Chapter 52

Ji Xiao wanted to say more, but Jing Moxian had already stepped inside, pulling the wardrobe door shut with his backhand, leaving only a narrow gap.

It was not just that the Prince of Qin would not dare provoke the Yangtze River; if any other faction lacked the insight to recognize a formidable opponent, their only destiny would be to be uprooted entirely and perish together in mutual destruction.

Xiao Aotian glanced in the direction Xiao Yang had left, his fingers tapping and sliding across something beneath the table several times without uttering a single word.

To be sure, he could defend himself by claiming extenuating circumstances, but under no circumstances would his superiors arrange for him to hold an substantive post in another city at a juncture like this. His official career might well end right here, leaving him to spend the rest of his days idle at home.

Viewing herself entirely from her own perspective, she had never considered how she appeared in the eyes of others. Her opinions of Zhang Yao and the others might reflect those of the vast majority, but her perception of herself was fundamentally mistaken.

"Ha-ha, Brother Fei, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right moment. Today, I've brought quite a haul," Qian Duoduo said, swinging open the rear doors of his truck to reveal a bed completely filled with fish.

Yet it was merely decent. Seizing the moment before those men in black suits could figure out what was happening, Ye Han emptied the remainder of his magazine in one breathless burst.

"Come on, this kind of junk is a dime a dozen at Panjiayuan, barely worth a hundred yuan. This rascal actually thought he could pull the wool over our eyes, no way!" Seeing that Zhang Jiaohua was still hesitating, Wu Yuan quickly pulled him along, terrified that he would be duped.

"My name is Lin Xianyu, not a salted fish!" Lin Xianyu shouted angrily, then strode off again.

The weapon crate, its parachute securely fastened, was promptly pushed toward the rear hatch by the soldiers, with Ye Han pitching in to help. Pushing the two-by-two-meter crate out of the hatch through their collective effort, the soldiers watched as the deployment chute immediately snapped open, followed instantly by the main canopy blossoming to slow their descent.

"Are the Spirit Lotus Seeds not enough?" Yuan Shan feigned retrieving them from her storage pouch, but actually used her spiritual will to take them directly from the Myriad-Faced dimension. "However, Sister, you've arrived right on time—I've just obtained a section of lotus root." Hearing this, even Fairy Jinghua could not help being overjoyed.

"Li Xuan!" Li Yuan jerked his head up, his bloodshot eyes flashing with a frantic, murderous intent. This was the third time he had suffered the agonizing loss of a son. Compared to the deaths of Li Shimin and Li Xiuwan, this blow was evidently far more intense, for Li Yuanji had died right before his eyes, and in such a tragic manner.

Lady Liang and Zuo Gui watched from the side, both thinking it would be terrible if Zhao Sanniang found out. But upon second thought, they realized it was true: without medicinal herbs, they wouldn't even have the capital to work as traveling physicians, which would spell real trouble. Exchanging a glance and sighing, neither of them said anything further.

With that, Lü Tai reined in his horse, turned around, and rode shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Guanfu. Behind them, the hundreds of Han cavalrymen neatly parted to the left and right like a folding fan, clearing the path toward the camp gate.

Yet, some developments truly defied my control. Just as Heidan and I had braced ourselves for battle, fully prepared to strike at any moment, a massive expanse of black clouds drifted over from behind, making the already gloomy back mountain appear even more pitch-black and forbidding.

Pass. A goalkeeper is like that—falling down time and again, only to rise again and again, holding the goal firmly behind him.

Kozel watched as Yang Pan gestured for him to wave his arm forward. He smiled understandingly at Yang Pan and flashed an "OK" sign.

In truth, none of us anticipated that in a metropolis as vast as Shanghai, anyone would still practice something as malevolent as raising *gu* poison. Caught completely off guard, we allowed the *gu* master to escape.

Yet what could be done? For over a year now, Xiang Zhuang had spent far more nights lodging in Ying Zhen's chambers than in Wei Yue's. Even after Wei Yue gave birth and recovered her health, Xiang Zhuang still mostly chose to stay in Ying Zhen's rooms. Yet, despite this, Ying Zhen's womb remained completely silent, showing no signs of pregnancy whatsoever.

Luo Wusheng was supported on both sides by matrons, her movement entirely dictated by them. She felt rather like a Peking duck about to be popped into the oven, except that the framework supporting her wasn't made of iron, but of people.

Luo Wusheng did not ask any questions concerning Ye Qingjue's marriage. In her view, perhaps this was merely the prelude to yet another parting. If she and Ye Qingjue were mutually devoted, casting aside the shackles of conventional thought, freely reclaiming themselves, and cherishing every present moment, then perhaps this was time stolen from fate itself.

Even so, the mysterious figure remained utterly silent, showing no emotional fluctuation. He simply stared fixedly at Bai Fan, watching his every move, seemingly poised to seize any opportunity to flee.

Bai Fan retrieved the address of the Japanese residents from Hu Ke and did not linger. As he stepped out of the underground bank, he happened to see Xu Qinfen's car parked not far away.

Upon seeing this, the surnamed Li cultivator burst into wild, arrogant laughter, continuing to direct the wraith giant in an assault upon Su Mu, refusing to grant him even a moment to catch his breath.

Xu Renguang stuck closely to Dan Shuren, denying him any chance at a jump shot while also blocking his path to prevent any drives. Dan Shuren was growing rather distressed; Xu Renguang's relentless pressure had almost caused him to lose his dribble entirely. Fortunately, they still held the initiative, and simply running down the clock would secure their victory.