29 A Stone (IX)

"What on earth is this?" Looking at the dense, black flames surrounding him, for the first time, a flicker of terror appeared in Bai Jian's eyes.

Think of the Emperors Qin and Han, or the warlords of the Three Kingdoms era like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, or even the founding emperors of the Tang and Song dynasties—all of them recruited talent extensively to build their great legacies. The reason is simple: these overlords understood one fundamental truth—that talent is the most important asset of all.

With eyes bulging and filled with hatred, a broken ribbon was wrapped around the corpse's neck, dangling it from a sturdy branch. A thin, long steel needle was driven into its chest, and on the trunk of the ancient tree, four words were written in fresh, crimson blood: "Death to Traitors!"

"I don't think so, but if we did, we'd surely have children by now. Do you think they would use the names we chose?" Shangguan Ao held Youyou's hand and said with a smile.

This wine was truly fierce; her face felt as if it were burning, and from her throat down to her stomach, it felt scorched. She didn't need to look to know that her face must be as red as a sunset.

"Why are you home?" Murong Lanxin returned late, and the food on the table had long since lost its warmth.

However, these things could not be said to them; it was better to let them believe it was just an accident.

Lei Yu had completely forgotten that he was trapped in a dark space, speaking with such arrogance that Tie Mu couldn't help but roll his eyes.

She wouldn't necessarily earn a million in five or eight years of hard work at the hospital, yet now, just by providing him a dinner that might not even cost ten dollars, she could make a million in a year?

When Guiguzi spoke, an indescribable aura of dominance emanated from him. His words were not particularly resonant or forceful; he spoke softly, just like anyone else, but the impression he left was entirely different.

She selected three of the weaker spirits to follow her and ordered the rest to disperse. Composing herself, she slowly approached the envoy.

Some were surprised, some excited, some contemplative, some terrified, and others disbelieving—every kind of reaction was present.

There was no doubt that someone was hiding in that tangled thicket, but their identity was a mystery. If they were scouts for thieves, they shouldn't be hiding in the brush—that would defeat the purpose of surveillance. Could they be government scouts? Unlikely; according to Zhang Xian, government spies couldn't get through at all, so how could they be hiding under the very noses of the troops?

At this moment, Zuo Liangyu cursed to himself, feeling a sense of dread. He still didn't want to submit fully to the imperial court, but he couldn't ignore them as he had before; he had to at least put on a show.

Ever since Yang Fan forced Yano to make a multiple-choice decision just like the other writers, Yano had become much more obedient.

"Master, unless you break through the city walls directly, there is no way to infiltrate," the demon, fearing Adam might take such a risk, hurriedly warned.

The black mercenary did not pursue. Chen Tang knew clearly that the opponent had definitely picked up a sniper rifle and intended to engage him in a sniping battle.

The headquarters of the New Minsheng Bank was actually in Tokyo, but it had branches in different districts. The branch where Kitagawa Keiko worked was the one in Chiyoda Ward.

As he spoke these words, the faces of the others turned grim, and many clenched their fists so tightly that their knuckles cracked.

These people were all servants of the Xiao family, and the vast majority had been promoted by his grandfather after he took charge of the household.

At this moment, the thin man and his two subordinates were guarding the street corner, staring at Old Three and his companion like hungry wolves.

"Since you do not wish to recall it, my lord, I shall not speak of it," Gongye Beichan said, his face full of sorrow.

Daring to insult their king, Qingluan was incensed and immediately prepared to summon the Azure Thunder to strike him down.

Just as this rapid charge unfolded, the sounds of tigers roaring and apes crying suddenly erupted from the surrounding wilderness, followed by the cries of wild beasts.

The car stopped in the parking lot. Lin Chuchen did not want her to walk too far and asked her to wait for him at the main entrance.

Le Ying’s tone shed its previous air of frivolity, becoming joyous and excited. Her emotions were sincere and intense; in short, everyone present could hear the extraordinary intimacy between the two.

Returning to the spot where they had parted, Luo Yu searched for a long time, but could find no sign of Yun Shitian or Yan Chen.

As the beast flute was destroyed, the flock of birds and beasts seemed to have their souls abruptly ripped away, collapsing to the ground and posing no further threat.

Without more time, the laser entered the different dimension directly through the portal opened by Draig and vanished without a trace. No matter how powerful an attack is, it is useless if it cannot strike the target, right?

The rewards they reaped went without saying—all sorts of hunter decks, more than enough to satisfy them.

Before him, on the back of a giant whale, King Neptune, the ruler of the Ryugu Kingdom, pressed his hands against the whale's back, his head bowed to the ground.

From inside came Zhao Youcai’s pig-like squeals. Lu Ping hurriedly opened the door, ignoring all etiquette, and rushed forward to pull the husky off Zhao Youcai.

"It is nothing special. Just as you normally practice in ranked matches or duels to accumulate experience, I have my own methods—training or simulated matches against the AI used for your promotion trials," Xing Ling replied with a faint smile, patiently explaining to Su Ming.