Volume 1, Chapter 63: The Poetry Competition!

To Li Chengqian, the palace banquet held by the imperial court seemed utterly devoid of any real interest.
However, as the crown prince of the realm and the theoretical heir to the dragon throne, Li Chengqian naturally had to attend a banquet personally presided over by his father.
"This son pays his respects to Your Imperial Majesty, my Father."
Before heading to the grand banquet hall, Li Chengqian brought Su Chan'er along to greet Li Shimin first.
"Ah, the Crown Prince has arrived. Rise."
What infuriated Fu Xiang the most was that mere Zhuang Feng showing his face was enough for Zheng Shan to openly defect to his side. One had to know that everything Zheng Shan possessed today had been single-handedly built up by Fu Xiang himself. To think that after Zhuang Feng merely showed his face for a moment, Zheng Shan would just up and follow him—what kind of absurdity was this?
Except for the Black Tortoise Armor, every piece of clothing on his body was completely shredded to pieces in the span of a single instant, leaving only a few strips of fabric in front of his groin to maintain his modesty.
Returning to the Shuihua Palace in utter despair, he held her tightly as they lay on the bed, burying his face deep into the crook of her neck. His tears streamed down her smooth skin, warm and slick. Rubbing his face against her glowing cheek, his eyelids grew heavy, and he abruptly lapsed into a deep sleep.
The Concealment Technique was one of the mandatory ninjutsu teachings in the beginner genin curriculum; the higher a ninja's rank, the stronger their stealth capabilities would be.
When the waiter approached them once again holding a POS terminal and asked, "Will you be paying with cash or card?", he no longer felt the same aversion as before. He immediately retrieved an Agricultural Bank of China card from his pocket and handed it to the waiter.
"Miss Li, there is no need to be overly pessimistic. How can we know it won't work before we even try? Take a look and see if you happen to have any of the materials listed here on your person. Everything in nature has its counter, and I, Huangquan, have always been quite fortunate. With me here this time, you will be safe, Miss!" Shiquan felt confident; the formula given by the Poison Emperor could not possibly be wrong.
"Damn it, Senior, how was I supposed to know? Don't forget to remind me next time." Shiquan was also at his wits' end. As an utter layman, he naturally knew nothing of these things. Yet since someone had asked, he still had to put on a show.
Seeing that the old man was already in his sixties, Shen Ning assumed his physical strength must have long since declined. How much force could possibly remain behind such a staff strike? Without even a second thought, he swung his tripartite halberd horizontally to parry the blow.
Wang Hou's face turned completely ashen. The words the holy monk had just spoken were precisely what he had heard in his dream. What was the meaning of this? Could it be that last night had not been a dream after all? Or had the holy monk employed some mystical divine power to transmit the words he wished to say to him in the form of a dream?
"Alright then, Auntie, get some rest early," I called out as I headed up the stairs and returned to the second floor.
"I heard everything you just said. Prefect Yu stated that he wished to leave, yet you physically blocked him and refused to let him go. Is this how bodyguards are supposed to act? Could it be that you are attempting to assassinate a high-ranking imperial official?" Old Zhu smiled in a deeply sinister manner.
Ever since the majority of the top-ranking experts on the Combat Leaderboard arrived, the discussions had never ceased for a moment. However, everyone remained primarily focused on the distribution of the spoils of war, while practically no one cared about the potential crises that might lie ahead.
As for the battle between Murong Daotian and Overlord of the World, it was exceptionally fierce. Because they were fighting in mid-air and Overlord of the World had lost two pieces of the Brian set, his crowd-control combat strategy was no longer invincible, revealing numerous vulnerabilities. This was the only reason Murong Daotian was able to fight him to a complete standstill.
What?! A jolt of shock coursed through Caesar's mind. Such bizarre speed—his divine sense was completely unable to track the opponent's movements.
Zhu Yidao nearly tumbled right off his horse. These words certainly had not been spoken by the Emperor; the scoundrels must have come up with them on their own! These fellows seemed to be growing increasingly wild and uninhibited by the day. Still, this was for the best; with the Emperor commanding an elite force of his own, their safety would be vastly guaranteed.
"My lord! Your subordinates did not take his silver! The truth of the matter is..." By this point, there was nothing left to conceal. The adjutant calmly removed his armor, knelt on the ground as well, and truthfully and concisely recounted the events that had transpired recently.