Volume 1 Chapter 43: Accident

She had thought Noble Consort Hao summoned her to discuss Ouyang Xiu’s infatuation and his pestering of her. To her surprise, listening to the consort’s implications, it seemed she believed that she herself was the one pestering Ouyang Xiu. Was she shifting all the blame onto Mu Fenghua?

I kept a cold face and said nothing. What did I want? Long ago, I had wanted to ask her, Qu Wanjing, what she wanted.

"In reply to the Matriarch, this servant only saw the eldest daughter-in-law leave in a fit of rage. I only learned after making inquiries that she had been to Yuchun Hall. As for anything else... I know nothing," the elderly woman said.

"Aunt, is the Matriarch very ill? Have the imperial physicians been invited to the estate to examine her? What did they say?" Duan Yuran asked.

In the past, the poison would flare up once a year for half an hour. As time passed, the cold poison in his body grew increasingly severe. Now, each flare-up required more time, and it would recur repeatedly, only subsiding after three consecutive bouts.

Seeing how her brother treated her with indifference, Li Guaiguai felt quite dejected.

Jun Moli had originally intended for her to take it slowly, as she had only just recovered her spiritual power and was like a child learning to walk. He was willing to be her teacher, but who would have thought this girl would snatch up a sword and strike at him?

Hearing the steady rhythm of his wife’s breathing beside him, Gu Heng propped himself up on his elbows. He looked down at Duan Yuran’s sleeping face in the dim light filtering through the tent, a faint smile touching his lips as he tucked the quilt in for her.

It was not until long after Jun Moli had vanished that Pan Yuyan slowly regained her vitality. Jun Moli was fastidious and never tolerated physical contact; for so many years, no one had ever broken his rules. Yet, just moments ago, he had actually taken off his own robe to cover that ugly woman.

Her wrist was suddenly seized. Qiao Muwan shuddered, wanting to pull away, but Nian Nancheng gripped her even tighter.

A sense of mission and honor welled up in Han Zhijun’s face. He looked at Xue Hao with burning eyes, waiting for him to continue.

The third brother only hurled insults but did not resort to violence. He knew well that physical blows injure the flesh, but verbal abuse wounds the heart; compared to the two, the latter cuts much deeper. Thus, he feigned the behavior of a gentleman, using only his tongue, though he knew Li Lin dared not resist. If Li Lin had dared to fight back, this "gentleman" would have revealed his true colors.

Before long, lightning, gales, ice storms, fire dragons, and earth spikes—every spell the students could muster—slammed into the black venom-bees that filled the sky. Numerous shimmering white magic crystals fell from the air, pelting the ground like a sudden, erratic rainstorm in early spring.

After thoroughly studying the pill formula, herbs, and heat requirements according to his alchemy process, he began the formal task of firing the furnace on the tenth day.

Empress Li smiled, watching Chen Yan’s retreating back, and sighed. She then began to walk slowly back to the classroom.

"Uncle Emperor, don't be afraid! I will call my master to kill him!" Luo Li suddenly produced a black token and shouted.

Having received the promised rewards, the generals were all smiles. Upon returning to their respective camps, they each found some unfortunate soul to behead as a sacrifice to the banners. Only then could the government army quickly unite like a clenched fist. Grand Marshal Li smiled, and the generals smiled too; in just over ten days, they arrived at Chaozhou City.

Chen Xinghai did not offer a military salute, for he possessed his own pride. A cultivator who could topple heaven and earth would not casually salute others, save for his closest kin or those whose cultivation surpassed his own. Clearly, the two men before him did not meet his standards; if he were to salute them, it would only invite misfortune upon them.

After all, he remembered countless classics from his previous life in ancient China, and any one or two he recited would be enough to stun everyone present.

Pei Yuling collected her thoughts and looked at Pei Xinyang. "First, you all know the species of those four demonic beasts: three demon wolves and one Qiyun brown bear. However, none of us could identify the specific breed of the wolves, and that alone is enough to prove their extraordinary origin."

"Advance!" Missing with the first strike, the five Imperial Guards holding sabers stepped forward, raised their blades, and hacked down again.

After entering the estate, there were few servants but many guards. Seeing the white-robed old man return, everyone who encountered him bowed respectfully.

The group remained silently in the military tent, staring at the two tigers without moving, fearing that even the slightest sound would disturb them.

Then there was Mei Youzhong, who was very eager to please. He cleaned the *Golden Roc* thoroughly and finally sat down beside Pang Daxiang to enjoy some romantic action films together.

"Impossible! The Fourth Brother’s divine ability is invincible; even innate dharma treasures cannot block it. How could it be suppressed by a demon god who has only just attained the Way?" the Black Fox God retorted.

A gaze, extremely cold and tyrannical, suddenly fell upon it, faintly revealing a sense of hysterical madness.

"Where are you going?" In the adjacent tent, Jia Xu emerged. His complexion appeared deathly pale, and he had to lean on Zhou Cang to move freely.

The number of subterranean creatures remained terrifying—a vast, dark swarm. Such a scale was enough to make one gasp for air through sheer numbers alone.

However, everyone ignored a single fact: the army of the Desolate Kingdom had come here to attack Taiping Town. Now that the town was in chaos, many believed the Desolate Kingdom was behind it, and the kingdom’s deployment of troops at this moment only served to validate those suspicions.