Twenty-five

“Will you be wearing this later?” Su Yun stood at the entrance of the studio, holding a hanger and presenting a suit and tie she’d paired together for He Mian to see.

There was a magazine interview scheduled for the afternoon, and Su Yun, taking on the role of house manager, was choosing his outfit.

“Up to you,” He Mian replied, his gaze fixed on his drawing and his hands never pausing. He didn’t spare the clothes a glance before agreeing.

...

The economy, heavily reliant on energy exports, had been far too volatile, and so the situation in Algeria had not been favorable in recent years.

Yet, Lord Bao was not as domineering as the other nine kings of the Underworld. He was known to treat his subordinates kindly. It was said that the Terrace of Longing was his creation, built so that souls entering the underworld could stand there and gaze upon their hometowns and loved ones one last time before drinking the Soup of Oblivion.

Even for someone with mastery at the Royal Realm, wielding a celestial-grade martial technique was taxing—Qin Jingyuan could barely endure it. The energy between heaven and earth seemed to heed his command, gathering instantly into a torrent that surged into his body. Qin Jingyuan immediately circulated his spiritual power to harmonize with this energy.

At least Wang Chong, Wei He, and the others had feasted well for several days. After a while, they didn’t care whether the Jade Ganoderma Horse came or not—as long as there was good food at every meal, they were content.

What followed was simple enough. Hua Meiyan was genuinely amused by Sun Ming’s clueless antics—his emotional intelligence was truly zero. In the end, with no other choice, she spent the entire day at the amusement park with him.

Writing these words, Phuket’s hands trembled. Wang Luo glanced into the distance and sighed softly.

“Come on, Heaven on Earth, it’s on me,” said Sun Ming, emboldened by Yunyang’s words. Draining his glass in one gulp, he rose to his feet.

The Japanese were consummate actors—not only Fujiwara Shuao, but even the servants and samurai behind him bowed low before Zhen Qian, their bodies hunched like boiled shrimps and their faces plastered with sycophantic smiles. It was enough to make one sick.

In later generations, due to ethnic assimilation and customs, true Ezo people became exceedingly rare. But in the Tang dynasty, the Ezo were still a sizable tribe, long threatening the northern borders of Japan.

Liu Jia left with a smile. Only after she’d gone did Zhang Fan return to sit on the bed, his heart unable to calm for a long time. A mansion worth over thirty million—after two lifetimes as a nobody, it all seemed like a dream to him.

“Don’t worry, the person I found knows how to handle things. All you have to do is nod, and they’ll be here at once,” Zhang Pangzi assured him, wearing a look of confident calculation.

Nio Kai thrust his greatsword into the stone. “Ha! I actually won this time!” His eyes kept darting toward Ye Fei, excitement written all over his face.

“So you know your cooking’s terrible? Afraid I’ll find out what’s wrong?” Ellie raised an eyebrow, tossing a pickled cucumber into her mouth, already scheming how best to criticize his work and appear more professional.

The two Elders of the Treasure Body recognized something odd about the water curtain. Exchanging glances, they transformed into streams of light, attacking a section of the barrier. To escape back to the Sea of Flowing Light, they would have to destroy at least one side of it.

Wang Yu’s teleportation had landed them not far from the City of Chaos. The group sped forward, and in no time, they reached the city gates.

Before long, Qi Yun arrived at a shimmering barrier. With practiced ease, he produced a command token, infused it with spiritual energy, and then, with the other hand, sent forth a spell. The token flashed white, shooting out a stream of light that merged with the barrier.

With that, his meditation ended. When he opened his eyes, a blinding radiance suddenly lit up before him, causing him to squint. Looking closer, he found a small house in the midst of the light—though he distinctly remembered there had been nothing there before. His curiosity was instantly piqued.