Volume One, Chapter 44: She Has Really Lost Her Head

What I said made complete sense, leaving Shen Yixiao entirely unable to refute.

After frowning in deep thought for a moment, a smile finally surfaced on his face. His prominent tear bags deepened, making his smile intensely affectionate. "Alright, it seems I misunderstood you. I apologize, so stop being angry."

With that, he walked over, pulled my waist toward him somewhat forcefully, and kissed my cheek. "I just don't want you to let trivial people shake the trust between us."

"I won't. I've always trusted you," I replied against my conscience.

Shen Yixiao ruffled my hair, his smile deepening a fraction. "Go on then. You don't need to go to work tomorrow, the alumni gathering starts at half past ten..."

"Yes, yes, yes." Bai He's eyes were very wide, and fear made them widen even further. Those clear, watery eyes paired with a timid expression made her truly enchanting, and the shimmering tears perfectly portrayed a look of heart-rending vulnerability.

The Emperor had considerable freedom within the Crown Prince's Palace; he could walk anywhere as long as he did not leave the grounds. No one besides Rong Jin was allowed to approach him, and no one else knew the Emperor was staying there.

If he was neither in a high place nor in the woods, he must be underground. There had to be a subterranean tunnel somewhere. Either the Empress had accidentally fallen in, or she had been abducted and dragged down into a tunnel.

"Rise," Prince Cheng said, not blaming Feather Fan Noble for his lack of manners, simply offering a flat statement.

She lowered her gaze, her slender, alluring fingertips gently tracing the rim of her milk glass. In that moment, she looked endlessly endearing.

This was also a deliberate act of leniency on Gao Yuanyuan's part, because the mere thought of that Black man's lecherous gaze directed at her filled her with boiling rage.

Zhong Li, however, wore a smile in his eyes as he walked toward her. Ignoring his pristine white brocade robe, he sat down directly on the ground right where she had been lying earlier.

Ye Guoyuanhong simply wanted to bask a little longer in the prestige and glory of being the crown prince. Once they eventually ascended to the position of crown prince in the future, he would have to receive the same kowtows, except the wording would change to "This subject pays respects to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince," and he would no longer be able to refer to himself as "Imperial Older Brother."

Zuo Qingcheng gave a light chuckle. "If there truly were a way, I wouldn't be lying here right now." Having undergone medical treatments for nearly ten months without any sign of improvement—only deterioration—it was not due to a lack of skill among the imperial physicians, but rather her destined fate. It was also her own fault for harboring such deep obsession, insisting on bringing Changran into the world regardless.

He knew well that his physical condition had been deteriorating day by day over the past few years, entirely on account of smoking and heavy drinking.

With the descent of that blade, the rock armor encasing Sun Yan shattered completely in that instant, falling to the ground and turning to dust. The immense force transferred into Sun Yan's body, causing him to vomit a mouthful of fresh blood. His head slumped to the side, and he lost consciousness.

It was truly almost unbearable. Holding her breath, Xu Miao made her way into the east room. This was the bedroom shared by Xu Zhenghu and his wife, and it was her first time touring her second uncle's room since crossing over into this world.

Not long after Li An left the hotel, he noticed a wisp of ghost fire drifting about the underground parking lot, finally coming to a halt at the exact spot where the Red-Bearded Man had been murdered.

Surrounding this sacrificial altar were four massive stone pillars, distributed with absolute symmetry. However, these pillars bore a much closer resemblance to the dragon ribs previously seen inside the palace—not only razor-sharp at the top, but almost entirely curved in shape.

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao immediately sensed that something was amiss. It turned out that Lü Shi knew Xu Liang couldn't keep her in check, so she had coerced him into giving false testimony in the court. Since ancient times, committing perjury was a crime.

This was a gentle, pure, and restrained beauty that harmonized both Eastern and Western elements—completely distinct from Audrey—yet brimming with captivating allure and passionate charm.

Yet here she was, actually weeping. Furthermore, it was the wife of the family's scholarly xiucai who was crying, which made the situation entirely different. As the eldest son of the household, Xu Zhenghu strode into the room assuming the airs of the head of the family.

"Understood," the Black Bull King replied, feeling a wave of relief inside. It indeed had hidden a few secrets.

"Very well, I won't ask then. I promised Sister Yun that I'd let your cousin stay here for a few more days." Chu Yang knew that certain secrets could not be shared with outsiders, especially those concerning an entire family, just as he did not wish for his own secrets to be exposed.

Coupled with the sudden emergence of cultivators from Mount Fangcun in the Spiritual Platform halfway through, the situation had descended into an utter quagmire, tangled beyond resolution.

Instead of directly strafing Ji Xuefeng and his companions, the attack targeted the open spaces surrounding the Bali Paradise Building.

The machine whirred to life, and the score appeared: over fifteen hundred points, surpassing the previous highest score by a full four hundred points.

"Regular seating? You must be joking. How could all of us possibly sit in the regular area? I know you still have backup private rooms, get us one right away!" Zhang San grumbled.

As Hu Lala finished speaking, her gaze fell upon Hu Lianlian, surprised to see that the latter managed to maintain her composure, whereas Hu Jingjing, standing beside her, immediately bared her claws.

With a solemn expression, Zhang Long delivered news that felt profoundly heavy even to him. If the media were to broadcast such information to the public, there was no telling what kind of rumors would flood the airwaves, accompanied by every conceivable subjective bias and wild speculation.

A sweep of spiritual perception revealed no living beings inside the pagoda tower before us. Consequently, Zhan Baifeng and I bypassed the need to open the main gates at the tower's base, stepping directly through an upper breach into the halfway-collapsed Exquisite Pagoda.

For Qin Lin, her inner thoughts were likely: What a lunatic, who would ever want to know about this? What I truly wish for is never having any chance in my life to find out who the scoundrel around me actually was.

Before returning, everyone had harbored realistic expectations. A decade had already passed, and sure enough, Lin Nanfeng, the designated contact person, had vanished long ago without a trace.

Shen Qingchi also gave a soft, restrained smile. Mindful of her image as a young lady of a prominent family, her expression lacked the exaggerated amusement of Lu Qiuyan.

All of this transpired in a split second. By the time every sword ray had transformed into primordial chaotic sword Qi, the fist imprint unleashed by the Great Emperor Ziwei had barely advanced halfway.

Clearly perceiving through her spiritual sense that Shuntō Shunsuke had already departed, Tsurutani Emi wore a complex, strained smile.

"Brother Zhang..." Ling Shuiwen struggled with all her might, trying to break free from her senior sister's restraint so she could rescue Brother Zhang.