Chapter 38: Gaoduoli

"I... I understand!" Tears shimmered in Kui Hua's eyes as she shouted once more, filled with humiliation.

Having witnessed the peculiar nature of the Terror Puppet, Ye Xiangchen did not believe a single Crimson Flame could finish it off.

Lin Yichen looked up, caught the faint smile on Xia Mo's face, and felt much better; she nodded vigorously.

Although Ye Fan's previous behavior had displeased her, in the face of the even more detestable Gu Yu, she resolutely chose to pull Ye Fan into her camp. Her confidence stemmed from Ye Fan's earlier feat of helping his companions break the restrictions of the Test Jade Stele.

"Heh heh..." Bao Hongde chuckled naively and reached out to embrace Bao Si. "When I saw you off outside the city that day, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. I never expected to be transferred to the capital by imperial order. It’s truly wonderful." He exhaled, and a mist of white breath formed in the air.

Just moments ago, he had felt that something was wrong with Qingfeng Mountain; a faint, underlying scent of blood drifted through the air.

Watching them embrace, Lan Ziyue exchanged a glance with Xuan Jizi—first to thank him for speaking up, and second, to thank him for letting go of his master, thereby allowing his master to be with Bai Qianmei.

"It is best if Uncle can keep himself clean and upright," Lan Yiyi said with a smile, though it was so weak that it made one's heart ache.

The two attendants looked at each other, stunned. What they had just thought was a turning point now seemed like an inescapable dead end. Aside from nodding repeatedly and saying "Yes," they hardly knew what else to say.

"Everyone, discard anything unnecessary. What we need now is speed; excess weight will hinder our mobility," Zhang Zhao commanded.

For a period after the zombie virus outbreak, the two brothers remained shuttered indoors, often hearing miserable howls from the distance at night. Their father never returned, and they concluded that since he hadn't come back after leaving that day, he had likely met a grim fate.

No matter how one looked at it, perhaps this was a fated connection, bringing them together at the most perfect time and place.

Even if life were as plain as water, even if there were bumps and storms, as long as the two worked together, there would eventually be a rainbow spanning the sky.

***

Although there was no physical sensation, Chen Bo felt a strange sense of relief, yet countless words remained stuck in his throat, and he did not know where to begin.

This was a very elementary water-element magic, a versatile spell among primary arts that could be used for offense, defense, or to assist with healing. Now, Chu Yun used it to solve his problem of dehydration.

Watching the lethal blade approach, the skateboard-shoe player did not even have time to cry before his final vitality was ruthlessly snatched away.

"It's fine, I'm not afraid! As long as I can save Uncle Ming, I'll do anything." Da Gui appeared filled with courage.

The moment the Shiny Charizard collapsed, the entire audience erupted in fervent exclamations.

"Yue'er, don't overthink it. Matters of the heart are for others; we don't need to dwell on them or manage them," Yan Canglan said. Rong Yun was clever and highly capable in government affairs, but lacked decisiveness in matters of love. Yan Canglan had no intention of telling Lan Rongyue these things; he didn't want his wife worrying about the domestic affairs of his ministers while carrying a heavy belly.

In the dim dusk, twilight blended with the fading sunlight, and in the darkening night, a lingering glow stretched between the water and the sky.

Liu Yi was terrified. Chi You was insane at this moment. Although he had been weak a moment ago, the repulsion and collision of the six true qi energies within his dantian had unleashed infinite power, forcibly suppressing the Nine Nether Soul-Locking Array.

Belladonna was "broken," and having lost her "beloved," she seemed unable to find a way to mend her heart. Did the emptiness of wanting to devour the whole world arise from the ambition she already possessed?

Wen Yucou said from outside the room, "Huayue, I am here." Huayue looked at Feicui, who was frozen in shock, feeling torn and unsure of what was happening.

The blood-red longsword locked onto his aura, and the youth could only frown as he watched Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran depart.

Before he knew it, he had picked her up. An Nianchu was slightly stunned, and in the next instant, her face was pressed against his smooth chest. The water droplets trickled down his hair, and in the dim light, she found him surprisingly tempting.

She remembered Xiahou Yubai, the Fourth Prince with a cinnabar red mark between his brows, who had lived a life of tragedy and sorrow.

***

After knowing what Su Nian'an had experienced, Yin Biyin wanted to let go—to release the love that had bound her for so many years. Knowing it was an impossible romance, she would no longer crave it, nor would she harbor any further hopes.

The junior brothers replied in succession, and Liang Fa and Wu Hao cast grateful looks at Yue Lingfeng.

The words were not spoken loudly, but to everyone present, they sounded like a string of thunderclaps on flat ground.

Since leaving Jinyang, he had constantly faced such complex environments that this young man, who had always projected the image of a fierce general, was forced to think. At this moment, he was calculating the situation in the Northern Frontier and his own future, becoming so lost in thought that he grew dazed.

He struck with his palm, and the Black-Hearted Master screamed, unable to evade, and was pinned to the ground by the blow.

Entering the coffee shop and sitting down, Yu Xinting, though never having been there before, was quite practiced. She took off her coat, sat down to look at the menu, translated and asked Kong Chenhe what she wanted to drink, communicated with the waiter, and then asked for Yang Jingxing's preferences.

Shou Hou'er didn't know what else to say to break the ice. Seeing Qingzhu Niang go into the room to work after eating most of the meat and peanuts, he felt bored, so he dusted himself off and headed back up the mountain.

Yang Jingxing was almost dragged onto the stage by Qi Qingnuo, but once up there, she let go and looked at him, exchanging a silent look.

After three days of bloody battle, the resistance army, trained by Chinese instructors, proved even more formidable. They not only held off the French offensive but also crushed the colonial troops in the fighting, surrounding the French outside the city of Thanh Hoa.

It was clearly impossible to keep the earthquake in Japan a secret. Therefore, the Imperial Government took the initiative to have major media outlets report on it. However, public opinion was carefully guided.