Volume One, Chapter 75: A Heart of Serpents and Scorpions

But even if Zhong Mushan didn’t need to personally switch Yan’er’s crystal ball, even if everyone was prepared to confront Murong Yingxue, they all knew that if they tried to go head-to-head with her, the one who would end up hurt would be Yan’er.

Staring at the roaring ground sloth beast, he unleashed a blazing rocket launcher directly into its gaping maw.

Yet, having learned that there were monsters in the forest, Yang Jian dared not be reckless; now and then, powerful beasts wandered the woods, and one might easily stray to the city’s edge at any time.

Watching the lively wedding, accompanied by the officiant’s commands—All kneel! Light the incense, again and again! Bow once, twice, thrice!—as the couple performed the three kneelings, nine prostrations, and six bows of the marriage ritual, I finally understood the hardship of the newlyweds.

Madam Zhong knew that nothing Wan’er said would change Zhong Jin’s heart, nor the fate of the Zhong family.

“Senior Gao!” Wang Jue, seeing Xia Mingfeng nod in agreement, glanced at the still-dazed Gao Feng in the distance, grinned, and shouted loudly.

There was nothing to compare it to, but the moment Ye Zhuo saw it, he was inexplicably certain that this head, appearing not much different from his own, was in fact enormous—perhaps even larger than a mountain.

With everyone blaming her, Shen Shuiji panicked and quickly resumed talking about her own affairs, no longer daring to bring up Zhuang Zhongren.

Such news could be easily gleaned from Feng Zhuo the fiend. According to the order in which I met them: Ran Sui the eldest, Feng Zhuo second, Yi Mu the third, Lian Ying the fourth. Lian Ying insisted he should be second, claiming he’d tricked me when he was ten, but couldn’t withstand the alliance of Feng Zhuo and Yi Mu, so he had to settle for fourth.

The rabble-rousers were numerous—several thousand, blocking the entrance to the industrial district.

Yet her current status was still that of a suspect, so most people merely nodded in passing, some not even bothering, so Xie Han only nodded at the Zhu family members, then lowered her head in silent mourning.

As Tang Ailian withdrew from Fengming’s consciousness and her awareness had just returned to her own body, she heard a furious roar from outside—it was Aka’s voice.

“Wow, an SS1 off-road vehicle! Worth over thirty million—how impressive! Whose car is that?” The new students frantically snapped pictures with their phones, amazed. But with the off-roader’s reflective glass, they couldn’t see what big shot was inside.

After leaving the Du family, Xie Han stopped by her own house. Seeing Gao Sheng directing people to move the main room’s belongings to the side wing—the house was in such chaos there was nowhere to put a foot—she didn’t linger, but turned to return to the prince’s manor.

Zheng Xi sat listlessly in the seat of honor, only able to order Xia Ju and the maids to hurry out and buy ingredients, making last-minute preparations for lunch to entertain the guests.

Xie Han first inquired about the situation outside from Gao Sheng and learned that Gu Shuo was leading his men to the west gate on foot, while Zhu Hong’s group was gathering at the main entrance but had not yet departed.

But there was a lone horseman, both rider and mount exhausted, slumped low in the saddle, an arrow buried in his chest, with iron glinting darkly in the night.

Jie Nan took over, “Your cousin’s brother should be arriving in a day or two, right?” He called him cousin purely out of convenience.

Xiao Zichen, still fuming, grabbed her arm with a surprising strength, making Zheng Xi gasp in pain.

“I really want to go in.” Qi Jingrui nibbled gently on Xia Xiyan’s shoulder, his voice thick with longing.

“It’s not that they’re unafraid of being exposed, but their bodies are like calves, and the murderous aura they carry is too heavy to conceal. They must be the kind you said specialize in dirty work,” Yang Zheng said gravely.

“Idiot! If you don’t go now, you’ll be left here to die!” Lu San bit his lip, closed his eyes, recalling the scene he’d just witnessed.

After looking all over the county for a suitable house and finding none, we discovered that while many were willing to rent, all demanded half a year’s deposit up front—more than we could afford at the moment.

Wolves can’t climb trees, and we can’t get down; it was a stalemate. But with meat in hand, Yang Zheng was unfazed. Wolves need to eat, too—they can’t hold out for long. By tomorrow at the latest, they’ll disperse. With that five or six jin chunk of wolf meat, Yang Zheng was sure he could last until then, though it meant another day’s delay.

Beiyu was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at his sister before pinching his own arm hard.

A year later, Fan Xue, who had put on a few more pounds, tugged at his groomsman’s suit and squeezed himself out of the car with difficulty.

At first, Old Four felt embarrassed living in a shack, but with Naonao and Tengteng teasing, she suddenly found it rather fun. “Yes, our house will bloom.” Old Four decided to plant a circle of morning glories around the shack, so their home would blossom.

He also possessed exceptional intelligence, able not only to assist with adventures in the spirit realm but also to share Hang Yu’s burdens in the real world. If only he wasn’t a chatterbox of a husky, he would be almost the perfect sidekick.

Fu Mingzhan watched the two women pass by and thought they didn’t look at all like courtesans.

Was the Grand Princess Longsheng expected to shoulder all the blame alone? Was the Empress Dowager to be let off scot-free? Mingzhu was puzzled for a moment, then understood—facing a powerful enemy, the people’s morale was shaky. If more scandals about the Empress Dowager surfaced, hearts would scatter and the coming battle would surely be lost.

The music, in both content and title, suggested something grand and majestic, but when actually played, it felt gentle and ethereal, like autumn’s crimson maple leaves drifting down in Florence.

This vengeful energy was not poison, but more terrifying than poison; if an ordinary person was tainted by it, their temperament would change drastically, becoming like a mad beast.

Nian Yichen’s gaze never left her, leaving her confused. Then she saw him crook a finger at her.