Chapter 20: A Triumphant Beginning

The master and servant each quickly wrote a character on a piece of paper and exchanged them. To their delight, both had written the same character: Tang. They exchanged a knowing smile. Night Long Sleep took the paper from Qin Xiao’s hand and, with a flick of his finger, reduced it to dust.

The next day, during the morning court session in the Golden Throne Hall, Qin Xiao swept his cold gaze over the assembled ministers, making every official’s heart tremble. Recently, His Majesty had been on a killing spree, sowing terror and dread in the hearts of all.

Nevertheless, Gongsun Xu’s methods had proven effective. At this moment, Fan Lihua had indeed developed some affection for him, and as for Hu Sanniang, there was no need to elaborate; she was even more taken. This was precisely Gongsun Xu’s intention—otherwise, he would not have made such grand promises to Fan Lihua and Hu Sanniang.

Just as Mu Ye was discreetly downplaying the incident, he suddenly received an urgent letter from the Sirius Guards. The message reported that a group had left Kui River City and was heading toward Tongyuan City.

Lin Musen was accompanying Zhao Wan’er at lunch when he heard a familiar voice. He turned to see a round little figure running toward him, throwing itself into his arms and nuzzling against him, as if expressing deep longing after a long separation.

Yi Mu let out a quiet sigh of relief. Mu Yu had not yet advanced to the next level of the Phantom Shadow Ultimate Slaying Sword. This eased her mind considerably; otherwise, it would have been too demoralizing.

To own dozens of coal mines was no small feat—such an accomplishment was impossible without extremely close connections to the government. Calling him a “merchant in official’s robes” would not be an exaggeration.

Perhaps because this door was inside the house and thus shielded from wind and sun, it didn’t creak or groan like the main entrance when opened; instead, it swung open smoothly.

Upon seeing Song Ke change his line of attack, Mu Ye immediately guessed his intentions. While his lower-body skills were not as refined as his hand techniques, he had the inner strength of the Purple Void Mystical Art to rely on, so he did not fear Song Ke targeting his lower half.

Liu Xu smiled as he tossed a handful of gold leaves to Yuan Tiangang, took Yun Yan’s hand, and walked outside, carrying Si Zi in his arms—looking for all the world like a couple seeking divine blessings.

Just as he was about to integrate the sword moves into his own blade techniques, he heard a sudden, urgent alarm from atop the city wall. He knew this meant the foreign army had reached the city gates, prompting the soldiers to sound the alarm.

Qin Yaying sat on the sofa, draped in a light blanket, the room’s temperature perfectly comfortable. Nian Nian sat nearby practicing her calligraphy. On such a weekend, Leng Muchen was still busy at the company.

Bayin was dead, and Zhen Nanfang was angrier than anyone. He instinctively felt that Bayin had harbored many secrets and that he was just on the verge of uncovering them—only for Bayin to die at this critical moment.

This scene left everyone momentarily stunned, and as they stood in shock, a faint cracking sound suddenly echoed through the great hall.

“Two hundred million.” After a moment’s thought, he finally voiced the figure that satisfied him. Perhaps, deep down, this was also a test for his new employer.

“You don’t know?” The masked man’s voice revealed a trace of impatience, yet he still clasped his hands behind his back, making no move to kill Chu Xiao.

“Mr. Leng, do you think it’s too little? Name your price—just say a number, and I’ll meet it.” President Wang had used all his resources to secure this meeting with Leng Muchen; he was determined to clinch the project.

“Damn bastard!” The Fiend roared in fury. In an instant, his aura erupted, unleashing a torrent of savage energy. At that moment, the curse-killing attributes that had been clinging to him vanished entirely.

She didn’t want to be tied up and manipulated; she didn’t want Leng Muchen to suffer even the slightest harm. Twisting her tied hands behind her back, she struggled frantically against the hemp rope. Blood seeped from her palms, but she felt no pain.