Volume One, Chapter 75: How to Choose

On this journey, Li Tianqing had already begun to establish his own team in Desert City: the several hundred imperial guards and Feathered Forest soldiers bestowed by Emperor Zhou, as well as Yun Kong the Monk, Mo Yang, Old Hei, and various other figures from the martial world. These were the forces he could rely on. Although still weak and sparse for now, Li Tianqing believed that, given enough time, he would surely develop a power strong enough to influence the fate of Northern Yan and Great Zhou.

What he needed to do now was survive until then, gather strength as much as possible, and wait for the right moment.

Old Hei and Mo Yang remained in Returning Wild Goose Valley. Before long, Yun Kong the Monk, Lu Chuan, Xue Tai, Zhou the Ghost Doctor, and others all arrived before Li Tianqing...

“What nonsense are you speaking? Which eye of yours saw me touch you there?” The young man roared, face fierce and menacing, baring his teeth and claws, just short of attacking.

“Oh? That rascal has come back?” Luo Yang looked surprised, having heard nothing of this. Yet at the same time, she was relieved, for she knew none of them could truly leave the company behind; talk about leaving was just empty words. In the end, they would always return.

The scorching breath faded; a chill swept in, yet her flushed cheeks remained burning hot. Her gaze followed his departing figure for a moment, then caught the satisfaction and sly smile in his eyes. Only then did Mu Xia snap back to herself, embarrassedly averting her eyes.

The two of them seemed instantly invigorated, full of fervor, as they dashed down the slope and began to tidy things up.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward; speaking felt wrong, silence felt wrong. The torrential rain outside continued unabated, flooding the mountain paths they had traversed. Anyone following behind would never catch up, even if they flew.

Headman Xie didn’t stop them; instead, he glanced back at the Continental Tiger vehicle we had arrived in. When he turned around again, I noticed the fierce glint in the security captain’s eyes had faded somewhat.

[Sword Qi Breaks the Foe]: Swinging the blade forward unleashes a tremendous sword energy attack along a line of enemies. This skill is considered a magical attack, and its power depends on one’s intelligence.

I guessed as much, lowering my head to examine the mask in my hands. Sure enough, under the faint moonlight, the mask’s brutish features curled into an ambiguous, unreadable smile.

Everyone knew Lin Wu’s condition was poor; sending him to undertake this task was perilous indeed. Yet with the crisis at hand, apart from taking risks, there was no better option.

The Charging God-Slayer Spear sensed the familiar summoning wave; its rapid motion slowed, the dazzling light dissipated from its form, and the blood on the spear’s shaft gradually cooled and dimmed.

Even the Buddha was beguiled by the Jade Emperor’s honeyed words, but later regained his wits. Thus, he used River Child’s hand to release Sun Wukong, plotting to compensate him.

“And you?” Mo Sui Feng, ever sparing with words, was nonetheless swift in action, instantly appearing at Gu Qingyu’s right, matching their stride.

“How long did that last? Two years? Or three?” As an expert against evil gods, Cheese estimated in his mind how long it would take to purge the City of All Laws if it was infiltrated by cults.

The mind-reading skill, originally rated D, hadn’t increased in rank but its power had grown by a tenth. The original psychokinesis had instantly broken through its limits, reaching twenty-one tonnes.

After buying the brined seasonings, they purchased two pounds of pork belly, five pounds of lard, ten pieces of dried tofu, and five pounds of vermicelli—the money for these ingredients came from the Wang family.

To become a mage worthy in Cheese’s eyes, that transformation was inevitable. Every spell he cast, every deed he performed, carried risk; even discussing them made others worry for him.

Lin Nuannuan lowered her head and nuzzled against Gao Xudong’s chest a few more times. With each breath, she inhaled the fresh, herbal fragrance from him. Suddenly, she rose on tiptoe and pecked his cool, thin lips. “Xudong, please don’t be angry, all right?” Her voice was softer than silk.

Floating and diving, her posture agile, as if this pool was another world for her. He had seen skilled swimmers before, but never such a graceful style.

Jin Yaozhong said little; his goal was simply to make them wait. After a while, he would bring over the ship they once believed to be a ghost vessel.

Chen Diqiu smiled. “Allow me to try.” She walked to the ancient zither, sat cross-legged on a brocade cushion, extended her slender fingers, tuned the strings, and began to play.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to change locations, but rather that she was unfamiliar with the Duke of Ye’s residence; wandering into forbidden areas would be troublesome. The pavilion was comfortable enough, so she strolled there.

Xin Tianyou lifted the box with his left hand and drew his right from his lapel. All eyes followed—huh, nothing in his hand.

Upon hearing Zhao Henghuai was about to rise, Gu Shenghe walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Instantly, dazzling sunlight flooded the room, filling it with warmth.

Xin Tianyou was impressed by his insight and didn’t pretend otherwise; he raised his wine glass in a toast, tilted his head, and gulped down half.

Due to the influence of film and television, many people believe that as long as you jump into water from a great height, you’ll be safe—even from an airplane! In reality, this is a grave misconception.

After the last incident, reception no longer dared to stop Liu Chengman; besides, Yu Miao had said that whenever she arrived, she should be given free passage.

I... “Forget it, forget it, let’s pretend I never said anything, all right?” I only meant to smooth things over, but ended up on the losing side myself.

Shredded cloth still fluttered in the air; a figure clad in chainmail light armor charged diagonally from behind the car into the sky.

Commander of the palace guards, Liu Yuan, was beheaded by Yue army captain Yang Qi during a martial contest at the banquet.

Gu Shenghe, do you know how much I’ve missed you these past few days? Next time, don’t leave me without contact for so long, all right?

“Lord Tang’s handling just now was truly brilliant!” Pei Ji’s voice sounded beside him, startling Li Yuan, who immediately placed his hand on his sword hilt.

“What’s going on? Did someone get into trouble? Mengli? Or...” Zhuge Bu Liang pondered, his first thoughts turning to Yin Mengli, Lin’er, and Pang Xing’er.

“What’s the use of being a mighty military officer? If not for Brother Liu’s guidance, I wouldn’t be here today!” Li Xu shook his head, speaking with heartfelt gratitude.

The disciples of the Zhuge family shouted in unison, faces glowing with excitement. The spiritual energy here was intense to an astonishing degree; training here would surely result in rapid progress.

“What’s happening? Has the corrupt official tortured him again?” Lei Wanchun’s heart tightened, and he asked in a deep voice.

As the three-colored beams continued to strike, Zhou Yulong, anxious as he was, endured the torment of three kinds of pain.