Volume One, Chapter 24: Where Was Ninth Brother That Night Three Months Ago?

Yan Qiuning saw the man returning at the door, covering the lower half of his face with a fan, and fell silent.

“Who are you calling an outsider?” Qin Zhan’s voice drew nearer, cold and brimming with a violent, seething fury.

A moment ago, the proud and imperious Miss Qin suddenly wilted, her head bowed, fury simmering behind an ashen face, but not daring to speak.

Qin Changyu turned and greeted the head of the Qin family. “Ninth Brother, you’re back.”

“My daughter and Miss Yan—handle it as you see fit. Or let Miss Yan do as she pleases.”

Others speak of fatherly love as a mountain; he seemed eager to crush his daughter to prove his own innocence.

Qin Keling, witnessing her father’s utter…

Yan Qiuning blinked twice, her long lashes thick and curled. Her movements were stiff, almost awkward—acting out of habit, she tried to act coy, but found herself at a loss. She used to love acting spoiled with elders and with Shanglu and the others—such displays of affection came naturally to her. But ever since their relationship fractured, she had not allowed herself such unrestrained familiarity.

Yet with Qin Zhan, she unconsciously reverted to that carefree, innocent girl she once was, and acting spoiled felt easy, almost instinctive.

“I don’t want to drift aimlessly through life as I did before, a delicate flower sheltered in a greenhouse. I want to help my brother, help my mother fulfill…”

She had no need to worry about the position of secondary consort. As long as Nangong Xuan chose secondary consorts, and with the Empress Dowager’s connections, she would surely be selected. All she had to do was become more accomplished. If she could not surpass Zhan Yunge in status, then she must outshine her in ability.

If she could not cry in her father’s arms, at least she could try acting coy—though she had never done it before, there was nothing to stop her from trying.

Gu Yan truly had no time to spare for them now. Though she was frightened, her stomach pain was so unbearable that she could think of nothing else. All the wounds she’d suffered in her second life combined did not compare to this agony that made her wish for death.

Meanwhile, Cross remembered what Luo Ye had said, “Danger also brings opportunity.” Was this the opportunity?

Yu Shao found himself unable to sleep in the middle of the night, tossing and turning in bed. He was sure it was Gao Shu who’d made him so angry.

He made no effort to conceal from her the secret of the Gu family’s shadow guards, which proved he truly regarded her as family.

They exchanged glances, conveying the thousand unspoken words in their hearts, hoping she would understand their meaning.

As Will had predicted, Doflamingo led the Donquixote Pirates back to the North Sea, growing ever stronger—now to a point the World Government could no longer tolerate, prompting a full-scale campaign to eradicate them.

At the door, Ziyan stood with his back to the room. When the doors swung open again, he turned and was met by the wizened, smiling face of an old man.

Whether before the apocalypse or now, an ordinary lieutenant was nothing to him—but this one was an evolved with formidable strength, which made all the difference. The middle-aged man well understood how highly the higher-ups valued the evolved, so, no matter his anger, he had to swallow it.

“Where is it? Where is it?” A towering minotaur warlock hurried over from the west side of the square.

“Where’s Yue’er?” Cold-blooded Fang Yan, not seeing Leng Yue in the main hall, couldn’t help but ask Li Chen.

Li Chengjian could never have dreamed that Li Chen sold the imperial order entirely because of him.

If Elizabeth Kelly wasn’t the elven queen, then who was? This dark mage, Li Chen, who’d practiced dark magic?

He wasn’t a fool—Komarovo was clearly letting the matter slide for his uncle’s sake. He wouldn’t ask for anything too outrageous. If it was only about obtaining something from Albert, Komarovo would surely agree.

“What is it, Xiaoxiao? If it’s important, how much time do you need? I can give you a longer holiday and keep your position open.” Wu Bin smiled. Good operations people are hard to find, and recruitment is tough these days.

When Modokar and General Omar rode their gryphon-lions to Li Chen’s domain, the bloodthirsty turtle had just crawled back to the entrance.

Black was the first to discover Li Chen, and he wouldn’t let things rest so easily. If Adal and Lainas captured Yafimi Xue’er, there was no telling if they’d ever return to the Oga Principality.

“Could it be that my lord has awakened some terrifying bloodline?” Bart was shocked. As an ancient lord-class life form—a Giant Rock Orc—even he felt a faint sense of oppression. One could only imagine how formidable Bal’s bloodline must be.

Lungdong drank only the cheapest wine from “Golden Jade Hall”—but it wasn’t bought with his own money.

On the other hand, she couldn’t help a twinge of complicated feeling. After all, the one who got the order wasn’t her, but her muddle-headed junior fellow apprentice Shen Fang, who always trailed after her.

Fortunately, Qin Yu did not keep them waiting long and finally spoke, though with a look of impatience. The moment he opened his mouth, Old Soul Ghost was left speechless again—he had never seen anyone so shameless.

According to Grand Marshal Icarod’s orders, the remaining soldiers cleaned the battlefield, collecting the remains of allied forces and any valuable materials left by the enemy gods.

Su Han had kept nothing from her father, so she wasn’t worried about what the doctor would say. When her mother came with the attending physician Dr. Ding, Su Han didn’t wait for her father to ask them to leave—she quickly pulled her mother out into the corridor to talk.

Then, gathering his aura, he roared at the manor ahead—though the content of his shout was rather unpleasant.

Hearing Akasha the Seer’s words, not just the other witches but even Stephen turned a curious gaze her way.

The “door plank sword” that had drawn most of his attention was only a ruse!? The opponent had actually won the match with nothing but their fists?

Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t some ancient cultivation manuscript, but a handwritten notebook.

“We’ll just have to silence him first!” Having made up his mind, Ye Tian immediately flew toward the island where the evil dragon was sealed. In the night sky, other cultivators could be seen heading toward the stone prison—likely summoned to block the jailbreak. Unfortunately, their target had already escaped.

During this time, Prince Qin Ya of the Bone Dragon Clan, though unable to cultivate or wield spiritual power, had reached a masterful level of musical skill. Whether playing the flute, drums, or zither, he excelled, and so he often performed at banquets and celebrations.

At this moment, everyone recalled the earlier flash of light, the divine power radiating from the Black Jiao Horse, and its intelligent, humanlike gaze. A thunderbolt seemed to strike their minds—they felt they’d stumbled upon a revelation.

Lush woods lined the road, and glancing upward, one beheld a night sky as dark as ink, inviting passersby to linger.

As he prepared to flee, his feet suddenly stuck fast as if glued in place, leaving him utterly immobilized.

After wandering once around the airship, Yue finally saw the knights settle the Qiraji scorpions, and the ship was ready to depart.

Xiang Yu looked at Tian Tian with a trace of fear. Were these two brothers both monsters? The younger one was even more formidable than the elder.

What business is it of yours whether I sell it or not? It’s not even yours. At your age, you’re still messing about on Weibo like the youngsters.

Looking closely, the person before him wore two braids, bangs cut straight across the brow, eyes clear as water, and skin fair and delicate.

As for curses that extract a price from the soul, Ethan cared little. With the Tiger Mountain Spirit at his side, his sensitivity to souls rivaled any necromancer’s.

“It’s you, not us,” Yu Jingdong said softly, leaning against the wall and tipping his chin toward Wang Xihe.