25. The Ghost Fox Arrives to Forge the Flying Sword

It was deep into the night.

No one was asleep.

Shu Er stared blankly at the City God statue. He turned to look at the yaksha and the Impermanence spirits, and let out a faint sigh. There he saw the mermaid girl, Gong Li, curled up in a ball atop the haystack.

Gong Li lay with her eyes open, letting her tears roll down, harden into pearls, and bounce into the hay. She rested her head on her arm, one small hand covering her mouth.

She no longer remembered how many times she had cried. She had thought she would never shed another tear—until today, when she had eaten her fill here, and her eyes—

I drew a deep breath and pulled the trigger. There was a click; the chamber was empty. I smiled and pulled it three more times. Each was empty. That meant only one live round remained—and the final shot was reserved for Murong Cun.

The longest-established sect leader of the Kunlun Sect was the first to step forward and offer a few words of admonition. His speech was much like those given by political leaders. In essence, he urged the disciples of every sect to establish their hearts in harmony with Heaven and Earth, secure the livelihood of the people, punish evil and uphold justice on their behalf, and never act recklessly or unlawfully.

“Propriety must not be overstepped. I am merely a wandering physician and an ordinary commoner; I truly dare not, nor am I able to!” Mr. Hao hurriedly lowered his head and cupped his hands.

The three golden seeds rapidly inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy. Fang Zheng had practically become an army unto himself, taking down one opponent with every punch. Anyone struck by him no longer had the strength to rise—each was either dead or gravely wounded.

Liu Yümeng and I returned to the dormitory, took showers, and lay on our beds playing with our phones for a while before going to sleep. Liu Yümeng was still fretting over the matter, so I gave him a few words of advice, after which he went to sleep as well.

Chen Tong shouted, “Xu Zhao! How dare you assault a witness in open court! Outrageous!”

Chen Tong seemed to have lost his temper as well, especially with people who showed him no respect. Xu Zhao turned around and stopped, while A Diao, seeing her condition, knelt there trembling from head to toe.

“Fortunately, it appears to be only a superficial injury.” At last, Xiao Chi pulled her skirt back into place, then raised his hand to the back of her head once more.

When Su Qiao grew angry and petulant, that was not yet the worst of it. It was when she smiled so sweetly—and so ominously—that the storm was truly about to break.

You Mao understood perfectly well the consequences of falsifying a clan genealogy, yet he still resolved to help Wang Chong. Partly, it was out of regard for their many years of friendship; partly, he loathed high officials like Zheng Xun. Otherwise, why would he have failed the imperial examinations for seven consecutive years back then? Now that he was an old man with little life left in him, living a few days more or fewer made little difference.

“Nonsense!” Marquis Shen immediately had someone stop her. “Are we not in the middle of negotiations? Why are you in such a hurry, child?”

She reached for a blade at the slightest disagreement—and in front of her fiancé, no less. Did she have even the slightest air of a proper young lady? Marquis Shen was deeply troubled.

At that moment, our own jungler, Blind Monk, also arrived, hoping to join the battle. Almost in the same instant, both top laners began channeling their teleportation spells.

Hearing this, the evil ghost fell silent. Its gaze grew solemn, yet its face still wore a half-smile, half-sneer, as though everything in existence filled it with mockery.

At that moment, Frieza was locked in fierce combat with Vegeta. Even with a battle power of one million, Frieza could do no more than fight Vegeta to a draw.

If the prizes they offered seemed to her like nothing more than ordinary treasures—gems and the like—then their only real value would be whatever silver they could be exchanged for. But if the prizes truly were rare and wondrous artifacts their master had brought back from overseas, things unavailable or seldom seen in Great Chu, then they would possess genuine worth.

She could not summon even the slightest sympathy for this distant uncle of hers. He had brought his fate upon himself. What sort of person was Xiao Xiao? Was he someone this man could insult? Though he had not voiced the words aloud, the look in his eyes was so revolting it made one want to vomit, as if he feared no one would realize the filthy thoughts festering in his heart.

Chen Xuanzang felt a trace of smugness. Who would have thought that even in such a remote and desolate place, someone would know his illustrious name? Then a sliver of vexation arose in him. Why had those two child attendants not questioned him in front of his three disciples?

Today, they had agreed to meet beneath the mountain cliff to study how to increase the yield of golden pills and enhance their efficacy.