Volume One, Chapter 49: At the Heart of the Battlefield

Fu Ming’s tone was languid, yet his enunciation was unusually forceful, unusually clear. Clear enough that—even colleagues in departments far outside the interview room could hear every word distinctly.

Mr. Jin’s fiancée? Wasn’t that Jiang Yao… Could it be that even the top-tier celebrity Fu Ming harbored feelings for Jiang Yao? Was he willing to risk offending Jin Yao just to express his heart?

“Wait, what kind of luck does Jiang Yao have? President Shen is her brother, and now even Fu Ming and Mr. Jin are nearly fighting over her…”

“You didn’t see Jiang Yao’s mansion that day—it’s no ordinary residence. The Imperial Garden isn’t a place for commoners; the décor is lavish!”

“The little princess is truly a little princess…”

“Come on, let’s go see what’s happening. I’m actually quite curious…”

“Cao, you really know how to flatter—I’ve been tanned by the sea breeze.” I kicked Shen Yang lightly, laughing as I spoke.

Gu Feifei gave no answer, and the room was silent. Li Zixiao, somewhat puzzled, turned on the lights. When the brightness spilled across Gu Feifei’s face, a sudden pang struck Li Zixiao’s heart.

The discussion abruptly ceased at the sound of that vicious accusation. All eyes settled on her, unable to hide their hostility. Lin Xiaohuan suddenly felt as if she had trespassed into forbidden territory; she was now the target of everyone’s scrutiny.

Every camera now pointed at her. “Excuse me, who are you…” Some of the younger ones, seeing this unfamiliar face, blurted out their question without hesitation.

Feng Jiao pressed her lips into a smile. Ye Meng said, “Today’s matter was thanks to Zhenzhen’s help. If anything had happened to you or the child, I truly…” He reproachfully rubbed his forehead, his gaze full of admiration for Ye Zhen.

“Qiyue, come sit down.” Ye Li carefully examined Qian Qiyue, then lifted a medical kit from beside the bar. At some point, blood had appeared on Qiyue’s exposed arm, and there was a similar streak across her forehead. Ye Li took out a cotton swab and iodine, gently disinfecting her wounds.

The two hesitated, debating whether to seize the chance to escape. Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a shadow shot out of the fissure, scattering rubble and debris, laughter echoing across the sky. Seeing this, the two relaxed.

“Good morning, Qiyue. I’m Yang Jiahua.” Yang Jiahua had just woken up as well, and after freshening up, she dialed Qian Qiyue while preparing breakfast. Yesterday’s events seemed never to have occurred; Yang Jiahua greeted her with her usual cheerful energy.

As the aged voice echoed, black mist surged around the ancient tower, waves of blood rose in the sea, its scent growing thicker still. Ye Shaoxuan, struggling in the tempest of blood, nearly lost his footing and tumbled into death. Only after a long while did the blood sea calm.

A figure rushing forth halted abruptly with a gasp, not daring to advance. Staring in horror at Jun Shao, whose body was pierced by Yang Chen’s ice sword.

The eldest princess was not yet pregnant, and now, with the mourning period upon them, the matter of heirs would have to wait once more.

Thinking back to her last mistake—how her father punished her with confinement, and the look of disappointment in his eyes—the princess’s mood grew ever more complicated.

Lingling adored pretty things, and Kong Yanxi was always generous with her. The most renowned brands were hers for the taking. Even if Lingling never left the house, her wardrobe was always overflowing.

In this era, people barely grasped the concept of drunk driving; it was commonplace to drive after drinking. Herman wasn’t an ordinary person, so expecting him to abide by human laws was futile.

At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang each took a child by the hand and stepped from their room, joining Jing Xuan at the doorway and glancing left and right.

“Pfft!” Though the play was unfolding according to Mo Zhang’s plan, seeing Yuran so resolute made Mo Zhang’s heart ache, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, soaking his clothes.

“Fuyi!” Long Xuan called out Master Fuyi’s name as he entered the monastery. No one came to answer him; it was as if, on this day, not a single living soul remained in the imperial temple of the Long clan.

Prince Gui was not easily deceived—he considered himself quite valuable—but Yang Qian found her own way to strike him.

After all, the consort was the legitimate wife; only she was entitled to bring the fourth prince into court. If Wenxin meddled and brought the fourth prince herself, wouldn’t that be a direct challenge to the consort?

Both spoke in hushed tones, appearing as a harmonious, beautiful tableau, yet every word they uttered was laced with blades.

An Yixiang was deeply shocked, silently reaching to lift the quilt, hoping to confirm her suspicions.

Only one round of attack remained for Beitan University! Zhang Chengyu was determined not to play it out carelessly, for this round would decide victory or defeat.

Xia Zheng stared fixedly at Lin Yuan, making her so uneasy that she could only nod and then explain Lao Fan’s injury.

By the usual rules of warfare, after surviving such a life-and-death struggle, spoils would follow. Yet now, nothing remained; it was clear that the tomb of the strategist had been wholly taken over by that five-element zombie, with endless schemes unfolding.

The assassin, caught midair and unable to dodge, hastily swung his left-hand sword to block most of the silver needles, but three or five still struck him directly.

Pfft… On hearing this, Ling Yu nearly spat his old blood in shock. Ling Yu had never imagined that the marriage alliance years ago was proposed by Gu Ling’er herself. If she agreed to the alliance, that was wonderful. Yet what Ling Yu couldn’t understand was why Gu Ling’er would suggest it herself—could it be she liked his father?

As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers, so she decided to encourage everyone to invent new recipes. Whoever’s creation was selected would be rewarded in the cave.

This time, however, she couldn’t say what was wrong; suddenly, her head spun, and then everything went black as she lost consciousness.

Not only was Mama Li delighted, but Lin Yuan was too; after all, her convoluted efforts were just to prevent Mama Li from tagging along upstairs.

The Primordial Jade in her hand transformed endlessly, as if countless crimson cloths emerged from the void to wrap around Xin Qijie.

Zhu Shouyi had often heard Feixi talk about this; Feixi, having once been human, possessed more humanity than those dream demons who achieved cultivation on their own.

In truth, Zhu Shouyi felt, in all fairness, that Monk Tang was not so bad. He was the very image of an ordinary person—just like you and me, just like the people around us. And it was precisely because he resembled us so closely, so perfectly embodied the mundane, that we found ourselves unable to accept him.