Volume 1 Chapter 28: Work

"Come now, don't be angry. Try this—it’s Jianxi bud tea! Fujian’s famous teas have been prized from the Tang Dynasty through the Five Dynasties, the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. In every era, this was offered up to the highest authorities; as the saying goes, 'A single cup of imperial tea is worth a thousand pieces of gold.'"

Section Chief Hu chatted away while dropping a pinch of tea into a clay teapot and pouring in hot water. He boasted to Dong Ercheng, "In the old days, this was tribute tea that only the Emperor could enjoy. It’s only now, with the people as masters of their own house, that we have the honor of sampling such fine tea." He was brimming with confidence, fully expecting Dong Ercheng to be shamed into silence by such a display of extravagance. After all, Dong Ercheng was merely a minor vice-director of a steel mill; back home for the New Year, they would only…

Louise rolled up her sleeves, her expression earnest. She closed her eyes and, with a prayer-like gesture, reached out with her right hand to pick up a marked chopstick. She lowered her gaze to see the result: a lot labeled with the letter "C" at the end.

"This is…" He felt a bit dazed. This upgrade felt different from the previous ones. At the very least, he hadn't experienced such a profound sensation when he first acquired the "Steel Tempest" technique.

"Is there a difference between this and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region or Russian-occupied Mongolia?" Lin Ye narrowed his eyes at the village chief. He pulled back his jacket, revealing the shoulder holster tucked under his arm, placing it squarely in the other man's line of sight. The atmosphere in the room turned stifling.

Lin Ye nodded without another word and sat down at an arcade cabinet. The owner of this parlor was actually their chemistry teacher. With such a local figure in charge, there were many things Lin Ye and Lidiya didn't need to handle personally. Both believed that mutual cooperation with local gangs was fine; after all, existence justifies itself.

"None of us expected that someone as ordinary as Ling Ye could have such an identity," Xia Xiaojia said with a bitter smile.

Lu Yu’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the price. He knew the Baiqi Sword was precious, but he hadn't expected its value to be so high—ten million!

"Five yuan a handle, how many do you want?" The old man didn't waste words; he went straight to the back room to retrieve the blades, handing Lin Ye and the others a few newspapers to wrap the edges.

While Gang Yan was still racking his brain in Hurricane Canyon on how to persuade the Rock Tribe, the Sky-Might Army had already relocated to Withered Leaf Canyon.

The hand gripping his throat still held him, suspending him in mid-air. He couldn't even clutch his feet and wail; he could only scream into the void.

Shuangshuang sheathed the precious swords in her hands, tilted her head back, and roared. As she bellowed, a brilliance radiated from her entire body, rippling outward like a true deity.

The pirates, stirred to a fever pitch by his words, roared his name in succession. One by one, they scrambled to raise their massive wine bowls, preparing for the oath-taking ceremony with Shiki the Golden Lion.

Combining reports from refugees and scouting cavalry, the staff of the Eastern Allied Forces roughly estimated the main French force to be between 15,000 and 25,000 soldiers.

"Boom!" A plasma bolt melted through the armor of the old captain's cockpit. The electrical equipment disintegrated under the intense heat, and a crimson fireball illuminated the clouds below.

Facing the man who—despite having no blood relation—had truly treated him as a son, Ace "Fire Fist" shed tears for the first time on the execution platform.

"Pfft!" With a soft sound, the Chief of Staff collapsed onto the projector. Blood flowed over the device, blurring the clear map into chaos.

"So… where are we going to meet this information broker?" Li Jingyun asked mysteriously. In his mind, gang intelligence work was cool and exciting, a spectacle comparable to the British spy 007—an impression derived entirely from films.

"Is that so? Then let’s see how you fare." Completely ignoring the dark sword in Lucifer’s hand, Chen Yufan’s ice blade had already pierced toward Lucifer’s heart.

Facing Lancer’s straightforward compliment, Saber felt no antipathy. For heroic spirits who had once carved their names into history, being able to fight heroes from different eras in the modern world was a story worth telling in its own right.

The two had been through so much. Previously, Meiyang had suffered a cultivation deviation and struck Fengji in the chest; had it not been for this Ice Abyss, they likely would have been separated by life and death long ago.

Liang Xiao stayed by her side, offering comfort as she spoke. Seeing Xu Ruojin in such pain, she eventually burst into tears. However, seeing an expression of gratitude in Yan Haoyue’s eyes that she had never witnessed before, she was momentarily stunned.

Yuan Futu was quite confident in this divine inscription, so he made no mistakes. However, carving for long periods on an immortal artifact would inevitably affect its quality. That was why illustrated guides had become the popular method of imprinting. Besides, this flying sword was of such low grade that it didn't matter if it were damaged.

As he spoke, Lin Xian was jubilant and gesticulating wildly, wishing he could do it all over again. It gave Lin Leshuang a splitting headache.

"Mu Ruan is a master of medicine; he should have willingly entered the palace to serve His Majesty. Yet the Princess blocked him at every turn. That is a sign of disrespect to the Emperor. I do not wish to see the Princess and the Divine Doctor continue down this wrong path," Fang Zihua said earnestly, his tone heavy with frustration.

Huangpu Yu said nothing, merely retracting the hand he had reached toward Gu Yanran, silently acquiescing to her continuation.

Xia Ji gave her father a medicine that could neutralize the previous poison while possessing a soul-capturing effect.

The blonde man approached, staring at the pile of corpses while casting a wary glance toward Yuan Futu.

The entire sword glowed a pale blue. Yuan Futu extended a finger, condensing a strand of soul power at the tip, and tapped it gently. The blade emitted a soft hum, and all its information coalesced within his mind.

Watching her father’s retreating back, Tian Tian couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. Since arriving at Tian Family Village, this was the first time she had been this close to her father, sharing a heart-to-heart. Tian Tian suddenly felt so happy… so incredibly happy.

Her fair skin looked like that of an infant, and her long, flickering eyelashes seemed to tickle one's heart.

"My reputation is poor. Will you divorce me?" Zhang Lan put on a shrewish act, fiercely grasping Luo Yuanpeng’s shoulders, as if she had forgotten she was wearing nothing but a bodice, leaving her delicate, fair skin exposed before her husband.

Hua Shunqing watched his sister support the maid as they slowly walked away. He shook his head helplessly. Their mother surely knew of his sister’s intentions; if she didn't stop her, she must have been happy to see it happen. But as a man himself, Hua Shunqing truly did not believe Liang Yuanxin was a good candidate for a husband.