I look around Ukiyo's hand on my pale wrist, his long fingers not so gently wrapping mine. With an upturned glance, he seemed to notice me.
-Well, I didn't have much of a choice in that regard. I can't personally slay that guy, since that would invoke the wrath, or at least the scorn of the heavens. And I couldn't have that, since I want to replace it as the heavenly forces' champion. If I had to actually fight Shen Lao, I would have arranged for an accident, so it still would have become collateral damage.
Ralph: WHAT?!
"Early again?" A voice behind her sounded, Ivypool whipped around, but it's too late, Hawkfrost had her pinned to the ground with his forepaw. He growled,
Emily frowned at Sean's rude remark.
Yan Du knows very well that Chu Xingyun is mocking him, but he has no way.
His eyes grew wide and he shook his head, "That's not what I meant..."
No Matter How Hard,No Matter How Much, I'll Slay the Heavens
First
There's a symbol in this chapter that I can't stop thinking about: the wound that refuses to heal. You Chumu has this astonishing healing ability — the burn should have closed in minutes, left no trace. But when he smiles, the black flame spreads and the healing stops. The wound reopens. Blood drips. What does that mean? I think it's about the relationship between pain and control. You Chumu can heal himself physically, but emotionally he's falling apart. The black flame is his true nature breaking through, and it's triggered by that smile — by the performance of happiness he's forced to maintain around Xu Chi. Every time he pretends to be the innocent little brother, the wound gets worse. And then there's the kitchen. He "blew up" the kitchen trying to heat up food because he was hungry. Hunger as a metaphor for something deeper — an emptiness that no amount of food can fill. The domestic setting (kitchen, heating food) contrasts with the destructive outcome, which mirrors his entire existence: a child in a home who is fundamentally not a child. The blood-stained floor he's wiping clean while Xu Chi is still on the phone — that's the central image of the chapter. He's trying to clean up the evidence of what he is, to make everything look normal, to hide the damage. And Xu Chi walks in and sees only the surface. The floor is clean, the kid is fine, everything's okay. But the blood was there. It always is.
The president started to introduce her collegues.
In the past, regardless of everything, she did not take her eyes off him, carefully watching his every move. But now, it seemed that she had completely ignored his existence. She even refused a meal in his company when in the past she did everything to stop him at dinner, which she prepared. It seemed that she had given up on him completely.