Volume One, Chapter 22: A Preliminary Exploration of the Moment

Whether one loves or does not love, it is destined to be a hurt. Yet, some people simply cannot let go, forced to love more and more; thus, the more they love, the more they ache, and the more they ache, the more they love.

On one side, Lan Hanyan leaned against the wall, weeping in utter despair, while on the other, Shangguan Caibai made a renewed confession, attempting to salvage a relationship that had long since withered.

Gu Yan walked inside, each step feeling incredibly heavy. How many years had it been since she last saw him, ever since she learned that unspeakable secret?

Green Ivy pondered for a moment before setting her heart at ease. Seeing how much she cared, Purple Mist felt a sweet sensation in her heart.

"Dumpling, are you hungry? How about big sister takes you to get something delicious?" Purple Mist racked her brains for a long time, not knowing how to comfort Dumpling. He refused to speak and kept shedding tears. At her wit's end, she offered the only methods she knew to amuse herself.

Just then, the security guards of the underground casino came running over, clearing the scene and surrounding the area. A head of security hurried in.

"The Emperor has ordered me to enter the Ministry of Rites. What do you two think of this?" In the Shaoshi Pavilion, Liang Yuanxin tapped the table. These two were always huddled together whispering; there was no telling what tricks they were hatching.

Daiyu gazed at the water feature. Though summer had only just begun, lotus flowers already blanketed the pond. With the water pavilions and winding galleries, and the emerald gazebo atop the rockery matched by the lush greenery everywhere, she felt once again that moving out of the Rongguo Mansion had been the right choice.

"Grandfather, that’s enough! The more you talk, the more carried away you get!" Ouyang Qing stopped the old man’s wild boasting, pouting coquettishly.

I crossed paths with Nalan Ying, who didn't forget to give me a wink, signaling that I could rest easy.

I tried to use my arms to prop myself up, only to find I lacked even the strength to move them. I tried to open my mouth, but after a long while, I could not hear my own voice.

At this thought, Su Li sighed helplessly and walked toward Tang Jinglin's hospital room.

Once I retrieved the items Su Ping had given me, I packed them in a plastic bag and, under the cover of night, headed to Han Feiyan's home.

Long Yinxie was caught red-handed and looked quite embarrassed, though fortunately, his thick beard covered his face.

Perhaps because the seal on his meridians had been broken, Bai Yu's true form was even more massive than before, and his white feathers now appeared even more lustrous.

***

I felt a bit dejected; Chen Mu usually didn't let me participate in such important matters.

Seeing the despondent expressions of the others, Xue'er could only sigh; there was nothing she could do.

Throughout the entire process, the peerless Heavenly Demon did not even glance at the slain Yin Commander. In his eyes, the commander was a negligible existence.

Mu Jiao felt relieved to see him in such high spirits, but after hearing the doctors mention "carcinogenesis," she couldn't help but keep it on her mind.

Zhong Kui swatted away dozens of snake-spirit minions and was about to glide past when the wind around him tightened. A hook moved to intercept him, blocking two beautiful figures. Seeing that Zhong Kui was prepared, the two immediately leapt to his flanks to bide their time.

That person hadn't just tampered with Jiang Hongyu's room; his own room and his brother's had been meddled with as well.

"Let me handle this. I'm more familiar with the jungle," Wolf volunteered, stepping in front of Yu Feng. They had entered the dense forest, but strangely, not even the call of a bird could be heard.

If the volcanic eruption recorded in the county annals 150 years ago was truly real, then among the mountains surrounding Datong, the Southern Frontier, and even the Yue Kingdom, there must be dormant volcanoes.

"Huh? There are two completely different attributes here—half fire, half water—which happens to match my situation," Shen Yiqi noticed the anomaly as soon as he submerged.

Having been left behind by the group, the exhausted Bai Shu finally caught up. Upon seeing him, Da Huang dropped its guard, wagging its tail as it approached Bai Shu and began sniffing his backside.

These plum blossom stakes were arranged at irregular heights, and at first glance, they seemed chaotic; moreover, the distances between them were calculated to increase the difficulty.

The Erjiu Great Star leapt from within, and chains of binding incantations emerged, dragging the mighty lightning tribulation toward it.

Watching Xu Junhe tailing Meng Wen not far away, a bold idea took shape in Bai Shu's mind.

Due to the nature of the Ghost Vine, this thin cord loved to bind people; once thrown, it would automatically wrap around the target.

Zhang Xuan casually rolled up his sleeves, pointed to the shovel placed nearby, and spoke thus.

***

In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted to a stylish room. Sitting on a streamlined, metallic-textured sofa was a handsome man in a tailored suit. A beautiful ruby on his ear, like a lover's cinnabar mole, instantly captured the gaze.

Liu Buyu was merely a member of a business family. Seeing someone from the Ancient Martial Arts clan, he was already terrified out of his wits and knelt down to beg for mercy, hoping only to survive.

One of the seven top forces in Tianzhou, the sect hall of the Floating Snow Palace, was located in the extreme cold of the north.

Xu Huaishan nodded and said, "See you at the company tomorrow!" before boarding his private car.

If these people had no background, he would make them understand the consequences of offending Zhou Dongming.

Although the Qingmen Temple was one of the nine-star forces in Tianzhou, it was arguably the weakest among them.

Back in the day, when Luo Lie was eighteen, he had only tempered the strength of thirteen dragons. Could Yang Yi surpass him?

"Sacrifice? What sacrifice? Did she really talk about sacrificing to the Heavenly Dao?" Ye Buyun knitted his thick brows together. His expression was cold and his eyes piercingly frigid. He truly knew nothing of the changes in the Ye family—since when did they need to sacrifice people to the Heavenly Dao? His voice deepened further.

If it were in the past, Wu Yong would surely have been tempted, but now that he was "spoken for," he had to give up the entire forest for the sake of love. What could he do? In life, one must lose to gain.

Just as Yan was doubting whether Luffy was merely putting on an act in front of Zoro—suspecting that Luffy was actually deep and calculating—Luffy’s next sentence immediately dispelled all of Yan's assumptions.

I don't know how much time had passed when Wu Yong suddenly felt a coolness on his face and saw something blurry swaying before his eyes.

In this place, with no mobile phones, no television, and no movies, the nights were truly rather boring.