Chapter 16: Courting Death

At this moment, outside the house, Wang Hai stood in an expensive black suit, rocket-leather shoes on his feet, and a pair of sunglasses on his face, looking at Ye Chen’s dilapidated front door with an air of arrogance. Behind him followed more than a dozen burly men, each one exuding a fierce and ruthless aura, their presence clearly distinguished from the ragtag group led by Liu Ba earlier. A few of his men even carried dark green gasoline cans in their hands.

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Now, he had to consider whether he truly needed to find his culinary partner in the world of Food Wars. Back then, though the northern border was unstable, the Great Wei took the initiative in battle, and there were even young men from Luoyang who voluntarily gave up their official positions to seek military merit in the six frontier garrisons. Such details were never recorded. Creatures with greater combat strength than the giant millipede might require a higher level of intimidation before they could be frightened off.

Although her direct use of white clay yielded the most obvious results, this alternative was by no means inferior; after a couple of uses, the effects would become apparent. If not for his knowledge of this slice of history, Su Ze would have immediately pledged allegiance to Prince Yuan Yi of Qinghe. This northern Wei nobleman was the most influential figure in the current court—not only was he the emperor’s uncle, but also the lover of the reigning Empress Dowager Hu, earning him the utmost trust of the royal family.

Her initial muffled sobs gradually grew louder, and as her cries became more pronounced, Ji Lingzhou’s chest suddenly ached uncontrollably. In Jiang Chuan’s mind, the one hundred and eight thousand sword scars began to merge with the sixteen hundred before his eyes, fusing into one.

“What do you mean, ‘it’s nothing’? Father, how could you not have the family send me a message? What if—” Ma Xiulian complained, then turned to question Ma Chengdong.

If they could simply watch from the sidelines without dirtying their own hands, they would gladly do so.

At this moment, in the chairman’s office, Senzaemon Nakiri had just finished negotiations with sponsors. Weary, he rubbed his eyes.

“Hey, my good brother, you can’t leave! If you go, I’ll have nothing to say to the queen!” Wuchen looked at him pitifully, lips quivering, as if on the verge of tears.

“Is anyone there? I’m hungry,” Wu Lei called out instinctively at the sound of his stomach’s fierce protest. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt embarrassed; after all, he was just a guest in someone else’s home—no one was obliged to take care of him. Even being given a bed was already a kindness.

“Don’t worry. Before I left, I covered the magic circle with leaves from a nearby tree. No one will find it.” Apparently, this rogue player had anticipated the issue and taken precautions in advance.

Qian Jin followed behind her. Watching her play so merrily, she did not intervene, simply accompanied her quietly, a doting smile on her lips. Yet this left the armored guards and the two shadowy bodyguards, Qingyin and Qingyue, trailing behind in exhaustion.

And as for Uncle Huang and Aunt Huang, that night when she’d stabbed Xue Hu in desperation and escaped, would they be implicated because of her actions?

Without hesitation, Wu Lei collected the deposit at once. He knew that if he hesitated now, it would only irritate them further; for the sake of a smooth journey, he had to be prudent and deliberate.

“Ge Liang, why are you in such a hurry? It’s not time yet. Are you hoping Wu Ming won’t show up? Are you afraid of him?” Yu Yan was secretly anxious, though her words were merciless.

“I want to go back so much. If it weren’t for you, I’d be in bliss right now!” Hui Cai replied weakly, eyes vacant, her fondness for Li Hao plummeting. She suddenly felt he was a magnet for misfortune; nothing good ever happened when he was around.

A strange and pleasurable sensation on his chest made him blush, and a certain part of his body responded uncontrollably, leaving him stiff with embarrassment, unsure where to look.