Volume 1, Chapter 43: Justice at Black Wind Ridge, Forging the Blade Anew

"Your Highness, Black Wind Ridge is just ahead." An old soldier pointed to a mountain ridge in front of them and said.
"Black Wind Ridge? Where is this place?" Li Chengqian asked.
"Give me the antidote, or I will drag you down with me!" Li Man said angrily as she grabbed Qin Feng by the throat, looking like she was ready to fight to the death.
The configuration was somewhat similar to interlocked fingers. However, instead of hand and hand, it was my hand and Wang Hongyu's foot.
Really! In all my years, this was the most disgusting and bizarre thing I had ever seen.
Yet, upon returning to the stronghold's gate, Hu Xiao did not see Yao Beibei waiting there. He looked around in puzzlement.
"Your Ladyship, just now I heard Guard Yin say that Consort Rong had a quarrel with the Emperor in front of the Hall of Diligent Government," Zhuyun said.
"What are the Jade Emperor and the Tathagata compared to anything? How could they possibly be mentioned in the same breath as our Lord Zeus?" Aruo Ya said with a look of utter disdain.
He also sensed that after every devouring of spirits, although the nether spirits were converted into power and channeled into his body, they failed to merge with his own being. If even slightly mishandled, the swallowed spirits would run amok.
Although she had been residing in this Palace of Earthly Tranquility for quite some time, she had always stayed only in the main hall. The eastern and western side halls were places she had never set foot in.
"That is all. Do not miss a single word, and pass my message to the Queen Mother," Qin Feng told him.
"No, this thing kills invisibly, and you are definitely not using it through proper channels. Are you trying to serve your own selfish desires by dealing with officials of the Heavenly Dynasty and the common people of the Heavenly Dynasty!" Mi Shi tried to snatch it away, but her frail body was no match for even a single arm of Gu Ye.
Of course, Shen Liang did not resent this moniker; "Master Subduing Dragon" wasn't bad either. Anyway, these ancient people had no idea who "Sister Furong" was, so there was no awkwardness.
Those officials who had previously relied on the Empress Dowager and maintained close ties with her could not help trembling, living in constant terror every day, fearing that if the Emperor happened to be in a bad mood and followed the clues left by the Empress Dowager, they would be the ones facing disaster.
Her heart suddenly plummeted to the abyss. Without even thinking, she knew how unimaginably horrific the scene must be to cause Ting Feng to wear such an expression.
At first, she merely wandered upon the water's surface, never intending to find a scapegoat; she only wanted to wait for that man to pass by and drag him down to the riverbed.
Torn and hesitant, Su Youjun never dared to make a move. Fortunately, after a dozen days or so, word came from the Liang family that a familiar merchant caravan from Western Xia had arrived to procure goods, and they asked if she wished to meet them.
It wasn't that I had never seen people squandering their entire family fortunes to save their lives—the Kong family in Jinnan did precisely that back in the day. It was just that the wealth they had amassed was unrighteous gain, accumulated through abnormal means, so when karmic retribution struck, dispersing their wealth was simply the natural price of survival.
There stood a lifelike tiger sculpture in the second courtyard, glowing with fierce intelligence, its gaze piercing as though it might pounce at any second.
Seizing the opportunity, the personal guards knocked the long saber out of Wen Xinhui's hand. Three of them joined forces, using wooden staves to pin her down firmly, and forced her to her knees before the Marquis's wife.
"Seeing that Ah Chu kept failing to remember, I thought I'd take the opportunity to remind her." Xie Ci'an wrapped his arm around Gu Jianchu's waist, and with a gentle pull, both of them tumbled backward onto the bedding.
They were led into a garden. The garden was vast, filled with all sorts of precious flowers and plants. Passing through the garden brought them to a reception parlor, where soft melodies drifted over, suggesting that people were already dancing in the ballroom.
Much of what Ye Feng said was likely dramatized, but it struck right at the heart of what journalists loved—without a touching story and a catchy gimmick, how could it create a stir in society?
Ximen still felt a lingering sense of unease regarding her. He turned back, poured another cup of tea at the table, and carefully placed it right in the center of the bed.