Chapter 18: What a Joke

The entire palace was tense today. Everyone moved with extreme caution. Not a single person dared to speak loudly—not even a heavy breath escaped. Just an hour ago, Emperor Qianwu had shattered his most treasured jade dragon paperweight in the Council Hall. Moreover, he had lashed out at a favored consort, one who often sought his attention in the imperial kitchen during lunch.

“I’ll go fetch the family’s mount now; wait for me here,” Ding Lingdang said to Xing Ying, preparing to saddle the horse for their journey. After all, if he ignored the one-way restriction, what of the final masterpiece over there? Hand it to Meiqin? That crucial shortcoming, one of the few he had left, would be remedied. Common beasts could scent this from a kilometer away; the rhinoceros beetle, from three.

“Phew, that was a close call,” Zhao Tianlei exhaled in relief, a faint smile crossing his lips. No wonder Xiahou Xi was so familiar with this place, aware of such a refuge. The three closest ghost soldiers disintegrated instantly; the rest were cast into the sea by his strike.

“Cousin, take me with you. See, nothing thrilling ever happens when I tag along,” Xu Haotian said, disappointed after Zhao Tianlei assigned the task.

“All right, Fran understands,” Fran obediently withdrew her hands, fearing that Ye Kai might think her disobedient and send her back to the frozen land of illusions.

Lan Wei suddenly asked Ling Yu a question. She had drunk quite a bit tonight, her expression odd and flushed, her words slurred as if intoxicated.

“That was a man with a mosquito frog perched atop his head,” Peter said seriously, as though he were not joking.

At that moment, her voice was a rare outpouring of genuine feeling, for she was utterly immobilized, able only to lie quietly and speak a few words. Yet the meaning was cryptic, mentioning a measurement of 56,773 centimeters, leaving everyone baffled.

Dressed in a black suit, he calmly adjusted his tie with graceful ease, exuding the aura of a king.

Wang Tian looked up at the sky, where pairs of drummers beat their drums, demanding the repeal of the decree that barred the heroic clans from entering Xiazhou City. Banners filled the sky.

Unexpectedly, Huang Yang showed no concern. Instead, he swaggered to the head seat and laughed heartily.

The crowd shook their heads again, truly unable to understand what there was to comprehend or accomplish. Reality, however, was harsh and unyielding.

“Look at those monks!” a sharp-eyed Blood Dragon Rider suddenly shouted, his voice tinged with fear.

“Mother! Mama! I’m back!” From afar, Wei Shengjin saw the anxious pair and began running forward, calling out. Everyone turned with joyful expressions.

This time, Shen Yanjiao did not return to her old mansion but moved directly into the Shen residence. Those watching closely were puzzled and speculated that she had been... cast out. Yet no news had emerged from the palace so far.

“Yes, time flies. By the way, how is the child? The condition seems poor,” Yan Wang observed the child’s complexion, though his question was rhetorical.

Second, the strategy was to hold firm and wait, hidden here, to see if Zhang Zhidao would come and what scheme he had in mind.

As Lin Yang took out the jade pendant, Xiao Ziyan of the Xiao family, who always wore a similar pendant, suddenly saw it emit a faint glow.

Li Zhichen noticed Mei Hanxia’s rosy cheeks and delicate beauty; every smile and frown was captivating. Her deep affection was evident, stirring his heart. He leaned in to kiss her, heart aflutter, but pulled away instantly.

At this moment, Feng Lanshi was reluctant to engage with him. Though enduring the pain of the binding curse while commanding the air was not difficult, multitasking three things at once inevitably led to irritation.

Yu Nanzi asked, “What?” Gazing ahead into the forest, a profound fear suddenly took root within him, spreading relentlessly.

The remaining ten percent belonged to the sanctuaries of three deities and those nations not yet entirely extinguished.

Without hesitation, Lin Yu invested his entire fortune—eleven million—into the Dou Shark platform account.

Except for Pashirfu, no one could have persuaded them to do such things; even Zongzheng Zongzong found it increasingly baffling to discern his purpose.

He thought it better to visit the underground research facility rather than trace the monster’s movements.

Just as he eagerly tried to open the door to the private residence, it swung open—revealing Duan Fengchen, barely able to keep his eyes open from exhaustion.

“Grandmother, Xier will come down too, after your teacher finishes speaking, then let Xier join,” Xia Jinxi said obediently.

Luo Li listened silently, as if what was said made sense. Those old monks did nothing but eat, drink, and meditate—what was the point of their collapse?

Red silk draped every eave of the Eastern Palace, red lanterns adorned with the character for joy illuminated the night, festive drums and flutes echoed repeatedly, and smiles of celebration adorned every face, whether genuine or reluctant.

Most brothels in the capital were run by Huangfu Jinghua, making them easy to control.

“What are you doing, Chu Feng?” Fang Xiaotong’s head slammed against the chair behind her from the powerful impact. She quickly shielded her head with both hands, wincing in pain.

As for violence, ruthlessness would be necessary going forward; as for power, she still held a trump card she dared not use unless absolutely necessary. Compared to the construction site incident, this card was far more significant.