Volume 1, Chapter 61: Let Her Die of Illness

The two maidservants sent by Prince Jing to Xie Qiqi were both older than her. Cuiyun was talkative and fond of gossiping, while Cuizhu was reticent and steady. Both treated Xie Qiqi with kindness, but after all, they were people belonging to Prince Jing, and Xie Qiqi dared not fully trust either of them.

Zhang Ji, however, stroked his beard with a smile. The three of them chatted for a while longer before concluding the welcome banquet amidst hearty laughter, completely unable to attend to other matters, for the two of them were now guarding two separate entry and exit points.

"Since from the very beginning we chose to let nature take its course, this is simply Heaven's will. No matter what we do, the final outcome will remain the same."

In a mere half-day, the morale of Li Zicheng’s subordinates plummeted to rock bottom. Aside from a tiny fraction of Li's core loyalists, the rest surrendered one after another.

As for Wei Ruolan, when she had torn open her undershirt a moment ago, two buttons had fallen off—specifically, the top two.

"Such a wondrous thing, this is my first time hearing of it..." Looking at the mist beneath his feet, Thomson already believed it in his heart. For the sensation brought to him by the threads of misty light felt relatively relaxed and natural—familiar yet distant, acknowledged yet unblended. It was the very taste of a chance encounter.

Linking the warships together into a chained naval formation immensely increased their strength for a direct head-on clash with the enemy's waterborne forces. To draw an analogy, the towering warships of the Jingzhou navy were akin to light-armored cavalry, whereas the chained fleet formation was like heavy-armored iron cavalry linked in tandem. In a direct head-on collision between the two, the outcome could well be imagined.

Hearing this, Mufan's lips twitched as he cursed out loud. Unable to restrain himself, he landed a kick straight into the ribs of the completely unsuspecting Wei Chen, sending him tumbling into the lake.

Although Chu Jiangqiu was reluctant to hold official office, he still hoped to render some assistance to Crown Prince Zhu Hecheng and do something meaningful for the common people of the late Ming dynasty.

It turned out that just a moment ago, the very instant Yi Feihui turned around, she had drawn a handgun concealed within her sleeve.

Master Qingqian appeared to be no more than thirty years of age. Among practitioners of the Tao, those with profound cultivation often bore appearances that belied their actual years.

Before the Sanqing Cave of the Yunji Sect, Meiyang stared blankly ahead with a daze in her eyes. Standing here, she felt an invisible force summoning her, though what precisely it was, she had no way of knowing.

With these words, she stepped forward to take the meat, but Daya took a step back instead! Extending her hand to pass the meat to Wang Chenshi, she said with displeasure, "..."

She only blamed herself for acting on impulse for a moment. She and Master Uncle Lin merely shared the acquaintance of having ridden in the same carriage. When it came to the fight, he had only controlled the white mist from behind a wall. As for the one who contributed the most effort, it was Yuan Ye, and it was also he who stayed behind to cover their retreat. Such daring and resolute combat made it no wonder that he could become Master Uncle Lin's disciple.

Huang Zhiyuan's cheeks could not help but flush slightly. His large hand held hers, transmitting a warm heat that made her somewhat nervous and shy.

These words caused Xiao Qingyu's body to tremble once more. His voice carried a desolate tone as he gave a bitter smile, "Indeed, perhaps your mother-in-law and I were not even friends." Throughout his words, his gaze remained fixed on the jade pendant at Meiyang's neck.

Hearing his wife's words, Wang Sanzhuang finally recalled what had happened during the day. He had been reduced to this state entirely because Yunniang had injured him; otherwise, how could he have ended up like this?

She tended to the wounds on his back for him, but his injuries were severe, and simple treatment alone was certainly not enough.

Back then, when she asked it to forge a piece of jade and present it to Commander Qin, that arrogant little pearl had been thoroughly reluctant. Yet for the jades she brought back in exchange, the pearl would obediently convert the spiritual qi without holding back a single bit.

When they reached the final trial, Yu Ling'er told them that they could not enter and only she alone was permitted to go in.