Chapter 35: Arrival in the Capital
Perhaps it was because of the commotion about child traffickers earlier that day, but that night, Gu Huaizheng and Lu Zhizhu discussed taking turns to keep watch. The other three in the compartment were stunned—what was that supposed to mean? Did they really think traffickers would sneak into a sleeper car to kidnap someone? But the two paid no heed to the others’ opinions; Lu Zhizhu took the first half of the night, Gu Huaizheng the second. Even Lu Jianwei tried to dissuade them, but they wouldn’t listen. To them, even the smallest misfortune befalling Lu Jianwei would be a catastrophe.
She had never imagined her life would turn out this way. Perhaps it was not the best version of it, but without a doubt, it was the one she cherished most.
Meticulous Jun Moye, after quietly studying Dong Qingcang for a moment, spoke in a bewildered tone, the eyes as bright as peach blossoms never leaving him for an instant.
Yan Xi hadn’t wanted to meddle, but since Harmony Palace was always at odds with Gentle Fortune Palace, whenever the young lady of Gentle Fortune Palace was in a foul mood, it was never the noble emperor who suffered, but always someone close to him—namely, Yan Xi himself. After enduring this several times, he found it impossible to warm up to Harmony Palace.
Jiang Lan disliked eating food that others had touched, which was not at all surprising. Su Qian had simply picked up a fruit knife, and then the accident happened.
In City A, since Cheng Yuhan disappeared four days ago, the Cheng family and Mo Jingran had been searching frantically. They scoured the entire city with no trace of Cheng Yuhan, then searched other cities as well, still to no avail.
“It’s not too late! Not too late! At worst, I’ll go and confess my guilt myself, how about that?” Fu Peng immediately interjected.
Hearing his shout, Mohr and the others jumped in alarm. Then came a loud bang—the leader fell to the ground. It turned out that the bodyguard, seizing the moment as he was distracted, fired a shot straight at his forehead, saving Mo Jingran.
“They are remnants of the previous dynasty!” She hadn’t finished speaking when he cut her off with a sudden, thunderous outburst.
“Reduce the sensation of burning by eighty percent,” Bai Mu intoned, reading the system instructions in a slow, measured voice.
“Even if the relics of the celestial gods are scattered across the land, as long as I have enough time, I can gather them all!” Li Chengfeng said in a low, eerie tone.
He mused that the brothers relied on these things for a bit of excitement—blowing things up, fishing, hunting—whatever, it was all thanks to this gear. The boss had said back then, “Take it and have fun, just don’t blow yourself up.” So why was he now turning around and giving them away?
After handing Li Qiang an injection of atropine, J proceeded down the stairs. She glanced outside through the glass next to the door, then turned back to signal to Li Qiang, who was just coming down.
Tang Xue’er glared furiously at Wu Shengtian. He was clearly picking a fight on purpose, deliberately twisting her words, and then slapping them with the accusation of slandering the ten great sects.
Seeing Li Qiang’s demeanor, the political commissar understood. With a sigh, he pulled out the transfer orders for the three of them.
Three days later, in Jiankang City, everything was as usual. Soldiers were on constant watch atop the city gates, two lanterns swaying in the wind, their light flickering—on the verge of going out at any moment. The faces of the patrolling soldiers were cast in shifting shadow and light.
On the shore, the rubber boat was already inflated. Several Japanese soldiers carried it to the water and one by one began to jump aboard.
“It’s nothing. By the way, you seemed urgent to find me today—what’s the matter?” Mu Qingyu could distinctly hear the quarrel on the other end; her voice was hard to miss.
The others watched as the Japanese soldiers unloaded something from their horses and spread it out on the shore as if it were a blanket. Several of them busied themselves around it.
“Lord Holy Son, please issue an evacuation warning!” In the face of such a crisis, only Kiku-nojo Tendo remained calm among those present.
“I… We sword spirits have only one mission: to live for the sword and for our master. Love is something only mortals can possess, something even the high gods cannot attain, let alone us sword spirits,” Nan Xian said wistfully.