Chapter 103: The Hunt Begins

Ye Cheng suddenly wrapped his arms around Shangguan Feiyan’s slender, delicate waist and smiled warmly.
“I tell you, Feiyan, I’ve provided such crucial intelligence. Since you represent the emperor, shouldn’t you reward me?”
“Reward you? I’d rather kill you, you scoundrel!”
Shangguan Feiyan bit her pearly white teeth, her cheeks flushing pink with a shy yet fierce glare...

Meanwhile, Lu Hua activated a circular defensive barrier; Lei Ao sliced through a towering tree with his wind blade; Hang Yi transformed the surroundings briefly into a game-like scene. The boy, witnessing the supernatural powers of a “Divine Envoy” up close for the first time, stared wide-eyed, utterly astonished.

For dinner, I avoided the street-side spicy hotpot—it’s pure self-torment to eat that too often. Instead, I went to the school cafeteria, where, sure enough, I found a shrine draped in red cloth right at the entrance of the cafeteria management office.

The winding road that straightens out afterward couldn’t have been easier to traverse. The city lay some distance away, and at this pace, it would take about ten minutes to reach.

Wang Dong savored his drink leisurely, gazing at his hand as if the lingering fragrance still clung to it. He took a deep, intoxicated breath, his expression one of pure enjoyment, unaware that Lin Ruoyun had overheard every word of his muttering.

Well-prepared, Bai Youlan, Luo Mingxuan, and Xiyu tied ropes around their waists and slowly descended along the cliff face.

“All right, Wu, you escort the young master. I’ll get some breakfast ready. The reporters outside have left and probably won’t return for a while,” said San as he headed toward the kitchen, soon followed by the sound of running water from handwashing.

The crown prince had been sent to supervise the construction of the competition arena; the second prince was convalescing, while the third prince had been dispatched on other affairs. Passing by the imperial garden, Shen Wanyu caught a glimpse of a slender figure from the corner of her eye. Her footsteps faltered slightly, and a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes.

The girl was curled up, head down, lying there in a cramped posture. She wore a sky-blue outdoor jacket and gray, durable hiking pants, thick-soled mountain boots on her feet, and carried a large backpack on her back.

Xiao Wu’s face revealed a strange expression—part coldness, part cunning, tinged with faint mockery. He slowly shook his head, completely unmoved by her psychological tactics.

Da Tuan’s words puzzled me. I looked around carefully and did feel something was missing; it was eerily quiet, an unsettling kind of silence that bred fear.

“I’ll draw a circle for you—don’t step outside it!” Saying this, his right hand faced down, with the middle finger extended and the other three fingers loosely curled, while his left palm touched his right wrist. Then he flipped his right hand, bit down hard on his fingers, and drew a circle on the ground, enclosing Xu Shuting within it.

“General, I’m here!” Li Henglie, shaken from his daze, joined the fray. With his arrival, Bai Zixi gradually found herself overwhelmed. With a single move, she deflected the weapons of two adversaries and retreated.

Outside Yangcheng, the fields stretched like a golden ocean of rice. The gentle autumn breeze whispered through, deepening the golden hue of the grain until it shimmered like a sea of pure gold.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Wei Liao wasted no time and rushed back to Xianyang the same day. Even in urgent matters, the emperor would never summon him back in haste.

This was the advantage of the base and the virtue of the Rebel King: whoever you were—soldier or captain—except for the all-commanding leader, you could voice your opinions and even challenge the Rebel King. Even if wrong, you would not be punished; instead, you might be entrusted with greater responsibilities.

“Heh, I never expected that in a frantic escape, fate would smile upon me and lead me to discover such an excellent place for cultivation!” Wu Hao lifted his head, his dark eyes gazing into the swirling storm clouds atop the snowy peak, where a faint glimmer of pale dawn shimmered through.