60. The First Display of Ferocity
In the latter half of the banquet, those who had returned to their seats had long lost their appetite and interest in drink. The songs and dances no longer delighted them, and the fine wine tasted like wax; no matter what, nothing brought them joy. The celebratory feast ended abruptly and unsatisfactorily.
Everyone dispersed, returning to the side rooms of the inn.
Only the clerks from the six households and three squads of constables remained inside the hall. The county magistrate and his deputy sat at the left and right ends, respectively.
The deputy magistrate, a middle-aged scholar with a small, twisted mustache, twirled his whiskers, squinting his beady eyes as he cupped his hands and tentatively said, “Master, could it be that—”
Whether due to the marriage alliance between the Su and Shen families or for some other reason, the Su family’s stocks miraculously began to rise today.
“For safety’s sake, let’s first incapacitate those inside,” Li Sisi said hurriedly. Just as Song Lixin was about to pry open the door, she quickly grabbed him and, through a crack in the window, blew a sedative inside using her internal energy.
She recalled that when Nan Moyue learned she had taken the necklace out for auction, though displeased, he still insisted on buying it back to gift to her.
“Who told you to seduce me? Two buckets of water should suffice; we better use it sparingly,” Ye Zian said hoarsely.
The divine artifact naturally resisted fiercely. The spiritual energies of both sides engaged in a prolonged battle of attrition. During this struggle, the spiritual barrier originally formed three zhang away from the Fire King Cauldron and breached by Chizi Lie gradually became transparent, then vanished altogether.
His meaning was clear: as long as there was no child, no matter what the Yang King intended to say, he would not release Ji Wuye.
The guards watched everything unfold helplessly. At this moment, with no room for negotiation, they followed the Yang King and departed silently.
Counting to three in her mind, she turned and ran. Yet she had not gone far before the man caught up, lifted her by the waist, and tossed her into the co-driver seat.
Du Bohang stopped in his tracks, then turned back to look deeply at Ling Jing, his gaze sweeping over Nan Moyue standing beside her. Seeing the latter’s handsome face still expressionless, Du pressed his lips, then turned and left.
Whether by sheer luck or fate, they had encountered the Bodhi Golden Jade. Yet what made Muran uneasy was the aura emanating from the cave ahead.
“Heh heh, no more dripping, no more. My mouth is clean; I usually don’t even put salt in my food. I’d better not try this stuff,” I said, taking a few steps backward. Luckily, he didn’t chase me to force me to eat it, or I would have been doomed today.
Beneath the Purple Spirit Fruit tree, Ye Feng noticed the intricate array of Daoist runes surrounding it. Were it not for his ability to reach the source, he would never have discerned the profound subtlety of this place.
Tai Bai Venus struck Emperor You Ruo with a single punch, embedding him into the earth. Clapping his hands, he signaled that all the energy had dissipated.
That stone shone like the brightest star in the night, drawing the gaze of the Ape Spirit. Though it appeared close enough to touch, he understood the stone was still far away—too deep for him to reach with his current strength.
“Send someone to deactivate the traps inside. Let’s go in and have a look,” Grandpa Xu Fu ordered. Upon hearing this, a soldier immediately rushed to disable the mechanisms. Before long, the lights brightened, indicating entry was now possible.
Indeed, Su Lingxue was right. If I couldn’t eliminate them now, chances would be even slimmer in the future.
Gu Caiyi sensed a shift. Though she neither saw nor heard anything unusual, she felt a warm current flow from her palm through her meridians, reaching her consciousness. A voice echoed in her heart—Qian Ye had transformed a spiritual energy into a thought, communicating with her.
Late once again, the old man leaned on his cane and returned to the alchemy furnace. When he opened the furnace top and saw Ye Feng still lively and kicking, his face darkened considerably.
“Begin!” Ye Feng ignored his quirky clones and stood upright upon the earth, dispersing his protective energy to endure their attacks with his bare body.