Volume 1, Chapter 55: The Opportunity Has Arrived

Money is only truly yours once it is in your hands. Until then, it is merely a number. Because the funds were in someone else's possession, I worried constantly that some mishap might prevent them from being disbursed. Upon arriving at the company, I sat down and periodically glanced toward the entrance, eagerly anticipating Tiger and the others hauling the money in. Yet, as the agonizing wait dragged on past four o'clock in the afternoon, Tiger was still nowhere to be seen, prompting me to ask A-Long whether our wages would actually be paid out today. A-Long shook his head, admitting he wasn't sure. He mentioned hearing Tiger on the phone last night telling someone to prepare cash, but whether it could be made ready on time was anyone's guess. Seeming to sense my anxiety, he reassured me there was no need to rush; sooner or later the pay would be issued. The company was fully capable of coughing up even larger sums, and there was no question of withholding this...

At that point, I finally comprehended the story of Second Aunt's ancestors and gained some understanding of the matters concerning Lan-xiang's family. Yet I still felt plagued by numerous lingering questions: What on earth was the connection between that eerie old hag and Lan-xiang's household? What was her true background? How many other people was she entangled with? And what kind of love-hate entanglements were concealed within that era?

Heavenly marriages are decreed for emperors, while mortal marriages are ordained for commoners. In terms of sheer chaos, Jiang Xiao's situation merely toyed with the brothers Di-jun and the Toad Queen, which, upon reflection, was actually quite straightforward.

Knowing it was impossible to examine the corpse at present, Li Rizhi could tell from the servant's demeanor that he would never permit anyone to touch the body. If Zhao Tiegen were here, things might have been easier; in order to avenge Zhao Jian, the body would naturally have undergone a thorough re-examination. However, the servant was terrified of getting into trouble and refused to let anyone touch the remains.

Right at that moment, at the far edge of the undulating sand dunes, a massive brilliance ignited along the horizon above the ash-like black mountain ranges of Mount Kunlun, except that the light was blue, resembling a blazing blue flame.

With no other choice, Chang Hengyue had to retrace his steps to retrieve his sword. He cared deeply about this blade; as long as he could secure a weapon upon entering, the trip wouldn't be a total loss.

Just then, Quan Shufang returned. He had gone out on business in the morning, returned to the Daoist temple to rest after eating lunch, and happened to see Zhao Jian inside the room.

After traveling for more than a day, the group had yet to encounter a single fierce beast. Everyone began to harbor doubts about whether any high-level beasts still lingered in this region or if they had all been hunted to extinction by humans.

Left with no recourse, the emperor tossed and turned in bed, letting out continuous sighs. Empress Wu simply feigned ignorance; as for banquets featuring wine, song, and dance, she would never agree to such a thing under any circumstances. If the emperor wished to keep tossing and turning, he could just go right ahead and do so.

Consequently, Yan Le informed the head of security that he would no longer serve as a security guard, telling him to hire someone else for the vacant position.

Having heard the Grey Wolf's words, no one dared to raise any further objections. They hastily changed their tune and escorted Su Yun and Wang Tiangui to the hospital. Taking in the situation, Su Yun realized this posed no threat whatsoever to Xichen, so she felt completely at ease accompanying Wang Tiangui to the hospital, especially since Wang Tiangui's injuries were by no means light.

Hearing this, all the officials flew into a rage, assuming that Dongmen Qing was holding Japan in contempt. Hosokawa Harumoto was equally indignant, but upon reflecting that he still needed to do business with Dongmen Qing and that money was of the essence, he persuaded the other officials to calm down. Even so, Dongmen Qing's audience with the Emperor was shelved as a result.

The guards on night duty were disciples of the Three Great Gates and possessed discerning eyes. Recognizing that the visitor was extraordinary, the guard politely asked the elderly person to wait a moment and hurried to grab the telephone to report upward.

However, Lu Men and Sun Guo both indicated that they would evaluate the circumstances at the time before deciding whether this aircraft was needed for support. The unarmed crew served purely as auxiliary forces for this operation, so they would not be subjected to unnecessary risks.

"Mmph..." Huang Rong, having entirely lost the capacity to respond to Dugu Hong's words, let out a soul-stirring, bone-melting moan. Her body stiffened, and her delicate neck arched tautly like a dying swan.

Upon returning home, Pei Jin was standing anxiously at the doorway holding Tongtong in her arms. Seeing her return allowed her to finally relax, though she was entirely unsurprised by Yi Feng's account.

"I'm going to Hangzhou right now—" Bai Yang said, still clutching his mobile phone, preparing to bolt out the door without even pausing to grab his bag.

After rambling for a while, Greed also found it rather pointless. Once Iori Yagami fell asleep, he had no one left to talk to.

Cao Sen's heart leaped instantly into his throat. Flashes of purple lightning swept across his battle armor as he watched Jingzhe's every move with bated breath.

Han Yixue gazed intently, and that figure was none other than Ximen, the very person she had set out to find on this journey.

Tong Jing exchanged a smile with him, setting down her wine glass. "Since you still love the night view of Beijing, why did you stay in the United States for five years without returning?" She asked casually, the tone resembling a casual chat between friends.

"Let's go. Can't you talk just a little less?" Glancing sideways at Song Shanshan, Su Xia was genuinely at her wit's end with her.

The visit of the five nations was a monumental event that shook the imperial court. Naturally, the welcoming banquet was to be followed by a formal audience at court. Having indulged excessively in wine the previous night and exhausted himself with excitement and debauchery, Wen Jingyuan did not look well. During his conversation with the envoys of the five countries, he mostly listened and rarely spoke, leaving many matters to be negotiated by Left Prime Minister Lian Song, who rarely showed his face in the outer court.

"Make do with it." Indeed, the adversary had few men remaining. The fighting spirit that had just surged within Water Wolf ebbed away somewhat.

A short while later, Ye Chen emerged from the jungle looking particularly exhilarated, carrying a large black crow in one hand, dragging a wild duck by the neck with the other, and hoisting a mountain goat across his shoulder.

In less than a minute, the entire flight of stone steps along with the surrounding areas transformed into a world resembling an icy wonderland.

This ambiguous evaluation left Yan Liyou even more bewildered. Before she could ask, Chu Cheng suddenly pressed a finger against his lips, shushed her gently, closed his eyes, and tilted his head slightly as if listening intently to something. Yan Liyou tried imitating him to catch the sound, yet she heard no strange noises whatsoever, save for the rustling whisper of the wind sweeping through the forest.

"No, she is your child!" Yang Xuanhan spoke with directness. This time she shed no tears; instead, she took a step forward as Chen Cao took a step back.

Did Wen Moqing return to investigate that stone chamber later? Was there truly a corpse inside? If so, whose body was it?

Lin Zongyan's eyes were like a cold pool, an aura of displeasure enveloping him. Did Xia Ling really have a boyfriend? She hadn't said she didn't have one; she had only claimed he was busy. Ziyang's remarks had been harsh, yet for a moment he could find no way to defend Xia Ling.