Chapter 51: A Masterstroke from the Start

"Four, three, two..." Shen Gengren's given time was running out, and he had no intention of allowing Shen Muqian any more time to consider.

He was merely the captain of an ordinary passenger ship, and since he was indeed heading to China this time, giving them a ride along the way was no trouble at all.

When Wu Qian walked into the Tihe Hall, the bloodstains inside had not yet been completely cleaned up, leaving a thick, heavy scent of blood that contrasted sharply with the hall's usual fresh and sweet fruity fragrance.

Chen Dexing looked thin and frail, huddling fearily in a corner. The bruises on his face from where Yu Chuchu had struck him with her high heels a couple of days ago were still visible, the various red and swollen marks looking particularly glaring. He seemed utterly terrified of Yu Chuchu and Shen Muqian, keeping his head lowered almost to the ground as he watched them enter.

"Zuo Yan, give me the phone." Looking somewhat displeased, Ye Kaicheng reached out for his phone, but Xu Zuoyan held onto it tightly, refusing to hand it over.

Thus, he was a very dedicated sparring partner as well. Based on the different attributes of the people listed by him, he only displayed specific strengths to practice against their arranged tactics, subsequently identifying flaws within their strategies and gradually improving them step by step.

Such a person skilled in controlling human hearts must operate like a precisely calibrated system with total self-control, rather than being easily swayed by such emotions. If he were just faking it, it certainly didn't look like it at all.

With that, he shuffled closer, his shoulder immediately brushing against my arm.

"All right, then I understand." After saying this, Su Haochen hung up the phone, thinking to himself that he really couldn't stay outside for too long and needed to head back to Tianyi City as soon as possible.

Xiao Yan's steps were not entirely steady, his footsteps fluctuating unevenly, yet they failed to dispel the unusual and eerie atmosphere permeating the air.

Even if we couldn't make you leave behind as many things as before, we could just find a reason—if we can still think about how to let go, can you let me use it? That suspension notice above, who knows when it became so obvious, how could one provoke such matters? It's not about gathering more positive energy.

Reaching out to brace against the immense, overpowering force, his feet sank deep into the ground, his entire legs buried in the dirt. His powerful arms instantly burst his already tattered undershirt open across his upper body.

"Gentlemen, Inukawa-kun is young, talented, and an elite of the Imperial youth military. To fully demonstrate our Sino-Japanese friendship, you may affectionately address him as 'Lord Kaitai'. From now on, the defense and security of Leijiang will be entrusted entirely to 'Lord Kaitai'. I believe that under his administration, Leijiang will truly become a paradise ruled by the kingly way."

A harsh alarm clock ring shattered Xue Yun's self-indulgent dream, pulling him back to reality.

"Don't die in the game! I don't know why I have this feeling either," Xiaoyu said in a conflicted manner. The two of them wondered why Xiaoyu would have such a thought, but they still nodded thoughtfully.

With all the blood rushing to the lower half of his body, Wang Peng stared blankly at Mo Fusang, who was leaning against the wall. It took him a long time, as the blood receded, to realize that a romantic fantasy had been abruptly halted by Mo Fusang's rationality.

"Baka, it's those Chinese people again!" the Emperor said coldly, desperately trying to control his anger and reminding himself to remain calm. China had always been like this since ancient times, occasionally producing one or two capable individuals, while the rest were merely a mob.

As soon as Zhang Yindi's voice arrived, the three men—old, middle-aged, and young—from the Urban Construction Office all raised their heads to look at her, wondering what kind of madness she was going to throw this time.

Ning Shun was only a child of fourteen or fifteen, and his childhood had been spent under the loving care of his parents and older sister; when had he ever experienced such hardships?

Afraid? The last time he saw Qian Ruoruo sustain a gunshot wound because of him, she had blamed him for quite a long time.

At present, Cangshen Tu stood one meter tall, completely enveloped in a suit of golden battle armor, leaving only a pair of eyes flashing with purple light.

Bai Ziyu's heart was also heavy. He had always known Hong'er's ambitions, but Moyun was truly not suited to handle any warfare right now. The prosperity of the four nations could not be achieved overnight, and if Moyun were to truly go to war with them, it would need at least ten years of recuperation. Yielding to a momentary impulse and provoking the four nations this early was unwise.

Gu Fei'er took a deep breath, feeling that Huo Sixuan was truly strange—why was he still willing to bring trouble upon himself?

Chen Shiru watched as Li Xu was constantly distracted and uneasy because of Yan Ruoyi. Even though he accompanied her, his mind was long gone from her side, which made Chen Shiru extremely unhappy.

With a boneless, fluid twist of his wrist, Long Zhan swept the Sword of Kings through an arc, lunging toward the middle-aged man with his illusory figure. Sparks flew as their twin swords clashed, their bodies touching briefly before separating instantly.

"It's not that we can't, but I don't want to see you right now. You'd better leave immediately; there are too many people here, and I don't want you to be seen," Li Youman said in a firm tone.

"Good! I'll gift you a Five-Elements Fan..." Tianyang casually produced a completed Five-Elements Fan and handed it to Daniuer, making the latter instantly fondle it with affection.

Yun Yuhong had a headache. There were some things she hadn't mentioned simply because she wasn't entirely certain yet, but upon finding out, Mr. Ning was extremely displeased, believing she had distanced herself from them and hadn't even consulted him on such a monumental matter.

She wasn't doubting Xiao Jinyan's identity; she simply wanted to look at an object to evoke memories of its owner. The jade pendant on Xiao Jinyan's body was something her parents-in-law back then had specially commissioned a master carver to craft from a single piece of jade. That jade pendant had been missing for too long, and she hoped to use it to spark a conversation.

"Are you sure?" Huo Tianyi asked in a low voice, afraid of waking the beauty in his arms.

"You're just jealous. So what if he's a stepfather? At least he can help Ziyi, can your dad do that?" Xu Shiyi asked me triumphantly, showing off with a haughty attitude.