Chapter 72: I, Zhou Jingyi, Will Be Your Blade

The first such suspicion emerged.

Those who had once offered their unwavering support for Wen Zhimang, even going so far as to submit joint petitions urging her to repair the imperial dragon robe, suddenly changed their tune. They now claimed Wen Zhimang lacked skill in her craft and had recklessly seized the opportunity to restore the robe. She was, they said, so desperate for fame that it had driven her mad.

Back then, Wen Ni was still young; she couldn’t understand how the same group of people, using the same online identities, could praise someone to the heavens half a month ago, only to trample them into the dirt half a month later.

In a luxurious five-star hotel, two handsome young men sat on the sofa of the top-floor presidential suite. Smoke drifted through the air. Silence reigned as the dominant mood within the room.

The outcome was as unexpected as the beginning, pushing everyone’s emotional resilience to its limits. No one could tell whether their initial perceptions had been mistaken, or if they had simply been dazzled by the battered War God A10’s whirling armor-piercing maneuver.

“Go back,” Shao Jian said slowly after a long hesitation. “Return home. This place isn’t right for you.”

The Xiongnu army advanced in two columns, and at this moment, the fifteen thousand troops led by the Left and Right Wisemen had also arrived outside Shangjun City. Meng Duo and Wang Ao worked tirelessly to fortify defenses and search for opportunities, relying on their superior numbers and the prowess of their cavalry to engage the Xiongnu in fierce battles beyond the city walls. The Xiongnu forces, strong and well-mounted, left Meng Duo with more defeats than victories. For now, the situation was at a stalemate.

“This is great! Looks like quite a few hit the city walls!” Fang Daniu clapped his hands in delight. After more than a decade working with ballistae, he had never imagined they could be so formidable—tying thunder grenades to the bolts was simply ingenious.

Cracking his dry lips into a grin, Lei Wente replied with a mystical air, leaving behind a casual remark before his entire figure melted into the shadows.

How shrewd Xu Shenlin was! The moment he heard the words “tax bureau”, he understood exactly what predicament I was in. Over the phone, he told me to wait for him just fifteen minutes.

Sure enough, within a few days, Huang Jie and Liu Futong sent someone over. The two had jointly written to Feng Shaojie, inviting him to become their leader and direct the attack on the Divine Capital. All he needed was to conquer the city, and he would have the power to dominate the realm.

“Find him. I want to have a proper discussion with him!” Li Xu said in a low voice, not having told Tang Song the truth. In such circumstances, he wasn’t even sure how he could bring himself to share it with Tang Song and the others.

Su Qian had never spoken to me about her family, nor did she often invite me to her home. All I knew was that her mother had remarried, and her stepfather was not a good man—he gambled and drank constantly.

Roused by the cheers of the Beast God Mountain’s demon clan, the two Snow Mountain Demon Apes grew bolder, their eyes brimming with killing intent, so much so that the surrounding world seemed to freeze over in an instant.

The real reason was that, according to the next phase of the plan, Zhu Ying’er would not remain long in the Central Plains, so she could not possibly leak any secrets.

All matters concerning diplomatic relations between the two nations proceeded in an orderly fashion, following established continental precedent. The Empire of Jama’s most influential figures—such as Yun Yun, the head of the Cloud Mist Sect; the patriarchs of the three great families; and the president of the Alchemist Guild—were all seated among the audience, witnessing the ceremony. After all, only the royal family had the standing to participate directly in such affairs.

As Hua Qingyan finished speaking, not only Fang Yutong but everyone else stared at her with mouths agape, dumbfounded.

Tong Mingyu nodded slightly, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. Tears welled up in her eyes, falling one by one onto Xiao Jingkang’s shoulder.

With a single stroke of the blade, the staff wasted no time in raising their tools again, cutting further into the massive piece of uncut jade.

With a slight movement of her fingers, a glint of sword intent flashed through Ye Shiqiu’s pale violet eyes. She met the combined aura of the Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluos—both titled Douluos—without the slightest hint of fear.

The collision of magical power resounded with a thunderous roar; streaks of black light and crimson mist soared through the air. Qing You grunted, unable to control the dark-green staff in her hands as it flew from her grasp, and her body, too, spun uncontrollably backward.