Chapter 39: The Arrival of Noble Consort Li

Night had fallen deeply.

Consort Li wore a pink camisole, a slender silk ribbon circling her delicate neck. Her snow-white shoulders were bare to the night air, inviting boundless imagination. Wherever she passed, palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guards all bowed their heads, not daring to look.

“Eunuch Hai, I wish to see His Majesty.”

Before the imperial study, Consort Li...

Zhang Wuying, together with Wu Yuanheng and Daoist Yu Ji, each led their own men and slipped quietly up to Seven Stars Ridge without anyone noticing.

She had grown considerably thinner; her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were no longer proper—she was hardly more than a shadow of herself, a far cry from the woman I first loved. To be precise, it was she who first fell for me.

“Excellent. It seems my concoction of the Ten Fragrance Paralyzing Powder truly has remarkable effects,” Wu Dehou thought with secret delight upon seeing the results.

“A tremendous harvest! Let’s withdraw quickly,” Li Zhendong said, not daring to linger. He led Li Zhenxi out of the Soul-Draining Cavern.

If Ron’s strength had merely surprised him, what happened next truly unsettled him. Only then did he understand the source of confidence in this human army.

Hearing this, Du Shiyin stumbled forward, craning her slender neck to peer intently into the center of the great vortex on the water’s surface.

By virtue of a special circumstance, I was lucky enough to escape, but poor Old Dulock—my unfortunate companion—was not so lucky.

“No wonder they call you ‘Leaf Strategist’ Mei Liangdu! To read autumn in a single leaf—your reputation is well-earned. With you and Azure at my side this new season, there’s no fear we won’t sweep through the Glory Gun League!” The Lion King’s face shone with excitement, his words brimming with heroic fervor.

“My work is finished. I can clock out anytime. Tell me, what’s the matter? You even came to find me specially...” Lu Yi asked earnestly.

Thus, the rules of the Pill Workshop gradually took shape. Those who could not enter the inner courtyard to cultivate searched for like-minded companions and entered as attendants.

Jinghe frowned involuntarily—there had been a death, and the victim was a scholar with an official title. The Five Cities Constabulary was getting ever more skilled at making a mess of things. She recalled what Zheng Shuai had mentioned about Miaozhen, and wondered if someone was fanning the flames behind the scenes, exploiting the situation.

The matron, having received confirmation, returned to report to Consort De. Naturally, Tao Zhuohua heard as well, and soon after had Hezi send a message to Third Lady Zhen, asking her to stay calm at Shan Shui Pavilion.

He Ziyan secretly scoffed—Consort Xie was not paving the way for him out of kindness, but because she coveted the position of Empress Dowager and had to sacrifice Ye Zhenzhen to win his favor. Now, each took what they needed from the other. He showed none of this in his words, greeting Consort Xie with a respectful salute, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

Just as He Chuan was about to look for a job, he received a call from a hotel, asking him to come collect someone or pay the rent. He Chuan was still wondering what was going on when the caller said it was Liangzi’s idea.

“You think I want to release my spiritual power? I have no choice—once it starts, unless all the power in my body is discharged, I can’t stop it.” The light voice spoke again, tinged with helplessness. This wasn’t something she wanted, nor was it something she could prevent.

Zhou Bingran had been promoted for his merits to the rank of Major General, but this news had not yet been leaked, and the authorities would not go out of their way to publicize it. Even the Demon Ridge remained unaware.

After all, by rights, if the Illusory Feather Mirror belonged to the Wang family, then even if it appeared, it should have been in the hands of the Wang family or one of their allied sects—not in the possession of someone from a sect with no involvement in this whole affair.