Volume 1, Chapter 28: Bai Chenxiang? Nothing More Than a Slave to Money

The maid did not hold back in her response to Fang Yuan. She raised an eyebrow, a cold sneer curling her lips. Did a mere mortal dare to order her around?

"Hah! Just because you have a Title Douluo as a friend, you really think you’re some big shot? Look at yourself—you’re nothing but a mortal with zero soul power." She crossed her arms, her eyes filled with disdain and provocation. Her bright pink maid outfit looked garishly out of place on her; in her eyes, the mantra that the customer is king was utterly meaningless.

"Try saying that one more time!" Fang Yuan said coldly. His hollow, pitch-black eyes startled the maid so deeply that she froze, nearly convinced he was about to lash out and kill her.

"Hmph! You lowly commoner, you don’t..."

"Since you’ve arrived, let’s begin the trial. If you don't achieve at least a Grade One completion, you will not be allowed to share the remaining time with the other teams," the training instructor said, looking toward Ye Shaohua and the others.

The sacrificial altar was a pyramid, several dozen meters wide and seven or eight meters high. The design was ingenious, featuring a massive beheading platform in the center, complete with drainage channels at its base—or rather, blood-draining channels.

"No need for formalities. We’re all family here today, so sit down," Dong Chenghu said, scanning the room. He realized that all the families they were on good terms with had arrived, even those from the Shen family.

Was that really how I thought? I truly thought that way at the time. But as for what to do in the future, heaven only knows.

Qingcheng Palace was exceptionally festive today, adorned everywhere with red silk and lanterns. Despite the biting cold of midwinter, the courtyard was filled with fresh flowers, all grown by Gu Shuixiu in the greenhouse specifically for Dong Qinyan’s wedding day.

They waited for a few days and killed another thousand or two, but suddenly, hundreds of Shaolin disciples rode out on massive black bears, driving the imperial court’s forces into retreat.

The first phalanx consisted of the infantry from the Capital Province. In truth, the Capital Army had already descended into civil strife; most had been wiped out or disbanded. This was a newly formed Imperial Army, still numbering two million, led by new military governors and inspectors.

Lan Die’er was truly furious. He had come to her place to cause a scene after drinking—did he have to be such a jerk? Had he not been enough of a jerk last night?

Zhang Xinyi’s debut had been quite rocky; she had suffered through much hardship before making a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Song Chuyi, on the other hand, had gained fame without the slightest effort, dragging Zhang Xinyi’s reputation through the mud in the process. She might not be able to handle Yu Nianzhi, but dealing with Song Chuyi was well within her reach.

After Ye Qingcheng left, Bei Huang felt lost and listless, thinking only of drinking until he passed out, or perhaps meeting his beloved in his dreams before the royal tent.

The phone kept ringing. Chen Mo hated how they were always pressuring him, but he also knew clearly that he could not afford to truly anger any of them right now. He picked up the phone, saw "Mr. Gu" on the display, and answered to the sound of the expected roar from the other end.

Seizing the opening, Zhao Zhongguo and Yi Chuan charged forward simultaneously. Zhao Zhongguo swung his spear in a flurry, aiming for the Mountain Spirit Lord’s massive head. Yi Chuan swung his blade, "Yuanhui," aiming directly at the creature's left hand to prevent it from swinging its own weapon.

"Are you saying you agree to let me go?" A faint glimmer of surprise crossed Wei Yan’s face. She had assumed she had been sold out by that arrogant man and would meet a grim end, but she hadn’t expected Xia Houzichen to release her so easily. A touch of gratitude began to stir within her, deepening her resentment toward the arrogant man.

"The monsters here don't seem that strong after all," Muto Ran said indifferently after watching for a while.

"Zhuo Nan, this isn't a joke. Why are you doing this?" Chang Xiong asked hurriedly.

Xu Yixuan felt like his head was going to split tonight. He was certain there was something inside the coffin, but it was bizarre beyond anything he had ever heard of. What was its purpose in turning the whole room into a bloodbath?

A jungle bristle-pig charged from behind Zhao Zhongguo. Zhao turned, his eyes bloodshot, yet he remained indifferent to the beast’s attack.

Saya laughed, pulled out another handful of gold coins, and added them to the pile. The servant’s eyes brightened further. "Do you think this is enough?" Saya asked in a seductive voice.

During the defense of Yinjun Square, Du Bazi had dispatched elite troops to assist Mu Li. Though it was a calculated move to win hearts, Du Bazi had played the part so naturally that he had indeed earned some of Mu Li’s goodwill.

Looking down from the high mountain ridges, a small troop traveled lightly toward the distance—twenty men, twenty horses, and twenty blades.

Because of their assault, most of Xianyang City had been reduced to ruins. This infuriated Ziying, who immediately mobilized the Great Qin army to hunt down the cultivators.

After a moment of frustration, the Golden Bear finally chose to flee. It darted into the deep forest while the Blue Bird was struggling to find its balance. Protected by the dense foliage, the bird could only circle angrily overhead, tearing at the leaves before leaving. By then, the Golden Bear was already long gone.

Lan Ling’er couldn't help but fall silent. In her past life, she had lived in a lie of love; in this life, she was destined never to believe in love again, yet she understood the bitterness of unrequited longing. Still, there was no one to blame; fate was what it was, and one must always bear the consequences of one's own choices.

Zhan Junyi furrowed his handsome brows, took a deep drag from the cigarette between his fingers, and said, "Find a trusted media outlet and leak some things about me and Xiao Yi. I want to see if, under the pressure of these rumors..." Xiao Yi might grow to like him, even just a little.

Since he wanted to play, why not indulge him to the end? Gu Yu took off his coat, picked up a cue, and began to play with Ling Han.

"It’s fine, you’re very welcome! You sit down first, I’m going to change!" Ye Mingming said, then dashed upstairs like a gust of wind.

His coughing fit returned, flecked with blood. The sound was grating, disrupting the chorus of insects, rats, and snakes in the quiet forest. A heavy silence descended, broken only by the sound of footsteps crunching on dry leaves.

That sincere gaze made it impossible for anyone to harbor a shred of suspicion, and the old Patriarch Zhao fell right into the trap.

"What?" Wu Ting was shocked. Although he had already guessed as much, hearing it confirmed still gave him a jolt.

"I know that closing myself off will only keep me stagnant. I want revenge, but I lack the strength, so I have chosen to go out and temper myself."

Here, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away. By sealing off information and suppressing dissent to demand absolute obedience, they were effectively petty emperors themselves.

Of course, that was all for the sake of the "plot." Whether they could actually defeat Gray Wolf outside of a dimensional world remained to be seen.

With his concentration broken, the Rasengan dissipated, scattering the condensed chakra like a bomb and blasting Mizuki away, where he fell not far off.

"Hmph, don't dream about it! The weasel knows nothing!" the Witch hissed through gritted teeth, bound tightly to the large mountain rock.

The cold glint of the dagger flashed across Xiao He’s throat, but Zhong Shengtu felt no resistance from the blade.