Volume One, Chapter 51: Meet Me in the Small Woods on the Mountain

Shen Zhiyi waved her hand and said nonchalantly, “It’s fine, it’s fine. If you accepted just anyone, I might have to think twice about whether I wanted you as my partner.”

Song Huaichuan stopped at the entrance to the village after escorting Shen Zhiyi there.

He raised a hand and straightened her straw hat.

Then he took a pen from his pocket and placed it in her palm.

Shen Zhiyi recognized it at once. It was the very pen she had returned to him earlier.

She looked up in astonishment, meeting the man’s warm, gentle eyes.

Yet the girl said nothing. She merely lowered her head, which was more or less an implicit admission. She did not even notice the judge repeatedly signaling to her with his eyes.

“Ask her? How can you believe anything that shameless liar says?” Lan’s mother did not even spare Lan Yu a glance. She reached for the bowls and plates covering the dishes on the table, then thoughtfully ladled soup into Zhai Jin’s bowl.

By then, the Xiongnu cavalry had been driven into a low-lying area. Though more than two thousand of them remained, they could not break through the Black Hawk Army’s encirclement from any direction. As the screams of the dying rose without end, their morale collapsed and their courage deserted them. Most of the Xiongnu no longer had the nerve to fight their way out.

Hearing what Qian Jin said, Zhao Ying threw the half of the granary hound that had been stored in her storage ring onto the ground with a snort. Then she turned and walked with Zhao Li to Qian Jin’s side.

Fortunately, although the man was somewhat debauched and flirtatious, there was no need to worry about his loyalty. Xiao Xiao did not believe that someone who had remained dormant for so many years possessed nothing but intelligence. She was still waiting for him to reveal his true strength.

Zhai Jin had chosen not to flee at that moment because he did not want to implicate Lan Yu. Lan Yu, however, had failed to grasp the situation and was still clamoring for the police to arrest her as well.

Fang Shaoping saw that a Sky Dipper practitioner had raised his hand and appeared rather impatient, so he gave him the opportunity to ask a question.

“That is indeed the case. But Xiyi has arrived, and His Majesty lost some face in the Great Celebration. Now he wants to win it back—and show them that Great Zhou is not to be trifled with, does he not?” She was clearly planning to make a show of force. To some extent, she found the situation unbearably headache-inducing. Could such a childish idea really have come from the ruler of a country?

This was also the most perilous stage. If this soul could not withstand the baptism of the heavenly tribulation, it would dissipate. With one of the three souls missing, death would be the only possible outcome.

Ye Tianhao’s admonition to Ye Fengchun was heard clearly by Yang Shuang, who stood nearby. This made her even more displeased.

Yet Elder He’s words could not be believed entirely. The two countries were separated, and he could not simply be taken at his word.

Li Zheng struggled to restrain his urge to kill as he maneuvered among several beasts that had reached the Innate realm. Suddenly, a cry rang out from the sky. The giant eagle at the Innate realm extended its razor-sharp talons and swooped toward Li Zheng.

“Don’t look at me. Senior Sister has been poisoned.” The Glazed One, who had seemed ready to fight to the death moments earlier, did not make things difficult for him. She simply offered an explanation.

At the same time, Li Zheng understood why Xia Ke, despite having entered the Innate realm so long ago, remained so immature and was constantly swayed by her emotions. It was probably because, although she had been in the realm for a long time, she had never managed to use innate energy to strengthen her mind. Her spirit therefore remained unsteady and ungrounded.

The Song army used the horizontal sabers of the Tang dynasty. Their slightly curved backs made them exceptionally suited to chopping. The seemingly beautiful but impractical sword in his hand could cut through a sword-testing block with ease—so what of the horizontal sabers wielded by the soldiers of Great Song?

Ji Cangqiong looked somewhat dejected, but his emotions were still stable. At that point, he continued speaking.

A full half an incense stick passed before the foul blood had finally been expelled from Chu Feng’s body. By then, Chu Feng knew that he reeked terribly. He immediately apologized, returned to his room, took a thorough bath, and changed into fresh clothes.

Dense fog blanketed the entire surface of the river. Even after releasing his spiritual sense, Li Zheng, now in the Innate realm, could not see very far.

He had already made up his mind. He would fight for the dignity of the man beside him—and for his own dignity as well.