Chapter Thirty-Four: Strength

After Zhao Yuan registered with Ye Yuer, he took a general look at this year’s contestants and finally made his assessment: the main focus of this year’s competition would be Qian Songyi and Wang Dao. From his brief inquiries, he learned that, like them, these two were also first-time participants in this type of contest. However, their strength should not be underestimated.

Qian Songyi and Wang Dao were widely regarded as the final rivals for this year’s championship, and it was certain that the winner would be one of them. Privately, Zhao Yuan set a goal for himself—since he was entering the competition, victory was naturally his aim. Yet, this was also his first time encountering such a system, and while his own strength, comparable to a wild ox, was not to be dismissed, he knew there was always someone stronger. Underestimating any opponent would be both disrespectful to them and irresponsible to himself.

“How dare you! How dare you speak to Young Master Long that way, you unfilial wretch!” He Shoude pointed a trembling finger at He Jinyin and berated him harshly.

Hearing this, Su Yu’s eyes grew hot with emotion. She realized that when A Xia was taken away by that person, she must have been worried her master would be abandoned in the mountains, so she left her shoes as a marker by the roadside.

Yawning, Su Yu got up and opened the window. She was just about to ask Li Liang what he wanted to say when she saw him stride in through the door as though he owned the place.

Then she remembered that afternoon when he spoke of carving the poppy’s curse upon her, of making flowers bloom from withered bones.

Zhang Xiaoyi’s innocence was a perfect match for Shi Xiangyun’s playful charm. It must be said that the casting for the play was closely tied to the personalities of the actors; whether a character was portrayed successfully depended not only on acting skill, but even more on the actor’s own temperament and understanding of the role.

“Yu, my big sister,” Tang Zhe gazed at Su Yu, his eyes increasingly resolute, filled with a hatred so dense it could neither be dissolved nor shattered.

Song Yu grinned mysteriously, blinking as though about to reveal a secret. Zhang Xiaoyi’s eyes widened in anticipation, but the words the young man spoke were completely the opposite of what she expected.

“Yes, yes, it’s ready,” Zihua hurried out to the main kitchen and brought back the chicken soup that had long been prepared.

It hopped to the ground, sniffed around with its nose. Its two ears pressed flat against the floor, making it look adorably cute.

The old man in black roared, and a massive dragon’s phantom form shot toward the heavenly thunder, unleashing a deafening roar.

Chu Li hurried down the stairs, but it was already too late. She stood frozen in place, oblivious even when Yi Meng came to her side.

She struggled for quite a while before finally propping herself up against the wall. As she slowly moved to the door, it creaked open, revealing a tall and handsome figure to the nursemaid’s eyes.

Xia Xue spoke softly. Because I have no money, I wanted to earn a little pocket money through my own efforts. That classmate was kindhearted and only wanted to help me. Also, because we looked so much alike, I could conveniently serve as her stand-in.

“Go! I don’t want to see you! If you leave now, I’ll pretend nothing happened.” Fire Orchid put down her machine gun; her heart softened for a moment, but her prickly nature made it impossible for her to speak gently to Zhao Yi. After barely two sentences, she was already preparing to drive him away.

Ding Xiaobei was never as ruthless as her. She could be made to harm Su Yin, but to do anything against Yu Yang—that would be harder than killing herself.

When Xiao Yang said this, he neither blushed nor faltered, actually believing his own words to be true.

Calling for the strong men, they unloaded three barrels of slurry from the ox cart and set out the bamboo tubes and clear water they had prepared last time. Yu Zi then busied herself starting the stove to one side.

She would sooner die than believe that the person who came to save her would be Xiao Yu—from the Xiao Yang Prince’s household.

And just then, a low buzzing filled the palace hall. For a moment, countless eyes turned toward Yu Zi.

When she finished, several poisoned needles lodged into Miss A Yao’s body, and the two of them crashed heavily to the ground. Upon closer look, both had already ceased to breathe.

Stepping onto the platform, she finally felt a sense of solidity. She didn’t need to look back to know that Xie Siheng had certainly followed her up.

These people were no weaklings. His attacks were not merely brute force; they carried the effects of the Northern Dipper Fist. When he landed a punch, their consciousness remained, but they would be left dazed, unable to respond for a time.