Volume 1, Chapter 50: Washing Hands in Boiling Oil

Shen Residence.

Having rested for a moment, Shen Ji had regained his strength.

"Are you thinking of pulling out the gambling contract between you, Lin Xiaoxiao, and this Marquis?"

Shen Ji walked up to Lin Mang, who was bound hand and foot.

"Cut the damn crap!"

Though tied up, Lin Mang remained utterly defiant. "Shen Ji, you bastard, you're truly cunning! Just you wait, sooner or later I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Hearing Lin Mang's words, Shen Ji could not help but chuckle inwardly.

He truly lived up to his name—audacious and reckless enough!

Yet, the moment this thought crossed his mind, Li Mu's physical reaction became even harder to suppress. He recalled the voice and smile of Tang Yulan, her peerless and breathtaking beauty, and a figure that seemed to have stepped right out of a celestial painting.

Xiao Cheng was interrupted by the movement of the desk being pushed from behind. He turned his head to look at Xia Liangcha, who was staring at him in silence. Xiao Cheng's heart skipped a beat; Xia Liangcha was unhappy—was it because he was making things difficult for Dayang?

His previously infallible treasured blade was blocked, but Fan Yu did not panic. When he struck again, he deliberately aimed at the areas unprotected by bone armor.

Li Mu still remembered Liu Yiyue curling her lips and telling him that the matter was a bit troublesome. If they insisted on raising the price, then the price was set, and it wouldn't matter who went to talk to them—she would deal with it once she made money in the future.

Seeing Yuan Ziyou's soaring ambition, the other three men felt the fire in their hearts ignited. All three threw down their wine cups at once, knelt straight, and pointed to the heavens, swearing an oath to kill Erzhu Rong.

If this were the case, it would be too terrifying. To be referred to as "I" by such a being, he must surely be a supreme expert; otherwise, it would not be like this.

The expected violent attack from Old Master Ren did not happen. Instead, Zhang You felt something cool and soft bump against his chest, causing him to roll over a couple more times.

"So, Grandma still doesn't know?" Xiao Cheng asked with a knitted brow. How could such a matter possibly be kept hidden?

He could neither attack nor retreat. Li Mu's eyes turned red; his left punch struck straight out, which Chen Yuandian blocked with his right fist. Li Mu kicked out with his right leg, and Chen Yuandian pinned it down with his left foot.

The fish in the river swam back and forth, yet for two whole days not a single one took the bait. Shen Longxuan had long since closed his eyes to inspect the condition within his body.

A wondrous gemstone in the world of immortal cultivation, possessing magical powers. Legend has it that it can substantially increase the wearer's fire-attribute spell potency.

Luo Qianqian felt that she was not doing well—very unwell indeed. Yet there was nothing she could do; she sensed herself, and yet she had no desire to smile.

However, Zhang Yue decided to put away the silver essence first. He would wait until he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage before refining the Cold Serpent Sword anew; doing it now might ruin a fine material.

All of this was the result of Zhang Chao employing him heavily. As the saying goes, a warrior dies for one who truly knows him. To repay such deep trust, what was there to fear even in death? Only, these three thousand cavalrymen belonged to his lord. If they were to die here in battle alongside him, that would be his own grave fault.

The four men wore expressions of grief and indignation. They desperately wanted to swagger as they had in the past, stepping on others' faces and declaring that they were the grandsons and sons of so-and-so, and that guards would soon arrive to rescue them. Yet facing Xuelan, they lacked the courage to utter a single word, for it would be utterly useless.

"Good. Most of the planned tasks are done. Now let's begin our retreat as previously discussed." Seeing that dawn was approaching and fearing their tracks might be discovered, Zhang Chao issued the new command.

After three days of travel, Tang An and the main army arrived at Longying City, one of the largest cities in the northwest, capable of accommodating a population of over a million.

"There's no need to keep fighting. The Senior Brother can't even break Senior Brother Gao's defense. The victor will undoubtedly be Senior Brother Gao."

On second thought, the news Zhou Yunxiang provided him earlier suggested that Xiao Yu had completely changed compared to a year ago. Zhou Yunnuan felt a slight surge of interest—what kind of person had Xiao Yu become? Was he more formidable than Qi Xuelan, and perhaps of even greater utility?

The adventurer team did not enter the territory of the special shadow demon faction known as the "Sun Knight," but instead found a place outside to discuss specific tactical approaches.

At this moment, Ye Zhenzhen was unaware of what had happened over at Qingting Academy. She did not return to her own room, but instead went to the third floor of the villa, to the space converted into a dance studio.

The three of them searched carefully for a while without making any discoveries. Clearly, the inner mole had planned this long in advance; in order to steal the data, they must have prepared for a very long time, striking only when a foolproof opportunity arose.

Perhaps because he worked in orthopedics, most of the people he saw were injured due to resorting to violence and bullying.

Seeing Feng Yetang in such a feeble state, Bai Yuzhu's once rock-hard heart suddenly wavered. She felt a pang of sorrow and helplessness, and even harbored an urge to run away. Yet she found that her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to move an inch.

Bai Yuzhu ordered lunch to be served together. The Eastern Palace's imperial kitchens had already begun preparing the meal, while outside, the weather was scorching. Feng Tingyun hid in a side hall stocked with blocks of ice, sipping iced flower tea with great contentment.

Old Madam Luo slammed the bedroom door shut with a bang, prompting a faint smile to surface on Lu An'an's lips.

"You don't need to say any more. What kind of person you are, you know in your heart," Tan Yu'er snorted.

Although I had also tried to pull Yangyang away earlier, that was mostly out of anger at Wang Jun for scolding him; in my heart, I didn't truly want to leave. After all, having lived together like a family for so long, there was no way we could just ignore Lily in a situation like this. But judging by Suotian's attitude now, it seemed he truly didn't plan to care anymore.

"Moreover, the world of martial artists is extremely cruel and fraught with conflict. Once you make a move, the outcome is either death or severe injury. Your top priority right now is to rapidly increase your strength, lest you provoke some old monsters in the future and not even have a chance to run for your life," Xiongyi warned gravely.

The Kuimen Tower was the place where Lady Cao had previously gone to seek Zhuang Jin. Yilinglong naturally did not know that Lady Cao had been there, but she was well aware of the great fame of the Kuimen Tower.

The sunlight was pleasant, though clouds still piled up at the horizon. There would likely be rain again soon. The river's surface rippled with shimmering light, and melodious music played inside the cabin. On the forward deck, a few tourists lingered to chat idly; all was calm and peaceful.