Ninety-One: Jia Wenhe Unleashes Another Poisonous Scheme; Guo Fengxiao Breaks Into a Heavy Sweat (A Ten-Thousand-Word Update, Seeking Monthly Votes and Subscriptions)

The old statesman stood atop the city wall in felt cap and rain cloak, laughing into the downpour with undisguised delight. If this storm kept falling for three more days, the waters of the Si River and Yi River would swell even higher. Then, once the two rivers were breached, Xuzhou would be drowned, and a single battle would surely decide the province. After taking Xuzhou, let them see whether anyone still dared claim he was fit only for defeat.

He did not wish to hear any more. He stepped out of the room, thanked the kind-hearted pair once more, and entrusted the care of Nanguo Ran to them. Then he took up the white horse again and rode back along the same road. By then the apes had already scattered, and the journey back was free of peril. By sunset he had returned to the desert.

In truth, the old ancestor of Ironwood had omitted one crucial piece of information about Lin Yun and his party.

Sparks flew everywhere. Brutus’s expression changed, the iron staff flew from his hand, and his body, beyond his control, was sent hurtling backward.

From the very beginning, she had felt that the man before her possessed a truly irresistible charm. Otherwise, she would never have allowed him to stay the night in her home.

Lin Weizhong recalled one thing after another from his youth to the present, and gradually realized that the more money the family had, the fewer the laughs became.

"Two uncles, I must leave the estate for a while. I leave the manor in your care," Ling Jiutian said with a bow.

The carriage rolled unhurriedly toward Guanlou Village, but Wen Qihang, seated quietly inside, was already lost in thought.

The Guanlou Village of today was no longer the same Guanlou Village it had once been. If it were still the village of old, even if Wen Qihang had shut himself away for ten years, they would never have come to him demanding an explanation.

Everyone had been drinking today, and perhaps because they were in high spirits, Yang Baoshan ended up thoroughly drunk.

Ouyang Xin was under the control of the Mad Clan; prying any information about the Demon Star from their mouths was practically impossible.

Knock, knock, knock. "Chen Yun, Yiyi, come out. It’s time for us to go," came Chen Junsheng’s voice from outside.

As for Yu Zhiqing, she kept reporting to Lin Xiao from time to time, saying that the market for the Six-Flavor Liver-Preserving Pill was nearing saturation, and that Bikon Pharmaceuticals only had a single product line; if they wanted to grow large and strong, they had to add more medicines.

Zhao Huangfei’s hands suddenly shot upward, and from the rings on the middle fingers of both hands sprang a pair of blue-tinted spikes. In less than a second, they were accurately driven into Old Zhou’s throat and the throat of another police officer.

He took up the ledger of compensation payments and casually flipped through a few pages. Behind every name was written the amount to be issued, along with the recipient’s signature and fingerprint.

Seeing Yan Yan’s actions, Jiang Ruolin turned her hopes to Liu Shisan. Among everyone present, he was the only one she could ask for help.

Looking at Lan Xin’s troubled, deeply worried expression only made Tian Xue even more curious.

The question was phrased as a query, the tone was certain, and the manner was calm; in the high air, those ice-blue eyes of Leon’s grew ever more complex and unreadable.

"So, is it you who are extraordinary, or is this bead merely weak?" Sugdor stared at Yi Ming as though he were looking at a monster.

This flintlock pistol was just over forty centimeters long, a short-barreled weapon clearly not meant for ordinary soldiers. Its grip was wrapped in brass plates engraved with exquisite patterns, and it had been very well cared for. It was obvious the pistol had been specially made, possessing greater ornamental value than practical use.

"Mo Yun, I feel as though there is something familiar about you. Can you tell me what it is?" Tang San asked with a trace of curiosity.

He steeled himself with the courage of his youth, when he had dared to adventure alongside Gandalf and the others, with the bravery he had shown when fighting the ogres, and with the warning of Thorin Oakenshield’s fall into the corruption of power.

As dusk deepened, several thunderous blasts came from the north side of the city. A moment later, a bright point rose into the sky and burst in midair like a glorious firework, dazzling to the eyes.