Chapter 66 Entering the Reserve

From their calls, Jiang Cha gathered that these red-crowned cranes were likely fighting during their courtship ritual to win a mate.

This was hardly an uncommon occurrence in the animal kingdom, and with this realization, Jiang Cha paused to observe the scene.

A female red-crowned crane stood not far away, looking anxious and constantly crying out.

Yet, all her efforts were in vain, as so many males were locked in a fierce battle over her single affection.

There was one aspect of doing business in Lizhen that set it apart from everywhere else, and that was taxation. Of course, even the imperial estates lacked the authority to levy taxes on merchants. Consequently, Zhu Houwei changed the term to "estate maintenance silver," generally set at a rate of one in thirty, matching the commercial tax of the Great Ming Dynasty—though the Ming's commercial tax possessed a great deal of elasticity.

Fang Yihua was well aware that Asia Television was currently plotting to poach Zhang Jin. Since Zhang Jin kept failing to produce a new drama, could it be that he was already in negotiations with ATV?

Another earth-shattering roar echoed, laden with extreme fury. A blade of fierce energy tore through the sky like a flash of lightning, striking precisely across the ribs of the banana-leaf-shaped golden fan. Instantly, this exceptionally sturdy golden treasure was split in two, shattering into halves and scattering across the ground.

In fact, silver was rarely used in daily transactions within China. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, a single tael of silver possessed a purchasing power equivalent to roughly four thousand modern RMB. Even during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, when severe inflation doubled prices, its purchasing power still held at over two thousand.

By the time the sky grew fully bright, Hua Weiyang had composed her emotions, returned to her room to change into a fresh set of clothes, and slowly walked downstairs.

Expecting Red Sister's arrival to yield some sensational front-page gossip, the flower shop owner ended up completely misunderstanding Red Sister's intentions.

Lin Xiu and Emiya Kiritsugu chatted warmly back and forth, making it entirely impossible to tell that they had been complete strangers just ten minutes prior.

"..." He remained silent, offering no proactive greeting. Through the phone receiver, she could only hear the man's deep breathing. In the quiet of the night, echoing in her ear, it inexplicably tugged at her heartstrings.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged martial artist was overjoyed and hastily gave a brief account of his wife's condition.

Another possibility was intentional sabotage, a phenomenon involving multifaceted and complex factors.

This left the sect leader burning with intense jealousy, yet utterly helpless, for this was a choice they had made themselves.

The side-gate carriage was already prepared. Su Weiliang had been standing under the tree to escape the heat, and seeing Gu Fengmian and Bailian approach, she walked over to instruct the driver and settle the payment. She also provided extra funds for changing horses and as an emergency reserve for any unforeseen troubles along the way.

He Sijian was completely panicked, clutching his injured leg with both hands as blood streamed down his thigh and pooled inside his trendy slip-on shoes! At this moment, he looked thoroughly wretched, black and blue as he stared up at me, not even daring to wipe away the snot running from his nose.

"I'd better not. I have a few friends coming to pick me up shortly, and they've probably already arranged accommodation for me!" Ye Qing glanced at Yan Xueqin and the surrounding area, pondered for a moment, and replied with a smile.

Although she was somewhat surprised that He Liuyang had not taken advantage of the situation to drive a hard bargain or demand perks, hearing the latter half of his sentence still made Qin Ting feel deeply warmed.

"Hehe... That suits our wishes perfectly. We were just saying we'd go out for a bite together once you arrived," Chen He said with a smile, before loudly addressing the group, "Since Yihan has already bought—"

Hearing the director's instructions, everyone smiled and gathered around, some even offering grateful nods to Liu Yihan.

With a faint glance across them, Wu Xiaohen spoke up, "Briefly introduce your own strengths so we can coordinate our combat strategy for what follows."

Though phrased as a question, his tone brooked no doubt. With that, he walked straight out.

"I don't get it. Probably because that spot lacked vision and he didn't spot him!" I said.