Chapter 42: Huizhou Woodcarving

Jiang Yuan looked at his overwhelming desire to survive and said, “All right, I won’t make things difficult for you. I also think each place has its own charm. Where should we go first?”

There was a map on the ticket Cheng Yubai had bought. Pointing to the scattered attractions, he said, “First we’ll visit Nanhu Academy, then Bujuan Ning, followed by Moon Marsh, the Wang Ancestral Hall, Chengzhi Hall, Shuren Hall, and Taoyuan Residence. Then we’ll circle back along the two ancient trees from the western side of Nanhu. After that, we’ll find a restaurant in the scenic area for lunch. In the afternoon, the main focus will still be Nanhu. My colleagues and I—

Behind the remnant soul of the True Demon, the shadow of a dragon wheeled rapidly, as though soaring through the highest heavens. Beneath it lay magnificent mountains and rivers, their splendor stretching endlessly, while the entire world seemed to fall under the dragon’s command. The remnant soul of the True Demon swung both fists, and in an instant the mountains and rivers turned upside down, the heavens and earth collapsed, and a force capable of destroying heaven and earth surged toward Xiao Yun.

Although one could not easily cross into the Realm of Reality, it was still possible to observe it silently, so long as one did not interfere with its workings.

Pei’s mother and Jiao Chen also stepped out of the house. When they saw Pei Min and Gongsun Xi looking like that, strange expressions appeared on their faces as well.

Mo Yiyi’s face, however, grew even paler. If she had heard Xi Mo place such unconditional trust in her a quarter of an hour earlier, she would surely have been overjoyed.

Wherever the Nine-Armed Warden went, severed limbs and broken bodies were left in his wake. He slaughtered village after village and devoured human flesh alive, ultimately provoking the people’s fury.

Yin Boran was both angry and anxious. He swept Mo Yiyi up in his arms and carried her toward a bench in the square.

Could there really be no danger? Lin Tao wondered. Yet he still could not put his mind at ease. They had obtained the clue with such difficulty; they could not simply let it end here.

Ming Chuan was still lost in these wild thoughts when he felt warmth beneath him. He glanced down slightly and caught sight, from the corner of his eye, of the crimson stain spreading beneath him.

Making such an intimate gesture in full view of the public embarrassed Manjing. Thus, the moment Qiao Xianyun released her, she hurried toward the school gate.

“I’ve already taken Qi Murong to the Master. This isn’t up to me. We’ll have to ask him,” Ashan said regretfully.

Ye Chen’s head dodged three times, but each time I caught the position of his vital point and took aim once more.

Yet I did not burn those letters for Old Zhang. Instead, I handed them over to Zhang Chunsheng to keep himself. I kept only the few grain coupons and the old currency notes that could no longer be used.

This was the first time Zhou Zhong had ever seen something so strange. He could not sense the slightest trace of living presence from the creature, yet an intensely dangerous feeling arose within him.

Yang Bo negotiated a price with the other party, and they finally settled the deal at five thousand yuan. They also agreed on the exact time and place for delivery the following morning.

“Master, you don’t need to be afraid. Find somewhere to rest first. I’ll go look for some friends in the Divine Domain. Once I find them, we’ll have a place to stay.” Although I had no confidence in my plan, I could only approach it as an experiment. Otherwise, in a few days we would have no choice but to sleep on the streets. We might even be driven away by the city inspectors, and then everything would be over.

I let out a long breath. I had no time to dwell on anything else; all I felt was that a major problem had now been half solved. I gathered up the things on the bed and put the tools I had just taken out back into my bag. As for the silver lock, however, I slipped it into my trousers.

Yang Bo stared at the other man, his eyes filled with despair. His spiritual power had dispersed, and he struggled to guide the wisps of energy through his meridians toward his dantian. At that moment, a jade sword embedded in his chest was continuously releasing spiritual power into his body, nourishing his damaged meridians.

“You’re the first person who’s ever dared to go head-to-head with me in physical combat.” The simplehearted look had vanished from Gouwa’s face, replaced by a mocking smile.

“If I’d known, I should have thrown that fellow Hu into the sea. He went to the States to study, and this is what he learned—underhanded tricks? Filing malicious complaints, acting like a chameleon, and now fawning like this. Just looking at him makes me want to puke!” Yang Bo said.