Volume One, Chapter 29: You Come Up or I Come Down

Page (1/3)

Lu Jinchuan’s palm covered the rim of the cup with steady assurance. His long, straight fingers tapped rhythmically against its side, producing a crisp, clear sound.

He lifted his eyelids and said with an enigmatic half-smile, “I don’t drink without a reason. Miss Ji, what are you toasting me for?”

With that, he stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray. He pressed down hard until the butt and its glow were ground into ash, wisps of smoke drifting into the air.

No one spoke.

Ji Shu lowered her eyes, poured herself another glass, and raised it to clink against the one in Lu Jinchuan’s hand. The collision rang out with a clear, pleasant note.

“To the honor of All Things Flourish being able to cooperate with Shijia Media. May our partnership proceed smoothly…”

“What? What kind of people are they? They aren’t underground figures, are they?” Shu Li immediately asked nervously.

“You’re an arbiter, an arbiter who judges sin. Yet how did you end up acting like a kidnapper in front of me? Threatening people with hostages—you actually stooped to such methods. You’ve completely ruined the impression I had of you,” Tony said.

Of course, if one chose to defect to the Marauders, the pledge of allegiance would be every other person aboard the same spacecraft. As long as one killed all the others aboard and survived, one would qualify to join them. Otherwise, death was simply death; they would not shed a single crocodile tear for you.

Feeling the keen edge of the long sword against his neck, Loki extended the scepter. But in the process, a ball of light suddenly flared at its tip and shot toward Ding Hao with lightning speed.

It seemed they needed more training. How exactly had those eyes and brains grown? And if he ran into danger, were they really planning to abandon him and flee just like that?

“Yes!” Aoyama Yukinari carefully noted each of Tokugawa Hidetada’s instructions, pondering how he should negotiate with the Ming envoy.

Fist after fist thundered out, but the colossal fists of lightning descending from the heavens swept through them like a force of nature, crushing them all before smashing down toward Zhang Yue.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

The Silver Ape’s body was swept by six rays of violet light. Without even managing to cry out, it disintegrated into chunks of bloody flesh, and not even its demonic soul escaped.

The two large vats each collected more than half a vat of water. Bai Ran had the servants cook rice with the rainwater, claiming it was an offering to the gods of heaven, though in truth every last bit went to satisfy his own belly.

Though Adviser Wang had not stated it outright, if this battle were fought beautifully, Han Zhenhan certainly would not pursue the matter. But if another serious problem arose, then no one could say what would happen.

I fell headfirst to the ground. My head struck the hard marble floor with a dull thud. My mind went instantly blank, while my ears rang as though someone were hammering beside them without pause.

What kept replaying in her mind now, incredibly, was that handsome, clean-cut face of Yuxiu Bai’s from the moment she had awakened.

It was not until Han Zhenhan reached out to help Gao Qiong that she realized he and the others had arrived. Her sister’s expression was far from pleasant, and Gao Qiong felt little fondness for this unfamiliar Han Zhenhan. If she had not listened to her sister, she would not even have known why she was supposed to take this man named Han as her master.

Tian Xin suddenly felt somewhat dejected. What kind of luck had she been having lately? The people around her were either being cheated on or breaking up.

This concerned the Netherworld King, so Granny Tao did not dare accept it. She looked up at Ling Yefeng, her eyes questioning.

The pride she had been born with—the pride of believing herself superior to others—would not allow her to leave in such a humiliating manner.

Rong Niang came begging at her feet, saying that she had offended an influential person and that the person would spare her as long as she could enter the Grand Princess’s residence. Seeing Rong Niang plead so desperately—and knowing that she was her own younger sister—Wei Niang could not refuse.

My head was so dizzy and painful, as though something were about to burst out. I closed my eyes, my body tipping sideways as I fell toward the ground.

When the executioner released his grip, Tian Guanwu, his face swollen like a pig’s head, immediately sprawled forward onto the ground. Blood mixed with teeth poured from his mouth. Seven or eight teeth, roots and all, landed on the ground amid the bloody foam.

In truth, Cheng Lingyu generally did not stay here. This place merely provided him with a suitable identity.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

She frowned and carefully tried to recall what had happened the previous night, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember what the person she had struck looked like. If he had been from Prince Anle’s residence, she should have recognized him. Judging by his build, however, he did bear some resemblance to Nangong Li.

Diving down from above, Fang Ruohua’s energy surged like a rainbow piercing the sky. Her moves were fierce and domineering, powerful and unyielding, like those of a savage beast.

“General Pan, you’re making it impossible for me to save face. When I first arrived, you said you were free. What is it—are you afraid that standing behind me now will drag you down?” Xiao Bohan provoked him.

“Go on, kill me if you’ve got the guts!” Chen Liyan was no coward. Even at a moment like this, he refused to yield, spitting at Li Xiang.

Cai Chengming was the exception; he had seen Zhang Tianyi’s photograph before. Qian Hucheng, caught up in the fight, instinctively turned his head for a glance, only to see a wine bottle trailing a blur as it descended onto his skull. A moment later, a vicious kick slammed into his back.

The Third Company’s defensive works consisted of three layers. The outermost was a ditch eight feet to one rod wide; the middle layer was a chevaux-de-frise a rod and a half wide; and the innermost was an earthen breastwork two to four feet thick. Together, the three layers formed a total depth of roughly three rods.

Qingyun Zi drew in a deep breath of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, slowly guiding it into his lower elixir field. Once his breathing had steadied, he gradually opened his eyes. At that moment, his fingertips suddenly pressed against his raised knees. His body abruptly rose three feet, and he sprang directly to his feet from the meditation cushion.

What made Ye Zi impossible to resist was the extraordinary allure contained in every frown and smile, every gesture and movement.

“Some troubles of the heart can only be cured with medicine for the heart. You have to believe in yourself,” Kang Fanni said calmly. At times, she did not think herself particularly noble, but from Luo Yufen’s perspective, she did not want Fu Yuanye to live a life that was too miserable.

Ye Qing said, “When the master’s level reaches one, the system space will undergo a transformation. There will be many benefits by then.”

He had never wanted her to know about these tangled, unsavory matters. Although he was not as unscrupulous as Cheng Jinyan, the things he did were hardly fit for public view. The man she had encountered now was never truly the man he had originally been.

Page (3/3)