Volume 1, Chapter 32: Luring the Prey into the Trap

Under the glow of the setting sun, a snow-white pigeon landed quietly in a corner of the Youlan Courtyard. With no one around, Meng Tingfeng retrieved the note and slowly unfolded it.

Cheng Cai was truly audacious... Since he had set a trap for her, how could she refuse to play along with his desire to "lure the prey into the urn"? It was just that this performance would have to be convincing.

Tucking the note away, Meng Tingfeng turned around calmly, her eyes catching Xiangju, whose gaze was darting about, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"I am going to the old pavilion to fetch some books. You need not follow me." The old pavilion held many books Meng Lan had no use for, most of which had been left behind by her mother.

***

Strictly speaking, she did not really know them. There were very few boys in the class she actually recognized, aside from the particularly boisterous ones and those seated in her immediate vicinity.

Because of the matter concerning the "Commander of the Imperial Guard," the Third Princess had once done a great favor for King Su and his son. Consequently, King Su held a special affinity for her.

Su Chen stepped into the grand hall of the Sun residence and scanned the gathered cultivators. To his surprise, he spotted a few acquaintances. Ji Yuanzheng, Zhuang Bo, and others had also been sent by their respective families to offer birthday greetings. Though he had been initiated into an immortal sect for many years, his circle of known cultivators was quite limited.

Jin Kaka had saved a seat for Shu Nianchen, leaving a conspicuous empty row that caught Chi Mumu’s eye immediately.

After retching for a long time, she produced nothing, only leaving her throat and chest in a state of spasmodic pain. Shu Nianchen rinsed her mouth repeatedly, yet the feeling of nausea persisted.

"Ninth Princess, please lie here and rest. This servant will go fetch you something to eat; you must not move about," Lv'er tucked the quilt in and urged.

Over the past few months, my Senior Brother’s training had focused on two things: reflexes and footwork.

***

This time, no one dared to complain; the sharp, commanding shout sent them all tumbling onto the grass in fright.

The entire formation emitted a ghostly blue light, and the spirits within seemed to find their path. One by one, they drifted toward the southwest, vanishing shortly after.

Han Shizhong was one of the two most famous generals of the Southern Song dynasty in history. In terms of true ability, he was indeed a match for Wanyan Zonghan, the renowned founding general of the Jin Kingdom.

"Do we have to continue this meeting? What just happened? They won't let us leave, and the phones aren't working!" a board member beside Gao Ziyu asked anxiously.

Zhou Mingtang could never have imagined that Chen Youfa would reveal the content of their conversation to Song Paiyu. After ending the call, he quickly dialed several other numbers before sinking into the sofa with a sinister expression.

Ever since that time on the yacht, not only had he failed to conquer Zhangsun Jiangying, he had nearly lost his life. It had directly led to the decline of his family’s fortunes, the sale of the yacht, and the plummeting of his status in Binhai. He could no longer attract high-class beauties and had to settle for whoever was available to satisfy his hunger.

Anbe Jinshan was no fool; he instantly grasped the situation. Fujimoto was no match for Ma Yi, so he had to leave immediately. If he waited for Ma Yi to defeat Fujimoto and then turn his attention to him, the consequences would be dire.

"But, Sister Lan, your friend is still outside. What if she hears us? Wouldn't that be terrible?" Li Xin said, embracing Xiao Lan.

The group led by Song Paiyu did not pause due to the appearance of Huang Tianba and his men. They left Liuyun Mountain directly, heading toward the hilly regions in the west of Lanfeng Province.

The doctor on duty did not listen to Mi Lili, but instead looked at Dean Sun. The Dean was his superior and his meal ticket; he had to follow his lead. If he lacked even that much political savvy, the scalpel in his hand would have long since been replaced by a butcher’s knife.

Yun Weiyang found it strange. Xing Jue was so discourteous to Duanmu Ying in his words, yet he had spared her earlier because of her. It was truly baffling.

Before she could catch her breath, the Heaven-Swallowing Fire Python opened its massive maw, spitting out several more torrents of flame, firing them at her like rockets.

Seeing him lift his head, Swan thought he had been awakened by her call. But before she could react, she felt a warmth on her lips as Gao Ziyu suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

Aihousen did not attempt to argue, knowing that since the other party dared to act against him, they had already made arrangements and were certain of their success. A few flimsy denials would not clear his name.

Gong Xin looked at Jia Huo with a bitter smile. Beyond the Supreme Realm, there were no longer any formal titles for one's cultivation level.

Wuzi was stunned. "Waiting for me? What for?" He was not close to Qianqian; she was reticent, likely due to the discord between her parents. Her father wanted to leave, and her mother claimed he was looking for a stepmother. She lived in constant anxiety, fearing that if her parents divorced, she would be handed over to her father.

The sword pressure shattered the red jade throne behind him. The man, startled, barely managed to defend himself with his cross-shield.

***

If not for the fact that Eagle-Eye Lao Qi happened to be carrying a knife, if not for the fact that he happened to be lying drunk on the table, and if not for the fact that he happened to be leaving a note for him, he would never have taken the knife and thus would never have discovered this truth.

Kuai Liang snatched up a black banner emblazoned with a golden "Liu" and thrust it firmly into the ground, refusing to let it fall.

After all, having planned for this earlier, the arrangements had been made precisely for this moment.

Suddenly, with another "bang," he hadn't even raised a hand to block it, yet the roof collapsed, and the man who had been sitting inside was suddenly out in the open air.

Human willpower is truly a marvelous thing; if one decides in their heart when to wake up, they will naturally wake up at that very moment.

In a side room of the stronghold's main hall, Yue Ziming stood before a vanity mirror, streaks of blood-red color flowing between her fingers and over her lips.

He turned to look at Ye Fei. Despite receiving the respect and flattery of the crowd, he remained indifferent, with only a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

Canmeng actually knew a bit of disguise. Although not masterful, in the dark of night, it was easy to deceive Nangong Xiayan, who was without reinforcements.

"That works too!" Ye Yan did not argue; Nail Technology had a lot going on lately, and both he and Teacher Hammer were very busy.

"What do you want with me?" Eventually, truly annoyed, Ye Fei frowned and asked.

"Ming army? Who is attacking? Where did the Ming army come from?" The Jiala shouted in interrogation, but his uncooperative stomach chose that moment to rumble, stripping him of all authority.

Before she could say anything, Zhang Jiusheng carried the empty bowl away. He was quite well-behaved; before returning to the inner room to sleep, he remembered to wash the dishes.

"Yes, Dean Zhang is right. I will have him leave right now," Feng Xilai said with a grin, though he cursed inwardly, thinking, *You're just a Dean, what's with the arrogance?*