Chapter 24: Happy Birthday

Lady Ding radiated the gentle brilliance of a mother, a light that stabbed at Lady Sun’s eyes. She tilted her head back, forcing the moisture in her eyes to recede, and remained silent for a long time.

“Wan Xuan…” The lines of Wan Che’s face stayed taut, and his knuckles were faintly white.

The cruelest and most merciless homeroom teacher’s face and the emperor’s visage mingled and swapped in her memory for some time, until the emperor’s face finally settled into focus.

In the Great Yuan Dynasty, there had been many painters skilled at capturing beauty, but few like Yueyao, who painted seven beauties in one sitting, each with distinct and unique features. Yueyao’s mastery was profound; each beauty was so vividly rendered that it was impossible not to be captivated by them.

Had the system not mentioned it, Bai Jie might not have noticed, but now he felt more than ever that his recent days had been nothing but an illusion.

With elegant composure, Yang Shi bid farewell to Fu Jian, Wang Meng, and the other Qin dignitaries before departing from Chang’an, his group of several dozen riders vanishing in a cloud of dust. As Yang Shi and the others disappeared from view, Wang Meng was suddenly seized by a vague sense of unease.

The auction was lively, with wealthy students driving up the bids higher and higher in pursuit of more numbers. Yet the thought of the spirit stones pouring out of their pockets made many grit their teeth in pain.

Ling Feng remained standing in place for a long, long time before slowly moving to sit in the chair where Lan Rui had been. He suddenly sprawled over the table, and a single tear fell onto his hand—chilled to the bone.

In that moment, everyone within the city of Moravia heard her clear and tender cry.

Even his own brothers—elder and younger—he never regarded as a threat. In his eyes, neither of them could possibly pose any danger to him.

The remaining seven also continued to tend to their wounds and crossed the abyss together. As the gravity on the stone bridge increased, some struggled, but they all managed to make it across. Thus, all ten of them had overcome the first trial.

The elves abstained from meat. Now, in this woodland elf tribe, they could only follow local customs to show respect for elven traditions and had to forgo all meat. Dinner was nothing more than a thick soup of radish and mushrooms.

His name was Yun Cheng of the Nether Capital, his cultivation even surpassing that of Ning Feng of the Nether Capital. Like Jing Yan and Zhan Ming of the Nether Capital, he was a formidable force in the first tribulation period.

“Your origins—why are you here? And… what secret lies within you?” Ashemita’s calm voice asked questions that made Shaka grow increasingly uneasy.

“Wait, can’t you at least check before you speak? How could I get twelve points my first time on the road?” I protested, stepping out of the car to confront him.

He and Han Junji were twins, so there were no reservations between them; they said whatever was on their minds.

“So, doesn’t this make it a case of equal shares for all? If I’d known, I’d have just asked National Security for help.” I scratched my head and shrugged at my colleagues from the Sky Bureau, who looked at one another in confusion.

Dean Hugo was also badly injured. The plump old man was hanging by a thread.

“Enough with the nonsense—do you know how to open this cage or not?” I asked, frowning.

After slaying so many demonized Wind Blade Dragons, Mo Liu only managed to collect a dozen or so. They weren’t of much use but better than nothing, so he kept them.

Seeing the old fox trying to strike at his dantian again, he dared not linger and hurriedly got up and left.

“I know you’re unwilling, but you’ve seen it yourself—the horse and the donkey are making a mess, and we can’t wait any longer. The materials on this wagon are important. That’s why we need your help!” Mo Liu said earnestly.

Players flocked to whichever side seemed strongest; when the tide turned, they slipped away to seek shelter elsewhere. True loyalty was rare indeed.

They were still just at the peak of the Loose Immortal stage, unlike the old woman on this ship, who had already broken through to the Golden Immortal realm.

There was a thunderous explosion overhead, so powerful it seemed to shake the earth itself. The violent shockwave blew the tiles off the houses below.

Blades flashed, swords clashed, guns roared and cannons thundered. Twenty-five men fought in utter chaos, blood splattering everywhere.

“It’s the third day,” Tao Ran said casually, sitting atop a barricade at Fortress One.

Suddenly, Mi Dou stopped in his tracks, and the audience below grew excited. The five meditating disciples of Lei Banzhou all changed expressions at once, their spiritual senses not fully recovered.

On the day of the sports meet, Lin Yi stole the show—first in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints, and the 800-meter run, leaving everyone else behind in a cloud of dust. He dominated the triple jump as well, single-handedly lifting his class, usually at the bottom, to second place in the entire year.

Genhara Wu stroked his chin in thought, giving only a perfunctory answer to the curious stab-resistant vest, while Ruri Seiken watched his expression with suspicion, suddenly feeling he had ulterior motives and was certainly not thinking anything good.

The University of Tokyo, as Japan’s indisputable top university, was also, in the 1970s, the uncontested top university in Asia.

Pan Ling shook her head gently. She’d initially thought much as Fan Shuiqing did, suspecting Wang Tian might have some ability but not enough to be chosen as Lü Fei’s disciple. Now, it was clear her assumptions had been wrong—Wang Tian was far more capable than she had ever imagined.

I didn’t know why I drifted off to sleep, but in my dreams, I vaguely remembered being carried and placed gently on a bed.

And once again, I sincerely wish my mother a long life—may she always outlive me, may she live to a hundred years.

The manager smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that. Honored guest, these dishes were specially ordered by our boss. Please, enjoy your meal.” As he finished, several waiters entered carrying the dishes, along with two rare wines unseen on the market.

That was exactly what Lü Fei meant. It was a simple truth: money isn’t everything, but without money, nothing is possible. No matter how capable Zhao Liurui was, without money, there was nothing she could do.

Those parents, scolded until their faces burned, had no choice but to push their children back into the safe zone in resignation.

Qin Simiao led him by the hand, introduced him to all her relatives, and finally brought him to her own palace.