Chapter 24: The Flower Banquet (Part III)

The fragrance of peonies rushed toward them, and the guests standing at the entrance were all stunned.

Inside the three-story restaurant, peonies filled every floor. Even along the stairs, they had been arranged at carefully measured intervals. Each precious peony stood apart in its own space, placed where it would attract the most attention. With a clear distinction between the main displays and the lesser ones, the profusion of blossoms was dazzling to the eye.

“Honored guests, you may come in now.” Shopkeeper Lin gazed with satisfaction at their astonished expressions, waiting quite a while before finally reminding them.

Those noblemen—

Seven or eight men immediately surrounded them on the boat. Every one of them was a burly brute, broad and heavily built, with fierce, threatening faces. Their hostility was unmistakable.

The two returned to the blood pool in the underground secret cavern. Tang Gong took out the antidote, wrapped it in a bundle, and handed it to Tang Yitian.

“Why are Aunt Chu and Uncle Chu still awake so late?” Jiang Jing wondered. He had merely taken a piece of clothing and walked out, only to find that Chu’s father and mother had already called for a car.

But if they were returning to the capital, packing all those extra clothes would only become a burden when they had to carry them. They might as well buy what they needed after arriving in the capital.

The atmosphere at the Food God Residence was somewhat different. It was neither as peaceful nor as lively as usual; instead, there was an air of nervous tension.

At the thought of it, that fiery body appeared in his mind once more…

“Bah! I’m on the verge of death, and I’m still thinking about things like that…” Jiang Liu cursed himself inwardly.

Meanwhile, Lu Jiayu, commander-in-chief of the Fourth Corps of the Imperial Guards, was advancing toward them. He sat in an iron-plated, four-wheeled carriage, watching the distant sky through a monocular telescope.

Amid the atmosphere of the entire populace passionately discussing the Lantern Festival, Fang Zhongyong felt more genuinely and vividly than ever what the people of Bianjing regarded the festival as: a grand celebration for the whole nation.

The White Envoy retreated two steps, bowed deeply, and sighed.

“Enough, enough, Fourth Venerable Lord. I shall return to the Moon Palace and wait for you. If you do not come back, I will descend to the netherworld and accompany you there.”

With several leaps, he vanished into the boundless darkness of the night.

After Xu Xian woke, he did not see Zhang Xian. When he went downstairs, he found a note on the dining table saying that Zhang Xian had gone out and that breakfast was ready.

A fence made entirely of fir logs stood three zhang high. Within it were clusters of buildings, though it was impossible to tell how many rooms they contained.

Mao Leyan’s smile froze upon her lips. She suddenly remembered a famous saying: pressing one’s warm face against someone else’s cold backside. Indeed, that was exactly what she was doing now.

In the blink of an eye, the entire room had transformed. Lin Di now stood upon an endless grassland. A fresh breeze swept past, sending waves through the grass with a soft rustling sound. The faint fragrance of the meadow filled him with tranquility. When he raised his head, a large cluster of soft white clouds drifted slowly across the pale-blue sky. Presumably, the wind had carried them from the horizon.

Wang Yue had assumed that she simply wanted to learn more about him, or perhaps take a photograph together as a keepsake. He had often encountered such situations before.

Nowadays, no matter how infuriating a situation might be, the moment Guan Hongda saw Guan Xiaojun, much of his anger would immediately fade. Seeing his grandson always made him happy.

“Nonsense.” Judging by White Tiger’s expression, did she really think he could get the better of her? Her agile movement technique was the ability she took the greatest pride in.

Yet now that Guan Shanhui seemed genuinely to possess a learning method he did not wish to reveal, the reporters at the scene exchanged glances, and each saw the excitement gleaming in the others’ eyes.

Mao Leyan ordered someone to shut the door, then lit torches and candles. This era had no shadowless lamps, so they would simply have to make do.

Having made up his mind, Wang Yue grew increasingly aggressive. He frequently sent out clones to wear Riven down, and often rushed forward to land two basic attacks even when he had no clone available.

The Chinese, European, and American war zones had all entered their final stages. With nothing else to do, Lin Di once again activated his retinal imaging and checked the big data for CSGO.

There was nothing he could do. Sister Liu’s appearance was simply too outstanding and breathtakingly beautiful. Compared with her, an ordinary man like Chu Mu could only be overshadowed.

That was why he had already prepared an escape route for himself. So long as he shifted all responsibility onto Lin Xun, he would be able to withdraw from the matter entirely.