Volume 1, Chapter 129: Fear
The air was thick with a pungent, metallic stench that brought on a wave of dizziness the longer one inhaled it. This abandoned factory had likely once been a steel processing plant. Stacks of steel bars lay scattered across the concrete floor, cold and unyielding. They felt like sharp thorns piercing Shen Xingchen’s heart, leaving her trembling uncontrollably.
He kissed her, his nimble fingers dancing incessantly. He knew her too well; every touch of his hands stirred a shiver within her.
In the distance, a figure glowing with kaleidoscopic brilliance streaked across the sky at the speed of lightning. Its feathers shimmered with golden light, trailing a long, iridescent rainbow in its wake.
"Seven years..." Ximen Chuixue shuddered, slowly closing his eyes as if reliving everything that had passed in those seven years.
The noble young master in the ornate red robes and the man in black both wore expressions of growing fury. Their guards behind them understood exactly what was to follow.
Yu Shuting looked at Su Li with a bitter smile. For a moment, even she felt dazed, as if she were signing a pact with the devil. From this day forward, the fate of the Yu Family Manor would never be ordinary again, and the architect of it all was the man standing before her.
"Venerable Brahma!" Wu Bujing exclaimed in terror, immediately clamping a hand over his large mouth.
Gu Xi’s body wavered from the impact of the dagger, but there was no time to adjust. He clenched his left hand into a fist and swung it toward the large man.
He recalled the conversation the Island Master, Gu Wang, had held with Xuan Potian just days ago. "If I am ever in danger, my child, Gu Qian, is naive—a flower grown in a greenhouse. I hope you will look after him." Xuan Potian had never been able to fathom the meaning of those words; why would the Island Master speak like that?
Before Wang Le could speak, the middle-aged man stepped aside, and Qin Lan walked in slowly. With a polite smile on her face, she gazed calmly at Wang Le.
"We have arrived, Brother Shaoming." Shen Zhiyuan jumped off the carriage first, then turned to Feng Shaoming with a smile.
He gazed at the "corpse" of Jun Lanmo not far away, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Memories of the past flooded back, and his eyes welled up with tears, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"Yes, Young Master. This is what you requested, but are you certain you wish to use this on the Young Mistress?" The shadow guard produced a black bottle from his robes and handed it to Qi Ziyan, his tone laced with doubt and a hint of disapproval.
"Must you keep your face veiled like this?" Beichen Liang clearly disapproved of Jiang Muran’s deliberate attempt to conceal her identity.
Seeing Noble Consort Wen about to lunge at Ye Xi, the Empress signaled with a glance, and two guards immediately pinned the consort by her arms.
Upon hearing the news, Lu Tingchen grabbed a lantern and rushed toward the Xuanyu Palace with all haste.
With things laid out this plainly, Xiao Sheng felt no warmth from him; instead, she felt threatened, as if he were holding the very thing she desired over her head.
He rubbed his bruised arm, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration. The candidate had already been chosen long ago, yet he had been foolish enough to walk right into a beating. Sigh, truly, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
She lifted her chin and stared straight at Mu Luoyang, a cold sneer surfacing in the depths of her eyes. It was as if she were saying that if he dared to cast her out, he should never expect to see her again.
"Brother Chu Feng, try this sweet and sour fish!" Liu Ruoshui said, placing a piece of fish into Chu Feng’s bowl.
On one side was Lu Tingchen, and on the other, my father. How could I possibly make such a choice in so short a time? Yet, the Empress Dowager had promised me that no harm would come to Lu Tingchen. Now that everyone in the Chen household was locked in the dungeon, if I were to remain selfish, their lives would surely be forfeit.