Chapter 23

Lady Xiao Chan, esteemed as a titled noblewoman, often engaged in acts of charity. In her daily dealings in commerce, she was fair and just, never inflating prices, always with the people’s well-being in mind.

In the past, he had always believed that Lu Prefecture, remote from the imperial court, was a place where he could wield unchecked power and punish anyone who displeased him. But things were different now.

With Xi Wei’s skills, taking his life would be as effortless as reaching into a pocket—there was no need for such elaborate means.

The Reinhardt family’s main branch, the line of Dio Reinhardt, had always kept portraits of Jiang You, knowing that the King of the Winged Ones on the Eastern Coast was one of the origins of the Reinhardt bloodline.

Now, as the time gradually ripened, he continued to introduce more advanced goods, confident that they would be tempted and willingly trade their lifespan for them.

He now possessed the ability to directly advance his alchemical arts; no matter what, he could aspire to become a second- or even third-tier alchemist in the future.

Da Lan brought over the suitcase, which used the Su family’s code sequence for its lock. After a few tries, she managed to open it.

It was fortunate he had not tried to compete, for he had witnessed Xi Wei’s prowess firsthand. Those assassins who had slaughtered Chen Yourong’s guards so effortlessly could not withstand even a single round against her.

If you were to ask a member of the production team: given the choice between another hearty meal of meat and a night of intimacy with his wife, which would he choose?

When the time came, if Xiao Chan wanted the man captured alive, tied up, and sliced apart bit by bit, it would be all the easier to accomplish.

But then, recalling the many innocent lives he had caused to perish, any sympathy for him vanished.

As for why Mo Siyu had followed Wu Xinming, she had her own suspicions. Nevertheless, she wanted to hear Mo Siyu admit it. She hadn’t expected Mo Siyu to have a moment of embarrassment.

The person before her could not possibly be Zhou Zhaolun—he was already dead. The man before her merely wore the same face.

With so many weapons, Li Xiao naturally welcomed them. Though he often told Zhao Chiman and the others that they could only equip the Baiji militia with sticks, that was only a temporary measure.

Only a single backpack remained, and the rain on the river he had been waiting for had quietly vanished.

Meng Yanzhi, lost in thought, found himself picturing Wen Yun’s sweet smile once more—those same large eyes, as if containing starlight, dazzling as ever.

Li Tianlan, invincible in the eastern city—even Ma Si believed that Li Huacheng did not wish to see Jiang Shangyu hand his trump card over to Li Tianlan.

Three centuries had passed; the Great Zhou had seen six emperors come and go. The man standing in the hall was Zhou Zhaolun’s sixth-generation descendant, but not a trace of Zhou Zhaolun’s features could be seen in this emperor’s face.

“I’m the owner here. You can call me Boss Lin. What is it you need?” Lin Zhi asked.

Thinking of the two corn plants he had cultivated, Li Zhi realized it was time to harvest the surplus ears, though he felt a twinge of reluctance.

This was their first assignment and it must be accomplished flawlessly—not merely by riding the winds of SUI, but by delivering a decisive blow. But what would that be?

He had said that once the child was safely born, she could visit as often as she liked and he would accompany her every step. For now, ensuring a safe pregnancy was paramount.

For Ji Shaotian, streaming took only a quarter of his time; the remainder he spent as a high school student, dutifully attending classes, for studies were now the main theme of his life.

Though Hannibal had been grateful to Zhang Daoyi for his help last time, he was displeased that this time, with Dongfang Shuo present, Zhang Daoyi had declined to seek him out.

It was akin to that moment at the peak, when you are suddenly forced to hold back and not let go—a most agonizing feeling.

Left behind, Song Xiujuan stood in a daze for a while until a few well-meaning but uninformed people came to offer comfort. At that, she let out a startled cry.

He had once enjoyed a surge in popularity, breaking into the top five on the Douya excitement rankings, but once things stabilized, he quickly fell out of the top ten. Ranking ninth or tenth today was the result of years of hard work and dedication.

He had originally planned a sea voyage in November—not far, just along the main route of the Maritime Silk Road. There were still many historical shipwrecks buried there; if he could salvage one or two before year’s end, it would provide for the staff’s holiday gifts and bonuses.

In this Star Gala guild competition, the first-place streamer would earn the title “Annual Anchor of Douya,” a recognition officially bestowed as the number one or two streamer on the platform.

After all, with such dreadful performances, only the most die-hard fans would care; the majority of people couldn’t be bothered.

Everyone tensed, waiting for chaos to break out among the Jingzhou army, ready to slip away along the route Xiaoqing had described. Yet at that moment, Wei Jie found his mind wandering.

“It looks interesting. Why not rest in this city for a while? We don’t have to reach Hualan City until the day after tomorrow; there’s more than enough time.” Without another word, Tingshu stuffed the poster into his pocket and went to the nearby stand to buy a cold drink.

Shen Jingxuan was filled with regret. He should have taken Shen Qingwu home the first time he came here. If he had, none of this would have happened.

The other cultivators realized what was happening and all surged upward, dividing into nine streams of black tide, each racing for one of the nine Dao Fruits.

The appearance of this point signaled something greater—a harbinger that all secrets and hidden matters would soon rise to the surface.

If the fall of the Sky Pirates had nothing to do with Tang Yi, then with his talent and strength, he surely deserved to represent Tianwu Nation in the drawing of lots.

After breakfast, news arrived at the base: supplies from Henrik had cleared the space station’s inspection and were about to land. The tank regiment was to send personnel to receive them.

Throughout these three days, Zhang Da had been responsible for the group’s safety, remaining on constant alert and rarely chatting with Wei Jie and the others. After a deep conversation with Yuan Zhan, Wei Jie left all further decisions to him.

Since Nixiang had entered to confront Shen Qingwu, Qin Lianye had not spoken a word. Only after Nixiang stormed out did he grab Shen Qingwu’s sleeve, frowned, and spoke, his words laden with concern.

Thankfully, they were all cultivators at the peak of the Spirit King realm; otherwise, this journey would have taken far longer.

Lin Yin was beside herself with regret for her earlier loss of composure. In a fit of embarrassment and anger, she took out her frustration on him.