Volume 1, Chapter 62: The Deceived Affection

Ruohua was even silently wondering how this person managed to scrape together twenty taels of silver just to enter the Yihong Pavilion, guessing the money might have come from less than savory means, perhaps even selling children into servitude. After all, a man would do anything just to spend a single night with the courtesans of the Yihong Pavilion. Having drifted through the world of pleasure for many years, Ruohua had long since seen through the cruel realities of this era.

Seeing that Ruohua was now seated firmly, Liu Feng immediately produced a one-hundred-tael banknote, slapping it down onto the table with a sharp crack.

"It is quite simple: you shall go with him, and this silver will buy your freedom."

Miss Ruohua trembled slightly, her hands continuously rubbing against her thighs as a turbulent storm of mixed emotions raged within her chest. The banknote before her eyes was a genuine one hundred taels—this was far beyond a mere twenty taels...

Yet soon after, I realized something was terribly amiss. He kept laughing, smiling incessantly, and the laughter grew increasingly hysterical until he finally threw his head back and roared with laughter toward the heavens.

Lord Shen bowed and backed out of the chamber. As he walked through the grand hall, he pondered deeply: what on earth was His Majesty trying to figure out?

Up to this point, I had discovered numerous suspicious items among the belongings carried by everyone. For instance, why did Yi Wu bring a bottle of sleeping pills? Why was Extra carrying such a massive empty chest? Why did the beauty in Jiangzhir's picture look so terribly familiar? And why was Bubu dragging along a heavy stone stele?

Having returned home in his company through that torrential downpour, I had taken a hot bath and enjoyed a peaceful, dreamless sleep all night, waking up feeling thoroughly refreshed and vigorous.

By the time Liu Xuewei's intravenous infusion was finished, it was already the deep of night. Given that she had fallen asleep again, there was no way she could return tonight. Zhou Zixi chose not to wake her, allowing her to continue sleeping undisturbed.

"Weiwei, why don't you stay here at the house? I have already prepared a room for you," Tian Lan said affectionately to her at last.

"In your opinion, who will ultimately seize victory in this contest?" Leng Yirao leaned back slightly, her rose-colored long dress momentarily enveloped by someone's pitch-black attire. That dazzling vibrancy was slightly subdued, instantly replaced by an air of grand and dignified composure.

"Pika!" Suddenly, Pikachu pointed toward the spot where the man was hiding. The keen instincts of a divine beast were certainly no exaggeration. Although both the man and Gengar had tried their utmost to conceal their presence, the subtle sound of the man speaking was still captured by Pikachu.

Shang Wuji glanced at her for a moment, well aware of her inner irritation, though he was hardly pleased either. His father constantly brought up the subject, demanding that he enter into a marriage alliance with Le Xiaoxiao, which left him too terrified to even face her now, lest he be sliced to pieces by her lethal glares.

Deidara let out a furious roar, moving to launch an attack, only to aggravate his wounds and vomit a mouthful of blood.

Although Su Yuan wished to retort, this was his very first encounter with the Daoist Jieyin. He understood nothing of the Daoist's true background and had very little time to deliberate, terrified that a single wrong word would only accelerate his own demise.

These two cavalrymen were veterans who had followed Zhou Yang through countless fierce battles. Despite their exhaustive interrogation, they still failed to extract any satisfactory answers.

Zhou Yang, Dongfang Shuo, and Sima Yi made their way down the mountain along the winding path, with Dongfang Shuo scouting ahead for them, yet they encountered no sign of the enemy.

Jia Qing continued to speak incessantly, and Yan Yun understood that she meant the four-two-one squad had not been targeted by Jia Huanren.

"Master, what should we do now?" Ao Xin gazed at the bizarre and surreal vista of the void all around them, murmuring the question softly.

How could the Daoist Randeng and the others simply watch as Su Yuan escaped right before their eyes? Uttering frantic, howling cries, they immediately gave fierce chase.

Following closely behind was a massive stampede of mutated beasts, and right on their heels came dozens of fierce ghost generals, trailed by an entire army of heart-devouring ghosts and foot soldiers.

Everyone stared fixedly at the towering giant amidst the Kunlun Mountains, too terrified to even draw a full breath. Across the entire valley, the only sound was the crisp, rhythmic chattering of trembling teeth. Even the disciples of the Jie Sect, who had eagerly anticipated Su Yuan's victory, were at this moment too utterly awestruck to remember to cheer.

While the dragon-head treasured staff could shatter the giant leopard magical artifact, it proved entirely useless against this pair of silver rings. Therefore, even if Su Yuan were to deploy the staff once more, the Second Hall Master would not be the least bit concerned. As for Su Yuan employing any other magical treasures, the Second Hall Master had not even bothered to consider the possibility.

For five full days, the Ye family not only failed to track down the whereabouts of Yu Zhi and Ye Qinghuan, but they were also utterly unable to uncover the identity of the owner of that long spear.

The fierce, violent aura on Xia Xun's face remained unabated as he glared at Ye Qingcheng's eyes, resembling a pair of unsheathed daggers ready to carve a person into a thousand pieces at any moment.

Tianxuan looked toward Xiefeng with a quiet sigh, thinking that perhaps this single action of his could slightly atone for his previous misdeeds.

"What is this place?" Li Wantong swept her gaze around. The ground at the bottom of the cliff was completely covered in such an eerie, ghastly, blood-red glow.

The refined bamboo building was exceptionally austere and pristine. Aside from some standard-issue furnishings, the room appeared entirely devoid of other objects, lending it a slightly cold and desolate atmosphere.

Those who utilized spiritual energy were usually betrayed because the lingering energy they dispersed into the air during use could be perceived by others. Ye Qingcheng, naturally, would never allow herself to commit such a elementary mistake, deftly bypassing this vulnerability.

Although he was entirely unaware of just how formidable Fang Hao truly was, the members of the opposing team were all star-tier professional players, possessing a level of strength far surpassing even the tier-one professional players he looked up to.

Over at the Silver Crystal Palace, several elite fighters had been dispatched. Brothers Yun Luo, Yun Juan, and Yun Shu all joined the battle to encircle and suppress Ling Ze and Mo Xuan. Initially, the situation had been completely one-sided, with Ling Ze and his companions suppressed to the point of having no strength to fight back.

Just as the onlookers outside were standing completely helpless against the Dragon Soldiers' vehicles, growing frantic with anxiety, a red Ferrari sports car came speeding toward them. The moment the car came to a halt, everyone outside stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the person stepping out of the vehicle.

The elder felt a lingering unease in his heart. As he turned back toward the bed, his eyes darted cautiously around the surroundings from time to time, terrified that someone might have slipped in unnoticed.

Fu Guibao and Cheng Zizai entered the yamen with chests puffed out and heads held high, practically radiating a heroic spirit as they swaggered swaggeringly behind Li Rizhi. By sheer coincidence, the moment they reached the second courtyard, they ran straight into Chu Tiangui.

Hearing the doll speak thusly, everyone found the words catchy and recited the poem repeatedly. The Ginseng King, in particular, was utterly enchanted by it. After all, even a fool could tell this was a verse praising him; if he didn't like it, wouldn't that imply the divine being wasn't the Ginseng King after all?

Nan Gong Yunyao glanced ahead and saw a sign hanging before the wooden building bearing the words "Sunset Restaurant," whereupon he followed him inside.