Volume 1, Chapter 56: Follow-up Consultation

On the other side, Pu Zhuqing slowly lowered his phone.

He turned around, his gaze shifting toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the office.

Zhou Jincheng stood with his back to him, his tall and straight figure emanating an oppressive silence.

Outside the window lay the bustling yet cold night view of the city, with neon lights flashing and traffic flowing like a woven stream; those shifting shadows of light fell upon his dark suit.

"Lawyer Zhou,"

Pu Zhuqing's voice broke the excessive stillness of the office, carrying a trace of disapproving inquiry.

Zhu Susu had already endured enough of such cold treatment these past few days. Now, even a mere wage-earner dared to treat her this way, which left her complexion looking extremely grim the moment Ning Yunhuan entered. Boiling with inner rage, she completely forgot the warning Elder Qin had once given her—that she was strictly forbidden from provoking Ning Yunhuan ever again.

Upon seeing that the flowers had indeed grown even better than they did in the south, Prince Jing was overjoyed, showering them with consecutive praises and even personally inviting Zhang Caishu to attend the Prince's Mansion's flower-appreciation banquet next month. Seized by a childlike whim, he cheerfully insisted on acting as a witness for the "wager" between the Zhang and Zhao families.

That booklet contained pastry-making methods in one half and jewelry patterns in the other. Having copied out the pastry recipes separately, she had almost entirely forgotten the contents of the other half, and the method for making ice happened to reside within that neglected section.

To liven up the atmosphere, Hua Ningxiang had the waiter bring over two crates of beer and two bottles of red wine, instantly enlivening the mood within the private dining room.

"Block him! Even if it kills us, we have to block him!" Han Ruoxue bit her lower lip, urging her mecha forward as she continued her frantic pursuit.

Xiao Jinglin looked toward Ren Yaoxi, casting a "See? I told you so" kind of glance. Then, under the foolish girl's watery gaze, she picked it up and carried it away.

Whenever waxberries were mentioned, Helian Yue would grow furious. With the Empress uttering those words, his expression instantly stiffened.

However, that man worried that she was merely searching for her biological parents and wanted to leave him, so he refused by any means to let her out. Consequently, she could only sneak out late at night to recount her harrowing experience to them.

After the wedding ceremony concluded, there was still the endless task of receiving and seeing off various guests. These matters could not be handled by Xia Wantuan and Wang Yingli in their stead, so they still needed to attend to them personally. However, following an ancient tradition, the bride was supposed to sit inside the bridal chamber waiting for the groom, which was why Sun Xiaoqing was spared from these chores.

While he was brewing the proper mood for writing calligraphy, the sensations of Wei Yue and the others shifted once more. They only felt that the Duanmu Ci before them suddenly became lofty and distant, resembling a hermit sitting beneath deep mountain pine trees, playing the zither and watching blossoms—his demeanor transcendent and untethered from the world, utterly devoid of worldly desires.

Whether one became a quasi-god or a semi-god depended purely on one's judgment of this heavenly tribulation. Those who understood how to evade it managed to survive, while those who stood in blank bewilderment, not knowing what to do, similarly perished.

As for the territories occupied by the Crusade Alliance, having originally bowed their heads helplessly out of fear of the evil aura, upon learning that the Immortal Sound Sect had raised its banner high, most of them chose to abandon evil and return to righteousness, surrendering at the mere sight of the wind. They effortlessly broke away from the Crusade Alliance and threw themselves into the embrace of the Immortal Sound Sect.

The old beggar began to laugh hoarsely once more, struggling to climb to his feet and leaning his back against the earthen wall of the thatched hut. He shook his head drunkenly, his smile wild, manic, and hazy.

Qi Hengchuan was a man who knew how to consider the bigger picture. Since Sui Yiyi had stated that this was a cannibalistic tribe, they ought to be dealt with using the methods meant for cannibals.

The basic situation was roughly similar to what Su Yunyue had guessed: Murianzhi had exploited Ning Xinyu's trust, on one hand inciting Ning Xinyu to cheat for a thrill, and on the other hand setting a trap for Li Yan, hoping to take the opportunity to have something happen with him. Never had she imagined that Li Yan would stumble blindly into her room that day.

When the Donghu people arrived, it certainly boded no good. During the previous three acts of extortion, they had demanded war horses and an *Yuanzhi* from the Chanyu, and Modu had actually complied. Looking at the envoy's posture, all the Xiongnu officials were filled with burning rage.

The rain had stopped. The floodwaters after tonight would surely recede, bringing everyone that much closer to the road home.