Volume One, Chapter 40: The Wickedness of the Human Heart Knows No Age
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At sunset, Madam Wei and the other attendants had already laid out the meal. Though he had received such gracious hospitality, Cui Cangzhuo still dared not dine alone with Princess Zhaoyang, fearing that she might do something outrageous again.
Just as he was about to take his leave, Qin Feng knocked on the gate of Princess Zhaoyang's residence.
“Your Highness, the Watchmen have apprehended three suspicious individuals in the Eastern Market and two more in Chongyi Ward. They have all been brought here for you to identify.”
Zhu Xiaozhi and Cui Cangzhuo walked side by side to the gate. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked out. Beneath the banyan tree stood a row of old women of varying heights and builds, and at a glance he recognized the hunched, white-haired crone from the little house that night.
Yet the woman was no longer stooped. She stood ramrod straight, her bearing utterly transformed. If not for Zhu Xiaozhi having—
With that, he turned and walked toward the door. His large hand gently touched the place over his heart, where a deep pain throbbed. The thousand-year frost jade was piercingly cold; even with his profound internal power, its chill still wounded him. But he did not care in the least. Whatever she desired, no matter the price, he would fulfill her wish without hesitation.
Indeed, just as she had said, the reason the Development Bank had achieved such success was, in the end, its powerful imperial backing. With that behind it, everything naturally proceeded without hindrance.
“It was found on the windowsill in the reception hall. I was about to close the window that had been opened this morning when I noticed the box. When I opened it…” At this point, Biling’s face grew even paler, and her lips began to tremble. She looked utterly terrified.
“Heh heh, the Saint truly is formidable. I am only a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm. Even if I wanted to cause trouble at your sect, I would never resort to such a crude trick,” Qianye said.
Time passed second by second. At first, she noticed nothing. But later, she began to sense that something was wrong. Why did walking this entire route give her such a familiar feeling?
Bai He’s eyes had never once left the flaming meteor. Now that he saw the divine formation had reached its limit and the meteor’s power had been weakened to the utmost, he made up his mind. Even if it meant suffering serious injury, he would stop the flaming meteor from falling.
While Yuan Ling absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and ceaselessly nourished his body, Yuan Yue’s voice reached him.
“We’re here.”
Her tone carried a note of relief.
Third Master held only a minor official post, and Jiang Yue was not well liked either. Why would Yijing need to waste effort rallying everyone to isolate her, merely to thwart Jiang Yue’s fervent hope that people would bow before her and compete to curry favor?
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“I never said anything outrageous, and that is not the point. The point is that what you are doing is extremely dangerous. Your cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment realm. The spiritual energy throughout your body has not yet reached the stage where it can respond to your thoughts or replenish your blood. Do you think I cannot tell how much vital essence you lose each day? Do not even think of deceiving me,” Qianye said sternly.
He accepted it casually and looked it over. A relieved smile bloomed across his handsome face. After being irritated all day, he had finally encountered one thing that allowed him to breathe easier.
Jiang Li had not yet finished speaking when Mo Shang Lijiang suddenly shoved him aside and rushed into the middle of the road ahead of him. Though she was not skilled in combat, her movements were extraordinarily nimble, and she always managed to evade the attacks in time. The gigantic Slaughterer possessed immense strength, but its movements were extremely clumsy.
When Casey pulled the trigger, Yu Ming’s face also entered his field of vision. Casey cried out in astonishment, “The Cage—” But Yu Ming’s powerful kick sent the rest of his words violently back down his throat.
She suddenly thrust her sword at the Skeleton General. The Blazing Flame Sword plunged straight into his chest.
After leaving the room, Li Yi turned to look at the faint roar coming from behind him. A cold smile touched the corners of his mouth.
This was a terrifying blow unlike any he had ever suffered. Even when he had been struck by an opponent’s high kick in the cage-fighting arena, he had never experienced anything like it.
“I am truly looking forward to that day. If you need technical assistance or energy supplies, just say the word. At worst, we can build another Great Clock!” This time, Lin Ziyun clenched both fists and spoke with utmost seriousness.
Before leaving, the homeroom teacher instructed everyone to study on their own in the classroom, then hurried away.
Bai Suzhen and her companion returned to the grand residence they had purchased, yet the excitement on their faces remained impossible to conceal.
Whoosh! One of Lin Hao’s clones had already separated from him and hidden itself away, unknown to outsiders.
No one spoke. They merely watched the screen intently, following Yu Ming’s every movement and each shift between attack and defense. Although the three matches together lasted less than two minutes, they had exposed Yu Ming’s strengths and weaknesses beyond doubt.
I instantly thought of the secret passage through which Xue’er had entered my room that day.
“She really might have gone underground. How many secret passages are there up the mountain?”
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With the volley cannon, attacking the second line of defense became much easier. One shot, and the enemy would certainly be finished.
When Geng is added to the Day Stem, it forms the Hidden Stem pattern; when the Day Stem is combined with Geng, it forms the Flying Stem pattern. Added to one palace, it signifies battle in the wilderness; in the same palace, it signifies battle within the nation.
Only when a believer’s channel of faith has become completely stable, allowing them to transmit their power of faith to the deity without further guidance from a priest, can it be said that the priest has successfully developed a believer for the god.
Following the connection between the Cube of Fate and the great beacon of faith in People’s Square, Zhou Ping’s consciousness descended in an instant above the square.
The post Zhou Ping had made attracted a fair amount of attention. Since it involved the founding Grand Ancestor of the Huaxia Kingdom manifesting his divine presence, it was far more novel among supernatural stories than the commonplace reports of haunted houses and lost souls.
Of course, causing an explosion did not necessarily require a grenade. Experts generally made use of whatever materials were at hand—for instance, pressure cookers, oil, or potassium permanganate mixed with aluminum powder. Any of these could work.
With White Bird joining them, the Grinding Team finally had all five members. They registered for the competition smoothly, then prepared to begin under the staff’s arrangements.
I took the opportunity to glance at Director Qin. He was an utterly ordinary old man, with half-gray hair, a slightly plump build, and somewhat slack facial muscles. A pair of reading glasses rested on his nose, and his expression was fairly amiable.
As for Li Chang’an, Wang Zifu merely claimed that he was an itinerant monk he had befriended. Although Wang Jing harbored some suspicions, he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he had someone bring over a chair so that Li Chang’an could sit down and drink tea with them while watching the old Daoist refine his elixir.
After dinner, Lu Ziyan asked where Murong Xue had been staying over the past two days and whether she should invite her to the Zhang household. When she learned that Murong Xue was staying at a hotel—and that her son was there as well—she pulled her son aside and began lecturing him at length, her eyes filled with boundless contempt and her expression twisted with exasperation at his failure to live up to expectations.
No sooner had Flower Snake set down Madam Zeng than Song Huai sprang out from some unseen corner.
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