Volume One, Chapter 21: The House Was Demolished

In the Su family courtyard, the two carts of supplies that Shen Shuli and Su Yuehua had packed were completely emptied. The people from the main household ran all over the courtyard, scrambling for everything that belonged to the second branch.

She had not wanted to quarrel with her roommates. After all, she had been in the wrong—it was true that she had disturbed their rest.

Since she had been living away from home for more than a year, her relationships with her classmates were, in truth, fairly ordinary. They rarely met or spoke, though she was reasonably familiar with the few girls in her dormitory. She was usually far too busy and had very few friends.

“Whatever it is, can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Sima said unhappily when he saw them arrive.

At that moment, the constable felt a little regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would never have tried to save those few dozen laborers by assigning only a handful of people to guard the temporary camp. Then he would not have been left without the slightest idea which way Sima had fled.

The guards Bubu, Huhu, and Zaizai also whimpered in unison behind him. “Princess, we really couldn’t think of anything else to do.”

When they finished speaking, the three of them sniffled.

The exact number of spirit stones was still negotiable. The final price would depend on how many spirit stones this prodigal with a five-element spiritual root could produce and squander.

And now that he had finally taken on a task perfectly suited to his profession, if he still had to report that he could not handle it, how was he supposed to go on living afterward?

Gu Yan might have been slightly weaker than Guo Rou physically, but the girl’s proficiency in medicine more than made up for that shortcoming.

Tang Guo’er had no idea how she managed to walk the next stretch of road. For some time afterward, her mind remained completely blank.

That woman suddenly grew angry when the two of us burst out laughing. “What are you two laughing at? Aren’t you afraid?”

Early the next morning, the Third Lady rose as usual to make steamed buns. Little did she know that a calamity was already waiting for her.

“No one is getting away!” Wu Yu’s icy voice echoed through the space. With a wave of both hands, the flames around them surged more than thirty feet into the air, instantly forming thick walls of fire that enclosed the entire area. Unless they flew straight up and escaped through the sky, they would have to break through the fiery barrier.

Just then, Bai Yaorao, standing behind me, asked, “What are you holding? May I take a look?”

Night spread across the land, while Province X presented an entirely different scene. Corpses lay strewn everywhere, and the city, already ravaged beyond recognition, looked even more desolate.

The darkness receded and daylight abruptly emerged, bringing no hope with it—only wave after wave of stifling heat, each more unbearable than the last, far more effective than any call.

Wei Changfeng saw Li Qianyue applying medicine to her own wound without saying a word to him. The atmosphere inside the tent was unbearably awkward. Her words a moment ago had been so cold that he did not dare introduce another topic. His eyes shifted, and then he suddenly cried out, “Ow!”

Another wave of sighs rose around them. Everyone looked at Chen Xuan as though they were looking at a dead man.

“Brother Tuoba, are you still carrying that zither?” Xuyang’s voice held the chill of the night.

Xiao Xun cast Tuoba Shao an annoyed glance, signaling him to continue. Tuoba Shao straightened his expression and began to recount the matter in measured detail.

Mo Fengye narrowed her beautiful eyes, and understanding dawned in her heart. It seemed that the Kingdom of Lingnan intended to send Chu Ouzi to the Heaven-Defying Realm. Yet the screening for entry into that realm was brutally demanding; Chu Ouzi could never manage it alone.

He probably would not go wandering about aimlessly. But even if he was outside, it would not be easy to hurt him—much less injure his face.

Yun Haotian gave a bitter smile. Yet the moment he took the steaming meat bun, his chest was instantly filled with warmth. It was hot, swelling, and touched with a faint, aching bitterness.