Chapter 17: Chunjiu Town

Jiang Chengce gave an awkward smile, then glanced sideways at Su Youqing and Jin Suyan, noticing their long faces and clearly displeased expressions.

Jiang Chengce felt a wave of confusion. Usually resourceful, he found himself momentarily at a loss, unsure of how to proceed—such situations rarely slipped beyond his control.

The force of that kick was incomparable to the impact of the giant handprint. The layers of azure light surrounding Xue Ying Tian emitted a sharp, ear-splitting cracking sound as they were violently shattered by the giant footprint.

He knew she wouldn’t be able to stay in the hospital long; even coming to deliver her patient meals was a rare moment squeezed from her busy schedule.

“I’m sorry. This morning, my children didn’t understand the situation and probably frightened your Xiangxiang, so I brought them here to apologize,” said Xu Xiuxiu, carefully choosing her words to avoid the word “bullying,” instead saying “frightened,” shifting the tone of the matter.

After Han Yingying left, Zhang Mengxi emerged from the shadows with a smirk, looking at Jiang Chengce with a relaxed disdain, as though watching a joke unfold.

Floating in midair, Gu Chen swayed helplessly like drifting duckweed, tossed about by the twisted space, utterly powerless to support himself.

Tang Zishan cast a deep look at Dai Pinghai, saying nothing but shaking her head—a gesture whose meaning was unclear.

“Handle it as you see fit; it’s none of my business! Damn, I was barely asleep when those two kids woke me up with their soul-wrenching cries,” Dragon Fan’s lazy voice gradually fell silent, signaling the dragon had gone back to sleep.

Gazing at his handsome profile, Chen Rong couldn’t help but think: whenever she saw him, it felt as if she were wandering through verdant mountains and clear waters, or standing in a gilded jade hall. This man always carried himself with such noble grace and refined manners that she felt utterly ashamed by comparison.

“Sigh, I thought Qin Taoli just wanted to catch up with our dorm mates and celebrate. Had I known she married Zhao Bo, I wouldn’t have helped her contact you!” Ye Si said with a hint of regret.

Zhao Guangyi replied, “We’ll take the route through Xiuzhou, pass Huating, and return to the Song dynasty by water.” This path was something the old rogue Zhao Pu probably never anticipated.

Ji Meiyi seemed inexhaustible, constantly demanding, to the point where the young and strong Qin He was struggling to keep up.

Now, upon hearing that the Daochuan Society truly wouldn’t send anyone, Hui Zi and Mei Naizi’s eyes welled up with tears. If such a disappointing scene greeted their guests, how could they continue running this establishment?

***

I quickly took the tripod and put it in the basket of my bicycle, carrying it home just like that.

I snatched the pistol from Zhang Qianqian’s mother and aimed it at her. She lay on the ground, looking at me angrily, her face flushed—probably few men had dared to treat her this way.

“Brother Guang, if you really want to act stubborn, then I won’t give you a single cent. You can’t force someone to their death, right?” Brother Fa wasn’t intimidated by Wei Guang’s fierce gaze at all.

Yao Niang sighed deeply, “I don’t know how to say this. The emperor sent me, but not to his own hall—rather, to the empress’s hall, and I was ordered to dance.” Her voice dropped, and her eyes reddened.

“There is a difference—the clan leader is still alive,” Uncle Yin said irritably. No matter how sick he was, he was still alive.

“Ah—” Yuan Zisi gasped in fear, looking at her brother with terror. Bringing such a thing back would surely cause trouble; their master would definitely blame them.

For over three years after that, there was no sign of their existence; it seemed they had completely vanished.

So in this place, encountering such events, Nagato naturally wished to witness them unfold; after all, battles with the strong were inevitable.

Would she? Yan Xiaoxiao shook her head. Though deeply attached, their fates were shallow. No amount of entanglement could make someone who doesn’t love you suddenly love you. And for the unloved, only self-respect remains. So, despite the heartache, she would choose to leave.

After Yu Changge finished speaking, he calmly answered, his face betraying not a hint of discomfort.

He breathed heavily, clutching her to his chest but did not move further. She felt his yearning pressing tightly against her.

Finally, displeasure surfaced on Z’s face, his magnetic voice whispering in Xi Chen’s ear.

This was perhaps the drawback of lacking a great sect: alchemical talismans, formation techniques, and other cultivation arts without systematic training and inheritance made it difficult to nurture large numbers of talents.

Watching the disastrous battle among the three clans at the foot of Mount Buzhou, Nagato was deeply pained, blaming herself for not returning sooner to prevent this tragedy. Now that the three clans were at war, nothing could stop them.

***

Though it seemed he crossed the distance effortlessly, in an instant he had closed the gap to within five zhang of Chu Ning.

Meanwhile, Cen Zijin and Chu Ning returned to Tianlan Peak, but Cen Zijin did not immediately enter seclusion.

Each armored rhino was at the fourth-level Martial Sovereign realm, while Lin Fei was a fifth-level Martial Sovereign—so it was nearly a massacre.

Ordinary half-Emperor realm warriors were hardly a match for Ye Han. Now Qing Xiao Emperor understood why the Netherworld Emperor was so calm and confident.

When asked to choose, she truly didn’t know what to decide. Zheng Xiujing could only turn her gaze to Cheng Shiyuan, hoping he would make the call.

The two slowly walked toward the auction hall. After a while, Ye Han and Zi Yun’er arrived at the auction venue.

Ling Duyu frowned. What did the Pagoda King mean? Ling Duyu understood perfectly—it was a signal not to forge the supreme treasures for Zhao Gongming and the others.

Ling Duyu knew that as one cultivates higher, the gap between each level widens dramatically, not to mention the difference in rank.

Ye Han’s eyes gleamed brightly as he stared unblinkingly at Qing Lingzhu, lost in thought.

“Today marks the grand opening of our Eight Treasures Pavilion branch in Mingxin City. To thank all honored guests for attending, all products at Eight Treasures Pavilion are on sale with discounts ranging from 5% to 30% off, depending on the item's value. We welcome everyone to shop freely,” Li Jincheng announced loudly.