Chapter 41 End

“Doesn’t your friend know as well?” Nu Lengji cast a glance at Zhan Bai and suddenly began to laugh.

Enemy aircraft howled overhead, dropping powerful bombs one after another upon the position. The earth itself seemed to tremble, the trenches enveloped in a thick haze of smoke. Beyond the aerial bombardment, the heavy machine guns aboard the planes raked the trenches in a wild, unceasing barrage.

Long Yin, quick-witted as ever, understood at once after Jun Qiluo’s remark. Only Hua Ziqi, unfamiliar with many matters, remained lost and bewildered.

It was only then that I noticed—the man in the surveillance snapshot wearing the newsboy cap did indeed bear a striking resemblance to the person in the photograph with Luo Yongguang on the wall: from height to build, even down to the aquiline nose, they appeared almost identical.

The car’s heater was running. Having stood outside in the cold wind for a long while, she felt much more comfortable once inside, rubbing her hands together and exhaling into them for warmth.

Hu Wanchao said nothing, merely signaling with his eyes for me to keep quiet. But I couldn’t care less at that point. I wished he would stop being so secretive and just say everything at once.

Everyone knew: whoever could obtain those shares in the old man’s hands would become the helmsman of the Lin Jewelry Company, with the power to decide everything.

The alley was just as Gao Yang had described—long and winding, more like a labyrinth than a straight path. Jiuge and Master Lin wandered for ages without knowing where they were, but one thing was certain: they could only keep moving forward.

“Luo, why don’t we just not have this child—nor any children in the future? This life, let’s simply depend on our two fathers. When they are gone, we can adopt a child of our own.” Long Yin was filled with dread; covert schemes would not work, only open discussion with her would do.

No matter how others treated her mother in the Buddha hall, she maintained her daily morning and evening greetings, served tea each day, and never ceased to fulfill her filial duties on behalf of her husband.

If the school decided to punish her over this incident, her future might be forever shadowed by that mark.

Suddenly, a swordsman dressed all in white, save for a faint green glint atop his head, leapt before her.

A fierce wind swept in. Qin Guan released his Wind Gourd, which instantly created a powerful suction. The raging gusts in the sky were drawn into a single stream, slipping directly into the gourd. Standing there, Qin Guan couldn't feel even the slightest trace of wind.

Guan Yu’s eyes grew brighter as he listened. Zhang Liao’s strategy, though not flawless, certainly managed to outmaneuver the enemy.

Pythons, especially the giant ones, possess unmatched strength—capable even of crushing southern war elephants. Yet their immense power comes at the cost of speed; their secret to hunting lies in stealth, and their breathing is part of that secret. At that moment, Liu Bian was imitating the python’s breathing as best he could.

Ning Xiang felt a sadness in her heart. Why, when she went to the tea stall for tea, did she never meet him? She remembered his words: “If fate allows, we will meet again.” Yet such a meeting seemed endlessly out of reach.

This Xiao Yan had been odd ever since Li Jiao’e died; no one could say exactly what was wrong with him.

Luo Ziling, naturally, did not take Luo Yuqing’s questions seriously. After a few cheeky replies, he went over to sit with Ling Ruonan and took her hand in conversation.

Looking at the two iron-faced generals before him, Cao Xing could only force a bitter smile. Either one of them was far beyond what he could contend with.

“Lei Ting is indeed proud, but it’s no wonder. He is a famous, undefeated general in Central Province, commanding the region’s finest cavalry—the Valiant Riders. He is always very self-assured,” Bai Lang explained.

When they finally reached the entrance of First Hospital, unloading the goods took quite some time before the handover was complete.

But the Grand Elder was still not appeased. Seeing the chief steward collapse, spitting blood, he gave a cold shout and struck again, this time landing a blow squarely on the steward’s right leg.

In the Federation, most matters are judged by success or failure, not right or wrong. As long as the goal is achieved, who cares about the means? Normally, everything is driven by profit. For a businessman or a pure warrior, that would be the end of it—but Tang Yun was always an exception.

“So it’s Deputy Director Su. What brings you to our company?” Wang Xiaotong asked with a smile.

As the heavy rain fell, the lingering traces of summer finally faded from the year Yang Jiang had crossed over; autumn had truly arrived.

“Master, what is happening?” The old man, though already half-expecting the outcome, still harbored a sliver of hope as he pointed to the sky.

But to make this point clear, he alone was not enough. Even if the Three Pure Ones and other great sages vouched for him, it would still fall short of the ideal result.

In Wei Songping’s eyes, Tang Yun—his upper body swaying with exhaustion—slowly bowed his head. On Tang Yun’s index finger, a short, shallow bloodline appeared simultaneously before both Tang Yun and Wei Songping.

“Everyone knows why I was brought here. They all said that, in the palace, I must obey the Noble Consort in everything, and I did.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to fetch it at once.” The Emperor had spoken; naturally, the Empress could not refuse.

“Uncle Master, we won’t make things too difficult for you. If you agree to return to the Lingxiao Tower and meditate in seclusion for twenty years, the Hall of Justice will not pursue the matter further,” Ma Yuanyi said.

All the rooms lit up. A Tai, Qiu Yongsi, Ashina Qiong, and the others came out one by one, fixing their gaze on Lu Xu. Hong Jun stared blankly at him. Lu Xu, for his part, had no idea what was happening, a bit bewildered.