath failed, as if an old film had been suddenly cut short.

Qing Yue and the others rushed over upon hearing the commotion, but by the time they arrived at the scene, a crowd of pilgrims had already swarmed the corridor.

The gold bricks were truly no ordinary items. Chaozi was both shocked and delighted, thinking he must snatch one to take back later.

Suddenly, Qilong Hai thought of Qilong Song and couldn't help but chuckle. With neither himself nor his grandfather around, he wondered what his cousin was doing now, though he was surely being bullied quite a bit.

Qi Xuan gasped, his throat raspy. Not daring to speak, he nodded at Tang Jian, then took the Cinnabar Mark and left.

***

"Unfortunately, I am not as gifted as you. I still need to continue my studies at the academy." Lin Mo was a card crafter and not suited for the path of gym challenges.

Li Mu pondered for a moment before making a decision. The most important thing when tracking a criminal is to ensure one's own safety. Once he knew who the mastermind was, even if he lacked the evidence to arrest them, he could avoid them and not be so passive. Then, once his strength was sufficient, he could deal with them directly.

Su Mo sneered inwardly. From then on, she did not say another word for the rest of the journey. Except for when she first met Shang Qi, she had never been so cold and distant.

Upon hearing Qingbao's concerns, Fang Qingyue smiled triumphantly. "It's fine, I've already handled most of it." She then recounted the plans she had been laying for the past year.

"Young Master Ye, perhaps we should retreat. Your safety is of the utmost importance. Our family has a Suzhou-style estate not far from here that I've already had cleared out. If you don't mind, we can continue our conversation there," Su Xiaoxiao interjected.

But now, the fire spirit above his head felt like a death warrant, leaving him without a shred of joy.

Here, the four of them lay in wait, while three hundred meters away, before three cave entrances, Castle Master Feng, Liehuo, and Bing began to discuss their strategy.

"I dare, why wouldn't I? A 5-3 win, right? If it's not won that way, it doesn't count, right?" Su Can wore a sunny smile. If that was the case, he only needed to win one more round to secure the 100 million dollars.