Volume One, Chapter 21: Family Matters in the Golden Hall

This wretched interface offers no prompts, leaving one to stumble through traps and trial-and-error without a shred of preparation, forced to guess the consequences.

Fortunately, Wang Qi’s inner thoughts remained accessible, and she hurriedly sent a telepathic message.

[I am Zhu Xiaozhi. You… is your body feeling any better?]

At that time, the siblings had just finished arguing and were keeping to opposite sides of the room. Ever since his sister had been abducted and then recovered, Wang Shi had remained on edge. After this latest incident, the two could no longer find common ground regarding their assessment of Princess Zhaoyang.

Wang Qi cautiously glanced at her brother’s taut jawline. Without asking how Zhu Xiaozhi had managed to reach her, she replied, [I apologize for offending Her Highness.]

[There is no need to be so self-reproachful...]

The crowd was dumbfounded. Yao Liming’s face flushed red, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. Sun Yaochen’s expression was equally grim; after all, he had essentially abandoned Yun Ruoshi and the other three. He did not know Yun Ruoshi’s background, but he knew the Wang family well. Having offended them, he would have a difficult time explaining himself to his own clan later.

"Haha! I could barely make you admit defeat verbally back in the day!" Zhou Tianwang laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy.

Zhao Chen followed up, their palms colliding. This strike was a test—a trial of their respective vital energy. Just how much essence resided within their bodies could be roughly gauged from this single blow.

Lu Ling wondered to herself: would anyone notice she was gone tonight? And if they did, would anyone come looking for her?

The second-grade spirit talisman detonated, and a dazzling swirl of light erupted, surging straight toward Dongfang Qian.

The point values mentioned here were also referred to as contribution points. Once inside Ruize Academy, the gold and silver currency circulating in the outside world could not be used. Even the spirit crystals, highly prized in the cultivation world, could only be used for cultivation and could not serve as legal tender.

At that moment, the rumbling from the other side grew gradually closer. Hearing the sound, which moved incredibly slowly, An Yichen turned back and was so startled he nearly failed to dodge a cannonball.

***

Jiang Bai had been missing for several days, and since they couldn't be bothered to call for a random healer, they had bombarded Jiang Bai’s instant messaging account instead.

"You—you—" He pointed a finger at Xuan Yan, his complexion turning a visible shade of purplish-blue. A moment later, he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his breath completely extinguished.

Sensing the murderous intent in the eyes of the others, Xuan Yan did not strike them again. Instead, he flicked his arm behind him, launching five silver needles.

My parents’ hair had turned quite gray, and wrinkles had appeared. I even saw a few age spots on my mother’s face. Back in high school, their complexions had been rosy, and they had lived a life of great comfort.

These farmhouse-style wooden cabins were never locked. He pushed the door open and walked in, only to be met with a scream the moment he entered.

"Report: the fleets are prepared. Shall we begin today’s drill?" As the two were talking, the Dark Wanderer burst in to report.

Of course, ordinary law-based attacks did not require such a long time to charge, but against Yun Chen, were ordinary attacks of any use?

Previously, the Supreme Head of All Spirits had been suppressed by the old palace master, leaving him feeling utterly stifled. Now, his first strike against Qin Chen was a lethal blow.

Years of combat had given Chang'an excellent instincts for stealth. This desolate mountain was very high, and its peak possessed a domineering power—this was the power of the Sun-Piercing. Had the two of them finally met?

The same went for children; bad habits had to be corrected, they needed timely care when sick, and their nutrition had to be kept up. Achieving all this was not simple; it required not only financial support but also a great deal of time and effort.

"Hehe, no need for such formalities, little sister. Come, sit by my side, and let us sisters have a good chat." Yun Muxuan had once been the head of an academy, so she naturally possessed great influence and knew how to win people over.

In his heart, he had long regarded Lu Zhihan as his own child, though he had never intended to make him his foster son.

She had not been to the company in a long time. Although she had handed over the main responsibilities to a prospective president she valued, she still could not be completely at ease. Whenever she had time, she had to hurry to the company to check on production and finances.

"Wait, Weiwei, this white cat... could it be that magical beast you once had?" Zi Jing asked in astonishment.

***

With a faint smile on his face, he still dared not be careless. After all, among cultivators, even with a vast gap in strength, everyone could travel a million miles in a single thought. If one rested for a moment, it was possible for others to surpass them, and if one were overtaken at such a critical juncture, it would weigh heavily on one's heart.

But Chen Fei was gone. Bing Lan was gone, and Li Jing was gone too. All he could see were over a hundred Chen Feis sneering at him, devoid of any tone, looking at him with an inscrutable expression. The contempt and mockery in those smiles made Ao Yuan feel extremely uncomfortable.

The bridge, located in a remote suburban area of HZ City, was littered with abandoned garbage heaps as far as the eye could see, piled high with household waste and construction debris.

The landlady, known as Auntie Wang, was named Wang Dan. She was usually very kind to Lin Feng, so when he ran into her, he was naturally very polite.

Louis suddenly came to his senses and replied, "Coming!" With that, he ran into the restaurant.

The three of them looked around, but since there were still many people waiting for taxis, they had no choice but to board the unlicensed cab.

"Hey, is there something wrong with this contract?" Mei Wuqing asked, her voice brimming with anger as she looked at Lin Feng’s disgruntled expression.

A middle-aged man, roughly forty-five or forty-six, with a balding head—it was none other than the landlady Wang Dan’s husband, Zhang Zuobiao! Seeing Lin Feng walk through the door with Xia Xinyan, he said somewhat awkwardly.

Mama Feng swept a displeased glance at Xia Ri. She was just a servant girl, yet she was meddling in others' business.

Willow branches danced gracefully in the wind. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on Bai Xuan. A chessboard lay on the table, yet not a single piece had been moved.

He dared not lower his guard until he was certain of Tang Tieshuang's death. After all, Ding Shan leading the eight hundred cavalry in a suicidal charge was inherently suspicious.

To him, Tang Yishan was more than just a boss or a superior. He did not know how the others in the base felt, but in his eyes, Tang Yishan was a presence more important than his own flesh and blood.