Chapter 70: He Belongs to You, Not to Me

“You just came back like that?” Gu Bin stared at the soda that had been snatched away from him, utterly speechless.

“Of course not! When I heard what he said, I marched right in, slapped ten thousand down as a deposit, and bought the bed back,” Wang Fan boasted with pride. He didn’t spell it out, but he had borrowed the prestige of Gu Bin’s grandfather to intimidate Fan Wei, leaving him no choice but to let go of the prize he thought was already in his grasp.

“You really have that much ability?” Gu Bin was clearly skeptical.

Just as the last syllable left his lips, the sky suddenly darkened. Nine translucent springs appeared, each one bubbling with murky yellow water.

An elm branch slowly extended, settling at her feet, its pointed tip probing the stones on the ground before gliding over them.

Most of the cultivators wore expressions of longing, yet in the distance, all of them paused their actions, waiting for instructions from Master Yishan.

Mo Wuyou listened to the report, the corners of her lips curving into a cold smile, her obsidian eyes flashing with a chilling light.

She knew she would have to sneak out quietly, lest someone in the building grow envious. She didn’t want Zhongli Huasen to be put in a difficult position, nor did she wish to damage his reputation.

“What are you doing here?” Luo Qi asked, fully aware this place was either a memory or a dream; still, he spoke, if only to fill the silence. Yet as the words left his mouth, he paused, struck by the uncanny familiarity, as if he himself had once asked this question in some distant recollection.

It could not afford to lose its credibility before the Ghost Saint; there were more secret treasures to obtain, more places beyond this mountain and sea to explore. It even dreamed of a better life of its own.

“I heard you often sparred with Red-Hair, one of the Four Emperors of the New World. What do you think of his strength?” Li He asked.

One thing was certain: the losses among the Darkblood race far exceeded those of the humans. This was the advantage of the Holy Alliance’s system.

Suddenly, he remembered—the one playing the violin was a child. His parents’ blood stained the first floor, their lives already ended, while the child remained upstairs, drawing the bow across the strings.

After all the commotion, nearly every customer in the tavern had left.

By the time it was over, Heren was in so much pain that he lacked the strength to speak. His cheeks were swollen and red, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Jin Yan’s hands, too, were so sore she could strike no longer.

Her father’s poor health had led her mother to persuade him not to come. So she came alone, but having just returned, she felt uncomfortable seeing her family so worried and making such a fuss over her.

In the main hall, the two officials dropped to their knees in panic. Before, Hua Zongmin might have drawn on his merits in defending the nation to voice his dissatisfaction, but now, he truly did not dare.

A bracelet was placed upon the warm yellow quilt, its surface veiled in a faint halo. When touched, it felt hard and solid.

Ye Qingkuang paused when he saw Fan Xu emerge. He had already suspected that it was Fan Xu who had reported them, since most of Kuangshan’s people were present.

He thought to himself, if the two of them really fought, things would get serious. Xia Fengyun was the senior disciple and wielded much authority, but Lin Tianyao was protected by their master and had even more power. If anything happened to either side, it wouldn’t bode well for him.

He didn’t know why, but he disliked hearing her say she was going to see other men, nor did he like watching her dashing around in their company.

What living thing could possibly look like that? Even if it bled, dried blood would only darken; how could it possibly be such a fiery, vivid red?

This was the county’s first pilot site for central heating, so there was no need to tend stoves for warmth. The morning hours were dull and uneventful, especially now that Zhang Teng, the toad, was gone. There was no television in the room, so she lay on her bed.

“Good afternoon, sir. How may I assist you?” The receptionist’s first reaction on seeing him was astonishment; never before had someone in such a state walked in here. Still, she maintained her professionalism.