Chapter 39: You're Playing with Fire

Her voice was not loud, but it was clear that everyone around had heard her.

Suddenly becoming the target of public scrutiny, Cheng Xingyu's expression changed. She was about to retort, but Lin Zhiwei had already turned to address the gathered reporters and guests.

"There seems to be some misunderstanding, everyone. In fact, it was just a minor accident. Jiang Yu simply spilled some wine by mistake, and Miss Cheng is far too gracious to take offense at such a thing, isn’t that right?"

...

"Cavalry, encircle them! Infantry, meet the enemy head-on!" Cao Hong shouted from atop his great horse, leading his men in a wide arc around the chain-linked cavalry in the center, cutting off Lu Bu’s forces from receiving reinforcements.

"Curse your ancestors! You wicked wretch really know your tricks!" Xiao Yao was in the midst of trading insults with the shadowy figure when he saw hundreds of men rushing in their direction. A strange look flashed across his face as he signaled for his companions to follow him away from the area at once.

In the minds of those with their own agendas, thoughts were already turning to how they might use Liu Zilong against Ye Fan.

Gu Chen could hear the voice, but what truly impressed him was how powerful Mu Xue's voice sounded—it was majestic beyond measure, and he could not help but praise her inwardly.

"Mhm, I understand, no one will bully us, you can rest assured, brother." He Yilin bounced happily, her harmless demeanor filling He Qingfan with relief.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. The massive fleet was now resting at an island about half a day’s sail from Shengyang, waiting to rendezvous with the Yanlong army. Once the two forces merged, they would advance directly to Shengyang.

With six or seven miles to go, the moving grass could no longer conceal the crossbowmen’s camp. The warriors cast aside their grass disguises, and in a burst of rage, the camp was revealed, the air thick with the scent of slaughter. Lu Bu led his cavalry straight ahead, ignoring the city gates, driving their warhorses up the sloping earth walls, and charging directly into the Xiongnu court.

The moment physical boundaries were crossed, Long Yan was delighted to discover she could finally embrace the role of "fiancée" with ease.

At the entrance to Cloth Lane stood a carriage—the true kind, with a broad canopy wrapped in plain cloth. Though not particularly luxurious, it possessed a unique charm. Two magnificent horses stood side by side, whinnying from time to time and pawing incessantly at the muddy, dusty road.

Through various deductions, Ye Fan could already tell that a great and earth-shattering battle had taken place inside the cave.

Helian Qinglian twisted her waist, trying to break free, but he simply lifted her by the waist and placed her upon the bed. With a gentle sigh of resignation, she accepted the situation—she had grown used to this, and her resistance had faded.

Once Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, Nian Nian, and Man Man moved in and grew a little older, she would take them to the youth palace for a look around and enroll them in some extracurricular classes.

Taking up the talisman, she placed the two items together, rotating the talisman above them, while in her other hand she held a bell. As the talisman burned, she gave the bell a shake.

While Saiye and Qin Yunjie waited anxiously, in the Tan’en Mountains, Jiang Chengtian and the monk Hua finished a delicious meal of roasted snake, brimming with satisfaction.

"Shangguan Tong!" At that moment, Qian Shengyang and Fairy Bihua exclaimed in unison, clearly recognizing the young man in white.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing found it difficult to adapt, but as time passed, he grew accustomed to it.

The old hunter’s mouth was bleeding, his eyes wide open in death, his chest pierced by an arrow.

She was only asking out of formality—how could it possibly be urgent? If it truly were, with all the nonsense he’d spouted since coming in, the matter would have been long dead by now.

Li Juan returned to her dormitory in a huff. Her roommates, curious, crowded around her. "What happened? Weren’t you at the yoga club? How did you end up like this?"

Perhaps Lin Chao, hiding in the restroom, heard Jiang Ciyun’s voice, for suddenly the door flew open. Her hair was a disheveled mess, as if she had just been in a fight.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Patch appeared like a phantom at Elizabeth’s side, and as soon as she finished her orange juice and set down her glass, he reached out and scooped her into his arms.

...

No one could quite say why, but neither Professor X nor Magneto raised any objections to this system of classification, nor did they abolish the Level 5 designation, leaving many mutants thoroughly perplexed.

In fact, even if Irene had not chosen to leave, she would have little chance of success now, as the unexpected events at the graveyard had completely disrupted the two major groups’ plans.

Tang Yan and Elder Xiang displayed great poise, nodding and saying, "No problem, we will certainly attend." Both understood this banquet was the true apology, with Tang Yan and Elder Xiang themselves as the guests of honor. And so they made their way to Tian Ci’s residence.

This time, TCG muscled in and snatched away the headline spot that should have belonged to them. Not only did the stock market fail to react as expected, it actually dropped several percentage points.

I placed a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes before each of them, and brought out our very best wine. Since I truly had no desire to entertain these people, I asked the two most attractive girls from our place to drink with them.

"So you’re from Chang’an too? What a coincidence! But I’ve been dead for fifty-two years. Life in the underworld has been unbearable—people say life is worse than death, but I doubt they know just how much worse it can get after you die," a certain ghost said with lingering fear.

With a single shout, the fat proprietor summoned two or three men in suits. As soon as they entered the shop, they rushed over and grabbed Tang Ya by the arm.

Gong Qianzhu’s foot caught on a stool, and she lost her balance, tumbling onto the couch and pulling Leng Yixiu down with her.

The stone monkey lay collapsed on the ground a dozen meters inside the palace gates, gasping for breath, his face etched with exhaustion. He could not help but reflect that ever since meeting Cui Feng, he—a mid-level demon beast of some renown—had never known such a sorry state.