Chapter 21

Ye Chu was certain that Lu Huai had not seen her face, but her voice had already given her away; she would have to avoid him from now on.

Fu Mingzhan pondered for a moment, then pulled out his phone and dialed a string of numbers. Once the call connected, he handed the phone to me.

Approaching the imperial bed, I saw Emperor Jiacheng lying half-propped on the mattress. Stripped of his dragon robes and hidden beneath the quilts, the man who was usually aloof and commanded awe without anger now appeared unexpectedly fragile and weary, his temples streaked with gray.

As for Ye Chu, she often relied on her superior family background to treat others with a condescending air of charity—how detestable.

He crawled forward on his knees for two steps, choking with sobs, "This minister thanks Your Majesty for your benevolence. I am willing to accept my punishment." As long as he could survive, there was still hope, even if he could no longer stay by the Master's side. Besides, judging by the current situation, he was unlikely to be banished.

Considering the lavish spending and significant influence of the Great Chang royal merchants, Xiang Qingshan could understand why Roberts required such a massive quantity of goods.

They had just exited the Mahavira Hall when they encountered Wei Ziyuan and Wang Lin. Su Jinli’s expression immediately dimmed.

Fang Zheng endured the sharp pain, turned his body, and violently seized Fang Hai’s wrist as he held the dagger. With a sudden burst of strength, a crisp cracking sound echoed—the bones in the wrist had been shattered.

Xun Yi stared unblinkingly at the endless mountain path that wound and twisted into the deeper distance, a nameless, cold light flickering in his eyes.

"Perhaps it is because you are a Grandmaster that you were able to defeat them so easily!" Chen Qingzhi chimed in from the side.

Han Yan hadn't actually found the twins, but he was the one who brought them back; therefore, a well-intentioned lie was clearly easier to accept than a long, complicated explanation.

Thinking of this, Zhao Kang froze. He finally remembered what Wang Yuan had said just moments ago—it was the exact phrase he had inadvertently uttered a few days prior, and her current reaction was identical to the one she had shown that day.

As Gao Chong was slaughtering those below the mountain, an old man and a youth suddenly appeared on the peak.

Even the most agile and nimble person could not have easily dodged it, yet the figure in black on the screen moved with effortless ease—spinning and leaping as if he were an invisible phantom.

***

However, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, perhaps aware that his actions were somewhat inappropriate, appointed Yang Xu as the Minister of Ceremonies and specifically exempted him from paying the customary tribute.

The Baron had been riding for a while, and feeling his horse panting incessantly, he finally slowed to a halt, taking the opportunity to soothe his tense nerves.

"Where is it? Where is the item?" The old man straightened his posture, walked to the window, and peered out. Seeing nothing, he asked with a puzzled expression.

Hearing this, Chen Qingzhi did not stand on ceremony; he went straight to the two rows of youths, took the first row, and led them out of the martial arts school.

However, there was not a trace of panic on Bai’s face. Compared to close-quarters combat, ninjutsu was the field he excelled in. Holding an ice spike in one hand to desperately fend off a heavy, hardened blow from Kakuzu’s Earth Style ninjutsu, he began to weave hand seals with his other hand at lightning speed, to the astonishment of all onlookers.

"It’s nothing, just a call from a collateral relative." Si Yu held Tang Yuxi, feeling both pained and worried for her.

"Alright, you hide here; I will go and drug them." Jiang Xiangyuan said, pulling out the poison Xiao Ming had given her. Fortunately, the girl knew to use poison rather than relying on brute force to subdue three burly men.

Tang Yuxi was still deeply moved by Si Yu’s behavior. At the very least, Si Yu had not put on his usual cold, superior facade and had been willing to open up and speak more.

An Ge felt as though his state of mind was about to explode. It seemed all the kindness he had shown him over the years had been fed to the dogs; the affection he had poured out was not even as important as a single lie from Li Yutong.

Pushing back the quilt, Yan Yiyi jumped out of bed, only to be struck by a wave of dizziness. She sat on the edge of the bed clutching her forehead for a long while before she began to feel better.

"What do you have to guarantee that? Anyone can say such things." Ji Mochen let out a cold snort and turned his head away in disdain.

On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, because Gao Youquan had deliberately delayed, Han Zexi, reacting a beat too late, finally formulated specific deployments. He appointed Huo Fei as the commander-in-chief and Gao Youquan as the supervising officer to suppress the rebellion with full force.

Just a few minutes ago, the receptionist had said a Dr. Zhang was here to see him, claiming it was a matter of life and death. Yet, after waiting for so long, this Zhang Sicheng still hadn't walked in.

No matter how the phone rang, she did not look, did not answer, and did not reply to messages or social media. This night, she only wanted to belong to herself.

***

After Yichen and his group arrived at the restaurant and ordered a few dishes, they all fell silent. Mengqi was embarrassed, as Mother Leng had not been fond of her in the past, and not knowing what to say, she chose to remain quiet.

"Hot?" Spring had only just arrived; where could this heat be coming from? Feng Changjing subconsciously looked up at the sky, which was devoid of even a shred of sunlight.

Nezha pulled the bowstring to its limit, and just as he was about to shoot toward the front, he suddenly remembered this was the Rear Pass; if he shot forward, his father might discover him. Thus, in the midst of the urgency, he hurriedly turned the bow and shot the arrow toward the northwest instead.

Upon leaving Elder Zheng’s place, Xiao Han did not return home immediately. He drove slowly, wandering through the increasing traffic on the streets of Pingjing, watching the neon lights flicker outside, using the tangible experience of prosperity to soothe the anxiety in his heart.

Those malevolent energies that had originally been scattered throughout the three realms seemed to be greatly encouraged, dancing and rejoicing everywhere, until they condensed and took shape, turning into masses of black clouds that surged directly toward the netherworld.

If Fred, the commander of the Caesar Empire’s Third Legion, were an idiot, then Emperor Constantine of the Caesar Empire would surely be an idiot as well. But if Constantine V were an idiot, the Caesar Empire could not possibly still dominate Oslo as the recognized premier power.

Before Robert could even cry out, a series of dense explosions erupted from behind them. Sheila and Robert stared back, their faces filled with shock, as a scene of terror unfolded before their eyes.

Wudi had once heard Emily mention the situation of the Golden Leopard tribe. Compared to the Anfica, the Golden Leopard tribe, which mostly lived in seclusion in the Misty Forest, was clearly less likely to have their cover blown.

Of course, as the saying goes, "human will can conquer heaven," but this is not absolute. If fellow Daoists wish to determine their own lucky numbers, they must take into account their own birth charts, annual fortunes, the Five Elements, Feng Shui, and a series of other practical circumstances.

This time, it wasn't just Arnold, Fleming, Woken, and Terence who failed to see You Yitian’s magic; not a single person from the five major factions had seen it either.