Volume 1, Chapter 31: Seeing Stars in Your Eyes

One week later.

Rumors about the Red Lung disease in the city were intensifying. What began as whispers in the streets and alleys had now become vague, ambiguous bulletins in the newspapers. Long queues formed at the fever clinics, and the number of people coughing in the residential compound grew daily, leaving even the once-lively banyan tree deserted.

Huo Mingyu had not returned home for three consecutive days. The hospital called to say he had been drafted into a temporarily formed epidemic prevention expert team, citing a heavy workload that prevented his return. Jiang Yu knew the reality was likely that the hospital was overwhelmed and young doctors were being held firmly on the front lines of the outbreak. Worse still, perhaps Huo Mingyu simply did not want to infect his family, and so...

Only those with volatile tempers and extremist views would use such an item; it possesses the inherent power to gather spirit and focus the mind, purifying the killing intent and gloom deep within a person’s heart.

The very next moment, Lu Chen suddenly felt his hand being gripped by someone. A flash of brilliance surged before his eyes, followed by a sensation of weightlessness, as if he were riding a teleportation array. Then, Lu Chen felt his body sway, and his feet were suddenly planted on solid ground. The hand that had been pulling him let go.

"I must say, I am quite surprised that this team was organized by Master Mochen of Zhongnan Mountain. Master Mochen is of a very high seniority, and his cultivation is already very close to that of an Earth Immortal. He is truly a supreme expert."

Everyone was famished, chattering and speculating in a hubbub. Feeling that they had encountered so many miraculous events in their lives all at once, they whispered that even more bizarre things were surely to follow.

"Oh my, Master Ziyang, you have arrived at a most inconvenient time. If you had come any later, the rice would have already been cooked!" Mother Wang said with a huff.

On the side of the 'Abyss Team,' though the room was silent, everyone wore a smile.

Xie Wanjun chuckled, "Let's go, let's go. While the sun isn't too harsh, we must get to work." Feeling delighted, she took Su Qing’s hand and continued walking. Su Qing had no choice but to follow.

"Shopkeeper! I beg you, please find a way. My father..." Before she could finish, Su Xizhi’s eyes turned red, and the maid beside her looked as if she were about to cry.

"Wang Siying, you can't be this stingy, can you?" Hanyue Feishuang grew anxious; with more members in the guild, she felt the pinch of limited funds.

However, the sound of footsteps trampling on the water interrupted them. A man, looking like a reaper, entered with a grim smile, carrying a white suitcase. Outside, a torrential downpour began.

The group chatted and laughed as they followed Winnie to the Indian artisan she had mentioned. Like other buildings here, it was a mud house full of Mexican flair, with an old Indian rug hanging at the entrance—a custom for Indian craftsmen here to signify their identity.

The bluestone path beneath their feet was not wide, barely a dozen feet across, but because the county government office used to be located here, the constant passage of officials and commoners had polished the stones until they shone like mirrors, making a "thump-thump" sound with every step.

"This Grade Six beast's inner core must be worth a fortune, right?" Mu Sen’s eyes gleamed, his longing revealing his poverty.

"Honestly, I have no idea what I should write." Ito Kuramoto followed Hirako onto the elevator.

"Wasn't Akira’s work good enough? I recall she is an expert-level specialist." Arima remembered that they had previously commissioned one from her.

Urie’s expression shifted, and he gritted his teeth as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words. However, the environment was so quiet that the faint sound escaping from his teeth seemed remarkably clear.

The others walked in one after another. Upon entering, they found themselves in a vast plaza. Further ahead lay an endless desert, where raging winds whipped up sand and dust, swirling and howling toward the sky. Above the desert hung a dim, yellowish sun.

Xiao Peng and his companion ate with great relish, but the Casiraghi sisters were miserable. Aside from the cornbread, they ate nothing else; for them, such high-calorie food was the ultimate enemy.