Chapter Fifty-Six: The Visit

“It must have been the Qian family!” Reflecting on the countless consequences of the incident, along with everything that had happened recently, it was clear that only the Qian family had ever been at odds with the Ye family. It had to be the Qian family who brought ruin upon them!

The more Ye Yue’er dwelled on it, the more convinced she became. Unknowingly, she placed all the blame on the Qian family, especially since Master Qian himself was notorious for his lack of integrity—it could have only been him!

Yet, when Ye Yue’er considered her current status and strength, she realized she had no means to seek revenge against the Qian family. The thought made her so aggrieved that tears welled up in her eyes.

It was Zhao Ling’er who first noticed something was wrong. As she and Zhao Yuan walked ahead, with Ye Yue’er trailing behind, she glanced back from time to time.

“Should we go back and ask the commander what to do next?” the deputy commander of the puppet militia suggested, leading the way down the mountain.

“Thank you, Commander Qu, for your sincere trust. Rest assured, I’ll carry out the plan as we discussed,” Ma Qiutian replied, visibly moved.

Nangong Ling gave a soft, dismissive snort, as if he had already foreseen this. He didn’t rush to answer Shui Lianyue. Standing with his hands behind his back, his long figure was draped in a robe of violet brocade embroidered with golden dragons, making him appear especially elegant. His narrow eyes, glimmering with a strange light, were turned away from Shui Lianyue.

Still, things couldn’t go on like this forever. Long Tianyi’s stamina was failing, yielding nothing for all his effort, and in the end, it would amount to nothing but wasted work.

Given the current situation, further questions were unnecessary. “Old Zhang, take the doctor to the hall and provide him with a hundred taels of silver,” Shui Yunheng said with a wave of his hand, signaling for Old Zhang to lead the way.

A thousand thoughts flashed through Wu Hao’s mind, leaving him dizzy and irritable, with a suffocating sense of oppression.

Suddenly, the earth split open with a thunderous crack, revealing a rift a hundred yards long. From it, a massive yellow earthen hand surged forth, its terrifying force roaring like the mighty Yangtze River.

Nangong Yu curled his lips into a sneer, gazing at Nangong Ling with disdain. “Then I will certainly not let Your Majesty down. However, Your Majesty toils day and night for the nation’s affairs, always worrying about your people. You must take care of your health. The gates of Prince Yu’s residence are always open to your imperial visit.”

“The strategist’s insight is correct. There’s enough iron to forge spears, but forging such a fine blade is another matter. It must be reforged a hundred times over. Producing hundreds of good swords in such a short time is absolutely impossible. I beg your forgiveness, New King Chuang,” Blacksmith Zhao replied honestly, embarrassed.

His reputation as a good official meant he never berated his subordinates, always willing to shield and protect them. Because of this, his officers were eager to serve him. As a result, officials at all levels throughout Shaanxi felt no jealousy toward him, and even the suspicious and wary emperor placed great trust in him.

Although Liu Jin had always brought the proper tribute before, his family’s circumstances were modest. Apart from the official offerings, he had little else to give. Who would have thought that this time, Liu Jin would arrive bearing generous gifts?

Beside him, Liu Yidao was instantly enraged. To show disrespect to Yang Qi was an even greater offense than disrespecting himself.

“This time?” Peach Blossom was indignant at her family’s shamelessness and at Madam Li’s foolishness, so much so that she was momentarily lost for words.

Back in college, because she excelled academically, Ye Li had warned her about teachers who might take advantage of their students.

From first to fifth rank, the Central Continent recognized these as low, middle, high, peak, and perfect stages. Among cultivators of the same grade, those of higher rank were generally much stronger.

A second-grade unrivaled talent, just short of mastering the Fierce Tiger Fist Intent—the organization’s plan was to capture Ye Chen alive and train him into a peerless genius, restoring the glory of the Shadow Thorn.

Even if foreigners couldn’t distinguish between their faces, surely their judgement wasn’t that poor?

More importantly, her own strength was no longer weak. If it came to a fight, she might not win, but escaping wouldn’t be a problem.

Putting on this suit again, he found himself unaccustomed to the look. Perhaps it was because his hair had been cut too short, making him feel somewhat out of place.