Volume One, Chapter 74: Exposing Faults

What kind of people are in this place, anyway? Qin Zhaochuan seems the only one who looks remotely trustworthy! She gazed at Qin Zhaochuan with hopeful eyes, but he had no intention of helping her at all. His gaze remained fixed on the woman beside him, leaving her to wonder in confusion just who this woman really was.

Yet her combat strength was by no means weak—she was every bit the equal of the skeletal warriors from Li Yunfei’s Bone Spirit Banner. As for those soldiers who had appeared out of thin air in the sky, they were even stronger, all possessing the cultivation of Ghost Kings.

To draw talismans in midair with spiritual power was certainly more potent than using paper, but the cost in spiritual energy was enormous. Tianxin grew ever more delighted; she hadn’t expected the old man’s words to be so pleasant to hear—so much better than the boss she had back home.

“Go, then!” Eulji Hye immediately realized this could not be good news. After all, only information detrimental to Goguryeo would be allowed in by the Xia army, precisely to sap the confidence of the king and ministers of Goguryeo and undermine the defense of Pyongyang.

Once everyone had left, Gao Yuan let out a long sigh, murmuring silently to himself, “May the Bodhisattva protect Snow White and keep her safe.”

Yuan sat glumly on the sofa, smoking. He hadn’t expected the matter to be discovered so quickly, and worse still, Ouyang Nan was determined to send him to prison.

Fortunately, they had checked in advance and confirmed that no monsters above the rank of Venerable were inside; otherwise, this reckless push would surely have led to disaster.

At last, the number of nanobots had reached a considerable scale—two million. Though still small when combined, they were finally enough to accomplish something.

For the children, this was simply too cruel… They had only just learned they had lost their mother, and now they were forced to watch helplessly as their father was about to die before their very eyes.

When Kakashi heard these words, his face darkened at once. It was clear he knew all too well just how terrifying that particular move was.

Fang’s remarks were layered with meaning: first emphasizing that Madam Fu was an elder from her own side, then highlighting her own family background, and finally, by saying the primary mistress had “forgotten her manners,” she had absolved her of graver blame. The accusation was now much lighter.

Had he not chased the assassin out, his own corpse would likely now be part of that scorched earth.

He found himself half-believing, half-doubting the words of the young martial artist. After all, one can know a face but not a heart, and this was their first meeting—there was no reason to trust the man so casually.

Changsun Mo hadn’t even had time to react before his outstretched arm went numb and instantly lost all strength.

So it seemed Changsun Yun had not dispelled the controlling parasite. That was a relief—now, the only thing that could keep Changsun Yun in check was the poison inside him.

“Well… all right, then!” Li Qingshan knew enough about Cheng Donglin to realize that once he had made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise. All he could do was agree.

Emperor Hui stared directly at Empress Lü, his rebellious and resentful gaze sending a chill through her heart. She knew he harbored many grievances, and perhaps his defiance and resentment were born of his disdain for answering her. Empress Lü tilted her head back and shut her eyes, willing her tears to retreat. At this moment, she could not allow Emperor Hui to see any trace of weakness or incompetence.

She recalled how Liu Bang had loved watching Qi Yi dance the graceful, swaying Qiaoxiu dance. Empress Lü looked around at the empty room, and awkwardly began to dance alone. There was no audience, no companionship, no music—only loneliness. She tried her best to imitate Qi Yi’s steps, but failed, a clumsy imitation.

Such circumstances were truly worrisome, but Cheng Donglin behaved as if nothing were amiss. He still found time to chat at bars with those people and worked at the shop as usual. No one could have guessed that he had already become such a powerful figure in the underworld.