Chapter Seventy-Nine: Regardless

Guest Wing, kitchen.

Zheng Shisan wore somewhat worn household clothes, her hair slightly disheveled, and her thin little face was smudged with a bit of dust. Her small hands, always immersed in washing and scrubbing, had turned pale and wrinkled from constant exposure to water. She had to count herself fortunate that it was June, the height of summer, and not the bitter cold of late winter. Otherwise, her hands would certainly have been covered in chilblains.

“Shisan, are the vegetables washed yet? If you’re done, hurry up and bring them over!”
“That’s right, move faster—”

Of course, she would never openly seek out the Zha tribe for a fortune-telling. After all, she and Su Qingcheng shared the same sentiment: neither wished to expose the fact that they came from another continent.

Huayan spoke while pulling out her phone to look for Chen Xi’s number. Qiqi hurriedly tried to stop her; the two scrambled for the phone, wrestling a bit in the process. Qiqi’s chest brushed against Huayan, and the faint fragrance from her body enveloped her. Huayan panicked, hastily pushed Qiqi away, and fled to the window to cool off in the breeze.

When she found her father in the way her mother had instructed, he only casually asked, “How is your mother?” At the very least, facing the Ministry of Punishments and the Censorate in the future, she wouldn’t lose her composure before even opening her mouth.

Chen Xi was startled and hurried to help her up, noticing sweat breaking out on her forehead and her face growing pale.

Originally, after the crown prince had given his orders, he intended to wait outside. But just as he was about to step out, he reconsidered. Later, he would only be able to glimpse shadows through thick ox hide, and with nothing but his imagination, he feared he wouldn’t be able to reconstruct many details.

Meanwhile, the one-horned pegasus could take no more. With a flap of its wings, it conjured a gust of wind that slammed the door to the beast’s cell shut, as if it would rather be locked in than endure the direwolf’s wailing any longer.

No wonder Fish-Eyes was reluctant to spread word of this; if rumors got out, it would surely tarnish his reputation and make him a laughingstock among the scholars.

After having her mind opened, Li Xue spent a long time afterwards looking at the falcon with sympathy.

Shen Lian quickly exchanged a glance with Yin Cheng, who, understanding, withdrew. Soon after, he returned with a barbarian captive in tow.

Even with Tuan Zang’s prowess, he could only withstand the onslaught of Chen Xingyu’s dragon-shaped energy as it battered them relentlessly. Amidst the raging whirlwind, they could barely steady themselves, relying on their battle aura to resist the powerful suction of the storm.

“That’s quite a coincidence! If you’ve nothing to do, come by the shop more often. I’m there every day,” Fang Pingying said, surprised at how close their families lived. It was truly remarkable.

But why was Ye Sheng able to accomplish this? Was it because his own blood energy was inferior to Ye Sheng’s? Nonsense.

“Heh, merging souls is far more intimate than physical contact. In this life, you can only marry me, otherwise—do you really think you could give your sullied soul to someone else?” Ye Jun Tian shamelessly pressed his advantage.

Zhu Houzhao didn’t mind; after all, he was a newcomer. Today, he wore golden armor crafted by the Ministry of Works, the very style that would later become Qing Dynasty armor, only with some modifications, but the overall look remained the same.

With this, Shenna Tian’s mission was complete. Since the village’s situation was unstable, he planned to rest for the night and then depart. Unexpectedly, that very night, Bai Juefei, who had been missing all day, reappeared.

Back then, Zhu Houwei had written a letter to his two uncles and given it to Zhu Yuan just in case. He hadn’t expected it would actually be used, nor that these nobles would be so efficient.

Each sword aura seemed carelessly unleashed, yet even Chen Xinyu, a master of countless supreme martial arts, found it difficult to defend against the onslaught.

“Hey, Uncle, it’s me, Jin Cai. I was just about to call you, and then you called—what a coincidence!” Huang Jincai replied nonchalantly.

Sages instruct the world on the emperor’s behalf and are endowed with supreme virtue, which is why the great Confucian families have enjoyed centuries of inheritance and imperial favor. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.

Aside from that, this has nothing to do with Chang Kang. He wasn’t about to offend the director over it; there was no need.

This was meant to completely block Lin Yan and the others here. In fact, in the Spirit Clan Grand Elder’s hand, a treasure shone with dazzling light—a Heavenly Emperor artifact from the Spirit Sun Celestial Emperor.

With Jiang Yun’s assent, in the next instant, the image of Jiang Yun appeared uncontrollably in the minds of every living being throughout the Dao Domain, and all heard his voice.

That shadow struck back, endless darkness coiling around him. At the same time, the dragon coffin shot forth, spilling black blood and weighing tens of thousands of pounds, collapsing the very void.

With a quiet smile, Yan Ji City walked up to the city gate, set down two large bags at the entrance, then turned to leave.

Old Liu, a former board member of Wand Ding Group, acquired thirty percent of Wu Tong Company’s shares and joined as a partner. Now, he made most of the company’s decisions—an opportunity he had long yearned for, something Wand Ding Group could never offer him.

The Land of Gale fell into a deathly silence. Even all the Gale God soldiers abruptly abandoned their posts at the same moment and withdrew to the various inland states.

The elderly man, looking like a simple farmer, closed his eyes and drew the bowstring to its fullest, his thumb pressed tightly against the bowstring.

Although Zhang Jing knew that the capital troops of late Ming were utterly corrupt, the true state of their recruitment, as described in Xiong Tingbi’s memorial, still shocked him profoundly.

Originally, having survived until Zhu Changluo and Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, he thought he had finally made it. If he really needed to repay old debts, he could find a way to gather the money. But now, it simply didn’t matter to him anymore.

Yi Zhizhen quickly ushered her inside. When Mu Baobao offered the gift bag she carried, there was some polite refusal, but in the end, Yi Zhizhen could not turn down her earnestness.

Xiao Lie was dumbfounded and pleaded, “Chang Jiu, you can’t do this! I took a detour to come to the Western Province just to see you. My deadline for going to Beiting has already passed, and I can only stay for a couple more days. Just let me accompany you for these two days, can’t you?” He still had so many things left unsaid to Chang Jiu; how could he give up so easily?

In the capital, outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, Yang Yong, dressed in plain clothes, appeared once more at the entrance, seeking an audience with the commander Luo Sigong.

Li Linhuai drew Chang Jiu onto his left knee, cupped her delicate chin with his right hand, lowered his head in silence, and kissed her tenderly. Chang Jiu’s lips parted slightly, responding to him in lingering affection.

Mu Baobao didn’t care much about how he addressed her, but she did take issue with his cold attitude toward Chi Jing Sheng, responding with a distant, polite smile.