Su Liu halted, startled. Though the figure moved swiftly, he recognized him—wasn’t that the odd fellow A'Xuan, the one Madam had saved?
Though the man was a bit strange, his strength was no less than Su Liu’s, and his character not too poor. Seeing his frantic urgency, it seemed this peculiar Thunder Lady had been brought back by him.
Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
Murong Yun’s eyes widened, filled with unwillingness. Yet all she saw was the futilely churning clouds, every flash of lightning converging to one point, as if to forge the strongest heavenly thunder.
She could hear it—the consciousness above, gloating, as if saying: Look, at last it has seized the chance.
At last, they could completely erase her—the anomaly that had slipped free of the world’s plot.
“Since you are already here, why shout so loudly? Don’t frighten Sister Zhu’er—especially with the Crown Prince present." Wen Yansheng muttered discontentedly.
"Third Brother, how can you say that! Sister won’t mind, will she? Third Brother has always been straightforward since childhood."
Wen Mingzhu sat beside the Crown Prince in the upper seat; her voice was pleasant, crisp yet tinged with charm.
Today Xiao Jin did not want to ride a horse; he wanted to sit in the carriage with the little girl, Leng Yan drove the carriage, and Jin Que sat with him at the front.
All along the way only Xiao Jin’s cheerful voice was heard; Wen Qingwan chimed in now and then, making him sound even more delighted.
Wen Qingwan looked at the man grinning like a fool, while inwardly wondering whether Wen Mingzhu would return home today.
Night falls, and beneath the shroud of darkness the whole Northern City glitters with lights.
This city, belonging to the northern fortress of Country G, shines with dazzling lights at night, beguiling the heart.
The whole Northern City is boundless in beauty, especially after nightfall when its snowy world stands unique—an exquisite sight.
The two who entered hand in hand drew the gaze of everyone in the courtyard.
Hongyun followed the two inside, edged closer to Yuan Cang, and stood by his side.
On the way, the Master took time to let Miss Wen Li bathe and change clothes; wherever these two went, their looks drew every eye.
Zeng Xiaoyan, being straightforward by nature, couldn’t stand this. While checking whether a batch of Lantern fruit seeds was clean, she raised her head and sneered: "Even if we wanted to harm, we couldn’t. These Lantern fruits are ours once we’ve bought them, nothing to do with anyone else, so you don’t need to meddle."
The villagers glanced at each other, silently curling their lips—wasn’t that exactly the truth? They only needed to sell the lantern fruits; the Xu family was happy to buy, everyone was happy to sell, money in one hand and goods in the other, and that was the end of it.
It’s just that simple a truth.
Xu Zhichun laughed and said: "We’ve already discussed it, so please, Uncle Lizheng, go and tell them."
“Good good!”
Xu Zhichun, smiling again, brought up the matter of buying land.
Liang Lizheng was startled, gave her a look, and said: "Have you thought it through? If you have, then buy. Wasteland costs two taels of silver per mu. Within a year it must be reclaimed, or else it will be taken back. Starting next year, tax must be paid—twenty coins per mu, or ten pounds of dried soybeans."
Physician Ye was absorbed in studying the formula and did not notice Yan Ruoxi’s expression.
Yan Ruoxi’s face shifted from pale to flushed, her fists clenched tight, revealing a look of jealous hatred.
After half a day, Physician Ye finally figured out the formula for the wound medicine. He nodded approvingly: “What a marvelous remedy—when Seven‑Day Grass and Polygonum are used together, they can swiftly stop bleeding…”
Chu Yunli tacitly accepted Physician Ye and Yan Ruoxi’s company, and the group continued toward He Province.
Chu Yunli’s coldness made Yan Ruoxi feel wronged, but she quickly adjusted her state of mind. The road was long, and there would surely be chances to draw closer to Brother Chu.
Her looks were no less than Jiang Ning’s, her medical skill outstanding, and as the daughter of a noble family, she surpassed Jiang Ning in every way.
The other, with strength alone, held off the fifty thousand enemies pursuing him, and even chose to follow him back to defend Liaozhou.
Alas for Hua Yan—his whole life spent in war, all his cultivation carved from battle, yet he barely reached the eighth rank.
And this youth, not yet of age, already possessed eighth‑rank cultivation—an exceptionally powerful fire‑type spiritual adept. Such a genius, he was witnessing for the first time.
Murong Yun shifted her footing, moving through the air to block Gong Liu’s path.
At the same time, the vines slithered, wrapping around the two of them.
At this moment, Gong Liu was like a trapped turtle—only with Murong Yun as his roommate.
She made the Marquis household’s boys stand up; Wen Qingwan’s main aim was the unexpected surprise from the Merit Mall, while letting them eat meat at every meal was only incidental.
“The Marquis household’s status is indeed not low; Second Brother is handsome and elegant, and he’s no longer young—he should have long since married and established himself.”
“Since you haven’t yet married, you should first establish your career. If it were two years earlier, you could still get away with the excuse of ‘too young to marry.’”
Wen Qingwan saw the Marquis’s father grinning cheerfully, yet inside he is ranting fiercely.
[I may be incompetent, but I never cover it up, and I certainly don’t act like some swaggering tough guy.]
[My wife died, I was deeply grieved, yet they shoved all the blame onto me, and my father‑in‑law just patted his backside and walked away.]
When the two came up from underground, it was already late—six o’clock, and darkness had fallen here.
At the foot of the main peak, Feiran and Yuan Cang were struggling with their men to search for the two.
From beginning to end, none of them believed that an avalanche like this could do anything to their master.
Beneath the main peak of North Mountain.
The snow that fell from the mountain peak blanketed all vegetation within twenty li (around 10 kilometers) enough to press down every creature nearby.
The fallen snow reached a thickness of five meters, and avalanches like this often occurred in North Mountain.
Xu Zhichun quietly explained the reason, and Zeng Xiaoyan and the others laughed, saying: Congratulations!
Xu Zhichun said: "So today’s lunch is on me—don’t be polite with me."
The three saw this, and so they no longer stood on ceremony.
A woman who can make ice jelly, gray tofu, and gray bean noodles must be clever indeed. Shopkeeper Tang grew intrigued: “Miss Xu, why not come inside and explain in detail?”
"No need, it’s just a few words. This fish skin can be made into something delicious, surely adding a new specialty dish to the Lotus Restaurant. Not only tasty, but easier to prepare. I wonder if Shopkeeper Tang is interested?"
Is it made with this fish skin?
Chu Yunli’s band of elite soldiers were also on edge. Not long after they passed the winding mountain path, it collapsed behind them. Fortunately, the place where they stood was safe.
“Lord Chu, the mountain slope in the distance has collapsed…” An officer rushed over to report.
Chu Yunli glanced at the mountain above and the village below, then said, “Continue forward.”
In the Marquis’s residence, Ning’an Courtyard, the oil lamps were lit.
At the instant Jiang Ning heard the news, her face turned deathly pale, blood drained away, her body swayed. Though the oil lamps lit the room, her vision darkened in waves, everything blurred.
“The mountain has collapsed…”
