Volume 1, Chapter 25: Reflections

Early in the morning, Dong Qianqian finished her ration of bean curd and fried dough sticks at the general hospital canteen before returning to her ward. The nurse had already brought the daily serving of asthma-relieving herbal decoction. Without a trace of hesitation, Dong Qianqian poured the medicine back into her spatial storage. Nourished by the spirit spring water, she was essentially free of any major ailments; since all medicine carries some toxicity, she avoided drinking it whenever possible.

She held her textbook, struggling through obscure English vocabulary; she had scoured her dictionary the previous night. Relying on the phonetic transcriptions left behind by the original owner’s mother, she had basically pieced together the conversation between Dong Er-cheng and the foreigner. Dong Er-cheng had a sum of money deposited at Standard Chartered Bank, or perhaps he intended to transfer a large amount, and the bank manager was desperately reluctant, hoping he would reconsider.

Elsewhere...

Wang Yong pulled out a binding rope shaped like a rag, intending to ensnare Liang Qiushi, but Qin Shou raised his hand and struck his arm, sending a sharp, painful jolt through Wang Yong’s wrist. As his strength grew, every day spent in the real world now consumed 100 experience points—ten times the previous cost.

At Lu Bu’s command, his ferocious soldiers moved without hesitation, grabbing the Xiongnu and striking them down. The unpunished Xiongnu wailed in terror at the sight; before the merciless Han army, they finally realized that their so-called bravery and brutality were worth nothing.

A massive hammer, faintly glowing with blue light, slammed into a fusion of refined iron and the horn of a fierce beast. The force of the blow was immense, scattering a trail of red and blue sparks.

Action followed thought; Lin Chen focused his mind, and the Azure Wave Seal formed spontaneously, rotating around his body. With a leap, he plunged into the water. In the Celestial Realm, formations were categorized into Dust, Seal, Heaven, Saint, God, and the highest legendary All-Heaven levels.

"Very well, then I shall head to the Five Elements Mountain range for a time," Ye Tianxun said, and vanished instantly.

"Shopkeeper Tong, I have made some gains recently and have come to exchange them for contribution points." Lin Chen unwrapped the package in his hands and spoke with calm composure.

***

Ji Lingtong’s spiritual sea was weak at the moment, making the channeling of spiritual energy slow, and his sword techniques were sluggish as a result. Before his stance could fully take shape, Jing Ye was already upon him.

Ling Tianyun noticed a man emerging from Imperial Concubine Hu Gui’s bedchamber. The man was tall and slender, with sword-like brows and bright eyes, exuding an air of elegance. He hurried out of the courtyard, never noticing Ling Tianyun, whose gaze had been fixed on him.

She realized for the first time that her memory was remarkably good; she could recall the contents of private messages and map them perfectly to real-world scenarios.

Qi Zi-fan enjoyed teasing Qi Zixiao, it was true, but he understood the concept of knowing when to stop. Teasing her when bored was just a way to foster their bond.

"Since there is no danger, it shouldn't matter if I follow along," Xu Zuoyan said stubbornly, refusing to leave Ye Kaicheng’s side.

As expected, the Saint Son’s momentum was checked; caught off guard, he was forced back hundreds of meters.

Shang Ao and Shang Yu were deeply gratified by this, as, when facing a powerful enemy, the fact that their team members did not retreat was the true honor for them as captains.

Dajia Sakito was rendered speechless, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, clearly on the verge of losing control.

I looked up at Duan Ruoxue before me; she remained the same, forever pure and moving.

Ming Qi had many connections. With her high emotional intelligence and competence, she could befriend many in their circle. Lin Yurou knew this well—the previous matter involving Wang Yujun had been facilitated by Ming Qi.

"Yuhan, how are you?" Ye Kaicheng asked anxiously, covering Zhong Yuhan’s wound with one hand to prevent excessive blood loss.

Seeing that the preparations were nearly complete, Li Yiming urged them to place Qing Gu’s body into the coffin and bury her quickly, fearing that further delays would only invite trouble.

Once Zhai Xiying left the Prince Ying estate, he immediately donned the skull mask of the Underworld Palace Master. He always wore the mask when carrying out missions, and this meeting with the Miao sorcerers was to be conducted as the Palace Master, not as the imperial Eighth Prince.

"It’s Lu Qingchen!" Ning Wutao and Lin Xiaozhi scrambled to answer, terrified of being linked to the affair.

Zhang Wangtian scanned the entire cafeteria before finally spotting Ren Suyun in the third line, queuing for food.

***

Throughout the journey, they had engaged in battles of wits with the Red Lotus Sect without ever coming to a direct clash. But tonight, Hu Yan could guarantee that the sect would not let them off easily. Furthermore, the road to Chang'an tomorrow would be anything but peaceful.

"Who says so? Brother Xiao Nan is only leaving temporarily; we will meet again," Xiao Nan said, offering comfort to the young girl.

Hu Yan had to admit that Hua Qingran was truly heaven’s favorite. That face, that skin, that body, every word and gesture—all reached a realm of absolute beauty. Everyone loves beauty and loathes ugliness; gazing at Hua Qingran, one’s longing for beauty could even become fanatical.

Qin Yining and Madame Sun tidied their appearances, left Bingtang and Jiyun outside the hall, and stepped onto the terrace of the Ci'an Palace.

Qu Nanyi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze dark and unfathomable. He lifted a finger, signaling for Souhou to rise.

Huo Rong was fully immersed in alchemy; having been distracted by the outside world, the state of the furnace was poor. He could only struggle to salvage the process and stabilize the cauldron.

It was said that the first royal family of the Snow Moon Kingdom was born in Snow Moon City, which had no name before and was merely an empty, sparsely populated town.

The water in the Crescent Pond vanished at a visible rate, drying up in an instant, yet Lin Xiyao’s hands remained unchanged.

"I just wanted to dry my hair; being all wet and soggy is very uncomfortable," Lin Xiyao retorted, casting a side-eye at Yue Xiu.

Di Mo’s face was twisted in malice, his features contorted and aged with the appearance of wrinkles.

Thinking this through, she realized that Tang Yunxiao giving her a device installed with a tracker was actually for her own good.

Mu Qingce was blinded by the stinging light; as she closed her eyes, a series of voices unexpectedly flooded her mind.