Chapter Forty-Six: The Heroine Continues to Stray

After Ling Qiqi arrived, the beams of light emitted from the red and blue pillars within the secret realm grew even more intense than before. Coupled with the fact that her features bore a striking seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Priestess Yunxia, Ling Qiqi’s identity was immediately apparent.

Xiao Su calmly tucked away the ears atop his head and walked over to Ling Qiqi, his voice tinged with concern, “Miss, how did you come to fall into the river?”

Coughing up several mouthfuls of water, Ling Qiqi rolled her eyes as she kicked Xiao Mei, “You were standing right by the river, yet couldn’t see how I fell in. How could I possibly know how I ended up in the water?”

As she rolled her eyes, she happened to catch sight of Xiao Su directly above her. The man wore a gentle, kindly expression, and his slightly upturned eyes shimmered with worry.

All at once, the young girl recalled—

The spirit of perception allowed him to sense the presence of humans with remarkable acuity—he could feel, even across the whole of Karagrey, a group of riders galloping over the hillside, their passage sending tremors through the earth.

There are auspicious signs as well as disasters upon the earth, but what of the heavens? Are those meteors streaking across the sky omens, too? Chen Feng longed to imprint every star above into his memory, to see which would one day fall, and which would be born anew.

It is worth noting that after the “Power Unleashed,” the “Greedy Prisoner” could only be summoned once. The reason for this lay in the frailty of the ordinary human soul; even professionals were no exception. After a single use, the soul of the Crimson Paladin would be consumed by the expenditure of energy and vanish.

This was a power brought by the Sacred Flame—a state of divine fire, irresistible, tantamount to a lower law of the world.

Unwittingly, the pair arrived at the foot of a barren mountain. From a distance, the entire slope was dotted with only a few sparse shrubs. Even in the eyes of most Seekers, there was nothing remarkable about it, much less any hidden venue for clandestine dealings.

Reason revealed this truth to Wucai, but now... the gaze of the current Ogi Namiki could be felt distinctly by Wucai.

The two sides entered an alternate dimension. The first to attack with full force was Pan Shi—he knew he could not possibly best the senior ghost.

Among them sat an elderly man, white-haired and appearing seventy years old, in the second row. He, too, raised his hand.

They attempted to resist, but before they could act, experts from nearby had already surrounded them on all sides. There was not even a chance to escape.

Considering this, he began to think of returning to the Black Wasteland, rallying an army for a direct assault on the professionals’ front, and advancing on the Logue camp.

Peach Mountain, as the name implies, was a mountain covered with peach trees. Though the phrase sounded trite, it was true; the entire mountain was blanketed with peach trees, and from afar, it truly resembled a mountain formed entirely from their clustering boughs.

“Of course it’s true. I, Third Young Master, never lie. If you don’t believe me, ask any of my friends.” Third Young Master cast a glance at his gang of rowdy companions.

Hopefully, Tang Xian will discover it, Ning Wu sighed softly. She could only help him up to this point.

Yet he did not realize that, at that time, the Jiao Hu Gang was also a syndicate dealing in narcotics. The man his father killed was merely a rival in the natural course of business.

“Get lost! Why would I beg you? Are you trying to talk about the Pearl Grass?” Bing Lan shot him an exasperated look and retorted.

“Heh, relax. I just wanted to have a casual chat. Sit.” Kurozawa Rin greeted him with a smile.

In the presence of the doctor, Lin Xuedong felt an inexplicable pressure. At that moment he was utterly disheveled, reeking of urine—a foul stench filling the air.

Extremes beget their opposites; the gentlest things often possess an unyielding strength. That which is too pure becomes as intangible as a phantom.

Upon hearing tales of specters assaulting men, Taishu was deeply astonished, recognizing the gravity of the matter. Feeling duty-bound, he quickly gathered his ritual implements and, with his retinue, hurried down the mountain in answer to the summons.

As the sun and moon spun by, before the autumn examinations the following year, Xu Liang bid farewell to his future father-in-law and set out for Jinan to see his uncle, Xu Yao. After recounting his experiences along the way, Xu Yao was overjoyed and made every preparation for his nephew’s examination, hoping he would pass at first attempt and achieve success.

Marquis Qin An was also troubled by these affairs. Since the Prince of Duan could not be exposed, a scapegoat would have to be found.

Best to lie low for now. When the day comes that his skill points are sufficient, soaring overnight would not be impossible.

The Goguryeo delegation had come to ask the Ming dynasty to mediate in their conflict with the Great Tang. Li Chengqian agreed with a smile, but added at the last that their hopes should not be too high.