Luo Yao led her people step by step toward Luo Wushuang, whose hands trembled slightly from tension.
The distance between the two groups narrowed to less than seven paces.
Seeing Luo Yao approach, Luo Wushuang decided not to wait helplessly for his fate.
"Within seven paces, a gun is fast and precise. If I die, we all die!" Luo Wushuang shouted this declaration before pulling out his pistol and pulling the trigger at Luo Yao.
But nothing happened.
The person closest to him had a firm grip on his wrist.
"Luo Bangsheng, what are you doing?" Luo Wushuang demanded.
"Sorry. I'm an undercover agent. I want to be a good man," Luo Bangsheng replied.
At the same moment, Luo Yao’s figure flickered like a ghost in front of Luo Wushuang.
With a swift slash of her blade, Luo Wushuang’s entire arm fell to the ground.
"Ah—!"
Everything happened too quickly. Before Luo Wushuang could even react, he had already lost.
Luo Yao scoffed disdainfully.
"Tie him up."
Uncle Fu sighed as he looked at the Gatling gun in his hands.
Another wasted opportunity. What a useless marksman.
With Luo Wushuang incapacitated, his remaining loyal followers surrendered without resistance.
The Luo family had already realized Luo Yao had no intention of sparing them. Memories of the bloodshed the last time she returned sent chills down their spines.
"Family Head, spare me—" Before the plea could finish, a bodyguard knocked the man unconscious.
"Take them all away."
"Yes."
Then, something bizarre unfolded.
The bodyguards strapped double weights onto the Luo family members, threw them into the water, and dove in after them.
Soon, only Uncle Fu restraining Luo Wushuang, Lin Ran, and Luo Yao remained.
Luo Yao picked up a key from Luo Wushuang’s person and pulled out another from her pocket.
"Luo Wushuang, didn’t you want to open it? Since you’re about to die, I’ll show you what’s inside. Consider it your final wish. Honestly, I’m curious too."
There might just be something she wanted in there.
She inserted both keys and turned them.
Luo Wushuang’s eyes widened, his pain momentarily forgotten.
The mountain trembled as mechanisms activated inside. Then…
Nothing. After a long wait, Luo Yao frowned.
"Hahaha! You couldn’t open it either!" Luo Wushuang burst into laughter. "So what’s the truth?"
Lin Ran was equally puzzled. They had both keys—why hadn’t the Dragon Veil opened?
Just then, a vaguely familiar voice echoed.
[What the—? First someone bangs on the door, now they’re trying to open it? Who the heck is it? Don’t they know breaking into a cat’s home is super rude?]
Lin Ran froze. That voice…
Wasn’t that Little Black?
[Hehe, those outside would never guess—opening this door requires one extra step. You need a little paw-print assist! Someone’s gotta press down on my paw mark for the lock to fully disengage.]
Lin Ran stifled a laugh, eyeing a tiny paw print on the stone wall.
He didn’t call out to Little Black, preferring to mess with the feline a bit.
But Lin Ran would never have guessed that Little Black’s home was inside. What exactly was in there?
[Who’s even out there? Should I go take a peek? No way—what if they kill me? Meow meow meow!]
Seeing the door wouldn’t budge, Luo Yao sighed.
Though her curiosity burned, what could she do? They’d have to find another way later.
Maybe there was no treasure to begin with.
Just then, Lin Ran grabbed Luo Yao’s arm.
"Yao Yao, since we’re already here, no need to rush off. The scenery’s actually pretty nice."
Luo Yao glanced at the four skeletons on the ground—one belonging to Luo Tangji, another to her hawk, and the other two likely victims of Luo Wushuang.
Scenery… nice… really?
But since Lin Ran said so, Luo Yao would listen. This was the real Luo Yao.
"Uncle Fu, take Luo Wushuang away. I’ll stay here with A-Ran for a while."
"Understood, Miss." Uncle Fu escorted Luo Wushuang into one of the submersibles.
As he was dragged away, Luo Wushuang remained silent, glaring venomously at Lin Ran.
He knew he had lost—utterly and completely.
Now, only Lin Ran, Luo Yao, the four skeletons, and a severed arm remained in the mountain gorge.
"A-Ran, is there something you want to tell me?"
Seeing no one else around, Lin Ran grinned.
"Want to open this place?"
"It’s impossible. I checked—the stone wall is too solid. Even explosives might not break through."
Lin Ran chuckled but said nothing. Instead, he pressed firmly on the paw print.
A deep rumbling echoed.
Outside the gorge, everyone who had returned to shore heard the noise.
Luo Wushuang, freshly ashore, grew frantic. "Did the Dragon Veil open? Take me back!"
Uncle Fu pinned him down. "Stay put."
Luo Yao stared at Lin Ran in shock. How did he know how to open it?
Even she hadn’t known about this extra step.
"A-Ran, you—"
Before she could finish, Lin Ran heard another voice.
[Oh no oh no, they’re really breaking in! Should I let them in? The mountain’s structure is unstable—once the mechanisms activate, rocks might collapse. What if they get crushed?]
"Meow—!"
Lin Ran’s face darkened. Damn it, why didn’t you say that earlier?!
He grabbed Luo Yao and dashed inside—only to step into empty air and plummet downward.
Outside, the ground shook violently, leaving everyone stunned.
Uncle Fu’s face twisted with worry.
Inside the Dragon Veil, Lin Ran and Luo Yao crashed onto the ground. Fortunately, the fall wasn’t too high—painful but unharmed.
The place was pitch-black. Just as they were about to panic—
Lights flickered on.
Lights?
Electric lights, to be exact.
Was this… normal?
Lin Ran gaped in disbelief.
He couldn’t even locate the light source—the crystal walls reflected the glow, illuminating the space like daylight.
Luo Yao hurried to Lin Ran’s side, checking for injuries.
"Yao Yao, I’m fine."
She frowned at their surroundings. "Why are there lights here?"
Lin Ran knew—Little Black must have brought them. The dazzling effect came from the light refracting off the crystal walls.
The colorful display was oddly beautiful.
Looking up, the exit was nowhere in sight.
Were they trapped?
No matter. Little Black would know the way out.
"Seems like we’re stuck," Lin Ran mused.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
