Volume One, Chapter 22: Stay Away from My Home from Now On

“Yanyan, Ling Tian isn’t that kind of person.”
Chu Ping wore a troubled expression as she spoke up in defense of Chu Ling Tian.
“He’s actually had a hard time as well.”
Though she hadn’t seen Ling Tian in years, she had been quietly watching over him from afar.
She knew her son had suffered in the Chu household, that Chu Jianguo had forced him into prison, and that he had been compelled to marry into the Jiang family.
If her son’s character were truly bad, he wouldn’t have been repeatedly pressured into imprisonment and forced marriage time and again.
He was a good boy.
But she was powerless—she couldn’t reunite with her son in a grand, dramatic way; she had her own difficulties to bear.

“So you’re still defending him?”
Xu Feiyan snorted. “He just arrived in Jiangnan, and within two days, he’s come rushing here... How do you explain that to Le Linfeng? Moreover, Le Hengqing is now secretly staying in the mansion. Every move he makes is under close watch. How could he possibly escape those sharp eyes?”

In truth, the stern and unyielding words came from someone whose identity, when Song Duanwu heard them, was immediately clear.

Her heart suddenly jolted. She lunged toward Nan Ruozhen, calling his name loudly. Tears ravaged her cheeks, which had long since lost their color from fear.

“Excuse me, are you Ling Yu, the captain of the Wildland Combat Team?” The man entered and fixed his gaze on Ling Yu as he asked.

Of course, purely in terms of influence in Pingjin, Aomei could not compare to Hongguang. But after all, Aomei was a world-class advertising giant, unmatched by the current Hongguang.

Clearly, Song Duanwu was neither of these two, so when he found Mo Qingyan’s words not entirely without reason, the phrase ‘a battle between heaven and man’ was one that Song Duanwu himself had to ponder deeply.

---

Having said so much, Song Duanwu knew further talk was futile. Since the other party was clearly seeking him out, any words he uttered would vanish like water into sand. His immediate priority was to ensure Mo Qingyan’s safety.

Ling Yu walked ahead expressionlessly. Slowly, he reached the cave’s edge. The exhaust fan still blocked the entrance, beneath which lay at least a dozen mangled corpses. Several had decomposed into piles of rotten flesh, their human forms unrecognizable. A large man, shirtless, lay dead at the cave’s edge, his face blue and purple, twisted into a terrifying grimace.

Song Duanwu smiled casually and said something that nearly infuriated Xiang Yu and surprised Ye Zhijian.

“All right, I want to have a private talk with Senior Brother Miyako. I’d ask the ninjas from Yunin Village to step aside, please.” Sato Hidechū’s lips curled into a sneer as he spoke to the Yunin Village ninja, his tone half-commanding.

Turning his gaze, he saw the two members of the Yu family watching her. The elder seemed to be whispering to Zheng Congyin, while the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor cast a faint glance in her direction.

His knuckles cracked open, blood seeping out, mixing with tears falling from his moist eyes, soaking into the intricate patterns of the Burning Immortal Platform.

Miyako’s words caused his companions to burst into laughter. They were mostly young peers who got along well, and they mocked Miyako’s boast about teaching that powerful Konoha youth a lesson without reservation.

The chakra absorbing tailed beasts used against them—the last time, this technique successfully suppressed the One-Tail Shukaku, enabling Sato Hidechū to fully seal it. Although Shukaku was later taken by the Sand Hidden Village amid the chaos, this nevertheless proved the technique’s potency.

“King of the World?” Leo murmured, but his tone betrayed disdain and disappointment.

Yaoyao had already noticed some glances from nearby people and looked over at Gu Yi, who was staring intently at the pot of pig’s trotters soup.

“It’s comfortable here, isn’t it?” Cai Guowei stood by the pool, watching Xu Zuoyan, his gaze lingering on Xu’s fair, smooth chest.

From this brief exchange alone, much could be inferred—for instance, it seemed this entity had some understanding of itself, thinking quite differently from the clones.

“Teacher Ji, you should go rest. My cultivation has reached a critical stage. Whether I break through by tomorrow morning will affect the battle...” Wang Yu said.

Sure enough, one of Yang Yanhus’s guards sat against the wall, several bloody wounds on his right leg still oozing blood.

Sun Ying didn’t ask further. She trained hard, with unprecedented dedication.

Enduring immense pain, the Gyarados’s tail churned the sea, then with a crashing sound, the swirling water curtain wrapped tail struck the Megalodon.

Trees, buildings, and even the experimental building where Su Xing was located were all being severed one after another behind the Tyrant.

---

At that moment, in the midst of the chaos, an eighth-rank Night Demon Green General launched a sudden attack, severely wounding Xiong Tu with a single axe strike.

Being able to be reborn was truly wonderful. Gu Weixuan’s smile grew brighter as she gazed up at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling extraordinarily joyful.

Had they not encountered this experimental ship—or if they had destroyed it upon arrival—they would never have been able to send this message.

Even Zhu Jiugong sent someone to inform Wu Naihua that the emperor had regained consciousness, though his body still needed rest. Xiaozhuang was not allowing him to intervene in the matter.

The village had about forty households in total. The village head had already canvassed every family. There were brothers pooling resources, fathers and sons working together, and entire clans gathering funds. Altogether, they estimated about a dozen greenhouses would need to be built.

“If it really comes to that, wouldn’t you also blame me for it?” He added, his voice utterly devoid of emotion, as if stating an inevitable fact.

However, the Chu family academy was originally a place of enlightenment. Students were to advance to the mansion school for better education. He had no reason to stop them and only offered a few stern words of encouragement before leaving.

After enduring such heavy blows, how could she possibly feel affection for such cold-blooded men?

That dragon turtle even said it planned to raze the Netherworld Continent. He Yu felt a suffocating weight in his heart but said nothing, only muttering, “I understand,” after a pause.

Previously, Zhou Bo was heartbroken by her accusations. Now, hearing her voice so softly yet carrying the chill of the Great Qing Mountains’ snowfields, he could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward and embraced Xue Jian. She didn’t resist, letting the tears stream down her face.

Currently, the two maids accompanying Xue Jian surely suspected that he could not win her heart, so they took ruthless measures.

The Wang family received these two items, rumored in the village to be the handiwork of the Zhou family’s fox spirit—or rather, a fox fairy. Trembling, they poured the baskets’ contents into their own and returned the baskets, too afraid to linger.

The chicken was now a deep sauce color, with red and green chili peppers and white mushrooms, all bathed in rich broth, making everyone’s mouths water.

Most importantly, every other day, she personally prepared soup for Xue Jian, delivering it along with Fifth Lady.

Murong Ningfeng only watched Yun Mo. Yun Mo looked helpless under his gaze and had no choice but to suppress her worries. After all, Murong Ningfeng was her master. She could not keep avoiding the matter forever.