Volume 1, Chapter 45: A Draw

"Who was the one saying just now that the kid wouldn't even last a single move?"

"Since this guy can fight Senior Brother Luo to a draw, could he possibly be some kind of swordsmanship genius?"

"If he really is a swordsmanship genius, one of you should go tell the elders so they can hurry up and poach him over to our side."

A family of three sat quietly in the hallway eating. To be precise, Shen Zhan was eating while Lin Xinxin and the others watched. Shen Zhan was genuinely hungry; ever since the incident occurred, he had remained at the hospital the entire time, leaving him no opportunity to sort out dinner.

Madam Chen let out a sigh of relief. With her mother present, she figured they wouldn't dare to kill her directly to silence her.

While gathering herbs, the third brother had absentmindedly touched a clump of dirty hair. Upon leaning closer to take a look, how could he have imagined there would be a corpse hidden among the medicinal plants? That had given him quite a fright.

Naturally, the emperor would not push out his final chips, and now he could only rely on the Ling family.

Madam Chen hated them to the core, but she could only grind her back teeth in rage. All four of her front teeth had been brutally pulled out, and now whenever she opened her mouth, the wind whistled right through.

"I know. It's not that I want to stop you from blindly meddling in my family's affairs, but this matter has nothing to do with you in the first place, and you have no grudge against the Mo family. You shouldn't proactively plunge yourself into this kind of mess," Pei Qin said, looking at her.

Risking one's life in a fierce battle merely to trade for the worthless lives of those slaves was truly unwise and somewhat baffling.

Ling Shiyin sat across from Fu Liuyin, pressing her fingernails into her own thighs. Was the Mu family going to openly and thoroughly acknowledge Fu Liuyin after all?

When the students had mostly dispersed, Wang An stepped aside and said flatly in a calm voice.

"Actually, this isn't chivalry; it's a kind of condescending pity. Shouldn't Daoism advocate the virtue of humbling oneself and remaining low? The people here are either cultivators of the Dao or practitioners of Zen, each with their own spiritual practice, yet they still care about such things? Then how is this gathering any different from a secular cocktail party?" I found it somewhat inconceivable.

Old Liu was extremely focused as he went about his work, cutting without uttering a single word. That concentration seemed to have reached a realm where the outside world ceased to exist. After witnessing it, I didn't dare to disturb him in the slightest; the atmosphere was simply too solemn. Under such intense focus, Old Liu wielded his various tools with supernatural skill and absolute naturalness—truly living up to the reputation of a lineage passed down through generations.

Such extortion, staged accidents, and scams originated from the "Thousand Sects" among the underworld's various unorthodox trades. Compared to such direct methods, they preferred to rely on elaborate schemes to set up traps, making the selection of the target crucially important.

Hearing that there was business to be done, and seeing that the person before him didn't look particularly poor, Luo Ming, whose hands had just been itching for trouble, couldn't help feeling tempted. His tone naturally softened quite a bit.

The reason she chose these two weapons was because the corresponding weapon spirits' images had flashed through her mind at that very instant.

A giant bear suddenly materialized in front of the Snowman Boss, causing Coffee and Wutong to freeze in place for a split second.

Seeing that Ye Luo was giving an irrelevant answer, Cheng Guangquan automatically filled in the blanks in his mind, concocting what he believed to be Ye Luo's true and most proper background. The gaze he cast toward the other party instantly filled with deep respect, and losing to someone who came from such a place could also be considered a defeat with honor.

Let me just remain immersed in my illusions. As long as Xiuxiu can occasionally log on to see me, I will be very happy. My life, perhaps, will just end like this.

At least that was how it was during the year of Ye Luo and the others. The champion was Yan Qingwu, and her championship prize—sponsored by her current boyfriend—was a romantic five-day, four-night couple's getaway package to Europe.

Zhou Datuo truly lived up to his reputation as an old street-smart scoundrel. With a sudden sidestep, he dodged Bai Yuxin's flying wine bottle and immediately prepared to retaliate against her.

John, who happened to witness this exact scene, widened his eyes in fury and roared, "No!" Then he lunged forward fiercely. Without even waiting for the gun-toting man in black to redirect his muzzle, John planted a direct kick that sent the man flying several meters away, crashing heavily into another unconscious man in black on the ground.