Volume One, Chapter 54: Don’t Deceive Yourself…

“Tsk tsk, who would have thought that after two months apart, your talent for causing trouble hasn’t diminished in the slightest.”
The voice was laced with mockery and impossibly familiar. When Ji Die looked over in astonishment, she saw, sure enough, that figure in crimson, standing not far away, gazing at her with a taunting smile.
Just as dazzling as the first time they met, enough to make one’s vision blur.
But hadn’t she gone to the northern shore…
“Greetings, Senior Sister Jiang… Didn’t you go to the northern shore?” Ji Die forced a warm smile, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.
“I just came back for a look, and happened to hear about your heroic deeds! Now the whole southern shore is abuzz with talk of how you, in a fit of passion, challenged Senior Sister Su Luo’s suitor in order to defend her honor…”
As for Yuan Tong, she hadn’t planned on bringing him along, but he stood dazed at the gates of Prince Xiang’s mansion, his bundle already packed. When asked why, he simply said that Chen Ma and Magpie had gone with her, the food in the barracks was terrible, and he wanted roast chicken.
“Hopeless!” He Jingxuan hung up coldly, unwilling to say another word to his sister. Lately, so much had been happening that he was afraid he’d lose control and scold her.
Naturally, those under King Zhao were capable people, and Helian Sheng had already appeared in Linquan Town. She had delayed seeking him out, not wanting Helian Sheng to think she was desperate.
“Right, what was I just about to say?” Oliveto blinked in confusion.
That was the demonic blood of the Annihilating Demon Lord, potent enough to corrupt even Wang Chendian’s half-saintly body. Just a drop of that blood could rival an eighth-tier elixir in boosting a martial artist’s abilities.
“Oh, I had a skin graft. Want me to introduce you to my surgeon? Maybe you too can have flawless skin,” Xiao Yao joked with Zhang Mingming.
Hu Rui didn’t breathe easy until he left the palace and boarded the carriage, his back cold and clammy with sweat.
Stopping to look ahead, Yang Teng could sense the powerful aura before him, growing more certain that at the heart of the sea of thunder, there must be a portal to another world.
As Princess Sijia had said, she truly couldn’t compare with others in terms of family background or connections—those things had to be built up over time.
“Then let’s go to my place. I have a big training room,” Shangguan Fei hurriedly offered, afraid Xiao Yao would refuse if he was a second too late.

The Wu Wei squad began targeting villages around Kangping City, launching deliberate attacks on enemy troops and collaborators.
Lin Bin No. 2 acted thus because he couldn’t bear to part with Su Qian and the others—even though he knew, by now, that none of it really concerned him. But feelings, once they exist in memory, are not so easily erased.
Li Xin hadn’t even stepped into the great hall of the Palace of Fields before she heard voices brimming with envy and jealousy.
The moment the lawmakers entered the conference hall, they were struck with surprise. Chairman Ma had always been the last to arrive, so his early appearance was nothing short of shocking.
But Ouyang Hao didn’t dwell on it long, for his thoughts turned to Gu Wei, to his madness, and to those tortures that no one else could survive.
“All right, come in, all of you!” Lin Tian’s second aunt understood at once and ushered them all inside.
“Yang Shen, do you know why you failed last time?” After a long silence, the voice of the First Prince drifted on the wind, distant yet oddly clear—as if, though he spoke softly, Yang Shen could hear every word.
Last time it was Noble Consort An; now even she was counted in the plot. Who, then, was giving Lady Fu ideas from behind the scenes?
The spear tip halted, pressed against the golden-crowned blood eagle’s head, unmoving. Qin Ge stared, stupefied, at the tears in the eagle’s eyes, seeing in them the shadow of Xu Lan.
The aviation squadron base and the flight school alarms sounded simultaneously, startling even those still basking in the joy of victory. Only when the broadcast announced, “This is not a drill,” did everyone scramble out of bed.
See? She could lie without batting an eye. Ye Hansheng had shown me a photo, claiming it was her distant cousin, but now suddenly he’d become just a friend?
Two days later, the opening ceremony for the new real estate project Ye Hansheng had mentioned was held in a newly developed district in Yucheng. Not wanting me to be bored at home, he took me along.
After hitting send, my heart raced like a child caught doing something naughty. When no reply came for ages, Du Ruo felt a fleeting surge of relief, secretly hoping he wouldn’t see the message at all.
Later, she confessed to Qiao Anming that, at the beginning—when he doted on her most—she was still afraid of him, afraid he would one day cast her aside, or that she would one day make a mistake.
Her worries these days were not unfounded; when Xu Jinlang had found her before, his expression as he looked at Jian Lan had been strange.
The momentum was overwhelming, no less than the frenzy that greeted B-list celebrities at public events.

Meng’er, whether or not you choose to open this letter, whether or not you ever read it, your father still wants to say—he has always loved you.
“You knew?” Leng Dianchen didn’t beat around the bush; he figured Mu Ximo must be aware already.
Su Nan’s home was indeed in H City, for H County belonged to H City—just a bit more remote, that’s all.
Even so, Leng Dianchen overheard and his mood soured even further.
All the pajamas he once bought me were still there, some even unopened. After he found them, he tossed one over without a word. Without protest, I took a shower and changed.
The crowd gasped when the four elders of the South Korea Association appeared.
The title Pharaoh might suggest king or emperor to outsiders, but in truth, it meant far more.
Exhausted and aching all over, I collapsed into bed the moment I got home and slept soundly. Who knows how much time passed before the shrill ringing of the doorbell woke me, the sharp sound echoing through the apartment.
Yet Yang Feng’s face remained calm and collected, showing not a hint of panic.
“She wants to move into your house.” Lu Li’s brows were tightly furrowed, his tone tinged with unprecedented jealousy.
“Fine, I won’t try to persuade you. Tell me then, why did you bring me and the child here? What do you want?” At this point, that was more important than even her growling stomach.
“You can’t very well carry a palace lantern to the inn,” Mo Zili explained, and Gong Qianzhu understood at once.