Chapter 18: Dereliction of Duty

Ye Changmian’s fury surged like a tidal wave, his youthful face clouded with murderous intent, his silver hair unmoving, as if frozen in place.

“You come and go as you please—do you take the imperial palace for a mere playground?”

“If you dare to step here, be ready to die. His Majesty wants a living captive? I’ll make sure you wish for death instead!”

With killing intent unleashed, he gathered limitless inner force in his palms.

...

Tang Tianfang shook his head helplessly. Perhaps his image had never given her a sense of security. Security is a fragile thing—if you believe in it, it exists, and if not, it vanishes. He gently cupped her face and kissed her lips once more.

The further one advances in the realm of enlightenment, the harder it becomes to improve; yet, for that very reason, the deeper the understanding, the more it multiplies a warrior’s strength. He had comprehended the essence of the sword for thirty years, yet had only cultivated it to seventy percent. Still, that was enough to rival sword masters who had practiced for centuries.

“What else can you do?” Zuo Yirong pressed her, seeing her stick out her tongue with a peculiar expression.

Liu Ruoyu, with her delicate beauty and sickly appearance, would ordinarily elicit pity at a glance; yet when Liu Ruoye stood beside her, Ruoye’s blend of innocence and gentle charm, her lively eyes and youthful energy, made the frail Liu Ruoyu seem all the more unappealing.

The so-called white mist was merely the residue of a beast called the Mist Fiend, lingering after death by consuming human spirits, waiting for the day it could be reborn. When that day comes, it will be the birth of the ancient beast that devours the heavens.

In truth, the great-grandmother’s plan had almost entirely succeeded. In fact, Wei Zhenghong’s health was worse than she had expected, nearly ending his lineage. Even though he luckily encountered a skilled physician, the delay meant he could only recuperate quietly day after day.

“If we pass through here, we’ll reach our first destination!” Bai Sheng pointed at the map, explaining to Shen Yunfei and She Qiansheng.

The headmistress didn’t ask how she found her way home, nor what she’d endured on the journey. She simply washed her clean and kept her by her side from then on, nurturing her with care.

Ye Ke was truly unlucky—his nose scraped against the ground, stinging with pain; his shirt was stained across the chest; most humiliating of all, one shoe was left in the car. He stood up, and the thin black sock on his foot had a hole, his big toe sticking out to catch the breeze.

Gu Yun’er’s eyes widened in shock, frozen in place for a long moment. The man’s strong arms wrapped around her, holding her fast, his tongue slipping between her parted lips, tangling with hers, claiming her with seductive force, lost in velvet darkness.

Wasn’t Qin Zhenlan just like this? Zhou Mei threw a tantrum, and he wore a grim expression; but in truth, he couldn’t wait even a single night, rushing out in the middle of the night to coax Zhou Mei home.

Those who lived on Golden Phoenix Street were a rung lower, yet even those wealthy families possessed plenty of money.

In recent years, she followed Jun Ling’s advice, but to Jun Ling she always kept some distance. She sensed they were not people of the same world, and every time Jun Ling looked at her, the intense hatred in her eyes made Xiang Nuan feel uneasy.

The two men faced off, their movements not overtly aggressive, yet the mere clash of gazes and presence created a tension greater than any outright conflict.

If the earlier pain was like a fine needle piercing his nerves, now Ding Qianye’s agony was beyond words. Sweat poured from his body, the air thick with its scent as his uniform became soaked through.

They had no evidence their injuries were caused by Cha Xuan, but their scheming was obvious. Yin Fuchen’s side wouldn’t let it go either—today was merely a warning.