Chapter 30

The assistants in the cubicles sat back down and buried themselves in their work. None of them dared to look up to ask Tan Ke'er anything; after all, at such a critical juncture, they knew perfectly well who their real superior was. Those two disciples of the Tang Sect were dissatisfied now, though in the past, they likely wouldn't have thought anything of it.

In the evening, the Third Prince was dining in the main courtyard when he noticed several unfamiliar servants and casually asked a few questions about them.

Generally speaking, if a cultivator were in a place rich with spiritual energy, it would take five years to progress from the Martial Realm to the Pulse Realm. However, if they used Ghost Spirit Jade, it could be done in less than a year, and those with exceptional talent might manage it in two or three months.

Xiao Xiuying, however, paid no mind to Song Zhiqing’s expression, as Caibo had returned from the Third Prince’s mansion with even more gifts.

She jerked her head around and surveyed the cannon fodder who had been bewitched by the skills of her evil spirit doll. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she revealed a flicker of hesitation and suspicion.

Under normal circumstances, the tearful pleas of the beautiful Consort Li would surely have elicited the Emperor’s pity. But right now, with her makeup smeared all over her face, she was hardly worthy of the title "beauty," so the Emperor merely glanced at her and said nothing.

"Heh." Mo Liucong, blowing on his flute while watching the Waking Tiger parry Qin Jian’s attacks step by step, allowed a trace of a triumphant smile to touch the corners of his mouth.

As for herself, she knew without even thinking that she was in a wretched state. The face of the number one socialite in Liang City had been completely lost. After today, her reputation would be utterly ruined, and she might not even be able to return to the Tan family, as the news of her framing her sister and destroying her reputation would surely reach their ears by tomorrow.

Qiaoqiao was a friend she had met recently; the death of a stranger and the death of a friend were two completely different things.

Every time they met, her beauty was impossible to ignore, and compared to the sickly appearance she had a month ago, she was now full of youthful vigor and high spirits.

"Ye Susu, how can you be so cruel?!" Liang Luo tried to grit her teeth as hard as she could, but the gesture felt so powerless.

Mo Zhanhua could see nothing, and tormented by pain, he grew manic and restless, his attacks lacking any discernible pattern.

***

Having said that, she tilted her head back and drained the wine in her cup, then turned the cup upside down to show Qin Yi.

Qin Fengyi screamed in her heart, but her habitual submissiveness toward her husband prevented her from voicing her doubts.

"Mengmeng already bears a grudge against me for today’s events; she’s bound to settle the score with me later." Song Weiyi steered the conversation elsewhere, refusing to answer Pei Chenyang’s question directly.

Now that the apology had been made and she was even willing to let him go, could such a choice truly be decided by a mere whim?

Shen Qiqi was still chattering away at Ye Lingxiao when she noticed Shen Qianyue suddenly stop in his tracks, his face grave.

At the dinner table, she kept asking Shen Qiqi and Ailian if they knew any nice young ladies she could introduce to Shen Qianyue.

"You won't fight me? If you're not going to fight, then what are you here for? To surrender? Get off your horse, kneel, and kowtow!" Ren Laifeng had never been polite to the invaders.

"My Void Fire is unrivaled! Mo Wen is doomed to die this time, haha..." The Guardian God, as if seeing Mo Wen being burned to a cinder by the Void Fire, couldn't help but open his mouth and laugh wildly.

Ye Yiren’s eyes widened as she looked at Gu Mufan. Just as she was about to stand on tiptoe to kiss his lips, Gu Mufan’s warm kiss preempted her, sealing her lips and tongue and beginning to occupy her territory like a swimming fish.

"This... it is the same, truly the same. That the Prime Minister would deign to instruct me is already a supreme blessing; how could I dare ask for more?" Han Fu of Jizhou bowed in gratitude.

Seeing their leader kneeling and refusing to rise, the members of the Changle Gang, regardless of how they tried to persuade him, knelt down one after another with dozens of loud thuds. Yet, this kneeling of men was not to beg for mercy, but to share in his death.

The surging murderous intent roared outward, causing even Tu Ren, standing not far away, to tremble involuntarily, his heart filled with shock.

However, compared to the relatively light losses suffered by Lu Bu’s army, the forces of Niu Fu, Hua Xiong, and Xu Rong had already suffered heavy casualties.

***

"What is there to fear?" The big man tightened his grip on her hand and said proudly, "You are the happiness I pursued, Ang Xiong. I want everyone to know that happiness is sometimes very simple—holding hands is a kind of happiness. Happiness is not far away; perhaps the person in front of you is the one you can accompany for a lifetime."

Mo Wen's words immediately caused the brothers Yu Haibo and Yu Haitao, who had been harboring anger toward him, to change their minds.

Nothing could describe the expression on Ji Shu's face at that moment; although she couldn't see it, Chu Xuanji could imagine it perfectly, so hateful it made one gnash their teeth.

Unexpectedly, after waiting for about a few minutes with no reaction, a burst of laughter suddenly reached her ears. Ai Mei felt the powerful, mountain-like pressure on her spirit instantly dissipate, and she opened her eyes in confusion.

Rong Qi finally stopped coughing. She looked at the corn soup in front of her and suddenly felt a warmth in her nostrils, after which something flowed comfortably from them.

Moreover, the White Tower no longer received ordinary people. Without status, standing, or wealth, one was not qualified to enter. It had become a place for the nobility to socialize; being able to enter the White Tower was an absolute symbol of status and prestige.

The wind swept gloomily across the earth, and the withered branches whistled mournfully in the gale. A heavy snow was clearly on the way.

"What! Brother Yagami! Have you gone mad? I don't want to die!" Locke broke into a cold sweat and couldn't help but shout.

Claudia leaned weakly against her bed, while Yagami sat quietly on a stone stool beside it.

The room was heated by geothermal fire and was actually not cold. Yin Zhen pulled the quilt up to cover Qing'er's body, then took a pillow to prop her up comfortably before sitting down on the bed.