Chapter 33: The Peaches Have Ripened

Yang Lin spoke in an orderly fashion, yet his words carried a persuasive weight that gradually quelled the restlessness in the hall; almost everyone fell silent to listen. Having arrived fearing that the sky was collapsing, the crowd found their anxiety dissolved by his nonchalant attitude, to the point that even Meng Feiran began to feel that the Emperor’s lucidity was not so terrifying after all.

Before long, Liu Pianran arrived on the island, her hair slightly disheveled. Seeing that her brother had arrived first brought her great relief. Following his earlier instructions, she bowed to Ye and Yan, who were waiting for her.

Wang Yizheng and Zhu Chengkai offered a few words of comfort before leaving the hospital. Since Shi Hui could clearly identify the perpetrator, the police were able to detain the suspect and search for evidence.

Attendant Xu’s face flushed deeper. Every trade had its own rules, and the jewelry business was no exception. Unauthorized imitation of another house’s ornaments was a grave offense, yet the three major clans and every shop in the city were doing it. Since the law could not punish the masses, the Yue family had no choice but to endure it.

Years ago, Taoist Priest Mu had come to White Cloud City to visit his nephew and played chess with Shi Hui for three days, leaving her so frightened that she dared not touch a chess piece for years. After satisfying his craving for chess, the priest sparred with Ye Gucheng, consuming quite a bit of the fine aged wine from the City Lord’s manor.

In this moment, she "grew up" once more, becoming the sensible Wu Chenchen, who knew how to read the room and dared not defy Wang Hao in the slightest.

"Eat to your heart's content, don't worry about a thing; eat as much as you can," Wang Hao said with a wave of his hand, his spirit grand and imposing.

Upon hearing this, Ye Shu signaled for Yan Changlan and Lu Zheng to stop as well. He turned slowly and offered a dashing smile to the few people rushing toward them.

Gu Lanyi was even more curious now: what kind of strange illness had Princess Youmeng contracted that she would go to such lengths to capture human men and extract their blood?

Not long after, a group of people appeared in front of them—they were the adventurers who had previously served under Jiang Xia.

Hearing Li Siyuan’s words, the Killer King’s eyes flashed with disdain. Though he kept his mouth shut, he thought to himself: no matter who comes, one fact remains unchanged.

On the Southern Yuan Continent, tens of thousands of cultivation sects were active. The Southern Sword Sect was one of them.

The feeling that others could spend an entire lifetime working hard and still never catch up to him satisfied his vanity to the extreme.

***

Just after entering the tavern, the people near her were all local townspeople. Could it be that the poison in the wine was slipped in by a villager when she was distracted upon entering?

The fifth-grade beast, a formidable White Ape, radiated a vibrant, emerald-green aura of wildness, like a fire of life, surging in waves and blending into the pure white wild aura surrounding Zhou Ming.

He had been staring at his computer in the office, occasionally shaking his head and sighing. Passing by the doorway, Song Yinfeng heard the sighs and knocked to enter.

Their conversation was, in a sense, like that of a schizophrenic, with two different souls speaking to one another.

The thin man and the fat man exchanged a glance and knelt before Chu Xuan without hesitation, kowtowing like pounding garlic and begging for mercy.

Song Xing, however, considered other factors. Hosting a banquet was a burden most could not afford, but he had the money, and he knew it was not money spent in vain.

Furthermore, those five fingers were truly like sharp claws, piercing clean through the flesh and muscle of the shoulder.

We arrived at about 7:25. The entrance to the Yueliu Mall had already been cordoned off by the police. Officer Xu must have called the nearby station and the mall itself, allowing them to arrive ahead of time.

In an instant, four or five dyed-haired youths burst into the shop. The leader, in his twenties, had bright red hair, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a ruffian-like air about him.

"Clean this up, it's too bloody!" Only then did Song Xing notice the thick, metallic scent of blood; his attention had been entirely on Pi San and his men until now.

They refused to be taken advantage of, so the entire Qingshan Village mobilized. Some even went off to recruit more people.

"It's just average. If you get to know me better, the real surprises are still to come," Qin Fan replied without a shred of modesty.

"Let’s go, we’re heading back!" Song Xing found a carriage, waved his hand, and the brothers helped Xiu Liu up before bidding farewell to Da Qiangzi and hopping into the carriage, which swayed as they made their way back.

"You foul woman, what are you saying..." Hearing his wife speak this way, Liu Dazhu lost his temper and could only smoke in silence.

***

Yang Jingjing immediately took the opportunity to act spoiled for a while, then went to wash up and obediently finished her breakfast.

Bai Jingqian rinsed for another ten minutes, felt it was enough, turned off the faucet, grabbed his bathrobe, and walked out.

Of course, Leng Ran knew this as well, so he did not expect these three bullets to actually wound Li Jing.

Because those intercepting Jiang Chun and the others were people who often roamed various places capturing exotic beasts, they were highly experienced in combat and far from novices; Jiang Chun and his group were no match for them. After holding out for a few moves, they had no power left to defend themselves.

Previously, knowing they were merely neighbors and considering Cheng Jun's status, Du Wan had not asked much. Now, however, she felt compelled to ask.

With a swift stroke of the blade, Mu Jin's soul was excised by Ziyao and stored in a bottle. Holding the neck of the bottle, Ziyao felt deeply conflicted; in the memories of the Evil Lord, Qibao, Babao, or even her own, there was nothing regarding Tao Mubai.

Huang Yueli felt the atmosphere grow awkward and coughed twice, wanting to say something diplomatic to ease the tension.

He had encountered this phenomenon several times before. Encountering it again, he felt a bit dazed, yet also experienced a strange sense of calm and certainty—perhaps because he had anticipated it, it had truly arrived, and he was no longer panicked or at a loss for how to act.

Ran Qing shook her head, but her chest still heaved heavily; it was clear her anger had not yet subsided.

Hearing Xing Xiaosen say this, Lin Yu subconsciously wanted to refuse the elixir. For him right now, nothing was more important than revenge.

As Duoluo patted it forcefully, the water in the moat plummeted, but the blue light on the bottle became dazzlingly bright, shaking violently in Duoluo's hands to the point where he could barely keep his grip.

"Wow, that's wonderful!" Sang Mulan cheered loudly at Yu Cuihua's words, then began calculating, oblivious to those around her: "Three yuan for one eel fry, two million fry makes six million."