30. Rejecting the Marriage Proposal

Li Xiao had many close brothers, but the "Four Heavenly Kings"—Muscle Hui, Liu Kui, Zhou Yao, and Yang Shuhuang—were the ones closest to him. Even the "Five Tigers of Taozhong" could not compare to these four, as they had stood by his side for seven full years, traversing the line between life and death countless times together.

Although his entire body was encased in thick, hardened lime and his eyes had long since turned into porcelain-white orbs, it felt as if they could still perceive Murong Chui’s deep, tranquil gaze emanating solemnly from the stone statue, possessing a clarity that saw through everything.

After entering the estate, Xiao Haotian walked straight through the halls and courtyards toward his own quarters. Outside the moon gate, he heard the sounds of laughter and chatter from within his courtyard from a distance, among which he recognized a familiar, crisp, giggling voice.

Po Jun cupped his hands to thank the old man, lifted the bowl of porridge, and drank it in one gulp. Only then did he shift his gaze to survey the surrounding scenery.

Luo Xuan watched her in silence, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The twin jade cicadas remained firmly clasped on his left wrist, motionless.

Her legs were leaden, and her consciousness was slowly fraying; she truly could not walk any further. Yet, Mu Zicheng displayed an endurance beyond that of an ordinary man at this moment. He insisted on supporting Ling Dongwu for a while longer before coming to a stop.

By June, the Imperial Garden was already overflowing with the scent of flowers. The fragrance filled the grounds, and the sea of brilliantly colored blooms was so dazzling that one could only marvel at it as a divine gift.

The distant sky brightened faintly. In an instant, a circular clearing opened up within the dense formation of divine soldiers. The four gods—Ming Zhao God Kuang Yitian, accompanied by Night Zhao King Hua Hou, Teng Yinyin (son of Day He King), and Long God Ping Feng Shimiao—descended from the sky and stepped into the arena in unison.

He had already forced himself upon her in the car against her will; what more did he want now?

"Damn it, if you keep laughing, I'll castrate you all," Liu Kui cursed, gesturing as if he were about to strike, which immediately sent the guards running in terror.

When Zhao Tie was wheeled out, he was still wearing an oxygen mask. Chang Yun didn’t need to pretend; she threw herself onto him and began to weep, busy fighting for space with Zhao Tie’s mother. Zhang Xun suppressed a smile and wiped away her tears and sweat; Mima wanted to help but couldn't find a spot.

"This guy!" Jin Xi couldn't help but mutter to herself, "He’s even started planning his retirement life."

The bug larvae’s food was easy to find; the torsos and bellies of the soldier ants slaughtered by Chu Xiong and his team during the day sufficed. Shangguan Wenfei had Chang E freeze the torsos in the refrigerator. Electricity had been restored within the third ring road of Gujing City, but electricity remained a luxury in the apocalypse; one kilowatt-hour cost five grams of silver, or a single silver bean.

"That, I cannot tell you. You must observe it yourself. Our farm has many more premium ingredients. I will explain them to you slowly tomorrow." Ye Nan chuckled, implying that he wanted Jenny to stay at the farm for a while longer—ideally, to live there permanently.

"You know you were wrong? That was easy. Where exactly were you wrong?" He seemed to have expected my admission, his expression one of pre-meditated certainty.

His eyes clearly told him that the room had not changed, yet his intuition insisted that it had.

"How is your dad..." Before he could finish the word, Xu Chi turned around and was startled by Chen’s father.

"Come to think of it, perhaps there is. My first impression of the characters 'Hong Xing' was 'promoting movement,' but 'promoting movement' is a bit..." He spoke with a hint of doubt, thinking to himself that it wasn't exactly physical exercise, and left the sentence hanging to give the other person room to respond. "What do you think?"

However, perhaps it would be good if she really were pregnant. During these years when he was too busy with state affairs to accompany her, let their child be the one to keep her company.

"Then, what material should be used to support the grafting of the nervous system?" Pan Hongda interjected enthusiastically.

The man who had been lying in the cell suddenly lunged forward, thrusting his hands through the bars to grab Duan Qingyan, his ferocious demeanor suggesting he wished to grind her bones to dust.

"I don't care! I'm buying this shop no matter what! Hua Qingyan, if you’re smart, get lost!" Hua Xi waved her hand to drive them away and stepped into the shop herself. However, no sooner had she entered than she was scolded by the old man.

"It’s fine, but how did you bring 'Bichon' back? Isn't it in Hokkaido?" Twice in a row, Ouyang Yingqi had been startled by 'Bichon.' Although she didn't dislike the dog, she had gradually developed a bit of a phobia toward it.

"Madman!" Xie Bangui cursed and turned around, only to find the old man’s tear-stained face appearing before him like a phantom. Xie Bangui covered his ears and turned again, but the old man popped up from somewhere else. He simply closed his eyes and blocked his ear canals tightly with his hands.

Conquering the world was an ambition hidden deep within Dong Zhuo’s heart, but the crushing weight of having no heir to succeed him left him gasping for air. It was not just him; Li Ru, Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Cai Yong... countless people under his command were buckling under this same pressure.

The worldly-wise old singer heard every word Xie Bangui said. Overcome with sudden rage and anxiety, he spat out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.