18 "The Green Hat"

Inside the room.

Lin Xuan’s tears rolled down as she cried quietly, holding back her sobs, while Lin Zheng’s eyes were slightly red but he did not shed a tear. The difference in temperament between the two young girls was clear.

Lin Zhao asked Lin Xibao to take her washbasin outside to fetch water, then embraced the two little girls and gently asked, “Has your mother always been like this? Did she give the fabric that belonged to you to your cousin?”

“Yes, I saw it,” Lin Zheng replied.

Lin Xuan nodded along with him.

The two sisters...

Yu Shuting, blushing shyly in Jin Mingxin’s arms, dared not raise her head and said, “That’s only natural.” Jin Mingxin wore a joyful expression; being a father truly made him happy—it was a blessing from heaven.

With the situation now critical, he had neither the mood nor time to talk further with Qin Bin, so he immediately put on a stern face and tried to drive Qin Bin out of the basement.

As for Pang Hui, that consumptive wretch, he was always suspicious. Despite risking his life for him and nearly dying in Great Jin, he never gained his genuine trust. Of course, Song Zheng had always regarded him as one of his enemies and thus sent him the “Blessed Longevity Spear.”

---

The “second master” spoken of by Sphinx naturally referred to Angela, and the new member mentioned was actually Vexis... In fact, Ogna’s current voyage could not be called “sailing alone.” Although he brought no guards, he had brought Angela and Vexis along.

“Always so careless,” Murong Xue shook her head at her sister’s constant behavior, her expression full of frustration.

Taking a deep breath, Song Zheng stepped out of the courtyard. Silence surrounded him, save for the dry yellow leaves rustling under his feet.

He did not understand what Wang Feng was saying—what did it mean that they were going to another world, or that the ferocious tiger would no longer exist from now on?

As soon as Wang Yu’s words ended, Bei Chen and the handsome youth both shuddered, though the feeling quickly passed. Still, it did not escape Wang Yu’s keen eyes.

If because of this matter Murong Xue never spoke to him again, what would he do? The thought grew increasingly plausible, and Wang Feng’s eyes dimmed with a faint melancholy.

Jin Mingxin looked at Miko as if she were an alien, laughing. When did Miko become so clever?

Every midnight when she dreamed of her sister and mother, she wished she could peel the flesh off the Qiao family layer by layer.

When the old marquis was alive, Duke Chen still showed some respect; after the marquis’s death, Duke Chen turned cold and heartless, even staging a wedding cancellation at the funeral hall.

Someone had already quietly linked this incident to Shui Yun Jian’s closure, standing up for Shui Yun Jian’s honor.

---

Just then, the beast, heavy-footed, slowly entered the stone chamber. Discovering two unwelcome guests in its lair, it instantly grew furious. A roar echoed all around, the thunderous sound rattling the ears of the two until they nearly fainted on the spot.

Dada thought bitterly: It’s infuriating—he’d come twice and yet never tasted the legendary Yile ramen. He longed to try that special feast of the day.

According to current intelligence, this mission could be considered half-finished, but Orochimaru believed it was a clear failure as a test for the Fire Shadow’s disciples.

Ma Zhou and his companion were in utter confusion when suddenly they heard the crown prince’s voice, leaving them completely stunned.

“So your intention... is also to bow to these aristocratic families?” Li Shimin frowned, expressing clear dissatisfaction.

The exposed skin of that man was in terrible condition; some wounds faintly revealed bone beneath, likely self-inflicted during the height of the poison’s torment.

Moreover, once the strong liquor gained fame, Shui Yun Jian’s business would naturally improve. For Shopkeeper Zhou, this was an absolutely advantageous venture with no downsides.

Although Lock County had bumper harvests year after year, enough to supply the entire royal city, the strength was still far from sufficient. Fortunately, Yang Yi launched attacks everywhere, allowing people to have food to eat. But this food was not free; it required labor. Subsequently, those who became wealthy first in Lock County through commerce gradually moved into Dragon City.