Volume One, Chapter 83: A Fawn Collides with the Heart, and the Heart Stirs!

Originally, sending Hongyan to deliver the gift was meant as a gesture to ease the tension. In recent years, there had indeed been conflicts between him and Old Master Jin, but they were never direct confrontations. It was simply that, in the course of managing the company, he inevitably offended many of Old Master Jin’s children and relatives, which led to disputes. At first, perhaps the old man believed in him and didn’t say much. But as time went on, everyone started running to the old man with complaints—one word from this child, another from that relative—and naturally, as an elder, he couldn’t just stand by idly.

If the matter continued to escalate, Old Master Jin would certainly compete with him for the position of chairman. After all, whether in terms of connections or finances, Old Master Jin...

Yet, as the music played, he seemed to forget his worries, becoming carefree and lighthearted in an instant. The very next moment, a long sword swept toward the center of his brow like the wind; Murong Feng couldn’t dodge in time, retreating again and again.

The last person whom Master Ma had praised in this way had been Li Chen, the legendary figure of their Dragon Group.

But right now, if those so-called experts were to witness Li Zhi’s performance, they would be utterly astonished, for to see someone utterly unaffected emotionally, yet so convincingly expressive on the outside, would leave anyone speechless.

“Could it be that stray cat? I’ve always felt something was off about it,” Liu Jing suddenly said, taking out a bronze mirror that reflected the image of the cat.

Jia Zhengjin was the only one at the scene who remained sober. Once he was certain the others had passed out, he quietly rose and slipped away, running all the way to the stone near the mountaintop.

In the distance, the surging white waves seemed to roll in from the horizon, silver-bright billows chasing and tumbling, growing closer and taller, louder and more thunderous, like thousands of horses and soldiers galloping forward with the roar of thunder.

Li Shu must have been feeling miserable as well. From what Tietou had said, those seven fallen teammates had once fought alongside Li Shu; that’s why he refused to see Tietou—just the sight of him brought the tragedy back to mind.

Nie Wei found the noise irritating, but since no one else complained and she was new here, she didn’t want to challenge the veteran staff immediately, so she decided to endure it for the time being.

Her original goal must have been to sneak in and steal intelligence, but when discovered, she simply threw caution to the wind, causing a commotion since she knew escape was impossible. Perhaps she still hoped for a chance—even if things didn’t go as she wished.

Hearing Chen An say this, Li Zhaobei was still uneasy. Even though his student seemed low-key now, there was no telling if he was plotting something big.

No matter how clever and quick-witted Bai Cai was, she never expected Chen An to say something so absurd. Seeing the astonished faces of the students around them, Bai Cai’s own face turned red, then darkened.

Entrusting the investigation to his own teacher gave him much more peace of mind. At least his teacher wouldn’t be easily bribed, and even if the teacher wasn’t capable enough to uncover the truth, wasn’t Conan there as a safety net?

The two sides agreed to keep searching. Now that the military was involved, things were getting rather hot.

“Master is amazing, master is wonderful.” Lin Qi muttered, hiding behind Chilian.

With that, he pretended to smack her, startling Dai Lan into fleeing. She didn’t cry anymore, though.

But Dai Yuhao had no idea that in the blink of an eye, seven years had passed and everything had changed; nothing was as it once was.

Chang De, overcome, found his aura faltering. He wanted to control both sword hilts and finish it quickly, but his cultivation was lacking. With spiritual power below the Earthly Realm, even making one hilt fly was his limit, let alone two.

Only now did everyone realize in shock that the campus heartthrob, admired by so many, had long since been claimed by someone else.

When a grain of salt falls into a basin of water, perhaps nothing seems to change to the ordinary eye. But to a researcher, that basin has become saltwater. Ordinary people see only the surface, while Wang Lu sees what’s within.

“He’s a grown man—what could happen to him? Besides, Nianhui is so independent, there’s no need to worry about him.” Meng Hui said, changing the channel with the remote.

Meng Nuo wore a hoodie and carried a sports bag, her hair tied in a bun at the back of her head, selfie stick in hand, filming her journey nonstop.

“Of course I understand the multiple layers of meaning in this work. As a sister concerned for her brother, I’m simply curious—what exactly are you hoping to find in there?” Lie Feng abandoned her direct approach and began to probe.

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone realized Miss Nanxiang seemed to be greeting someone, and instantly all eyes turned in the direction of her gaze.

“There’s no rush with this,” Lu Tianyu deflected. “I’m still studying these fragments—once I have results, I’ll go look for a regular job.” Studying the fragments was a perfect excuse. Whether it took a month or a year, by the time he truly wanted to work, the research would naturally be finished.

If he used his power and influence to openly demand from the Huo family, how would that differ from banditry? If he tried to appeal to their feelings, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The food stall owner was trembling in terror when he heard that the man who had just given him silver might be the emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Although his cultivation hadn’t improved at all, if he were to face that sword demon again, wielding the Formless Creation Technique combined with the black staff, he doubted the opponent could cause much trouble now.

Wang Changsheng smiled without saying more. It was a confident smile, born from his belief that he would break a century of silence and achieve the realm of Innate Martial God.

“A supreme treasure?” Lu Wuxia’s heart trembled as she looked at the sword resting obediently in her palm, suddenly feeling it was burning hot.

Flying through the air, Huang Gai suddenly remembered something Sun Jian once told him after a martial contest. Of course, Sun Jian had said the same to Li Zhuo, and before those words, Li Zhuo’s body had once soared through the air just as his did now.

Li Kuafu remained silent. Was this the so-called underworld? What surprised him most was Lin Canglan’s final remark about risking his life for a brother. Speaking of brothers, the image of the simple and honest giant, Xingtian, immediately flashed through Li Kuafu’s mind.

Zhunti Sage wanted to give Supreme Lord Lao a show of strength, but overestimated his own abilities. With a single sentence, Supreme Lord Lao shifted all responsibility onto them, turning the situation around.

Yet, no matter how powerful the eagle, no matter how extraordinary, no matter how destined to soar to the heavens, the eagle too is made of flesh and blood, and within it beats a heart capable of yearning for the nurturing grace of the mother hen.

Exactly! Death still had to reclaim Xue Yuan, and there was something he came here to tell her—how could he simply die beneath these sword auras?

If Li Kuafu were to fall unconscious again as he had last time, Chang’e truly doubted she’d be able to awaken him this time.

As time passed, it meant that Wu Dawei and the other players were about to take the field again.

As he rounded the corner, Zhao Mu glanced back, a flash of jealousy in his eyes as he looked at Li Yu before it vanished and he resumed the amiable expression of a young aristocrat.

“Sorry, there’s blood. Actually, killing Baldy Number Two had nothing to do with you—don’t look at me that way. I killed him because of things between us that you don’t know about. Now that the matter is settled, today’s drama should come to an end.” Li Kuafu resumed his genial smile as he spoke.