Chapter 84: The Tang Family’s Stepping Stone

After Jin Minchen got up, he took a shower and casually poured the medicinal decoction he'd been drinking all night into the potted plant in the corner. In just three days of acupuncture, his complexion had improved significantly. His cheeks were rosy, a world apart from the pallor brought on by pain just a few days ago.

Master Chen had been invited by the Wei family and had been staying with them these past days. After today's follow-up consultation, he was visibly proud upon seeing Jin Minchen’s healthy appearance.

...

“If it weren’t for Madam Qin pleading on their behalf and repaying evil with kindness, I would have sent these three to the authorities to be convicted long ago!” Huang Zihou was thoroughly pleased with himself for managing to use the phrase “repay evil with kindness” he’d just learned.

But this is not to say that the Nine Nether Origin Stone is an ominous thing; on the contrary, it is an extremely precious resource for artifact refining. When a refiner places the Nine Nether Origin Stone into the furnace, it allows them finer control over the temperature, greatly increasing their success rate.

“Blazing Inferno!” Wang Yifei shouted, astonished at his uncle’s unyielding spirit—he’d even resorted to such a mutually destructive technique, even in death.

Frost drifted in the air, crystals glimmered, and the enormous Taiji diagram on the ground was completely sealed beneath ice and snow.

The key was not the conversation itself, but the attitude—when someone helps you to such an extent, if you don’t show even a hint of warmth in return, it would chill anyone’s heart.

However, he happened to catch sight of Shi Tian, half-crouched from the lightning strike, biting his finger.

As soon as he entered, everyone else crowded in after him; there was no hope of driving them out. Second Master Han merely acquiesced to their eavesdropping. Seeing this, Chen Zumo’s face was as dark as a salted egg.

“The masks you and Green Butterfly wore were specially commissioned by the Third Master—they’re realistic enough to pass for the real thing. Such masks aren’t easy to make, so not everyone can have one,” Xuan Qi explained. “If you wanted to commission them, it could be done, but since Third Master only decided last night to send me to protect you, there simply wasn’t enough time to prepare more.”

Grandmother was already advanced in age. To put it bluntly, she was one foot in the grave. The only thing still tying her to this world was her one and only grandson.

A deep rumble followed—heavy footsteps echoed as the Da Shi army advanced in tight formation, shields and spears at the ready, pressing down on the forty thousand Han soldiers.

When he finished speaking, Nebula accepted the invitation of the youth in the gray robe, and together they left through the outer gates of the Tower of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Watching them walk away, I finally unclenched my sweaty fists. Only then did I understand why Aunt Su Zhen told me not to open this shop. These people were all former business partners of Yang Tian; I had run into similar types before. It was likely that all of Yang Tian’s income came from these dealings.

The Empress Dowager was suddenly encircled by an arm at her waist and instantly stiffened. The last time the two had embraced, she had been weary and lost in sorrow. Now, such sudden intimacy was something she still could not adapt to—for nearly twenty years, she had not been held by a man in this way.

The servant responded and left to gather others. When he returned, a burly man followed him in. This man carried an imposing presence—his very walk inspired admiration.

His subordinates, meanwhile, were absolutely loyal to him, and now regarded Ye Fan with utter disdain, convinced he was nothing but a pretender, overestimating his own abilities.

When Zhang Han returned to the ruins of the Prince Zhao’s residence, to the White Tiger Hall, Wang Ling and Zhang Sheng slipped out quietly. She, still fully clothed, drifted into a muddled sleep, only to be shaken awake. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was met with Wang Ling’s stormy face.

That summer, I traveled throughout Yunnan with Teacher Meng Yan. Piece by piece, I came to know that land, a place that existed only in the imagination for many. In Yunnan, I painted a picture—a work that included Jinsha Bay, Shuodu Lake, the red earth of Dongchuan, and Meili Snow Mountain. Over two months, these four places came together in a single painting.