Chapter 373: Depart in Thirty Minutes

I paid it little mind, drawing my consciousness back once more into the depths of my own flesh. I peered within, reflecting endlessly, until many a complex thing grew starkly simple before my eyes.

Many matters now entangle us, and we must find a quiet sanctuary to ponder our next move and determine how we shall proceed.

"Oh, Master Jiu, do I even have a choice?" Master Rat asked, his voice trembling with fear, yet he had come to terms with reality; save for following me, he had no other path.

I clapped a hand over my mouth in horror, for the man retained only his upper torso, his lower body vanished entirely.

Though he stood merely at the second transformation of the Dao Realm, Ye Yi proved far more formidable than those who had attained the third.

"Nothing was found; both the realms of Yin and Yang are utterly devoid of news," the master's voice resounded, absolute and unyielding.

Lin Danfeng instantly dropped to the ground, clutching his throat with both hands in a desperate bid to vomit, but it was too late; the cigarette butt had already plunged into his belly, leaving him only to protrude a tongue blistered by the heat, retching in vain.

"Go and choose a few more outfits. This gown is meant for banquets; select some clothes for everyday wear," I said, lightly patting Long Rui's delicate shoulder.

In truth, though I had always possessed no small measure of self-confidence, I still felt a pang of wretched inferiority before this man.

"This matter requires amends from both sides: Liu Guicheng must appease the temple and the underworld messengers, while you must retreat to Mount Miao to live as a monk for three days, thereby mitigating the karmic sins of snatching souls from the netherworld," the master expounded leisurely, unhurried and serene.

It was evident that the Patriarch of the Qian family had lowered his pride; rather than taking the central seat, he sat upon an opposing chair, wishing to show goodwill to Qin Yi or perhaps to let Qin Yi discern his standing in his eyes.

"Mother, I shall speak to you of my sister's affairs at leisure in the days to come," Luo Hua resolved, opening his heart to savor every drop of warmth Qiu Shuangxin bestowed upon him.

"That inner armor is an heirloom of our Liang State's royal house; only one who bears the bloodline of our realm can awaken its might. When the great tournament arrives, arrange for someone to test Li Yun, but take heed that he must not be harmed!" Liang Zhenheng's voice echoed once more.

The route Qin Yi had mapped out merely added an extra hour's journey, yet this detour led toward the Pavilion of Cultivation Techniques; clearly, this place held paramount importance for him, as every technique within was unique, and an earlier arrival naturally afforded a greater chance at securing a superior manual.

Luo Rulong sneered inwardly but held his peace, having firmly resolved that even if Wen Hongxiang truly departed for good, he would not call her back.

To Zheng Fan's eyes, unlike the Nine Swords of Heaven wielded by Geng Bin—which summoned celestial portents and brought a ponderous, colossal blade crashing down—the nine great swords summoned by Su Jiantao bore no immediate lethal force; they merely hovered in the sky, serving more as a grand symbol.

A gentleman's agreement was easily struck, yet the moment the clash began, Peng Peng grew so impassioned that he entirely forgot his vow.

Glancing at the bed, he saw that though the sheets had been changed at midnight because they were stained crimson, some traces still remained; unable to linger there any longer, Luo Rulong's eyes darted about, and deciding to bathe, he vaulted up and dashed toward the bathroom, from which Gongsun Moya's startled cry instantly rang out.

Standing by the roadside, Luo Rulong felt a sense of helplessness; though he caught a faint, chilling aura here, he knew his quarry had likely departed by car, leaving him utterly thwarted.

"That horse there—I want that bay. Here, this is my wager upon it," I said, handing the mutton-fat jade plaque in my palm to Lian Fang.

Yet I had no need to fret over this matter, for should I ever desire to find some employment for the proprietress, it would not be hard to come by.

Upon arriving at the deep pool, I found a fishing net and two changes of clothes resting by the edge; the surface of the water lay undisturbed and serene.

Han Xuerou's elegant brows knit together as she spoke; how could she fail to discern from Bu Qianyang's words that her eldest senior brother was deliberately making things difficult for Luo Hao?

Damn it all—sweat drenched my garments in an instant as I strode swiftly to the edge of the window to peer outside.

Yuan Xiaoyun received no reply from Zhou Xiaolian and instinctively cast a backward glance, only to find Zhou Xiaolian pressing her lips together, staring toward the direction of the departure, a trace of anxiety flickering within her beautiful eyes.

Simultaneously, Luo Hao's figure materialized beside Han Xuerou, his hand resting upon her waist as a gentle force swept her toward the nearby remnants of her fellow disciples.

Should he call him? Perhaps from this well-informed man's lips, he might glean some truths that Shen Linfeng was loath to reveal.

The engagement ball was to begin in mere moments—an engagement to Chen Xiaoran that she had long anticipated. Yet now that the crucial hour had arrived, a wave of nervousness washed over her.

I nodded toward my fourteenth uncle, whereupon the Tiger Braves led by Duan Hu drove the crowd back a hundred paces, forming a ring to bar anyone from entering.

Most unfortunately, he remained the sole Golden Core Ancestor within the Linghu clan. Now that he had been grievously crippled, they would have no means to resist should Xiang Gangtian choose to ride roughshod over them.

Dongfang Yunyang returned to the Nishiyama estate; at the evening meal, he paid his respects to his father-in-law, Nishiyama Xiongfei, to explain the nature of his mission, for an escort journey to the Land of Rivers was no brief affair and would require nearly a month to complete.

The reason the alchemist could discern what had once existed there was that, following a vast expanse of blank parchment, the author's handwriting appeared once more.

"Your summary is exceedingly profound; though I have never known love, I can feel its grandeur through your words," Qi Dian remarked.