Volume One, Chapter 21: Liu Xue’s Taunt

Buying a car?

When Liu Xue heard this, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Buying a car? Someone like you, Zhang Wenxuan, can afford a car? You barely make a few thousand a month. Is this a place where a pauper like you belongs?" Liu Xue made no effort to hide the sarcasm and disdain in her voice.

Zhang Wenxuan chuckled. The more Liu Xue mocked him, the happier he became. Because only then would the look on her face be all the more spectacular when he slapped her back with reality later.

"Whether I can afford it or not is not for you to judge!"

"Since I am a customer, someone should be here to assist me."

"Is this how your 5S dealership..."

***

The former glory of the Heavenly Profound Palace was long gone, replaced by a scene of desolation. The vast main hall was covered in layers of dust, and even the four murals on the tower walls were buried beneath the grime.

At almost the same instant, Xing Ye and Xing Zhan simultaneously lowered their centers of gravity, lunged forward, and swung their Blood Drink swords upward in a sweeping arc.

Getting my gear ready, I set off on another dog-hunting expedition. The old method: throw stones to lure the dogs over, then grab a wooden club and smash it down hard on their bodies. One strike didn't result in a spray of blood and gore; the wild dog was simply sent flying.

Although Jing Qing did not state it explicitly, everyone understood his meaning. The Ministry of War was a proxy for Li Weizheng. If things continued in this ambiguous state, it would only allow Li Weizheng to cover the sky with one hand. Rather than living in such chaos, it would be better to bring it into the open and establish a system of checks and balances, which would effectively curb Li Weizheng's power.

The demon monster kept its eyes closed, savoring the gentleness of the water as if it had returned to a mother's embrace; Tian Maoping thoroughly enjoyed that feeling from the depths of his memory. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his form flickering like a ripple. He stepped across the water's surface to reach the octopus, smashing his six artifacts forward with overwhelming power, forcing the beast to retreat.

After the mini-spiders died, the Ghost-Faced Spider Empress in the distance immediately ceased its attack. It began laying sticky eggs, which hatched almost instantly, birthing a new wave of mini-spiders that swarmed toward the members of the Hengtong Society.

What comforted Li Weizheng was that she wasn't actually mute. During her four years of loneliness in the tofu shop, with no one to speak to, her linguistic functions had simply atrophied. It was not a terminal condition; Li Weizheng knew she could recover. She needed encouragement and training. In a year or two, she would be no different from any normal person.

Naturally, there was a strategy to choosing assassination targets. Top-tier dungeon guilds were a dime a dozen; no one was extravagant enough to allow all their competitors to respawn at once.

***

"Haha, I rode a horse there." Gao Shou, thinking quickly, lied to cover his tracks. He had been too eager to please and nearly gave himself away... Although the speed of a horse might not match the light-body technique of the fifth-level internal energy, it had the advantage of endurance.

"No! You must tell me, who is this noble person?" The mute girl suddenly became unusually stubborn.

Everything pulled her back into that dream, hazy as smoke and clouds. In a trance, at the end of that deep alley, she saw the boy again, with his cold, distant expression.

The two cats really wanted to retort: If the original owner hadn't been so talented and learned everything she was supposed to, where would you be now, you bored soul?

The onlookers finally understood. These RVs were actually for an employee trip organized by the Tingtian Company. A man wearing a reporter's badge shoved his phone into Ren Ming's face.

The two frontier cities had been captured. This monumental good news sent the entire city of Chang'an into a frenzy of celebration.

She had never imagined that her words would make him so worried that he would turn back.

Ren Ming brought Dong Sa to the men's restroom, his fury rising. He himself was hitting wall after wall, yet this son of his was out indulging in debauchery. Even though the boy wasn't his—he was Dong Tingtian's—it still infuriated him that Dong Sa could talk about buying a car so casually.

Zhao Yinshui was currently explaining how to incorporate movement techniques into sword combat. After listening for only two hours, Yan Hongchen felt he had benefited immensely.

But Ren Ming didn't entirely trust Yang Nan. After all, they had known each other for less than ten days. This man seemed reliable at times and absurd at others; there was no telling.

"Looking at your expression, Lord Su, have you found a way to break the deadlock?" Stung by his remark, Jiang Nianfeng retorted, unwilling to lose ground.

A smile appeared on Lin Xue'er's face. The last time Liu Yanning had asked her who gave her the mermaid bracelet and even offered to buy it for double the price, she hadn't known it was Wang Hong. Now, she knew.

Shang Si was slightly startled and didn't answer. She lowered her head, looking at the candied hawthorn in her hand, remaining quietly silent.

She had passed so many exams before; she believed she would certainly do well on the college entrance exam too.

The show hadn't started with Xu Tingshen yet, but it was exactly when she was suffering from her period. It was only then that Xia Wanzhu realized how terrible her complexion had been. Even with the post-production editing by the show's team, they couldn't hide the paleness on her face.

She scanned the environment, which looked like a brothel of sorts, but why were all the portraits of men?

***

Lei Yufeng had hired the best team to service their wedding; she only needed to say what she liked and disliked.

Because Xia Wanzhu's rank was much lower than Su Ren's, the people they were matched with were also around Xia Wanzhu's level.

With a single glance, he understood in an instant that it was the Soul Gate—a source of power that could conquer the world, something even those at the Spirit Forging stage in the Death Realm could only dream of encountering.

Hearing Old Man Yin say this, Qiu Chuji couldn't help but feel a pang of concern: "I am planning to leave this place now. Once I go, who will ferry the local people across?" Thinking of this, he felt quite conflicted, gazing silently at the hunched figure of Old Man Yin as he walked away.

"You're certainly good to me, willing to plaster my face with gold." Qing Rang kept his face stiff, not daring to laugh.

Ji Xiyan was stunned. After thinking for a moment, she fell silent. She seemed to understand why he had always been angry before.

At the end of the day, this was a world dominated by humans. Sleeping in the same bed as other creatures was definitely not a human trait.

The people present thought: You are a family that gets eliminated every year; aren't you satisfied with getting first and second place this time?

The next day, Grandma Ye went to handle her business, and Ye Miao started going to the vegetable market to buy noodles. Since it was her first time selling cold noodles, she didn't have a clear estimate. Although her cold noodles were delicious, her reputation hadn't been established yet. If she made too much and couldn't sell it, she would lose money.

The armor on her body had been removed, leaving only thin clothing. If not for her Divine Master physique, she would likely not have been able to withstand the harsh environment of this desolate planet.

Luo Tianhuan did not stop Alice from leaving, because he believed that one day, she would return. Perhaps she really did have something important to handle, though Luo Tianhuan didn't know what it was.

With that, the old man marched spiritedly into the kitchen, where faint clattering sounds soon emerged.

Ever since the bandits began frequently raiding the borders three or four years ago, the imperial court had prioritized the Nine Frontiers. They had even sent a prince to pacify the border and a Vice Minister of the Ministry of War to oversee the military and political affairs in Shaanxi. The Emperor valued military matters; how could he possibly recall Song Shi just because of a dispute between these two princes in the capital?