Chapter 40: Something So Intimate Comes at a Different Price

However, such a beautiful scene lasted only for a moment before an astonished voice rang out, shattering the tranquility.

A new appointment had been announced today. When Zhou Zhongchu heard the news, he was greatly surprised. Had he done something wrong? Why had he been reassigned from Chief Historian to County Magistrate? He was a close relative at the King of Han's side; even if he had erred, the King would have signaled him in private, perhaps excused him once or twice, but never would he be punished so lightly. Could there be a deeper meaning behind the King's decision?

As soon as Lin Xue entered the room, she saw a figure clad in a black cloak standing in the center, back turned toward her, asking a question.

Not far from me was a drifting specter without feet, moving unsteadily and at a painfully slow pace. I cast an appraisal.

“So powerful!” Xiao Yue stared at the middle-aged man ahead. He couldn't sense what level of cultivation the man possessed at all. That meant this was a master of the Saint Sovereign realm! Moreover, Xiao Yue surmised this man was exceptionally strong—his prowess likely not much inferior to old masters like Ximen Tian.

Looking at Jingjing’s flushed face, dazed by the alcohol, Chu Feng felt a surge of affection. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

He had many matters yet to settle and could not return to Liuyun Temple for now. Nor did he wish to leave the war puppet here: it was too far for Li Tianzhi to control, and the puppet’s power would drop significantly; leaving it served no purpose. Besides, his own spiritual imprint lingered inside the puppet—should it fall into Jiuying’s hands, that would be disastrous. He had to take it with him.

Chu Feng, of course, had no idea what Zhao Jing was thinking now, but he was certain she never truly wished harm upon anyone or sought to frame someone. Chu Feng trusted Zhao Jing’s character implicitly; in this, he had great confidence in his uncle An Guang.

“You used to be in Hexi, but I suppose you rarely spent time together?” Everyone nodded.

Zhou Bao, unaware of the value of paper, prepared for every contingency. He took a leopard skin, two of the finest fox pelts, slung his bow and arrows, grabbed his hunting knife, and set off toward the mountains with great excitement. Li Yu had said that to buy paper, one needed to go to a big market town. The journey would take at least two and a half hours.

In his youth, Lu Xuanji trained with his family. After the Lu clan was destroyed, he wandered for several years. Not long ago, he had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill and become a cultivator of that level.

At this moment, the police were routinely inspecting and searching the luggage of the visiting Japanese diplomatic mission.

Having said this, Ling Xiaofeng and Wen Qing turned and walked into the great hall, taking seats at the head.

In the old man’s eyes, places like these island outposts—on the fringe and beset by monster attacks year-round—were typically avoided by most cultivators.

Veronica nodded as she listened, occasionally rubbing the corner of her eye as if still caught in the resonance of the tale.

“Let’s hurry up to the top. We can talk there. Why stop halfway up the mountain?” Han Dongjun glanced at them, seeing they were about to set up camp here. If someone relaxed and fell, they’d be done for.

“You mean these letters will make Kim Famin too afraid to let the Silla nobles return to their mountain fortresses?” Monk Shen understood immediately.

“Sir! What do we do now?” The fourth-rank Goldhorn Beast asked in a panic, blood streaming from several wounds—a clear sign of its injuries.

In the end, Louis and Veronica each took a copy, while today’s main figure, Caroline, had to squeeze in beside Louis to look on. She glanced at Duchamp with some grievance. Duchamp simply spread his hands, as if to say, “What do you expect me to do about them?”

Standing at the window, Li Ru watched Liu Xie and his companions depart, a faint smile playing at his lips. This emperor’s ambition seemed even greater than he had imagined.

As the disciples of the Netherworld Sect arrived, they saw Jue Qingzi’s cultivation soaring to the late True Immortal stage. Hidden within the black mist, his face betrayed a trace of shock. The three True Immortals cursed inwardly, their hands blurring into afterimages as they cast spell after spell, forming layers of barriers before them—three feet thick in all.

Hmph. Those shameless women, cheating on their husbands behind their backs, no matter how much they suffer, must swallow the pain and dare not speak a word.

Who knew how deadly the steel spider could be? If it ran only on raw coal, Xia He had little faith in its effectiveness.

Leave this place, find the way home—perhaps thoughts of Nalan Heng and longing for this place would linger for a time, but in the end, those feelings would fade.

She believed he must know about the relationship between Ye Yun and Nalan Heng. She had been to Ye Yun’s courtyard before, and thanks to her extraordinary memory, she navigated the vast prince’s mansion, turning left and right for over ten minutes before finally arriving at Ye Yun’s Lingyun Pavilion.

“President Yun is on Blues Bar Street in X City now, isn’t he?” He curled his lips, asking with a sinister tone.

Beneath the gray, hazy sky, a lone figure in bright yellow stubbornly wielded a longsword on the empty training ground. The precision of each movement made Qin Bai feel utterly inadequate by comparison.

“Enough, he’s just a junior. You went too far—he’s frightened,” Asura waved his arm and the oppressive black light vanished from the air, leaving not a trace.

Wei Limu's first thought was that, after the fire at Jade Hibiscus Palace and his angry departure, these opportunistic servants below must have concluded he had abandoned Consort Xi and removed her green plaque of his own accord.

Thus, an elder from the Dongfang family entered the room of Dongfang Dragon City just like that.

The geomantic chart Yan An had studied appeared once more before Ying Zheng’s eyes, accompanied by a letter.

As soon as news broke that Mingfan would not be renewing the contract, countless companies rushed to seize the opportunity.

Jiang Cheng picked up the milk tea she had sipped from, took a taste, and immediately grimaced at the overwhelming sweetness.

In such circumstances, their mobility was a great advantage, but this very strength could just as easily become a weakness.

The old man looked at Yan An, eyes narrowed, withholding his answer for the moment.