Volume One: Main Text - Chapter 27: Chen Yuan

Where the blood stained the ground, the earth lay bare. The flowers and trees at the junction of the yellow and red soil looked as if they had been severed by a blade, their wounds unnervingly neat.

Summer is a season of sunlight and a new beginning. Dreams, too, have unfurled their wings to soar, embarking on a journey of struggle. In this season, lush with greenery, they carry their hopes and set sail, pursuing the radiance of their dreams. They may be obstructed, they may move slowly, but they will never retreat.

No one saw how the youth appeared. Only Chi Jian, with his eagle-like eyes, broke into a cold sweat. He stared cautiously at the mysterious boy; though the stranger appeared frail, the pressure he emanated brought a sense of unprecedented danger.

Before they could even touch the ground, these men suddenly froze in mid-air. The bodyguards and Gongye Yi stared in astonishment, but before they could utter a word, Chu Haoran condensed two air cannons in his hands and sent them flying with a sharp "whoosh."

"It must be so. I only fear that we are being too much of a burden to you." With his son recuperating at the Guo estate, Cao Hua remained exceedingly polite.

In the aftermath, as war ravaged China, it became difficult to locate the "Phoenix Pearl" (Muchen Bead). Furthermore, the lineage of the "Partridge Whistle" was withering, with no one left capable of bearing such a heavy responsibility. The heart of the "Partridge Whistle" grew cold, thinking that in another hundred years, the last of the bloodlines would be severed, and this ancient tribe would come to an end.

Although Nanny Xiang did not speak plainly, her implication was that she wanted her to ease the Empress Dowager's worries by finding a way to make Imperial Concubine Xi fall out of favor.

"How would I know? Go blame your grandfather. It’s truly pathetic to have a grandfather like that; I express my deepest sympathies. Shall we observe three minutes of silence?" Saying this, Chu Haoran bowed his head toward Xue Yuqiong, genuinely putting on an air of mourning.

Back when her mistress went to the imperial hunting grounds on the outskirts of the capital, she feared the attendants around the Third Prince were not up to the task, so she had left them at Cishou Palace. When the mistress returned to the palace in a coma, the Emperor had brought them back to Qianzheng Hall to serve.

Yun Qingying coughed a few times, feeling she could finally speak and move freely. She suddenly raised her hand, snatched the jade gourd from her neck, and opened the lid. A blast of frigid, sinister air rushed toward her face.

Qin Yuanyi did not respond to Yuan Jining’s puzzled gaze; he simply held her hand firmly and with great tenderness, then glanced at Lan Xing.

Lu Zuoye was not angry. He remained quietly in place, flashing a brilliant, charming smile. Picking up a blade of grass, he sauntered away from Cold Flower Never Falls. No one knew what movement technique he used, but not a single person was ever seen entering or exiting the gates of Cold Flower Never Falls.

To avoid being ruthlessly slaughtered by the annihilation path, Baldy Qiang finally brought out his most secret, life-saving trump cards.

"Cunning or not, it seems to have nothing to do with being a demonic cultivator. Are there not plenty of cunning people among the righteous?" Chen Xuan sighed inwardly.

***

Beautiful, charismatic, an artist? Zhou Yi is back! Ding Chi scrambled out from under his covers, shouted "I’ll be there in a moment," and hung up the phone.

"Repay? Repay with what? It wasn't me who borrowed it. At worst, I..." At this point, Ding Shoucheng thought of something, suddenly clamped his mouth shut, and stole a glance at his son.

Though the man was impolite, Ding Chi didn't intend to hold a grudge—who hasn't had an emergency? But just as he took a step forward, he suddenly turned back to pursue him.

"What are you two doing!" Mother Feng, having just returned home, happened upon them and stared at her son, Feng Sheng, with utter disbelief.

"Truly, heaven is helping us." The six exchanged looks, a glint of sharp intent flashing in their eyes.

Xiong Qiang’s attack this time abandoned all defense, clearly intending to finish Chen Xuan in a single strike.

"I didn't expect you to know how to cook," Lin Shiyun, sitting next to Ye Feng, said as she watched him hold the hair dryer.

"This servant knows her mistake." Biyu looked up, only to meet Fan Feng’s complex, conflicted gaze—an intense awkwardness, a shallow sense of guilt, and the realization that precious emotions were of no consequence.

He once thought he would never again need such a magical artifact to save his life, little knowing it would become his only reliance.

Both being prodigies who had entered the Middle God Realm through the Hundred Dynasties List, and having forged deep bonds due to the Earth Demon clan, neither wanted the other to worry, nor did they want to lose face.

Carl struck out with both fists, moving with such speed that his arms left afterimages, using his abundant magical energy to shatter the Ice Fangs.

These jade plaques had been cut from the raw stones he had purchased from the jade shop owner a few days ago; he had retrieved them from the shop before coming to Fuxian Lake.

"Then there is nothing more to say. When you bring the resources, we shall exchange money for goods," Mu Chen said earnestly.

Once Lei Gang finished saying this, everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became much lighter than before.

***

I gave a bitter smile. "Is there even a point in struggling? It is clear that I have lost." A sense of frustration washed over me. This was the gap—the difference between being heralded in school and wielding power in the real world. A feeling of helplessness filled my heart.

The disciples of the Jie Sect held the vast majority of the real power in the lower and middle-ranking divine offices, while the Chan Sect, with whom they held deep grudges, controlled the superior ones. By keeping them in check against each other, it was actually easier for the Jade Emperor to maintain his balance and truly control the Three Realms.

He watered the orchids, fed the remaining spirit rice from lunch to the Jade Bone Chickens, and then cooked some porridge for himself.

Just as An Xin sighed in relief, secretly thankful that the matter had finally passed, Qin Changsheng remarked, showing no appreciation at all.

She was absent-minded while picking vegetables, and the next second, Jin Zi’s voice echoed through the courtyard.

What Gu Xinyue had not expected was that Shen Shaoxing’s grand feat would reach the ears of Old Madam Shen that very night.

Her mother just needed someone to give her a push from behind. As long as she had the courage to take that first step, there was nothing to fear.

"Uncle Deng, there is something I would like to discuss with you." Gu Tinghe had finished eating; she set down her bowl and chopsticks and brought out the design sketches she had drawn in her spare time.

She had told Yun Ye before that she was learning to draw, and it had become a regular topic of conversation between them.

A hundred-year-old tree dozens of meters away was instantly sliced into dozens of pieces, shocking Yuquan Xinzhi so much that he sat down hard on the ground.