Volume 1, Chapter 30: What a Pitiful Man

Inside the detention cell, no sooner had Baldy Qiang finished speaking than he saw Qin Yu sitting on the bench with his legs crossed, a faint smile playing on his lips. Facing the mockery and insults, Qin Yu merely smiled indifferently; he did not need to say a word, for someone else would speak for him. Unfazed by Wang Zijuan, Feng Zhifa continued to watch the show, even pulling a handful of melon seeds from her pocket and casually popping them into her mouth, cracking them with a rhythmic sound.

"Old Diao? I recall now—did he manage to track down the whereabouts of the Liaodong Scorpion Stone last time?" the Blue Bat Envoy suddenly remembered.

Gustav’s face darkened instantly. Although he was loath to admit it, the reports coming back from the soldiers on the battlefield confirmed that Cheng Nuo was entirely correct.

"Mother, how about letting me accompany Senior Sister Xiu'er on a trip to the Yunxia Dynasty in Yuzhou?" the young man requested, speaking toward the mist.

All the spare parts were foreign-made; the domestic industry was only responsible for assembly, earning nothing more than meager wages for their toil. It was truly heartbreaking.

"I never expected you to employ techniques involving lightning; you have truly taken me by surprise, Mr. Zhang," Zhang Zilin said, speaking his honest thoughts.

Originally, the security perimeter extended five kilometers outside the city, but the watchtowers had long since been abandoned and stood unmanned.

"Get out of the way! I’m going in! Do you not value your heads, daring to block even me?" A voice roared arrogantly from outside the room.

She lifted her eyes to look at Han Chenyi. This day was destined to come, and this scene was inevitable. Better a short pain than a long one; perhaps God had ordained this moment for the truth to be laid bare.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Xi Muye broke the silence, saying calmly, "Let’s go." The moment he saw her, he felt a sudden sense of bewilderment. For the first time, he found himself questioning: was what he was doing truly the right thing?

The jade disc fit perfectly into the indentation on the stone platform. Not daring to be careless, Xing Ran gripped the edge of the platform and began to rotate it. With every full turn, the stone wall trembled violently. By the third turn, a hairline crack had appeared in the wall.

"Find a place to go inside!" Leizi had long since stuffed Wu Di into a burlap sack. Now, holding a flashlight in one hand, he hoisted the sack onto his shoulder and marched toward the forest. Because it was summer, the weather was sweltering, and the cries of various wild beasts echoed throughout the woods.

In truth, the Imperial Noble Consort was merely feigning composure. Once she had dismissed Haitang, her delicately painted face began to show traces of unease and anxiety. She certainly did not believe Shen Duanlang was doing this to protect her safety; it would be more accurate to call it surveillance than protection.

When he spoke to me, he was already prostrate on the ground, his body pressed tightly against the edge of the precipice. Perhaps he had pressed too hard, for his palms had been shredded by the sharp scree on the cliffside, and the blood flowing from his fingers was a shocking sight to behold.

"Aren't you a rodent? What business is the Rat King election of yours?" V-Cat teased her intentionally.

Eyes met, and his gaze grew increasingly tender. The two stared at each other for a long time before his eyes fell upon the seal necklace around Tian Nuanyu’s neck. His voice turned so gentle it seemed to drip with affection: "Yu'er."

A buzzing sound filled everyone’s ears. Then, as they looked up, they seemed to see something terrifying, and some could not help but scream.

He Linwan, however, felt that this was the true nature of Brother Jie. Aside from occasionally responding to be polite, she did not interrupt him, listening intently instead.

Chen Gong had no ulterior motive in saying this; it was pure sincerity. The schemes that Chen Gui and Chen Deng were plotting in private might have fooled Lu Bu, but they could not deceive Chen Gong. He saw through the father and son’s machinations clearly, but he was frustrated by the lack of evidence to bring them to justice.

Amidst the constant droning, the giant black bear roared again, suddenly hurling the golden spear it held. A scorching golden glow flashed, transforming into a pillar of light in mid-air.

At that moment, Wu Yan realized he was standing in a strange, ethereal space where, aside from a faint red glow, there was nothing at all.

At this instant, Yuan Yin was truly terrified out of his wits, to the point where he was incoherent and unable to speak clearly.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Su Miao stood up abruptly and walked outside. Master Jingming had likely come for the sake of the Chef King Competition, though it was unclear what the specific matter was.

The two embraced, pouring out their hearts to one another. This moment was truly beautiful; perhaps one only understands true love when it is time to depart, and perhaps one only learns to cherish when something is lost.

"Undead Forbidden Curse! It’s an Undead Forbidden Curse!" Someone recognized it and was the first to shout. The beast army that had been neatly lined up at the edge of the forest, along with the large force heading to rescue Urgahos, all erupted into chaos.

Su Miao glanced at Su Chan, who remained calm and composed, not feeling the slightest bit strange about wearing men’s clothing. Su Miao was fine with it—her capacity for acceptance was strong—but Su Xian could not accept it at all; her head was throbbing.

Although the doors and windows were open, it was not cold. The charcoal fire in the room burned bright, warm as spring. The windowsill to the north was set low, perfectly framing the red plum blossoms outside, their delicate and elegant sway coming into full view.

Her bright, expressive almond eyes slowly closed. She lifted her head, and her rosy lips pressed against the side of his neck.

To be honest, Hou Qing was not a man of great curiosity, for he knew that those overly curious were prone to trouble and rarely lived long. Yet, the unexpected and eerie scene before him had completely overturned his understanding. Thus, even with his shallow curiosity, he could not help but ask the question, however ill-timed it might be.

Wen Nuan’s expression was even more detached. However, both were dressed elegantly, and upon approaching, they felt somewhat out of place. As they went upstairs, they ran into a tenant in the unit—a shabby, down-and-out middle-aged man who stared at Wen Nuan as if she were a goddess.

"Reporting to the Duke, it is the Ministry of Works official, Zhao Jia." Lord Liu observed Ban Huai’s expression. The man’s eyes were wide, his mouth agape in astonishment; it did not seem feigned. It appeared he truly knew nothing of this. He turned his head to look at Princess Fule, whose face betrayed only bewilderment; she seemed not even to know who Zhao Jia was.

"I’m going back. What about you?" An Mi'er pointed toward the large ship ahead and asked the White Whale.

This day was the most miserable he had ever experienced in his life—a day that left him humiliated, despairing, and broken.

"Yes!" The Imperial Guard breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Deputy Commander said it was fine, they no longer needed to be put in a difficult position.