Chapter 23: Shocking News, Century-Old Ginseng

The crowd gathered at the entrance of the village committee office could no longer be described as merely "many." Nearly every man, woman, and child in the village had shown up, save for those bedridden. It was truly ten times more bustling than the annual ancestral worship at New Year’s. The distribution of food by the village committee was something that had never happened since Panlong Village first became inhabited. Every household lived hand-to-mouth, and the committee itself had no surplus beyond the meager rations allocated by the township each year.

At this moment, Half-Moon Manor was engulfed in a sea of flames, burning with such tragic intensity that the fire lit up half the sky in a deep, glowing red.

"Look at you, your face is covered in tears. I suspect you two must have been through a great deal together," Qi Zhengzhe said.

"But since you’ve already boarded this sinking ship, what can we do? If you give it some time—maybe three months or half a year—my father’s heart condition might improve, and then we could part ways amicably. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" I said, feeling extremely weak.

It seemed Liu Yongli’s words were not unfounded. Li Zhongxin belonged to one faction, but the most powerful faction was indeed the clique of Guo Bentao and Yang Zinian; while they did not seek high official positions, they firmly controlled several wealthy towns and departments.

"Very well, then I shall trouble you, Sister Rong'er," Liu Peichun said to Hua Xiangrong, seeing that the man had finally decided to behave.

Zhuang Jing’s intentions were noble, but after being beaten by Ming Shu, she didn't even have the strength to stand up.

As an Emperor, he was unwilling to have any ties to the imperial palace, which left him with no choice but to be cold and distant to everyone.

Just as we were feeling so anxious, conflicted, and bewildered, the whistle blew—the match was over. Qi Zhenglifei and Jin Rui embraced and jumped for joy. The other team members also ran over to join them in the celebration.

Ming Shu rolled over to bathe, while Yan Zhan lay on the bed, silently losing his mind. What had possessed him to challenge her bottom line?

It appeared that this success was also related to them. If they could bridge these two sides of the bone, they would no longer have to worry about any complications.

Following the route from their memories, the two found the inn where they had previously stayed. If they were to stay anywhere, it would be this one, as it was the inn that best captured the past.

You Yu felt a bitter pang in her heart. Wasn't it said that the Spirit-Extinguishing Array would annihilate everything? Why was there still a ghost cultivator here?

One household belonged to Huang Xiuxiu and her two sons; the other belonged to an eccentric old woman, but she had gone to her hometown to visit relatives and hadn't lived here for nearly a year.

Mu Cinian wore a heavy expression. Had he really fallen for her? Did legendary love have such a miraculous effect? Was it true that if the porridge wasn't fed by his beloved, it wouldn't taste good?

So, it was Qiao Xibai who had told her, and she had believed him without even asking, casting herself into hell.

Factory Director Liu was keeping a close watch on production in the new district, and Ye Li was not idle either; she had many meetings to attend as the year drew to a close.

The crowd stared with intense focus, their eyes locked onto that graceful figure on the stage, unable to look away.

There was no helping it; this item had high medicinal value but was extremely rare. Things are valued for their scarcity, so naturally, it was expensive.

This was the fusion of the Demon Mantis’s and the Demon Tiger’s power. A moment later, the form of the Demon Tiger appeared behind the bell—still just the upper body, largely a phantom image—and simultaneously, a fierce, malevolent aura erupted, evil to the extreme.

Ilona told herself this, yet she didn't want to think about why she could touch that dagger, and if she could, how could the giant lizard not see her?

The night was deep, and everyone in the Count’s mansion was asleep, but Zeter crept out of his room on tiptoe, heading toward Harley’s room.

Jessica did not kill those who were cursing this time; she simply started a countdown on the display screen above.

Liu wailed aloud, Wuxin Ran watched in sorrow, Yanzhi Hechi turned his head away, unable to bear the sight, and Shiqian Jiumeng made no sound, though tears streamed down her face continuously.

There was a one-inch scar on Ji Gangbing’s gaunt cheek; when he scowled, the scar sank deep, looking like a second mouth, giving him a ferocious appearance. Hearing Magistrate Jiang’s rebuke, the murderous look on his face intensified, and he stared coldly at Jiang Anyi without saying a word.

Xu Xinpeng wanted to rip his own tongue out for speaking such obvious lies, and his expression looked agonizingly twisted. However, Qin Ming’s attention was no longer on him; his gaze was completely captured by the invitation in his hands.

Pulled upstairs by Yu Meixi, Qin Ming watched her rummage through cabinets and closets until she finally dashed into the bathroom and dumped her clothes onto the washing machine lid—including a few items with very little fabric. Qin Ming stared in stunned silence; was Yu Meixi preparing to "sacrifice herself for art"?

At this time, the Duoyan Tribe was already watching the movements of the Wala army camp. The tribal cavalry here were already fully prepared; tens of thousands of men were mounted, bows strung, ready to meet the coming battle.

Lin Sixian pursed her lips and said nothing, though her gaze never left those silver needles glinting with cold light, her eyes filled with fear.

"Fine, fine, fine. It’s only certain if we have a helper." Su Yang smiled. If a master like Dongcheng Mingyue joined in, their chances of victory would be much higher.

Lin Zhiyi cast a lazy glance at her, walked into the room he hadn’t visited in over half a month, sat in a chair, swept his gaze over the shelves, and then flicked his eyes toward someone.

If Wu Peng spoke ill of Su Yu in front of him, then this partnership would certainly not be able to continue.

Ning Bingbai had originally been standing to the side with his hands behind his back, not intending to intervene, but at this moment, he was forced to act.

Lin Xiang’er looked at Yuan Ling’s indifferent expression. Though she was worried, she understood that no matter what she said, Yuan Ling would not listen. It would be better to follow his instructions, scout the surrounding area, and leave quickly. Having realized this, she began to inspect the surroundings even more diligently.

The next morning, the horizon just began to glow with a fish-belly white. The sky gradually brightened, and a cool chill permeated the air.

"It was just winning against a green-robed disciple; there is nothing to be happy about," Qian Feng whispered.

The vengeful spirit was stunned at first, and upon realizing the truth, his heart sank into despair. It was because of this—he had thought his expressions and movements were perfectly disguised, but he had forgotten the most basic human reflex: blinking.