Volume 1, Chapter 31: Persuading a Surrender!

"What? You intend to suppress the bandits yourself? That is far too dangerous!" Zhao Wu immediately objected.

"Not suppress, but persuade them to surrender," Lin Che corrected.

Those mountain bandits were merely displaced refugees, driven to turn into outlaws by the oppression of corrupt officials. Persuasion was far simpler than extermination.

"Zhao Wu, go to the surrounding counties and gather men!" Lin Che commanded. "Jiang Rui, go open the granaries and distribute food to the disaster victims!"

"Understood!" Zhao Wu and Jiang Rui nodded.

Lin Che waited behind, returning to his manor to review the reports regarding the Daishan bandits. Before long, Jiang Rui returned, informing him that the porridge distribution points had been set up and the people were overjoyed.

As they continued here...

It went without saying that once Han Yiyi returned Jiang Pingping to the arms of Jiang Zhongshan and Jiang An'an, and Jiang Zhongshan took the child from Han Yiyi, her arms would surely be aching.

Tsk! Xi Tang looked at her, speechless, wondering what exactly was inside this princess's head.

As the familiar "taste of home" touched her throat, Tao Zi set down her chopsticks. It was truly impressive that Pang Yuxian had managed to find ingredients identical to those from the modern world.

In truth, he knew exactly where this evil energy originated. His cultivation base came from a past life; usually, it was masked by the primordial purple mist, but whenever he exerted himself or channeled his internal energy, it was inevitable that some would leak out.

With Jiang Pingping resting on her thigh, Han Yiyi had maintained a single posture for nearly the entire night. The moment she woke, her other leg—the one not being used as a pillow—twitched slightly, and a wave of numbness surged through it. She knew this was due to the lack of movement and poor blood circulation throughout the night, so she shifted slightly.

***

With a收 of her smiling eyes, he took a long stride, wrapped a long arm around her, and pulled Yi Hanran firmly into his embrace, as if unwilling to let go.

Dozens of Lin family guards held torches aloft, illuminating the site where Lin Yichuan and Yan Sheng had been ambushed as if it were broad daylight.

Another year passed, and because he had reached the appropriate age, his parents made the decision for him to take a wife. A year later, the young master's son was born.

Once they had the rubber raft, mother and son drifted along during the day and rested by the river at night. After about five days, Han Yiyi, sitting at the front of the raft with binoculars, finally spotted what looked like smoke from a cooking fire in the distance. Judging by the direction, that smoke should be located deep within this nameless mountain forest.

The air suddenly turned stagnant and awkward. The next second, Yuchi Lingyun's spring-loaded legs were back in action.

At this moment, the situation for the soldiers of the Right Forest Guard had become dire. A sea of undead creatures surged toward them, stretching beyond the horizon. Any human who fell behind or was struck down would, upon rising again, become one of the enemy.

"Hmph, you want to run!" The commander of the guards could not tolerate the assassin's escape. With a cold snort, his figure transformed into a golden dragon, and he gave chase.

"We want to see the sea," Lin Yu and Zi Ruoya said in unison. After they spoke, the people around them all nodded, looking exceptionally happy; it was clear they all agreed.

Just as the crisis at Jianmiao was resolved, the three great families in Moonlight City were preparing for a ranking tournament held once every generation.

"I've already made an appointment, but I won't be able to see it for another five days," Yan Jin said, twisting his body, presumably because something was itching.

A variety of weapons, spirit beasts, and shamanic spells were unleashed in a desperate assault against the nine-headed sea serpent, which stood like a pillar supporting the sky. Yet, a large portion of the attacks were incinerated before they could even reach the serpent.

This explosive shout was clearly much colder than the previous ones, and its owner was undoubtedly a handsome youth.

Li Xiaoci threw a punch at Yue Caiyun, followed by a kick. Just as Yang Meng and Jin Xuefeng were about to intervene, Yue Caiyun suddenly stopped them. "Don't move! Just watch. If you treat me like your brother, then don't you dare move, do you hear me!" The latter part was practically roared by Yue Caiyun.

Seeing the strange changes in the red-haired youth, Ming Qi guessed that, according to what the Wuxiang Boy had said, the ancient savage beast clans possessed even greater combat power once they transformed into their true forms.

***

Her consciousness, manifested into a hand, looked exactly as she had in life—slender, white, and delicate, with fingers like spring onions. Although she was engaged in the vicious act of destroying another's consciousness, it could not be denied that every movement carried an indescribable beauty.

Xiao Qin'an grumbled and cursed all the way as he dragged Huangfu Xi and Huangfu Yao away. Regardless, Feng Zixian already knew everything he needed to know; Xiao Qin'yu had long since leaked the information to him, and there was nothing that his subordinates couldn't hear or report back to him. Naturally, he intended to vent his anger to the fullest.

He couldn't be certain if it was a wild wolf; the voice heard on Sister An's pager had been processed, whereas this man's voice was natural.

Applying force, Shifeng gripped You Ming's throat and turned to look at the Old Ghost Venerable. His gaze was cold and terrifying, causing the Old Ghost Venerable's heart to skip a beat and a sense of dread to spread deep within him.

Lin Luoran saw that the black bear was thick-skinned and burly. It held a weapon, and spiritual energy circulated within its body. Perhaps the old monkey's injuries were even caused by this beast... But normally, the old monkey couldn't defeat the black bear; with its old wounds still unhealed, if it took a few more blows, would it be forced to meet their ancestor, the "Great Sage," ahead of schedule?

The ancestor who had suddenly appeared began to scold them coldly. Her face, wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, was filled with anger. Her face, which had suddenly puckered up, made her appear even more aged, and her hoarse, low voice made one wonder if she was making those sounds while eating.

The ancients all believed in ghosts and gods, and upon hearing the man speak, everyone in the crowd believed him.

As he spoke, the symbol was completed. Bahe lunged forward, and the massive symbol, like a towering mountain, smashed toward Xia Hao.

The panicked footsteps grew more distant, and the forest finally returned to its usual tranquility. It was only after waiting for the man who had been lurking beside Scar Three to sneak away that Gu Chen hid his pistol in his clothes and slid down from the tree.

She poured the remaining dregs from the bag onto her face once more, but this time, she reached out and covered her nose with her other hand. Finally, for the first time, she ate the scraps from the bag until it was completely clean. She no longer sneezed and scattered the dregs, preventing herself from being able to eat them.