Chapter 29: Courting Favor

“Master Tian, I have another surprise for you.”

Su Tian sat on the sofa, his eyes fixed on Bai Xiao. The man was clearly excited, and there was an unmistakable hint of ingratiation in his manner.

It was not as though Su Tian could not see through him. Bai Xiao was the sort of man who was especially snobbish; now that he knew Su Tian had become the master of Jiang City’s entire underworld, he had begun currying favor with him.

Still, Su Tian did not refuse him.

Uncle Zheng had already come over several times to urge the three of them to go and rest, promising to notify them the moment there was any news. Even Nan Yumo’s guest room had been cleaned and prepared, yet the three of them simply refused to leave.

Shen Yong hoped that the Shadow Earth Star would be a pure and harmonious place. Yet the world attached to the Shadow Earth Star was exceedingly vast. One could tell simply by looking up at it: countless stars glittered across the sky.

And in recent days, this Formation Lord had even become the guardian of the southern gate of the modern Weapon Tomb. His power could be said to have reached its peak.

Ge Haoran was speechless. Why was his teacher asking such a question? How was he supposed to answer? Brother Yong was not only absent from East Sun City—he could say with absolute certainty that the man was not on Earth at all.

What Zhuo Yue hated went far beyond this. His “wife’s” pregnancy had sent the entire Zhuo family into a frenzy of excitement, especially Zhuo Yue’s parents. This had drawn them closer to the Eastern family, although Dongfang Jingyi was merely a collateral member of the Eastern clan and had little presence within it.

The moment the giant tortoise poked out its head, he would surely fall straight into its mouth and become its meal.

Xia Gui, one of the two foremost beauties among Chaohui’s Five Flowers, was rumored to have entered the Spirit Severing stage several years ago. Born with a threefold elemental constitution, she was the Flower-Between Sect’s foremost favorite in this competition. Perhaps Xia Gui’s name was not yet sufficiently famous, but her sister’s name was known throughout the world: Xia Mei, champion of the previous Martial Arts Tournament.

Xia Xiyan knew that Zhao Anluo hated ketchup, yet she had never expected him to finish the entire steak.

When I had first fallen down, my eardrums were pierced, my tongue was cut, my eyes gouged out, my nose sliced away, and all four limbs hacked off. I simply did not understand why he had not killed me outright, choosing instead to torture me like this.

Moreover, a trace of sorrow that she had failed to conceal between her brows had shown itself. Could it be that she had quarreled with Jiang Hen?

“If that is so, what would the king do if he discovered that the empress had betrayed him?” Uncle Zhao asked tentatively.

“Listen to you. Why are you crying again? Your affairs are my affairs. How could I bear to let you suffer any injustice? Whatever you want, just say the word. I will arrange for someone to take care of it.” Zhuge Wuya thumped his chest and promised with utter conviction.

Yun Jing splashed some water onto her face, squeezed out a little cleansing oil, worked it open in her palm, then patted it onto her skin and rubbed vigorously.

That day, even though dark winds swept across the entire sky, and although it was broad daylight, everything remained as gloomy and oppressive as night.

“Listen to my little sister teasing me again.” The fairy’s voice carried a hint of reproach, though she could not hide her delight.

The person who had been curled up beneath the covers now heard his wife’s voice and hurriedly raised his head in alarm.

If Lu Xu were still awake at that moment, I would surely have said to him in a mocking tone, “See? You judged it wrong, didn’t you? The first possibility is essentially impossible now. Even if it still holds, then Lao Tie is also in league with Mingzi and the others. There must be another group of people wielding authority within the organization.”

When he raised his head, he noticed another oversight of his own. He looked at me and realized that I was neither one of the brothers and sisters he had known before, nor one of those foreign princes or princesses. This newly arrived relative seemed to have slipped his mind entirely.

He turned the lock, entered the house, and saw Yun Jing carrying a suitcase downstairs. Lu Liye, who was in the hall, hurried over at once to take the luggage from her.

At that moment, a gentle breeze swept past, and the old man vanished. It was as though he had never appeared at all.