Volume 1, Chapter 38: His Love Fell Far Short of Hers

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I felt a tightness in my chest, and a surge of blood rose in my throat. My mind went completely blank, as though it were about to explode.

Thinking back on it now, that hairpin must have held some extraordinary meaning for Imperial Consort Mu. It must have been given to her by someone extremely important—but could that person have been the Emperor?

Light from outside streamed into the room. Ruan Meng instinctively narrowed her eyes, only to see Donghuang Taiyi enter carrying a tray. He thrust it into her hands, then turned and left.

Jing Yanqiu’s face was deathly pale. Her whole body trembled as tears streamed continuously down her cheeks.

After holding it in for ages, Hu Hu finally managed to force out those words. Beside her, Hu Hu—who had been trembling with anxiety, afraid that Banruo might refuse—finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The steward was so terrified that he rolled away from the storage area. He had not gone far when a sack suddenly burst open. A powerful hand seized him by the neck, then flung him through the air, smashing him against the reinforced wall of the aircraft cabin.

Although I knew Ming Si understood everything I said, he had always been unwilling to say anything else.

The Imperial Group was the kingdom Cao Ge had built with his own hands. He would never allow any shareholder to blackmail him. So what if he held sole control? As long as he possessed the final say, he had every reason to speak with confidence.

He wanted me to drink it? Then why hadn’t he given it to me himself just now? If he asked me to drink it, I would have swallowed it without the slightest suspicion.

“It shouldn’t be. I have always kept an eye on Country F. If he had faked his death, my people would not have concealed it from me.” Yu Nan’s graceful movements, set against the beautiful melody, were breathtaking.

It was precisely because of the Liu family’s abilities that the Loulan family had always been wary of them. Fortunately, the Liu family had no interest in involving themselves in worldly affairs, so they had never come into conflict with the Loulans.

“Rumor has it that the current Emperor of Lingnan died in that coup. How could he…” Loulan Yuming still found it difficult to believe.

Gulya looked down at her from above, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were full of disdain and contempt. The fragrance of the blood tree grew stronger and stronger, while the scenery around her slowly blurred. An inexplicable terror and tension wound tightly around her. She felt someone lift her arms and legs and carry her toward the source of the scent.

After Li Yu finished speaking, he turned and walked away. Li Shuci understood what he meant: from now on, they would each pursue their own affairs and have nothing more to do with one another. Tears streamed down her cheeks in an unstoppable torrent.

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“Go take a look at your companions first. After that, we can continue our conversation.” The youth seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and pointed straight toward the depths of the forest.

Suddenly, the two forces collided, producing a power so immense that it shattered the entire golden bell in an instant. Han Ba, meanwhile, was blasted into the sky like a cannonball.

Qing Ge stepped forward to take it. The old madam’s expression darkened. She opened it, glanced at it, gave a cold laugh, and flung the silk cloth into Madam Lian’s face.

“Not yet. The timing isn’t right.” Su Hao gently shook his head, his gaze unreadable.

As soon as she stepped outside, Yu Dayong had already arrived. Zheng Wushuang mimed taking a sip of tea, then pressed her hand downward, signaling that everything should be handled calmly. Yu Dayong made an okay sign with his fingers. As he passed her, he leaned close and whispered in her ear, “I know who they are. Come on, let’s go inside and deal with them together.”

Huang Fei was rendered speechless. That was right—his mission was merely to obtain the gold coin through Murong Xianglong. What did the rest have to do with him? Other people would have gone out of their way to avoid trouble, so why was he rushing headlong into it?

She hurried into the main house, only to find everything neat and orderly, without the slightest sign that anyone had searched through it.

She had been born with a pair of exceptionally beautiful fox eyes. Whenever she opened them and looked at him, a sly glint would flicker through them from time to time.

Jingnan thought of a possibility that he himself was the first to find unbelievable. But after letting his gaze linger on Hao Yu for a while longer, astonishment slowly spread across his face.

There was no time to lose. Since the night was quiet, they had to settle it tonight. If they waited until morning, it would cause an enormous uproar.

He Ying felt a little itchy and scratched at it, but that did nothing. He immediately lifted his clothes and looked down. The scars across his chest had completely healed—not even the slightest trace of the wounds remained.

After returning to the competition grounds, Master Ma awkwardly scratched his head. His expression, however, was bright and refreshed; he even seemed more energetic than before.

Everyone counted and checked the goods, confirming that nothing was missing. He Jiu began drafting the contract. Once he had signed it and pressed his thumbprint, the guarantor signed and sealed it as well. Sun Ding happened to be present, so his official seal was used. With the transaction complete, He Jiu called over his relatives to pack the money into chests, loaded them onto his carriage, and hauled them away.

Hao Yu’s guess had been correct. Only four or five minutes after he left the place where he had fallen, Tian Ming arrived. Tian Ming was not in very good shape either and had suffered injuries, though they were nowhere near as serious as Hao Yu’s.

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“No one was willing to go and guard the border, and His Majesty was furious.” After saying those final words, Lone Wolf vanished in a flash.

Hong Ling could not bear to look at the miserable condition of the soldiers in the infirmary, but Fu Ruo’s expression did not change in the slightest.

The girls rolled about in the dust, pinning Shan Hu to the ground and mercilessly tickling her joints. Each of them was exhausted and drenched in fragrant sweat, yet they were all extremely happy.

Yelü Chongyuan was helpless as well and could only drink with Li Yuanhao. After three rounds of wine, Yelü Chongyuan began to feel drunk, so Li Yuanhao ordered his men to take him away to rest.

Thus, Hu Ye pretended to be casual as he placed his hand on the lamp stand that opened the secret chamber and gently pulled. With a series of clicking sounds, a hidden room appeared before everyone’s eyes.

She desperately wanted to ask what had happened—what exactly could have frightened a grown man into such a state?

Ding Jiuxi was utterly stunned by Liu Xiaoxi’s words. The person who had appeared at this moment to deal with the Wolf Flower people could, in other words, be indirectly understood to be a friend of Xuan Che?

“Why?” Shen Mingle and Lin Chuxia exchanged a glance. Shen Mingle opened her eyes wide and stared at Shen Mingxuan in confusion.

“What do you think we are, beggars? One hundred tons? It would have to be a million tons at least. If you have no sincerity about cooperating with us, we’ll find someone else. This is such a vast country—I refuse to believe you’re the only ones who can obtain oil!” Kong Qing said.

“It’s a deal! Nine tomorrow morning! I’ll hang up for now—I have to finish the work in my hands.” Tang Lili laughed as she ended the call.

His botanical vision still functioned here. He could sense every nameless plant life around him. Even the legendary species were present. Some places were so strange that he could feel danger emanating from them; they could hardly be called anything but forbidden grounds, and he could not simply wander into them.