Volume 1, Chapter 25: What an Interesting Woman

Overcome with excitement, Zhong Tianle’s first attempt at alchemy was riddled with errors. Fortunately, he possessed natural talent and was intimately familiar with this most basic of elixirs in the cultivation world, which prevented him from ruining this batch of pills that held such great significance. Although the final yield was far from satisfactory, Zhong Tianle was nonetheless ecstatic.

Immediately afterward, Xian Cun felt his entire body jolt as if plunged into an icy abyss. Every cell seemed to be stripped away, falling into a state of strange suspended animation. It was only after an unknown amount of time that he finally managed to catch his breath.

Mu Qianyu’s voice grew increasingly sweet and coquettish; such a seductive demeanor was truly enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

The crowd looked at Lin Feng with eyes full of awe and reverence. A powerful person commands respect wherever they go.

"Did you find anything useful?" Shen Qiansan asked with a cold face, though his eyes held a hint of intrigue, as if something quite amusing were afoot.

If he hadn't spoken, he could have harbored a sliver of hope; but once rejected, he felt as though his life would be plunged into darkness.

"It seems you aren't just a straw bag after all!" the man laughed. Knowing that Shen Qiansan recognized his reputation gave him a great sense of vanity.

Huo Langming remained deep in thought, brow furrowed. He had initially assumed it was Shen Qiansan who had made the move, but having examined the injury on the egg, it appeared to have been pierced from top to bottom by something needle-like. Shen Qiansan couldn't possibly have done it at that moment. If not him, then who? Could someone really have been tailing the carriage in secret this entire time?

"Reduce the head tax by one-third. Beyond that, all miscellaneous taxes and fees are abolished. Any official or clerk who dares to collect taxes beyond the law shall be beheaded immediately upon verification, without the need for standard legal procedures."

"I hear your imperial court is planning to sell another batch of firearms to Ligdan Khan? Is there any truth to this?" Dai Shan asked.

After checking that his internal injuries had mostly recovered, Feng Lingxiang hurried outside, only to find all the disciples and elders within the encampment glaring at him with seething rage.

***

Following this, Li Yan made numerous adjustments to the base's policies before finally concluding the first, incredibly heavy meeting.

Linna’s hair had clearly been restyled. Although her clothes were still stained with spots of blood, she showed no signs of panic, appearing calm and as steady as a mountain.

"Let’s go over there." After carefully examining his injuries to ensure there was nothing critical, she felt relieved and helped Lu Feng to sit down under a nearby tree.

"Heh heh, once you’ve fallen into my hands, don't even think about running. Still, twin sisters—a feast for the eyes. Should I force them to become my pets?" Fanchen mused to himself.

"No, no, Master, you were intentionally going easy on me," Lu Feng said happily, though he remained modest. He did not realize that this expression only made Dongfang Bai more determined to teach him a lesson.

"Don't move, just absorb it calmly. It’s fine; even if you can't handle it, it will be fine. Don't worry about it; it will be beneficial to you once it’s inside." Just then, Dongfang Bai’s voice echoed in his ear.

At the same time, a giant palm struck the spot where Li Yan had been standing. With a thunderous boom, a section of space collapsed; amidst the cracking, spiderweb-like fragments of space emerged, with tens of thousands of shards colliding and spraying outward.

In the kitchen, Meng Ying directed Zhan Qiaoyun and Zhu Yu’er to instruct the maids in preparing food according to Luoluo’s Culinary Canon. Meng Ying had intended to help, but Zhan Qiaoyun refused, insisting the maids should learn to do it themselves for the future.

"Well played, Li Huyi! I intended to spare you, yet you prove ungrateful and launch a sneak attack! Your Five Tigers Alliance is not only reckless but utterly shameless!" Xu Tianqing spoke with righteous indignation and convincing flair. At first glance, one would truly believe the fault lay with the Five Tigers Alliance, which led to the current dispute between the two factions.

Looking back, when I first joined the company, I had always wanted a suit of this brand, but at the time, I felt it was far too expensive.

Just then, a figure appeared, lifting the young man up and feeding him a few medicinal pills, which finally brought some color back to his face.

***

Upon hearing this, Xiao finally understood the allure of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal to those in the Immortal Realm, and at the same time, he gained the confidence that the Guiyuan Pill was well within his grasp.

If the heavens gave a warning and the court had lost its virtue, it had nothing to do with Li Heng, which meant it was the fault of the old Emperor. Although the old Emperor was currently paralyzed in bed, it was not for a mere minister to criticize or disparage him at will.

Liaojue was so frightened he scrambled off the bed. After a moment of hesitation, he knelt on the ground, at a loss for words. He had been told he was to see a princess, so why was there an old woman instead? Who was this woman? Was she the princess’s mother or grandmother? Was this even the Imperial Palace?

"Let’s not get sidetracked," Hero A said, assuming the air of a senior leader, before turning to Wu Chi. "Lewd Song, we’ve discussed it, and the senior brothers and sisters should tackle the 'Shang Bird' quest first for their trial mission."

"Sister Ice, you see, Big Brother has gifted you the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice; surely you won't go back on your word? Can you take Big Brother to find that..." he called out to the Ice Silkworm, who was busy hugging and inspecting the block of ice.

The crowd was shocked to hear of an Eight-Tribulation Loose Immortal—a supreme expert in the entire cultivation world. Naturally, they all rose to pay their respects. They were delighted that the Qiankun Sect could recruit such a high-level master, as it added another layer of security for the future.

We ran toward the shopping mall through the streets, while the many aunts and uncles we passed looked at us as if we were idiots. Faced with the coldness of human nature, I fell into deep thought.

Yet, even with a thousand objections and resistances in her heart, as a concubine of the inner palace, she could not interfere in such matters of state. To do so would surely provoke the ire of the currently very sensitive Li Heng.