Chapter Twenty-Seven: "Children Must Not Use Bad Language"

An’an returned and immediately spotted the sparrow lying there, pretending to be dead.

An’an looked at the sparrow, then at Song Tingran, who was also staring at it.

Song Tingran said, “...It’s fine.”

Perhaps influenced by An’an’s mood, Song Tingran had not been depressed during those two days at the Lu residence. In fact, she had been in rather good spirits.

An’an took him at his word, went over, and reached out to pick up the sparrow.

The little sparrow was caught between her fingers.

Everyone was left speechless. Zi’s astonishing defensive ability and formidable vitality were enough to make her attacks reach the level of an ordinary expert. Her defenses, in particular, were truly terrifying.

Although she had a very high opinion of herself, Xianling still had no idea just how powerful the energy fluctuations she had caused really were—powerful enough to leave anyone utterly dumbfounded.

Zhang Yimu was baffled by this conversation, in which one astonishing revelation followed another. Amid the chaos in his mind, a strange fear quietly took root.

Apart from their formidable sect master, the Mighty Wind Sect had only five principal members, known collectively as the “Five Mad Heroes.” Their names were Crazy Wind, Second Wind, White Wind, Frenzied Wind, and Spasmodic Wind. These five were also the only true fighters—or rather, the main forces—of the Mighty Wind Sect. The others were good for little more than bullying the common folk in the city.

Activating the formation had allowed them to regain a little initiative, but those people were no kind souls. They were utterly deranged. The fact that they could tear one of their own companions in half without the slightest hesitation was proof enough. Thus, although everyone present appeared calm, their hearts were heavy. What had happened was simply too shocking.

He Yunyang was furious, yet he could not help worrying about her. Her ashen complexion and the coldness that had spread all the way to her wrists were both signs that her sensitivity to the cold was about to flare up. Since they would not need to spend the night at the military camp, he might as well take her to soak in the hot springs that evening.

What puzzled Lily was that not one of these people was missing a limb. Every one of them wore a warm, friendly smile, as though they had spent the day working in the fields and were now relaxing with idle conversation. Could it be that all their injuries had already healed?

For three days, they had struggled onward through a desolate wasteland. Everywhere they looked, there was nothing but wilderness, nothing but bleached bones. Not a single living creature could be seen. It was a world sunk in absolute silence. Although some unknown force guided Hugh onward, it seemed as insubstantial as a mirage; no matter how far he traveled, he could never draw any closer.

I looked at the duplicate beside me, identical to myself, and found it rather strange. I wondered whether Yiyi would be able to tell the difference if I took him to her.

Shao Jian sat to one side, listening to the two of them converse, and did not feel slighted. Merely having to withstand the occasional glance his senior brother cast in his direction was enough to leave him flustered and helpless.

But by then, everything was already too late. The high-level expert wielding the Black Crystal Sword was instantly pierced by blade after blade that burst from the earth, turning him into a human beehive. Even in death, his eyes never closed.

But he could not make it too obvious, or he would arouse suspicion. He had to make He Junfeng and the others believe they had gained the advantage, so that they would willingly leap into the trap themselves.

Under interrogation, they learned that she had been seeking revenge for her brother. Her brother was none other than the man who had once been bribed to ruin Yuzhen’s virtue—the same man whom Fu Heng had later ordered to be sent into the palace and castrated.

To go out so late, she must have had something important to attend to. Once she regained consciousness, she had been unable to fall asleep, unable to stop worrying about him.

From the initial unfamiliarity and astonishment to their growing intimacy, the Phoenix and the Divine Bird expressed every shift in their emotions with abandon. When the melody finally ended, they were tightly entwined, transforming into a streak of light before vanishing from everyone’s sight.

Yuzhen had nowhere left to retreat. Swallowing her resentment, she stepped forward, pressed her rosy lips together, lowered her feathery lashes, and reluctantly raised her slender fingers to undo his knotted buttons.

They realized what was happening. Xiao Chen did not even need to unleash the Heaven-Seeking Fist; he could make its effects manifest on their own.

“Lord Shuten, what happened?” The moment Xuedai Hongyi saw the blue radiance, he knew that someone had broken in. His voice was solemn as he asked the question.