Moreover, he had reason to suspect that Lily planned to use this incident to take him out and then bring the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion under her control.

Simply put, her intentions were utterly condemnable.

The Junior Sister cheekily leaned her head on Zhang Ze's shoulder, holding his arm, opened her little walnut, entered that page, and placed a bet using her pocket money.

"Oh dear, brother, what should we do? Do you want me to go home first and plead on your behalf?

"Brother's skin is so delicate. What if you get hurt? I'd definitely cry if that happened.

"Brother, why aren't you speaking? Are you scared?

"If you're scared, come into my arms. Come~ come, let me hold you, a hug can cure all illnesses..."

Lao Di, listening to the excessively flirty chat, coughed lightly. "Uh, I'm still here, please be a little mindful."

"I'm still here? Pay attention to me!" Little Fuji spread her fingers wide, 'covering' her eyes as she spoke.

The Junior Sister awkwardly smiled at Lao Di, then switched to tormenting Zhang Ze via Sound Transmission.

Compared to the Junior Sister's schadenfreude, Xiangxiang's suggestion was pretty constructive.

However, her intentions weren't exactly pure.

She also leaned in, clutched Zhang Ze's arm, and gently shook it.

"Don't be afraid, why don't you come back with me to the Northern Territory? That's my turf.

"The new White Emperor City is already built, everything there is yours. My Sister Wang is also one of the undefeatables in the world. If you come with me, no one can hurt you there.

"We'll live a good life together over there."

The care in her words couldn't be faked, but the calculating intentions were apparent to all.

The Junior Sister shot a glare at Xiangxiang, quickly clutching Zhang Ze's arm even tighter, rubbing up and down.

"Don't go! It's cold up north. What if you catch a cold and fall ill?

"Come home with me. I'll help plead for you.

"Don't worry, you won't be hurt too badly. Even if you do get hurt, I'll take care of you!"

The Junior Sister, who had her elbows turned out beyond the pale, said.

Xiangxiang, "Come with me to the Northern Territory. We could move the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion over too..."

With the increasing pressure from both sides, Zhang Ze calmed down. He extracted his arms from the dual embraces, and judging by his expression, seemed to have made up his mind.

Zhang Ze, "Don't panic, I said don't panic. I have a plan."

"So, Senior Brother, where are you planning to run to? Why not hide out in the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm for a couple of years?"

The Junior Sister did care for him after all, suggesting that escape was shameful but effective.

But Zhang Ze simply shook his head. "I'm not hiding anywhere, we're going straight home."

"Aren't you afraid of dying?" The rebellious Junior Sister shrank back her head, she was surprisingly scared, though it's not clear what for.

"What good would fear do? What's done is done, you may escape for a while but not forever." Zhang Ze said, "Besides, maybe I won't even get hit."

"?" Xiangxiang nudged him, "You're not about to pull a Nezha and prove your resolve through death, are you?

"He turned into lotus root, you'd turn into a stone, and start over again?"

Zhang Ze, "No need for such drama, don't worry, I have my plan. Just come home with me."

Xiangxiang, "..."

———— Lilly's Nefarious Plot Progress 40% Ongoing Divider ————

Thousand Mechanism Town, clear skies and bright sunlight.

Though the recent rash of missions from the Six Sects and the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion had thinned out the old street roamers at Thousand Mechanism Town, new roamers quickly filled that gap.

Due to the influence of Earth Sea, those formerly touted as cultivation geniuses had started popping up like wild chives on the roadside since the start of the year from all sorts of strange places.

One after another, they emerged.

And even before they set foot in the Immortal Cultivation Realm, back when they were first stepping into Jianghu, the place called Thousand Mechanism Town already left a legendary imprint in their minds.

Therefore, whether wealthy or poor, they all felt the need to visit Thousand Mechanism Town, check it off the list, make a pilgrimage to the holy land, to show that they'd been there.

Making it seem like a rite of passage.

And these days, whether they were day laborers loafing about three days for each day of work or fresh-eyed and foolish wild cultivators, they all paid heed to the latest headline gossip.

Concerning a certain scumbag's gossip column.

Utterly explosive, even more so than tales from Tribal Elephant.

The second floor of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion's cafeteria.

Li Yueqi looked at the newspaper in her hand, sighed wistfully, and said, "Well, it's deserved. You might end up scraping through, but not without shedding skin.

"Thankfully, I'm wise and valiant, and didn't get involved from the start.

"Pitiful."

Putting away the newspaper, Li Yueqi snapped her fingers, summoning a Soul Cultivator working in the cafeteria, "Bring two more...nevermind, just make it ten buckets."

In front of her, Hei Qu and Maomao were busy feasting.

Hei Qu needed nutrients for preparing for college exams.

Maomao was there because Lily said she was planning something big and left it in Li Yueqi's care.

As for why Li Yueqi was there herself, it was simply out of boredom.

The initial plan was to go on a family trip, but unexpectedly, on their return, she learned from her brother that their parents had been completely subdued.

Her father was captured by her grandfather for reform, learning how to be a responsible person once again.

As for her mother, the situation was a bit complex.

Apparently, her mother was invited back to the Medicine King Valley for discussions about changing the Valley Master, and if she agreed, she'd be immediately robed in majestic yellow...

Regarding these affairs, Li Yueqi found it exhausting. She neither understands nor wants to understand.

In her view, raising dogs was much easier.

However, just as she was about to reach out to pet her dear Hei Qu and Maomao, a familiar figure appeared beside Maomao.

Sudden appearance.

Zhang Ze stood there, reaching out to pet Maomao.

Seeing the living Zhang Ze, Li Yueqi quickly stepped back a few paces, instinctively adopting a defensive stance without a second thought.

Before Zhang Ze could inquire, she spoke up.

"Nothing, I just don't want to get splattered with blood."

At that moment, a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire Thousand Mechanism Pavilion cafeteria.