Volume 1, Chapter 24: Far Away, Yet Right Before Your Eyes

"To put it politely, they are inviting us to a banquet, but in plain terms, it is a show of force!" Chen Mu yawned and tossed the memorial aside.

The filming resumed. Duoduo frolicked amidst the flowers, running back and forth while butterflies fluttered high and low.

"I saw with my own eyes that you had turned into a mist of blood. How could you possibly have come back to life?" the Ancestor of the Sea of Blood shook his head.

Li Cai knit his brows. The string of failures drove him to the brink of madness and fueled his genuine grudge against Tang Mu. He was determined to destroy him; even if he couldn't kill him, he had to ruin his reputation.

It was already the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month. The weather in Shencheng grew colder by the day, a dry cold with neither rain nor snow.

"Really? Then I'll start ordering." Liu Mengting immediately grabbed the menu and began to reel off dishes. Even Meng Lu wore a beaming smile; she couldn't let him kiss her for nothing, could she? Wasn't it only right to have a meal on his tab? She had been worried earlier that Yang Nan wouldn't have the money and would lose face, but now that he was wealthy, she naturally didn't care about the cost of a meal.

Furthermore, that region was still suffering from torrential rain, and everything was flooded. Could they really go to the front lines? Entertainers were not rescue teams; I fear that once they arrived, instead of helping others, they would end up needing to be helped themselves.

When the violent tremors ceased, the sounds of a struggle erupted at the doorway, followed by Shi Lang's thunderous roar. Yu Mengyue's panicked expression suddenly turned cold.

Willing to take on the task, Arya immediately indicated from the backseat that she would absolutely complete the mission assigned by the organization.

"Then, Lord Mu, please return to your quarters to rest for a while. This official must also go change; wearing these official robes is no way to host a guest," Duan Muhong said, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Accustomed to being pampered since childhood, she was always surrounded by attendants wherever she went. Whether their devotion was genuine or feigned, the truth was that no one dared to provoke this princess.

I patted his arm with an air of resignation and sulkily pulled the door open to leave. Behind me, I heard him burst into muffled laughter, as if he couldn't stop.

Xue Miao’s expression remained unchanged. With his eyelashes slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on Xin Man’s soft, pink lips. He cupped the back of her head and kissed her, deepening the lingering, tender kiss little by little, rubbing against her until their lips seemed to glow with heat.

Duan Ruxia frowned and turned to flee. She was injured and should not continue to confront them head-on; escaping was the best strategy. But after running only a few steps, a piercing pain shot through her back. Reaching back to touch it, her hand came away covered in blood. With a surge of resolve, Duan Ruxia pulled out the hidden weapon, only to spit out a mouthful of blood and collapse to the ground.

Undeniably, Mu Jie’ao wanted her. He longed to become one with her, missing her alluring body. It was just a pity that he did not want a transaction with her heart completely absent; he craved her emotions, not these hollow pretenses.

He glanced at me, ruffled my hair, and walked into the kitchen. His gesture of ruffling my hair was just like how he would pet his dog, Binggun.

Huangfu Bei’er suddenly felt so foolish. It turned out that everyone else knew, yet she was the only one in the dark. She didn't know how she could ever trust those around her again.

I took a breath as if savoring the moment, but tears began to flow uncontrollably. I didn't know why I was crying; perhaps it was the contrast—seeing everyone around me settling down while I remained adrift, like a sailboat without a direction in the vast sea, rising and falling with the waves on the endless horizon.

Yu Yan, who always projected an image of a dashing, suave playboy in public, was choked into a red-faced, neck-swelling silence by this remark.

Even though I had no relationship with Sawada, I always had the illusion that if Miura Haru were to arrive, it would create a strange "shura field" of romantic tension.

The moment they saw their loved ones, all the resentment in their hearts vanished without a trace.

"Since we’re already here, why bother making a statement? We should be considering what to do now, rather than debating whether or not to act," Wan Bang said with a smile, hoping to ease the serious atmosphere.

I now profoundly understand the usefulness of Nozaki’s approach: film everything that could serve as material, because you never know when it might come in handy.

Yan the Unlucky actually blushed. "How can you say such things, you brat! I'm still naked! Are you sure that if I walk around naked, I'm going to find you, and not just give the commoners a free show?"

Yang Luo felt a stir in his heart. He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the banner, and took a few more photos of the bustling, crowded scene.

She gazed at him with gleaming eyes, examining him thoroughly several times, focusing particularly on his private parts and missing nothing.

Though Chongxiao hated the extraterrestrial demons and the traitorous demonic cultivators, she held no malice toward those who had no intention of betrayal. Now, having to personally destroy Quan Ling’s cultivation, she felt nothing but regret and guilt.

"Actually, telling you in advance doesn't serve much purpose, other than perhaps giving you some peace of mind. When the time comes to enter the secret realm, the Masters will distribute the maps." Seeing that she had noted it down, Liu Fei Xu waved her hand to dissipate the final wisps of spiritual energy; the undulating lines immediately vanished into the air.

Not long after, the prison gates opened, and Xing Zhishan walked out, dressed in clean clothes. Xing Lai and Zhang Mei immediately rushed to greet him.

At dusk, Lin Zheng and Su Qin went to the rendezvous point. A pickup truck was waiting there. They took two specialized skateboards from the back of the truck, lay flat on them, slid beneath the vehicle, and fastened a metal buckle to the underside.