Volume 1, Chapter 44: Catching Mantis Shrimp

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Yesterday, when Big Brother mentioned Liu Village, Ye Cheng decided to visit it today and explore a new area.

Liu Village was not far from Baiyun Village. It was practically next door, and the two of them could get there by bicycle in about ten minutes.

As soon as they reached the seaside, Little Tiger sighed, “Liu Village really does have more people.”

The beach at Baiyun Village was occupied mostly by villagers gathering seafood. In Liu Village, besides the locals, there were also some tourists. It was nowhere near as crowded as it would be in later years, but it was still livelier than Baiyun Village.

The two of them parked their bicycles by the shore, picked up their things, and were just about to head toward the water.

“Acheng, Little Tiger!” someone called from behind, stopping them.

The two of them turned around...

After looking around, they went to the cashier and exchanged three hundred yuan for game tokens. Da Long knew he was no good at the fishing game, but he noticed a horse-racing machine nearby. That game was just like betting: choose correctly and win money; choose incorrectly and you got nothing.

Dian Feng examined them carefully. Although they were all at the first or second level of the Five Elements Realm, their strengths varied greatly. Some possessed six-cycle Golden Core Dao Marks, while most had only reached around the third cycle.

“Look at the stone wall beneath the Three-Life Divine Tree. There’s something buried beneath that rock. Dig it out,” Black Heaven instructed Dian Feng. Dian Feng did as he was told.

Luo Hao had thought the other side still possessed some conscience. Now it seemed that they had completely fallen into demonic madness and lost their true nature.

Dead bodies lay everywhere, both inside and outside the city. Those who had families still had someone to collect their remains, but countless nameless corpses were scattered across the ground. Yang Xu ordered the few remaining clerks at the county office to organize people to clean them up. Otherwise, once the bodies began to decay, an epidemic would easily break out.

Imperial Consort Han was right. Whether that day ever came or not, he had to cherish the present, perform his own duties well, and take good care of his master. That was what mattered most.

The old man pulled out a steamed bun made from mixed grains and shoved it into Yang Xu’s arms. “This is all there is for lunch. Eat it if you want. If you don’t, then go hungry...” With that, he stomped away.

Xiang Gangtian felt utterly helpless about it. In truth, if he had been willing, his skills were more than enough to let him take a vehicle without asking the owner’s permission. Even if a private car was out of the question, slipping silently into a freight truck would have been no problem.

A cold glint flashed through Zhao Tianxiang’s eyes. The soft sword in his hand suddenly trembled, then spun, unleashing a spiraling force like a hurricane. In an instant, the opponent’s attack was completely shattered, and his figure vanished on the spot. Countless overlapping shadows returned to the ground, striking out with a series of thunderous blows.

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Once Madam Li had left, Fu Nuo sprang up from the bed. Today was the day her father would be executed. No matter what happened, she had to see her brother and father off.

Her defenses were already extremely high, and she possessed various forms of magical resistance, yet she had still been injured so easily. Moreover, the opponent had clearly not gone all out. If she turned her attention to ordinary troops, wouldn’t she be able to instantly kill normal second- or even third-tier units?

Levius led the charge, being the first to launch an assault on the ratmen. He was followed by the hero units, including Huamesi and Thanatos, then the Royal Core Knights from the Riekland, the Kingdom Knights from Bretonnia, and afterward the Riek Guards. The other, somewhat weaker cavalry units came last.

At that moment, I had only one firm thought: to leave this sorrowful place. Yet immediately, another voice told me that this was not truly my own decision.

“...” You Ruojun hesitated, but could only watch Meng Yunzong’s back as he walked away, wearing an expression of helpless melancholy.

“Someone lives in that shabby hut?” Mu Fengyun asked, laughing in fury, his smile filled with contempt.

Who would have thought that Ning Yun, the useless coward who normally did not even dare breathe too loudly in the Jiang household, would actually dare to hit someone?

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two men, still breathing evenly and showing no sign of fatigue, stopped atop the southern city wall, at the position guarded by Xiong Kaishan.

“The problem is, how do we get out of here?” Wu Liang said. The trees in this mountain blotted out the sky, and no matter where they went, they would hit branches if they jumped. Lang Qingsheng tried cutting through the branches with his sword, but could not leave even the slightest mark. Flying on a sword was completely impossible.

With a single glance, Chen Xixi spotted Xu Bai among the judges and was so shocked that her mouth fell open in the shape of an O.

Su Jingya and Yue Zanghua both closed their eyes as well. They knew that once Lan Xin withdrew that palm, she would be holding a beating heart in her hand.

“What’s wrong? I haven’t even left yet, and you already miss me?” he asked, hooking a finger beneath Gu Bao’er’s nose.

Four enormous skeletons danced around Lin Xiao, creating an imposing scene that made him appear even more mysterious. An immense aura of intimidation seemed to suppress all living beings.

In truth, Wen Xianyun wanted Xi Fuwei eliminated even more than they did. After all, anyone with eyes could see what had happened to the Xi family. Though the family had never had many descendants, they had always lived in peace and comfort. Yet ever since Xi Fuwei died, how was it that not one of the family’s leading figures had remained well in the short span of a few days?

Now that the end of the year was approaching, many people hoped to settle their affairs before the New Year, so the government office was extremely busy.

Bruce clenched his teeth sharply. His figure flickered, but he failed to become invisible. The massive loss of blood had hampered his ability.

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“There is something I have wanted to ask for a long time.” Qing Hong fell silent for a moment, then turned around and looked at the refined, unruffled man behind him.

Miss, were you listening just now? That was not the point. The point was that this Beiyuan fellow was putting on airs in front of our master!

There had been a time when he had been a genius of whom he was immensely proud. Now, astonishingly, he had fallen to the point where he no longer even possessed the right to speak.

His grandfather had been deeply devoted to his wife. Though the old man had accompanied her on travels throughout the world, the estate had always remained here.

The opponent’s skills had far exceeded the limits of what a human being could achieve. At such close range and within such a short period of time, he had still managed to perform an attack like that. It was enough to make anyone feel a little frightened.

Fifth Master greedily inhaled a mouthful of smoke, then held the cigarette between his lips. After a long while, his half-closed eyelids lifted slightly, and a stream of pale smoke drifted from his mouth. After taking several deep puffs, Fifth Master casually tossed the cigarette butt aside.

“Are you feeling better?” Xia Danning carried something over, placed it beside the bed, and gently sat down in front of Ruolin. It was the first time they had been this close, the first time they had been so intimately near one another.

Yet they did not know that the peace of the Seven Great Universes, and even that of the Eighth Universe, had been purchased through the sacrifices of their predecessors. How could those who came later ever truly understand the suffering brought by war?

When a man leaves office, the tea grows cold. While you are in power, countless people flatter you. But once you lose influence and authority, many will come forward to belittle you. Not only will they fail to defend you; they may even step on you while you are down. That was the reality of society.

One day, I will let our son come and see you—of course, not until you have recovered your memories. Even so, I am still afraid that you will remember, because I fear that you will hate me.

Yang Ming held the cigarette between two fingers and looked down at Meng Fu, who was sprawled on the ground, with an expression of pity.

The man gazing at Yang Ming with a smile was Wang Hualong’s son, Wang Dongnan. Facing that sinister warlord, Yang Ming’s expression remained as calm as ever.

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