Chapter 51: Revenge

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"The members of the Qi family have already been rescued by a few people from the Assassin League, but there's absolutely no way they'll make it out of Longguo."
"So, finding them should be quite easy."
As Feng Xu spoke, he confirmed the source of the information.
...
The documents revealed that a little over a year ago, Hanhua Company, which he had reorganized and acquired, had inexplicably risen to prominence in a very short period.
Meanwhile, Shen Jialiang, the former manager of Dongfeng Printing Factory, was selected from the group and reappointed as the acting director of the newly constructed Lifeng Electronics Factory, to assist Xu Feng's mother in managing the plant's operations.
"Friend Yunpeng, three days from now, same place as always!" A yellow paper crane, folded from a talisman sheet and imbued with both a flight charm and a thousand-mile voice-transmission spell, fluttered its wings and landed before Daoist Yunpeng. As soon as Yunpeng tapped it with his finger, the aged voice of an elder, tinged with a touch of world-weariness, resonated from within.
Fortunately, Tang Ruoyao barely ran into any acquaintances; the few she did see, she merely nodded to in passing.
Lan Shengyan's expression grew tense, fearing she might fall. He caught her in his arms, gently settled her onto his lap, and encircled her with his arms, drawing her into his embrace.
Seeing me like this, he pressed his body close to mine, as if wanting to pass his warmth to me—and yet, how could my trembling be caused by the chill alone?
With spring approaching, the streets had grown lively. I wandered about aimlessly, hoping to ease the tension and unease in my heart.
I could only watch as the crimson hem of her skirt was consumed by the white, acidic flames. At the same time, the other three illusions outside the molten pool collapsed simultaneously. Ying Lan and the other two felt their connection with Mu Feng break off in an instant. Faces drained of color, they rushed into the cavern one after another, only to find Xiao Ran and Bai Shaoxing standing dazed at the edge of the fiery pool.
Mu Feng paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. Without a word, he put on his coat and stepped out of the dormitory.
"Who are you?" Xue Leng pointed his sword at the pale-skinned figure, who wore a layer of heavy, dark eyeshadow above his eyes.
"Heh." Hu Yilong forced a bitter laugh and proceeded to recount to Yu Chengwu the events that had transpired over the past few days.
By the time the sound reached inside the tunnel, it had already faded to nothing. For those who had already made it outside, they had no idea that Zhang Yang had long since been frozen within.
Nanxi turned her head and saw Zhang Xiaoyu quietly following at her side, seemingly distracted and absent-minded.
But that Meng Wanyun truly was repellent—lacking even a shred of restraint, practically throwing herself at him.
The River God of Lingjiang, not hesitating to reveal himself, forcefully rescued him from the hands of Yu Hou and Zhou Yongsheng and brought him directly back to the Lingjiang Water Palace. Clearly, this was not out of selfless goodwill.
He then took out his phone and dialed a number to report the situation. The person on the other end was calm at first but fell silent for a moment after hearing the name "Yan Jinyu." After offering a few words, they hung up.
After hearing the Prince of Yan's call, some soldiers tried the weapons they held, and sure enough, the beasts no longer attacked them.
However, Sun Mengmeng was unprepared—in truth, she was embarrassed, since the Lu family was, after all, a prominent household.
Seeing this, the other boys with him were frightened stiff; as for the youth himself, he stood there, petrified. For a time, the surroundings grew deathly silent—other than the wind and birdsong, not even a breath could be heard.
Their commotion alarmed the Empress Dowager, who rebuked them all, and only then was the matter laid to rest.
His duty was to protect Lu Junyao. The campus was relatively safe; leaving for a short while was not a problem. But beyond the school grounds, Lin Luo had to remain by her side at all times, for otherwise, her life could be in danger.
At first, Axing assumed it was some foreign con artist or the like, but when a thick stack of crisp, green bills was waved before his eyes, he knew his chance to strike it rich had arrived.