Chapter 23: A Neighbor?

Chu Qiao sifted through her options until she finally settled on a magnificent villa. Although located in the suburbs, it was not far from the city. Though it was a second-hand property, the owner had never actually lived there after the high-end renovation. It was only due to a sudden, dire crisis that they were forced to endure the pain of selling it at a steep discount. Chu Qiao toured the villa with a real estate agent and found every detail to be perfectly satisfactory. Her next-door neighbor also appeared to be a medical professional, given the meticulously maintained garden, planted with—

The lecherous man’s head felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he could not stop a mouthful of fresh blood from erupting. He collapsed to his knees, falling unconscious instantly, with two trails of bloody tears streaming from his tightly shut eyes.

"How could Father and Uncle not be happy? Even if Third Uncle only makes a brief appearance before leaving, they remain in high spirits for days," Su Ruhui asked, puzzled. The Su family of Qingzhou maintained an honorable reputation; the legitimate sons were exceptionally devoted to one another, and even among the concubines' sons, there was rarely any backstabbing.

Among these sea beasts, the "Lord of the Bitter Sea" not only witnessed all manner of bizarre creatures but even caught sight of a few mermaids with fish tails.

"It is like this: I simply feel that while your Sais is impressive, he may not necessarily be a match for the people of Count Al’s territory. There is a magic genius there named Icefire whose talent is nothing short of heaven-defying," Wu An said, dropping hints from the side.

This was clearly a case of throwing herself into his arms. Gan Ran, who understood her true nature well, felt a sense of trepidation. He watched her every move with vigilance. The beauty’s face—with her arched brows, apricot eyes, and peach-blossom cheeks—was so close he could feel her breath, yet the icy coldness and fury in those apricot eyes made her demeanor appear profoundly eerie.

Ding Yan, however, was unaware that her unconscious confirmation had sent You Huagang into a state of uncontrollable joy. Since the intelligence he received was true, his boss would surely have to look at him with newfound respect.

The planets governed by Zheng Chen were free of anyone from the Maha Galaxy. When Guo Jia and his companions arrived, they drove everyone out and had Xi Feng and Kong Ming come over to take charge.

Leng Tong was staring at the corpse and did not look at me. I dismissed the thought myself; the two ligature marks already told the story—it was clearly not a suicide.

Chu Jingfeng was the Supreme Elder of the Dao Yi Sect, while Hu Weidao served as the Supreme Elder of the Xuanling Sect.

The carriage faced no assassins on this journey, likely because Helan Yao had already spread word in the capital that the Third Prince was critically ill and returning to the city for treatment. Consequently, the factions in the capital were in no rush to act. If Long Shaoyan were to die at this juncture, no one would be able to escape the fallout.

Seeing this scene, Qiu Yue felt a strange sense of unease, as if she had walked into a trap. Yet, upon further reflection, she realized she was merely going to the Gu family’s maternal home to seek reinforcements; even if she were caught, what could they do? At worst, she would simply be punished.

Having encountered such an incident today, the emotions that had been suppressed in her heart were finally released.

"Lan’er! Why are you being so unreasonable?" Hong Li felt as if a scholar were trying to reason with a soldier; logic was simply useless.

"Have you ever seen someone who is unconscious still snoring?" Zhishan raised an eyebrow slightly, his deep eyes reflecting a trace of helplessness. Watching Hua Weilu’s flushed face, he could not resist leaning down to press a light kiss against her cheek.

Gu Xingyue’s expression remained indifferent; she could not fathom what had possessed this fringe prince to suddenly speak in such a manner.

"Just a tiny bit. Don't get too excited; it’s only because I can see you’ve lost a little weight, but in everyone else’s eyes, you’re still a fatty," Tang Chen replied, appearing nonchalant.

"No, that’s not it! I just feel that Cang Jue is so amazing—he found Sister Ling'er in such a short time," Bing Ziye said, pouting playfully at Long Cang Jue. Her eyes blinked and fluttered; she could not have been more adorable.

"The eighth day of the third lunar month—thirteen days until Grain Rain!" the old Taoist priest replied with a chuckle, smoothing his beard.