Chapter 55: Forced by Circumstance

Tang Yu considered that judging by Ma Chiheng’s demeanor, he was indeed an upright and honorable man. She herself ought to show magnanimity, lest these battlefield-hardened soldiers look down upon her. With this thought, Tang Yu said, “Very well, I trust you. I shall wait here for you for one hour—do not let down the trust I have placed in you.”

Ma Chiheng was surprised that the emperor had truly agreed to his request. He thought to himself that everyone called the young emperor a foolish ruler, but...

Gao Minghu was taken aback, but after recalling Li Yang’s earlier skill, he chose to believe in him. At worst, if he lost, he’d have to drink—wasn’t as if he’d never been drunk before.

“Yes, the heart of power can never be pure and noble. Those who wield absolute authority inevitably harbor a dark and ruthless side. Yet, this time, I mean darkness in its literal sense,” she added.

Speak of the devil, and he appears. The mere announcement of a name at the door was enough to ruin the appetite of the three inside, disturbing their meal as much as a buzzing fly.

Voices of envy, admiration, calm, anger, jealousy, and indifference—all manner of comments could be heard.

Outside the door, Hua Xiaoyu, Lin Hao, Lu Li, along with Dongfang Yu and Xiao Ran, crowded together, ears pressed to eavesdrop.

If the opponent unleashed their secret imprint, victory would demand an even greater price. Ji Wushuang no longer held back, instantly expanding her unparalleled domain.

Cheng Long and his companions all turned to look at Li Yang. But at that sight, they were stunned, mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

Li Yang always treated enemies thus—he hadn’t taken the man’s life outright, which was already quite merciful. Of course, now was not the right moment; he didn’t want to arouse suspicion or invite unnecessary trouble, so he had restrained himself.

Upon the tree trunk, clad in Thunder Demon armor, Zi Lingtian awakened. He did not wish to waste time; upon waking, he transformed into a bolt of black lightning and vanished. Yesterday’s slaughter had satisfied him, but now he intended to suppress the Divine Wood Sect and shift the Killing God Dynasty’s focus there.

Yet Lin Yuan noticed that each time Cheng Jinbao dipped his spoon into the tofu soup, a look of indecision crossed his face. The spoon hovered over the tofu and radish, hesitating, but in the end, he always picked up a chunk of radish.

But this marshland stretched on for quite some distance. It seemed his plan was doomed to fail.

People lived as if each day were a year; twenty days of unbroken gloom, over ten days of torrential rain—life seemed impossible. All awaited the reappearance of the Azure Dragon.

Soon enough, the old steward Niu He, the private tutor Mr. Hou, and Wang Zhentai’s father Wang Yu arrived one after another at the eastern courtyard. Madam Liu happily invited them to share tea, while Wang Zhentai served at the side.

Thus, her thoughts turned to Gu Beicheng. She did not know Gu Beicheng personally; the main reason was that he was not famous on the Eastern Sea. But mention the master of deception—Purple Star Dragon—and surely none would be unfamiliar!

Xiao Boyan was indeed no ordinary ruthless man; whether in past or present lives, she and her parents were always obstacles in his eyes.

Though ordinarily, only the master of the house was required to observe mourning, all the servants in the manor silently followed suit.

Seeing Ji Fengchen behave so obediently, the family didn’t think much of it—in fact, they felt somewhat pleased. Moreover, Ji Fengchen hadn’t changed in appearance; at this moment, he seemed no older than their daughter. This sparked the idea of marrying their daughter to Ji Fengchen.

“By the way, did someone send Li Lan back to the residence?” She had slept early yesterday and had not yet inquired about Li Lan’s situation.

Cen Erniang and An San Shao were inside, faintly hearing the master’s angry roar. The two came out to take a look, and sure enough, it was him. They hurriedly shouted, “Stop!” and rushed toward the master, one before, one after.

Closing the door, the utterly empty room caused Tang Ming’s long-suppressed heart to beat violently. Suddenly, he felt weak all over, collapsing limply onto the floor. He had no idea how things had come to this point.