Chapter 15: Preparing to Return Home

In the temporary base at the southern Omani port city of Salalah—

“Why did we choose this base?” Rong Aiyu asked with some confusion. After returning from Sarajevo, instead of heading back to Pakistan, they had crossed the sea to Oman.

“It’s because the situation in Yemen is too unstable,” Wan Xiaoling replied casually as she exercised. The current conflict next door had drawn global attention, and many embassies had closed one after another.

Last September, supporters of former President Saleh—the Houthi forces—had seized the capital Sana’a and much of Yemen.

“I wish I could kill him,” Fu Yunzheng’s voice trembled. He had lived so long evading imperial power, forced every day to watch his enemy live on. Now the man was a prisoner, yet he still had to endure his taunts in silence?

“Tonight, let’s drink until we’re drunk!” Yan Jinchen set two cases of beer he’d bought on the dining table.

Ziyao tilted her head with a prideful smile. “There’s no need to kill them all. If you slaughtered every last one, the ground would be covered in bat corpses—just imagining walking over that soft, squishy pile is disgusting.”

Not to mention the noise breaking down the door would make. Besides, he was only human, not made of steel and iron. The door wasn’t just for show; how could it be broken so easily?

Since the crown prince already knew how the late emperor had died, he was wary of the shadow guards, forbidding them from becoming too powerful or harboring any rebellious thoughts.

How could Yun Yaar not want the same? But last time she’d been reprimanded, and now with the Nascent Soul Pill, it wasn’t anywhere near her turn.

Gu Chengxi, ever considerate, had sent Chu Feng to help Yang Wanqiu, instructing him to wait for the court coup. If nothing happened to Yang Wanqiu, he could return. If something did, he was to ensure her survival at all costs.

Qi Shaofan looked up in horror, stunned by his unexpected, misleading words. In that instant, she realized it was deliberate—he wanted people to misunderstand her, making it impossible for her to stay in the general’s manor.

“So what? The princess consort was at fault before. Since she made a mistake, no matter how Consort Liu torments her now, she has no right to complain,” Yuan’er said in her usual calm tone.

She broke free from Fang Jiamu’s grip and yanked off his suit jacket. Blood had already stained the sleeve of his shirt bright red. Ziyao pursed her lips, inspecting the wound. Fortunately, it was a through-and-through shot—the bullet had exited cleanly and hadn’t damaged the bone or tendons.

Through the glass window, she saw outside—it was a circular space, almost like an opera house.

“Tell me, besides Miao Chen, who else killed my master? Of course, you don’t have to answer, but I’ll torture you to death,” he said coldly. A menacing energy serpent slithered from Xiao Hong’s fingertip, writhing before Miao Dongsheng’s eyes.

On one side of the space stood a high platform crowned by a throne. Seated upon it was Sosuke Aizen.

“You have athlete’s foot—why don’t you use some medicine? If you leave it untreated, all your skin will be affected and dry out quickly...” I warned, not wanting to sound alarmist.

As I walked into the internet café, I immediately spotted Liu Jianzheng at the manager’s desk. When he saw me and Gao Hongling, he perked up and called out brightly, “Hello, Second Brother! Hello, Sister-in-law! Hello, Second Sister-in-law!” Huh.

But what Xue Pingzhi valued most was likely the influence of the Maritime Guild, and Ye Bin’s recommendation played no small part in that.

A thousand feet away, a grand, splendid bell tower shone with gold and jade. In an instant, Chu Xiu reached the foot of the tower, where suddenly a flash of sword light, fierce as a dragon, stabbed straight at her.

“You all followed Mario against me because you wanted a better life, didn’t you? Just for money and status?” Hook sighed.

Luo Xuening lowered her head, peering toward the cave entrance. She could see, a dozen meters away, that thick weeds had sealed it entirely; the mouth of the cave hugged the ground so closely that from outside, it looked like nothing more than a crack.