Chapter 32 (Including an additional update for 10,000 nutrient solution contributions)

Regardless of whether they supported or opposed the abolition of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, everyone present, including Li Dong and Zhang Zheng, wore expressions of sorrow. It was painful to see the department decline from its former glory to its current state.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zheng Chen’s "Liangshi" sword surged with ripples of green light. As the light flickered, an eerie, greenish mist began to condense upon the blade.

She acknowledged that, given the mindset of the people here, her actions last time might have been excessive; after all, this was a conservative, feudal era. But that was the crux of the problem: how could she make Liu Chenyang understand that her only intention was to save lives, with no ulterior motives?

Time and again, Xuanyuan Che had evaded assassination attempts. Although he had yet to identify the mastermind, it was inevitable that with time, he would eventually discover the truth. Now that the entire Xuanyuan state, from within and without, was under his control, rebelling against him would be no easy feat.

Leng Feng was not a warm-hearted person, yet that night, for reasons unknown, he had taken the initiative to help her lure away the people who were pursuing her.

If others wanted him dead, why shouldn't he strive to protect himself? Now that Tian Buqi had been crippled, why was Mi Yetao the one stepping forward to demand alimony?

Arriving outside a room, Mu Yanran opened the door for Zheng Chen and gestured for him to enter. Zheng Chen shrugged his shoulders and walked into the room with a calm expression.

"However, you need not worry. The original owner of the soul within your sword must have been a natural-born sword-body, right? If that is the case, the soul residing in the sword will remain unharmed. Even if the Lord of the Soul Realm were to take action, it would be impossible for them to extract this soul from the sword." The old man said to Zheng Chen.

"Third Grandma, look, it was my lack of consideration; I should have fetched a bowl for you to taste it." Bian Siniang finally managed to say this. As soon as she finished, her face flushed red, as if she were the one who had actually committed the blunder.

The man in the suit and his companion stood behind, their faces turning pale. They had assumed that Su Muzhe would be too embarrassed to bring this matter up, never expecting him to have such a card up his sleeve. The man in the suit grew more confused the more he thought about it—when exactly had Su Muzhe secretly recorded the video in the restroom? They hadn't noticed a thing.

Liu Zhi’s mind raced, and as he pondered everything Zhang Liao had just said, his heart grew increasingly chaotic. His soldiers were also unsettled by Zhang Liao’s words, none daring to speak out for fear of ruining something important.

"The density of the particle stream has increased two thousand times!" the man in the white coat monitoring the density exclaimed.

Perhaps infected by his calm demeanor, the young man’s expression softened slightly, and he followed Su Muzhe into the teahouse.

Two hours later, Lin Cheng smiled and withdrew his fists, tossing a jar of fine wine to Zhao Zheng. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down to summarize his recent insights before standing up to spar with Zhao Zheng once more.

Having fought the people of the "Quzou Qiu Clan" many times, Jumen was quite familiar with the Thirteen Classics and held no illusions about Qiu Yangming’s power. Even though he held the upper hand for the moment, every nerve in his body remained as tense as if he were suffering a crushing defeat.

The subsequent banquet was truly spirited. Even those over four hundred years old, such as Yuan Shitian, Wang Lushan, Tian Lang, and the later-arriving Qu Qing, let down their guards and drank heartily, leaving no trace of the restraint that usually accompanies a nearing end of life.

Wanyan Heda merely smiled, bowed, and retreated. Once he reached a secluded spot, his expression suddenly shifted, losing all trace of a smile. He reached into the collar of his garment and pulled out a crumpled ball of paper.

Officers above the rank of battalion commander were better off; while everyone was wounded, they were at least mostly intact, with few fatalities. Nearly half of the company-level officers had been replaced. As for the lower-ranking squad leaders, almost all had been replaced, and some of the more severely battered battalions had seen their leadership turned over several times.

"It is time to retreat, rest for two days, and then have a go at the Zerg in Wujiang City," Zhou Miao said.

This Gold-箍 Mantra was different from the Tight-箍 and Forbidden-箍 Mantras; it was highly versatile and could be split into four parts to be placed on one's limbs. This was exactly how it appeared in the 1986 version of *Journey to the West*. Red Boy had fallen for Guanyin Bodhisattva's trap, and with his limbs bound by the gold hoops, he was forced into all sorts of poses, completely unable to resist. It was utterly shameless.

After a thousand thunderstrikes, Tian Xuanzi finally could not hold on any longer and fainted. By now, the whirlwind had drifted toward the edge, and the Tongshi token on Tian Xuanzi’s body suddenly emitted a brilliant light. In the blink of an eye, Tian Xuanzi vanished into the whirlwind.

Of course, no one would leave. No one was foolish; besides Locke County, there was no other place that would pay them twenty copper coins a day. Moreover, a ten percent tax was not particularly high. As Yang Yi said, the losses were minimal, but having a hospital, a school, and paved roads would certainly be a blessing.

The Great Sage Xuanyue was terrified, screaming as he fled at full speed. For the Honey Badger clan, even as a hegemon of the Southern Heavenly Realm, he had no desire to provoke them and chose to stay as far away as possible.

The earth was torn by a ten-thousand-foot chasm, and the mountains were split in two. Violent spiritual power shook the heavens and the earth. The rat spirit was cut down by the blade, its body exploding into nothingness, its soul and form utterly extinguished.

"Hello! Are you there? Can you hear me?!" Chen Xuanwu did his best to look friendly and approachable, but his natural aura was so sharp and imposing that he couldn't help but exude a sense of dominance, causing everyone to hold their breath in anticipation.

Wherever they passed, space shattered, and the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire manifested, showing just how terrifying the power of a Quasi-Sage truly was.

The Fire Lotus relied purely on instinct, driving the sepals of its buds to spray flames at the Fire Leopard. However, the Fire Leopard was controlled by the mist inside the Heavenly Punishment Holy Mansion; it was not something the instinctual consciousness of the Fire Lotus could compare to.