Volume 1, Chapter 41: The Fourth Prince of Da Kang

"What is it?" the Empress asked.

Liu Qi replied, "It's just that this humble servant currently has duties in the Eastern Depot. If I stay here continuously, I will inevitably arouse suspicion. Besides, as for His Majesty..."

The Empress fell into a brief contemplation and said, "That is true as well. Although you are my man, after all, it is not an honorable affair. Very well, you may go. Just remember to come see me often, no less than three times a week."

"Yes." Feeling as though he had been granted a pardon, Liu Qi let out a deep breath.

The Empress smiled charmingly, gently stroking Liu Qi's arm, and said, "You are young indeed; your body is truly fine."

Her touch was extremely soft, making Liu Qi feel ticklish, and he could not help but shudder slightly...

As the words fell, Jiang Yi's figure flashed rapidly, and then a blood-red light burst forth from the purple shadow long sword. In the sky, the long sword resembled a purple serpent weaving back and forth, while the sounds of *swish, swish, swish* echoed continuously.

Zhang Sizhu felt a certain anxiety in his heart, thinking, what is there to hesitate about? Either send men up the mountain to scout before attacking, or simply have the entire army launch a direct assault; there were no other choices besides these. It seemed this General Wei was, after all, not as courageous as General Ma.

Looking at Su Chenyang, who wore a smug expression on the stage, Lin Haotian spat on the ground and led the Water Mirror Hall away in dejection.

With that, Tianche stood up, plucked a leaf from a tree, and standing next to one of the graves, began to play a melodious tune.

"Your Majesty... How could Your Majesty, who has been so diligent and conscientious all these years, ever come to such a state?" Yun asked in shock and disbelief.

Zhang Xiyan raised her eyes and gazed calmly at Gong Yulin, perceiving an extraordinary bearing in this young man of some twenty-three or four years of age.

"Who all was involved in this?" Hearing the voice coming from the telephone receiver, the man's expression did not fluctuate in the slightest, his tone calm to a terrifying degree.

Witnessing the extraordinary poise displayed by the revival students, Li Xiao and Tang Shan were likewise infected with a surging passion, letting out a long whistle as they hastily followed behind.

"There is nothing physically wrong with Lan Xin's body, but from this moment on, Lan Xin's eyes, I'm afraid..." Qilong Song was heartbroken to the extreme.

Cao Xing's words were like the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stirring up a mushroom cloud in Dong Zhuo's heart. Not only him, but the generals on both sides were also struck by the shockwave of this atomic bomb.

Recently, Emperor Mingxi had publicly claimed to be in poor health. Aside from attending court audiences, he spent almost all his time in the Yanghe Hall on ordinary days and rarely met with visitors.

Startled by this commotion, the domestic servants hurriedly lent a hand to help Cao Tian into the four-wheeled carriage. Driven by concern and for ease of care, Prime Minister Xu and Xiang Qi also boarded the carriage.

Zheng Ce and Chang Yilin likewise did not wish to let the Hundred Swords Sect leave just like that. Doing so would be akin to releasing a tiger back to the mountains; once Sun Jianwei's injuries healed, he would become a trouble once more. It would be better to strike him while he was down and take his life.

He then paced back and forth around the room, taking two steps and glancing at Madam Wang, then taking another two steps after the glance, looking entirely like he wanted to discern something from Madam Wang or was waiting for her to voluntarily tell him something.

"The two of you were forced to begin creating a tense and antagonistic atmosphere, attempting to coerce me into submission through nervous urgency. But having seen through your game, how could I let you have your way? You had no choice but to make a move."

Nao Chi laughed heartily and said, "Of course the King of Chu is brilliant; otherwise, how would he command these twenty thousand elite troops? My brother, rest assured, my king's orders will by no means shackle the Han army. If such a time truly comes, this older brother will certainly notify you." Having said this, he cast a meaningful glance at Le Yi and hurried away from the grand tent.

"Old men teach others according to their aptitudes. First, we look at the disciple's aspirations, and then we look at the disciple's talent," the old man's resonant voice rang out.

Hearing this, Mobei paused for a moment, looked at his own hand, and only then released it. Indeed, he had held it for rather a long time.

Groveling before his younger brother only to be publicly ignored, such a scene made Zhu Changan even more enraged. He was angry both at having lost face because of Zhu Changzhe and, even more, at the collusion between the two rivals.

"Big brother~" Lingdu Buhai cried out sorrowfully and began to sob. Perhaps this older brother, who had always maintained the top spot on the heavenly rankings and constantly protected her, had always existed like a god in her heart. Now that this god in her heart had fallen, she inevitably found it somewhat difficult to accept.

After watching for a while, just as Li Haolong turned to leave, he bumped into a waiter serving dishes. The dishes in the waiter's hands crashed to the ground with a bang, the plates shattering into several pieces. Li Haolong hurriedly apologized to the waiter, immediately pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, shoved it into the waiter's hand, and walked out in a panic.

Sure enough, a short while later, that man in the grey cloak used his spiritual perception to scan the surroundings thoroughly, finding no abnormalities. While feeling perplexed in his heart, he even began to wonder if he was simply overthinking it.

Leng Tian and Huowu exchanged glances, and seeing her nod in agreement, he transferred Han Yuanshan out of the purgatory. Red light flickered, and the elderly Han Yuanshan materialized out of thin air before the Emperor and Empress.

Lin Jiaren's imagination was running a bit wild. He had muddled his way into the Five Sons Battlefield, fought to a draw in a flurry of quick moves—Lin Jiaren had done so on purpose, while his opponent was presumably unfamiliar with the rules.

With a heart full of anguish, Madam Wang shouted for someone to summon an imperial physician, no longer paying any mind to Wang Liancao standing nearby. It was taking advantage of this window that Sima Ruqing finally reached Wang Liancao's side.

"Master, I never expected you would encounter such a misfortune!" Max's voice resounded in his mind.

Li Haolong pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and without answering his question, turned back to ask, "Crow, how are you feeling right now?"

The Prince Regent opposite him wore a white gauze veil that concealed his features, yet a chilling aura rushed directly toward him.

An evenly matched outcome has two possibilities: besides neither party being able to harm the other, there is also the possibility of both suffering mutual destruction.

The Yellow Wind Immortal, the Azure Lion, the Golden Horn, and the Silver Horn stood outside the Water Curtain Cave. Although they were anxious in their hearts, constrained by their inability to help, they could only wait outside.

Naturally, Hongyan vehemently denied the implications of the rumors. While offering explanations, she watched the changes in the Noble Imperial Consort's expression, guessing that the Noble Imperial Consort might be pondering the matter between her and Second Master Fu. If any ambiguity between her and Second Master Fu were to spread, she wondered what attitude the Noble Imperial Consort would adopt.

"Hehehe, it doesn't need to be invincible; being able to block it for a moment is enough." The Yellow Wind suddenly grinned. Seeing the trace of a ferocious smile on the Yellow Wind's face, a flash of ominous premonition suddenly crossed Zhen Yuanzi's heart.

Yu Wei'an consoled her with a giggle on the side, saying, "It's fine, Sister Yuan, I'll taste it for you." With that, she picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Hah, to be able to force me to manifest, Immortal Donghua, you truly cannot be underestimated." The black figure spoke with a sarcastic tone, her slender, delicate jade arms slightly crossed around her chest, the hem of her robe fluttering in the gentle breeze, just revealing her white, slender thighs within, exuding a hint of allure.