Volume One, Chapter 116: The Bet

“Junior Sister Qingyi, have you seen that boy? How do you feel about him?” Upon seeing her, the elder stood up, rubbing his hands together, his face creased with a smile that seemed to gather all his wrinkles into one joyful expression.

“His spiritual awareness is indeed slightly stronger than ordinary people, but that’s all there is to it,” the beautiful woman said lightly.

“Then I’ll leave it to Junior Sister Qingyi. Let him stay on the Third Peak for the time being,” the elder chuckled.

“That boy always likes to hide his talents; he has none of the sharpness typical of youth. You can give him a proper scolding. As for his accidental encounter with Xiaoyun Su while she was bathing… cough, cough, this was completely unexpected by me as well. But since it has happened, cough, cough, perhaps the two of them should become Dao companions…”

At this moment, the twins began to fuss and wanted to follow, but Lady Wesley quickly silenced them. After calming the children at home, Lady Wesley looked at Mr. Wesley with some concern, but in the end, she did not voice any objections.

However, the household before Unnamed was unusually quiet, utterly devoid of the festive atmosphere one would expect on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

Doctor He had served in Jin’an County for decades and was well respected by the community, renowned for saving lives and healing the wounded with a compassionate heart and skillful hands, often called a miracle worker.

The triceratops, upon seeing the towering tree, immediately rubbed against its trunk, forcing the large rats clinging to its back to jump off.

Having just sat in the family patriarch’s seat—a wooden chair crafted from extremely precious timber, known to calm the mind and refresh the spirit—Murong Xin immediately ordered servants to fetch the finest ginseng and other tonics to stew into soup, while he slumped back into the chair in exhaustion.

As he walked along, he suddenly heard someone shouting for help nearby, and Jiang Huai followed the voice to investigate.

Suddenly, a cable trembled, and amidst the swirling pollen dust, Chen Fan, hanging upside down in midair, motioned for it to turn away. Then, pointing to the precious bamboo below, he made a shocking move—releasing his limbs and sliding down directly along two safety ropes.

Ryan felt himself half-reclining on the soft grass by the lake, gazing up at the sky with an unparalleled sense of ease.

At this moment, Lin Qingshuang bore a solemn and majestic aura, like an immortal who just entered the Path, radiating a sacred light. Ye Heng knew the medicinal properties of the Snow Spirit Fruit had not been wasted; all were transported into the Mud Palace Pill. What effects it would yield depended on Lin Qingshuang’s fate.

“You’re overthinking it,” Xia Zhi turned her head away. Unless she didn’t want to pay back, like the camera repair fees and dry cleaning charges—if she said no, that was final. If she insisted on paying, she had her ways. Wasn’t the ticket price clearly stated on the admission tickets? Asking him was just a matter of courtesy.

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Qianxun stood to one side, observing the orderly formation of the Jinyiwei guards and understood that Lou Zhi had surely begun preparations for today long ago. Suddenly, she realized that although Lou Zhi was ruthless in slaughter, to the Jinyiwei, he was an invisible deterrent. With Lou Zhi around, the Jinyiwei’s execution of orders was unmatched in precision.

Mu Kanger spat at him, saying that no matter how handsome he was, he was still just a physician, not worth mentioning.

The presidential suite had excellent soundproofing; Su Jing could only hear her own sobbing and no other sound. Whenever her crying stopped, she felt as if she would be swallowed by the dark silence, so she kept crying, endlessly.

Given the change in status, it was no longer appropriate to call by first names, so she simply added the title of “sister” for convenience.

The man obviously did not expect Lou Zhi to strike suddenly, and with how ruthless and precise the blow was, the man fell with a thud from above, kicking up clouds of dust.

“This is very, very, very bad!” Looking at Fenghua, who had not made a move, Dai Dai resolutely denounced her own brother, then tied her own leg with a rope.

“What?” Su Jing’s eyes widened in disbelief; she never expected a man to say such a thing. After all, she would only marry once in her life—how could there be no wedding ceremony?

The queen’s and king’s chambers were heavily guarded with intricate traps; not even a fly could get in, let alone three living people.

Lou Zhi arrogantly glanced sideways and then slowly stood up, releasing Qianxun. Dressed in a red python robe, Qianxun stood behind him, watching the breeze brush past his robes, the sound of the sail flapping in the wind whispering in her ears.

I am simply myself. I do not seek to be different on purpose; I just like being this way. It makes me happy, free, and carefree.

The man called Brother Long had a fierce and sinister face, but when he saw Li Qianrao’s appearance, his eyes brightened noticeably, and he began to stroke his chin with a lewd and playful look.

Mali didn’t want to say another word to Ding Sheng. Turning around, he left directly, the enthusiasm vanished from his face, replaced by impatience.

Night fell, and they dared not move recklessly, so they found a place to rest. They would continue their journey at dawn; after all, the unknown dangers of night were too great for anyone to take chances.

They were all battle-hardened experts, having faced such situations countless times—how could they not avoid danger?

“I’m fine. Sister Ning, are you catching a cold?” Lin Fan’s alcohol-metabolizing enzymes were still quite effective.

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Lin Fan shook his head to calm himself and explained, “Sister Ning, don’t listen to that damn monkey’s nonsense. I wasn’t fighting anyone…” In his heart, he cursed Hou Xijun harshly. It was a miracle the boss still wanted to do business with him; that son of a gun had no filter and blabbed everything to everyone.

Since she voluntarily went upstairs, it was clear she was prepared for the unspoken rules, only to be deceived, with her target replaced by four old men.

Turning to leave, she found the group she had brought had already slipped away, leaving her alone, blocked by two sturdy bodyguards.

We had returned to the slum district where Hu Qian lived, though not looking for Hu Qian. I figured out how he knew that person—it must have been when seeking Hu Qian, whom he had seen in the apartment building.

“Forget it then!” Jin Cheng said flatly and disinterestedly. He thought, if only you were a little more humble, I’d explain in detail about the political commissar setups and company branch establishments! But with your attitude now, it’s pointless—warm face meets cold butt, no good.

Su Haokan was not an easy person and followed her instructions, lowering the raised car curtains and leaning against the car to rest with her eyes closed.

Now, at twelve years old and under one meter tall, aside from eating and sleeping exceptionally well, the child had a particularly strange temperament. Everything had to go his way; if displeased, he would roll on the ground, banging his head repeatedly until bleeding, refusing to stop until his demands were met.

After Chen Letian returned home, A Mu told him that Zhou Meili had taken Ling Yin to attend some kind of demon clan conference. But now it was already past midnight—why hadn’t the two of them returned yet?

Xu Fang was also at a loss; she had never lost control like this before. She left without even a farewell, and no one knew if He Hua would be angry.

In today’s world, whether transportation, urban facilities, or weaponry, none could do without machinery. Light industry had been entirely replaced. It was an era dominated by mechas, giving rise to a profession known as “Mecha Pilots.”

The child was his best excuse. A father who would rather die than hold office, a mother reluctant to beg, willing to bear any punishment or hardship in place of the child, enduring all suffering on his behalf.