Chapter 165 Instigation

In truth, as he watched the events unfold around him, Zhao Yun wore an expression of utter fearlessness. If this matter were to leak out, it would hold little to no benefit for his side. Should any real trouble arise by then, he might end up having to clean up the mess for this person. Therefore, given the circumstances, all he could do was reflect on how deeply entangled he had been from the very beginning without sorting things out clearly.

"We have been here for so long, and as for those matters, we stopped pondering them long ago. Things have reached this stage, and we cannot simply act as we please. What can be done now is merely to acknowledge the magnitude of the trouble we brought upon ourselves from the start..."

"This token is wrong. It looks like a gain, but we've lost the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed," cried the Golden Crow.

For days on end, the Emperor repeated the exact same routine: spending his days in the Buddhist shrine chanting scriptures, and his nights drinking himself into a stupor before collapsing in whichever consort's bedchamber he happened to stumble into.

"It's me!" Following this response, two familiar figures appeared at the doorway of the hall—one was Bitos, and the other was Baron Berqach of Gormis.

"Your Royal Highness," she murmured seductively. Just as she moved to kiss Xiao Wuji, his hazy eyes instantly turned ice-cold, radiating a piercing chill. With a swift movement, he grabbed her wrist. Out of the corner of his eye, he had just noticed a mark upon it—a strikingly vivid mandala flower. Perhaps this mark was the crucial clue.

However, not long after, Chi Ran began to sense that something was amiss. Aside from the alcohol lingering on Shen Boxi's breath, the clothes he wore carried a faint, fresh fragrance—clearly not the garments he had been wearing while drinking earlier, but freshly washed, clean clothes.

Had it not been for the Fu family's habit of ignoring all festivals—for although they were a prominent household in the capital, their manor was usually far less lively than the outside world, not to mention that her eldest brother was always out socializing—she would have been better off going out to seek amusement on her own.

When Lunhui drew his long sword, not a single drop of blood flowed out. Instead, it was engulfed and overflowing with a pitch-black aura.

When artillery is used as the primary weapon of attack, naval warfare differs little from land warfare—firepower is absolute truth! In this regard, Silaniz had once again taken the initiative.

Down below was a scene of utter disarray. That tender, lingering warmth made it impossible for anyone to tear themselves away. Jiang Kehao and Liu Qiaoqiao lost count of how many times they intertwined before their emotions finally began to settle. Jiang Kehao grew utterly exhausted and drifted into a deep sleep, and Liu Qiaoqiao soon followed suit.

"Bingxue, you must not have anything happen to you. Big Brother will never let anything happen to you!" Holding the unconscious Bingxue in his arms, Bingchen rushed outward in frantic anxiety.

Aijia felt a sharp pang in her heart, yet she pretended to be completely unmoved, walking with an unblinking expression over to the seat where she and Bingchen sat side by side.

"Hey, I've had my heart broken and I'm very sad. Do you want to drink together?" Tear tracks still stained her cheeks, yet Shu Ya grinned broadly at Bai Xiaoying, a sight that made Lin Xinyao's heart ache in sympathy.

As Lin Xiao looked over, Gao Zijun turned his gaze in that direction as well. Their eyes met, and Lin Xiao could clearly see the sinister smile and boundless killing intent gleaming in the other man's eyes. In response, Lin Xiao merely offered a disdainful chuckle and turned to walk away.

Today, the warm hospitality of her uncle and aunt left her somewhat flattered and overwhelmed. She had originally thought they would never accept her, and that coming here would be terribly awkward, but the atmosphere now unexpectedly felt gentle and warm.

This was practically catastrophic news. What kind of strength did the senior students of the academy possess? To make us withstand ten moves from them—we would likely be beaten to a pulp and unable to find our bearings within a single move! Upon hearing this news, some instantly grew dejected, their faces twisting into the expression of a bitter melon.

Qian Nianqing's outcry instantly drew everyone's attention, and the students attending the banquet turned to look in their direction one after another.

From then on, Zhaowu and Xiangyi guarded the tea estate together day after day. Six or seven months passed in the blink of an eye with little else to speak of, except that Xiangyi was now pregnant, and her belly was growing heavier by the day.