Volume One, Chapter Ninety-Five: Ji Junxiao Recalls the Events of His Former Life

Ji Junxiao was back.

Yet the face that had always been so composed was now veiled in an unshakable gloom, and the cold pressure around him was enough to freeze a person in place.

Lin Ranran came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of warm water that had just cooled to the right temperature. The moment she saw his figure standing by the courtyard gate, her heart gave a jolt.

Once several sand-stone monsters had been slain, Gu Yan had everyone fall back twenty or thirty paces to clear space so they could deal with the giant beast.

The black-faced, bearded man said to the ill-tempered fellow that this time he would pay. The broad, rough-looking man with a hard, hostile air and a furrowed brow snorted, “Fine, I’ll take your word for it. You pay this time, and I’ll pay next time.” When he finished, he went to the table, dragged out a stool, and sat down.

But at that very moment, a scorching wave of heat rolled in from all directions, startling everyone. What was going on? Could there be someone else? Ye Chen, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes and turned toward the side.

The diners at that table heard it too. They were drinking and eating, and when they looked over, every one of them stared at the old beggar. Shopkeeper Fu thought to himself, had they already given him food? He was considering going back inside to get money; the cash in the counter was all accounted for and couldn’t be touched carelessly. Just as he was thinking this, someone at the table spoke up. It wasn’t one of the diners, but the fellow who sharpened knives and scissors.

The smarter a person is, the more foolish he may become, because to see through things is also to lose sight of them; the deeper the understanding, the deeper the fixation. As for the common folk, the simple-minded ones, they merely repeat their lives day after day until, at last, they die within this world. Perhaps that too is a kind of happiness.

Not only that, but on the surrounding buildings, official forces had also been deployed to guard against any accident.

The crowd escorted the two of them toward the magistrate’s hall. When the gate soldiers saw this, they immediately stepped forward and barked, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” As they spoke, they shoved the crowd back and refused to let them advance.

At that moment, Liu Yong had already put his hands all over Lanxiang, making her gasp and tremble, weak all over and unable to resist. She could do nothing but let Liu Yong have his way. At the same time, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before long, she no longer knew anything at all.

“When the valley master comes out, we must be sure to tell him this good news at once, hahaha!” Shi Ying said with a broad smile.

Learning that Liu Yong was approaching by both land and water, and that he had brought only five thousand men along the water route, he was instantly overjoyed.

In the morning, Ye Feiqing got up with dark circles under both eyes. Clearly, he had not slept well the night before.

Yu Xiubai also could not tell whether his second uncle, who had always been steady and knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat, was hinting that he and Tian Xin could never marry, or whether... he truly had no way to deal with Yu Yameng.

His brows furrowed as well, as though the force she had just used had hurt his wrist.

After that, everything grew quiet. I could not tell whether my consciousness had sunk so deeply that I could no longer hear the sounds of the world beyond, or whether the people had already left. Once pain reaches a certain point, it ceases to be so unbearable; what remains is time, becoming my only space.

A large platter of vinegar-fried cabbage, a dish of spicy shredded potatoes, and a giant bowl of mapo tofu, its thick broth slicked with red chili oil.

Han Zhenhan had come from another time, so he could not make sense of this general’s muddled manner of speaking and addressing people. But one thing was certain: this fellow’s Chinese was remarkably good, better than that of any Mongol Han Zhenhan had ever met, and he also understood many rules and customs.

Fortunately, the two caregivers who had come with him were very experienced and took excellent care of him, so much so that he had even grown a little plumper than before.

I pointed behind me to the bronze figure above my head; just now, he had pulled me into his arms and pressed me against it.

We were still some distance from the main gate. After he came in, he closed his umbrella, then looked around, searching for Mou Dao’s figure.