Chapter 148

【Tomorrow’s update will be delayed】 (Not taking a day off!)

The heavy footsteps, like a massive hammer striking a drum, pounded against Duke’s heart, causing his adrenaline to surge and his breathing to quicken.

After chatting for a long time with Fei Li about awards and academician selection, and having lunch together, Tian Lu, as Li Nian had predicted, did not return to the hospital but spent the afternoon at Future Bio Tower.

Since it was already after work hours and the outcome had been confirmed, Tian Lu lost all motivation, so he hastily packed up and left the lab.

“Strong dragons don’t suppress local snakes—we’re not even strong dragons, they are. Let’s retreat.”

Ju Hua looked at Ban Li and the others, torn between laughter and tears; she couldn’t believe how much they had to say after just one night apart!

But the Duke ignored this complaint entirely; he’d run out of battery on his phone before, and this wasn’t the first or second time—Cai Siqiang’s free iPhone had truly terrible battery life.

Yun Xian was off duty today, wearing a plain dark blue silk-lined jacket at home, sitting cross-legged on the warm kang. The old madam sat on the other side of the kang table, dressed in a peacock-blue jacket with pleats. Xiu Ying knelt at the edge of the kang, fastening a matching jade-inlaid headband around the old madam’s head.

“We truly don’t want to kill you—we only want to bring you back. After all, you are… precious experimental subjects,” Luo Stan said.

He had originally hoped Ju Hua had a skin disease, so no one would marry her, meaning she wouldn’t get pregnant—and then everything could still be fixed. But who knew she’d already married, and even more miraculously, she was pregnant—what should he do now?

Ju Hua turned back, shut the courtyard gate, and answered, “It’s me, Mother,” as she walked over to her side.

It was a plea, yet his words sounded stiff—no wonder; in all his life, he’d only begged once before, in the fire, and never again after that.

Wei Rouyi frowned; the swelling pain in her fingertips was agonizing. No wonder they say the fingers are connected to the heart—it truly was, she was in excruciating pain.

Earlier, Gongye Nan had seen her turn back to grab her, but it was too late—he flashed forward and slammed into the wall himself, becoming her human cushion.

Lin Shenshen was half-asleep, feeling someone stroke her forehead—gentle, full of affection—like a dream.

Although she believed she could escape from Ye Lan, it would certainly be a troublesome affair.

When Ruo Hai Mu discovered she hadn’t eaten for two meals, he flew into a rage and rushed to find Wei Rouyi, only to see how gloomy her and her daughter-in-law looked.

A jolt nearly threw her off; her hand instinctively shot out, then retracted, gripping the horse’s neck instead.

Liu Qianqian, though isolated from news, had already heard. She suppressed her inner panic, dressed and powdered herself properly, then came to find them.

Gu Lan Shan finally lowered her head, following Sheng Shi’s fingers to see the cold stone pendant casually hanging from his pale, slender fingertips.

She pressed her lips together, stole a glance at him—he said nothing. Then she peeked again through half-lifted eyelids—he still said nothing.

If from now on they behave themselves, he will no longer hold grudges; if not, he will surely execute them.

Zhou Xingguo hadn’t paid close attention earlier, his focus entirely on the Bilo Sect below, but now that fireworks suddenly erupted, their location was lit as bright as day.

Nangong Xiyue’s emotional intelligence was still very high; she recognized Deng Hanyuan’s strong sense of face. But faced with a man who loved her and whom she loved in return, she was completely lost in him.

“Hehe, let Brother hold you tight,” he laughed, tightening his grip. She felt a slight pain in her waist, and without thinking, her body pressed tightly against his.

As soon as Mo Xi let go of Lin Jiahao, he shot off like an arrow, rushing to check the surveillance footage for the second time.

“Go do whatever you’re supposed to do—can’t you see I’m busy? I don’t have time to waste with you! Heard me? Don’t mess around here!” He kept walking forward, carrying the tire, not even glancing at her, his tone clearly angry.

Within a month, the Sword Realm gradually stabilized, but the Ling Dynasty was thrown into chaos. The western border of Hexi Province fell; most of Hexi’s territory was seized by the Gan army, and the Sword Realm had even issued Sword Edicts, preparing to exterminate the Ling Dynasty. This left the Ling Emperor with a splitting headache.

“Of course, I want to drag Huang Musheng out right now and tear him into a thousand pieces!” he snarled.

“If you’ve got the guts, say it to my face—why talk in such roundabout, sneaky ways?” Li Li had long understood that Huang Aixia’s words targeted her; since the matter was out in the open, she no longer held back.

Then Zheng Haoxuan began his cooking journey. Actually, Sister Li’s decision to dismiss the others had made things much easier—at least now they wouldn’t risk accidents.

Lin Fang raised his hand apologetically, looking up at the building, five stories high; this girl had jumped down from such a height and emerged unharmed—clearly, she was no ordinary person.

Soon the waiter cleared the table, brewed a pot of Songyun green tea, and placed four pastries on it.

After entering the room, Zhou Ruoxi slammed the door shut and threw herself onto the bed, her expression complex.

“Ling Qi! Meng Er! Are you two alright?” Ye Siming’s face was grim; the intense cold made him deeply worried about Meng Er and Luo Lingqi inside his body.