Chapter 23: A Touch of Romance

“Hmm…”
A’Li hesitated again.
The man’s dark eyes grew even deeper. “Speak.”
Now A’Li began to sense the danger. It seemed the uncle was truly displeased with her running outside every day. He had warned her before, told her not to…
Jielan nodded with a smile, deeply comforted by Qixue’s concern. Only after Qixue had finished her exhortations did she leave with Chengfeng.
His words were not fully understood by the Eastern barbarians, but the word “god” they recognized well enough. At once, they fell to their knees again, crying out loudly, “God! God!”
Xuan Zhong snorted, “Is that barbarian dog, who scorns my Black Dragon Clan and refuses to worship us as gods, still not dead?”
“There’s no more time!” came a sharp cry at his ear, as the old monk suddenly swung his blade. Sparks leapt in the swirling light as the blade struck the iron chain, severing it, sending it tumbling into the void.
When the dust settled, Luo Chong saw that a perfectly round hole had appeared at the edge of the great blue stone.
Yet Lei Hu was far from willing to yield. He clenched his teeth and stood firm, pouring out his energy without reservation. Deep down he knew he couldn’t break through; all he could hope for was to endure a little longer.
In his heart, Nangong Changfeng gasped in astonishment. He glimpsed a trace of hope in the darkness and was overwhelmed with excitement. If he could master the entire Star Chaos Sword Technique, perhaps he could discover the key to breaking through the Roaring Wave Magma.
“Roar!” At last, the golden Earth Mother could no longer bear the agony of having her flesh torn. With a crash, she toppled and rolled in pain, while the white giant ape clung stubbornly to the pit it had dug, unmoving.
In truth, it wasn’t just the brothers Lin Hai and Lin Shan— even Wang Linyue was deeply puzzled. With his strength as a Star Lord, he still could not perceive the depths of this person’s power. This was a first for him since he began his journey.
“What else did Shen Yue say? After last night, shouldn’t he be more vigilant now?” After Ru Mo’s departure, Xiao Yan’s tone shifted as he looked seriously at Fan Yun.
If that could be achieved, Fang Zhongyong could gaze at the stars at a forty-five-degree angle and boast, “My journey is to the sea of stars.”
Zhao Yunrang could no longer concern himself with affairs in the house. He hurriedly changed out of his daily clothes, grabbed a Taoist robe, and rushed to the pavilion at the lake’s heart.
Ning Ye frowned, but did nothing more than wave his hand; at once, cultivators behind him leapt into action.
With a glance, Zhao Shuang determined the cause of death. It was clearly nitrite poisoning. Whether it was accidental or deliberate would require his father’s investigation.
For some reason, Yang Jun felt Kang Ting was inviting trouble. He gave her a sympathetic look, then dialed Rong Di’s number.
Mu Mingli snapped back to his senses, worry for his son’s safety flooding in. He stomped his foot, shattering the tile beneath him, and shot towards Muyang’s room at full speed.
Zhu Ganglie, seeing the other’s move, suddenly laughed. “I’m just a shadow— you can’t kill me.” Even if it was a death shadow, at most it could capture him, but not necessarily kill him.
Rong Di nodded. He decided to lose the next game to his grandmother to please her, and then win the one after.
“Gentlemen, do you have so little faith in yourselves? You actually called in so many reinforcements?” Tianqing sneered.
The city gates opened on all four sides, each gate tower rising in three tiers, with sweeping hip-and-gable roofs, upturned corners, and triple eaves. Corridors circled the ground floor, imbuing the city with an ancient and majestic presence.
By now, Ming soldiers still clung stubbornly to their pursuit. With no other options, they switched to Ming uniforms and blended in with the water bandits, becoming one of their ranks.
Grandmother Lin had passed years ago. In recent years, Grandfather Lin’s old back injury flared up, leaving him in constant pain and less nimble than before. Father no longer let Grandfather hunt, taking Eldest Brother into the mountains instead. As for Mother, besides housework, she did embroidery to help make ends meet. The money was scant, but a little was better than none.