27. Is it broken?

Listening to Ji Weiwei’s interrogation, Mu Qingsu felt a twinge of guilt. He offered an awkward smile, finding himself at a loss for how to explain. Ye Zhixing’s mask served a dual purpose: one was to conceal her identity for the moment, and the other was for his sake.

Though the sound of water still trickled from the sink, it seemed to fade from her awareness; she could hear only the frantic, rapid-fire rhythm of her own heartbeat, like the insistent beating of a drum.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, amidst the brightly lit imperial capital, everyone could see the signal smoke approaching—so stark and unmistakable, even in the darkness.

After all, Ah Jin had previously witnessed the scene where Ling was harmed. For him, such an event was a devastating blow; in his world, aside from Mu Qingsu, only Ling remained.

When Ye Zhixing returned home, Zhan Junyu was at the dining table, his hands folded and his gaze deep, waiting for her to eat.

Upon arriving at the 4S dealership, the moment the car pulled up to the entrance, a crowd swarmed around it, surrounding the vehicle as if terrified it might speed away again.

“Zhixing, this is someone your aunt and I have carefully selected—the young master of the Liang family. You should have a good talk with him.” Ye Dongsheng spoke like a true capitalist, striving to squeeze every last bit of value out of Ye Zhixing until the very end.

Divine artifacts possess spirits; if they choose a person, there must be a reason for their selection.

Ten minutes later, the four occupants of Dorm 201 arrived at the classroom and took seats near the center.

“Brother Jiang Meng, come over and have some water!” Old Uncle Bai called out from the edge of a nearby field.

“Indeed. I regret not meeting you sooner; if I had, everything would be perfect,” Chen Manna followed closely, expressing her admiration for Ye Hao.

The two remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings. Most surprisingly, the wild dog rushed toward the bushes on the south side and began to bark.

“It’s useless to talk now. We are grasshoppers on the same rope; we must work together,” Zhou Peng said with a disdainful smile to Zhu Renjie.

Such apprehension missions occurred almost daily. If Liang Ye had to report every single one to his superiors, he would likely be driven mad.

***

Lin Dongyang showed a hint of surprise on his face. Although he had guessed that Xu Meng’s performance at the club social would attract attention, he had not expected that, in a mere weekend, at least a dozen boys would take the initiative to pursue her.

Originally, the spirit vortex still held forty percent of its power, but after this fierce onslaught, less than twenty percent remained.

In fact, Lin Xin only had a little over a year left on her company contract, and the breach-of-contract penalty was not particularly exorbitant.

Looking at her fair, delicate skin—so soft that even the slightest touch left a mark—he saw it was now covered in the traces he had left behind.

Han Shaoyu’s father was among the most successful Chinese actors in Hollywood, wielding immense influence in the film and television industry; even the Heavenly King Liu bowed to him, calling him "brother."

Nangong Qian was truly a fool. At a moment like this, she still looked innocent while asking a man to help her add water. Did she not realize she was being seductive?

Gu Qianqian, thinking of the mouth-watering clam noodles, rushed to the kitchen. Naturally, the man followed her.

The new boss, dressed in fine brocade with white jade at his waist and a jade thumb ring on his hand, pushed out a plump belly. His round face was wreathed in smiles as he immediately picked up Chu Yang and hoisted him above his head.

The new boss froze, staring blankly at the dense sea of people and the voices constantly shouting out bids.

“What do you mean by this?” Tang Wulin felt strange. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what had just happened.

Megure Juzo started the car, nodded to his colleagues nearby, and drove out of the school. Once he had traveled far enough to be out of sight, he pulled a key from his pocket and tossed it to Aoki Tsukasa.

As he spoke, Aoki Tsukasa’s expression remained unchanged. He even lifted his chin slightly, looking down; to Geko, this gaze was both contemptuous and terrifying, as if he were saying, “Go ahead, talk all you want. If you guess right, I’ll break your legs.”

After Duanmu Han performed a grand rite, he began his search. There were five levels of sacrificial altars here; he ascended them one by one, finding nothing. Just as he was about to locate the uppermost spirit tablet, a soft click sounded. Behind the tablet was a pattern—one he recognized instantly. It was the ancestral crest of the Duanmu clan.

Duanmu Han raised his hand and formed a Dao seal, imbuing it with the element of lightning. Thunder crackled at his fingertips, but he paid no heed, channeling the power directly into the thunder-struck wooden spear. He was determined to fully activate this extraordinary weapon by drawing out the lightning force within.

Zhao Zijin slumped to the ground and wept for a long time, feeling that Guan Ping was a devil, truly terrifying.

***

Fortunately, it was a "two-handed sword," and in Korea, there are as many ways to address one’s wife as there are in China.

Wu Xingdong knew that Liu Yuchun was likely finished, and he would certainly be implicated as well.

Logically, as the Third Elder, he held a pivotal position within the Wanling Sect and should not have appeared at the registration site.

The disciples of the Taixuan Sect stared at the scene in a daze, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes.

The disciples of the Bagua Sect were busy—some disposing of the corpses and blood, others searching the estate, and the rest standing guard.

Ouyang Hua was slightly surprised as she looked up at the sky, only to see a lark skimming low as it flew toward the distance.

Mo Zilin’s expression sharpened. To be considered unworthy of being a target for pursuit meant that Xie Qiliao believed surpassing him was an inevitability.

“Wait,” Tang Xinyu’s face changed instantly. He had discovered a grave issue: there were nine conspicuous golden light clusters on the map, and one of them seemed to be right in his vicinity.

“Who else is there?” The butler began to stutter. Lihuo felt certain something was amiss; otherwise, the man would not be so evasive.

These black-armored cavalrymen exuded an intense pressure; even a formation of only a few hundred men felt suffocating.

“No, I want to be with you, to go to the Seven-Star Ridge with you.” Upon hearing Long Yang’s words, Bai Lan suddenly became disobedient.

Yet the moment he opened it, the white-furred wolf arm suddenly flew up and lunged at him. In a single breath, it merged into his right arm and vanished. He felt as if his entire body were about to explode; his blood surged and boiled, and great waves crashed within his sea of consciousness.