Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Arrival of the Second Male Lead

“Don’t use the Yuanwu Empire to scare me. Has my Great Snow Mountain ever feared water? And just so you know, my second senior brother has also arrived,” Chen Yu said with a cold, malicious smile.

No sooner had Consort Ya finished speaking than the man in the purple robe spoke again. This time, it seemed he intended to leave no room for negotiation, directly shouting out a price of one hundred and sixty million! The price stunned everyone present.

Take, for example, the Brave Cavalry Regiment established by Li Xianshe. How long has it been since the soldiers there received new weapons? How many of them are still wielding arms scavenged from dead bodies on the battlefield?

Yet the more disdainful they were toward him, the more the unscrupulous boss sought to ingratiate himself with the nobility. That’s how nobles are treated! Of course, merchants of low status receive no kindness—that’s how it should be. The black-hearted boss yearned for the noble life, shamelessly currying favor with the aristocracy, including the guide before him.

Lin Yang and the others stood anxiously in the room, puzzled as to why the Cold Valley Summit was suddenly reneging after things had seemed so smooth.

In truth, he was only polite to Liang Ruoqing because he no longer cared about her. Sometimes, such official courtesy is a form of distancing; since they were no longer connected, he saw no reason to get angry or anxious on her behalf.

A troop’s decay is gradual, often corrupted by the Manchu influence. Thus, Li Guolou disliked dealing with Manchu noble scions—they had too many bad habits, refused to listen to orders, and military discipline was hard to enforce on them. He was so tired of their boasting about their ancestors’ achievements that his ears had hardened.

Laughter came from behind—Tan Guoxi chuckled softly, and Li Guoyun and Li Guomei couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Enough!” He Jin looked at their noisy bickering and interrupted sternly.

“Where exactly is the problem?” Lin Xiao frowned slightly, closing his eyes, murmuring.

Zhou Tongtong rubbed the creature’s head and stepped back. Such a massive being would naturally have a strong territorial instinct. Its lack of attack was merely a temporary compromise due to injury, not true kindness.

Fortunately, before setting out, Qi Jiayan had bought biscuits and water. The two ate the biscuits to settle their stomachs, then lay drowsily on the straw, soon falling asleep.

Two soft clicks sounded, tinged with a hint of regret and boredom. The excitement just beginning to unfold was abruptly interrupted by the director’s call.

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There was no leisure to concern himself with such trivial matters; he was out for amusement. To have his dreams dashed was one thing, but to be used as a pawn was another.

Jiang Lian rarely saw Gong Xun display such a gentle expression, let alone humble himself so.

“I also know your wife is allergic to alcohol, but when they test for drunk driving later, she will definitely exceed the limit,” the pale, chubby man added confidently.

Prologue Island once belonged to the De La family. Although they had left it abandoned, records during the handover mentioned that some “released and bred” creatures still lived there.

He therefore decided to play along, fully pinning the blame for the drunkenness on Xiang Qing. Shao Hong came over, supporting Xiang Qing’s other arm, discreetly pinching it to simulate intoxication. Xiang Qing’s face twisted but he never cried out.

Ding Chengbei’s eyes gleamed. After years of hunting, he had never caught a ginseng spirit before.

But after witnessing Wu Shao’s bravado, the fighting spirit of these dozens of soldiers ignited once more, infecting their comrades nearby.

Yet because he was the Evil Emperor, even if he sensed the hidden malice beneath Xie Tian’s smiling face, he could not predict its true intent.

The reason he did not annihilate Futu but instead vanished from the void was not that Xiao Yi no longer wished to kill Futu, but because he needed to pursue two elder ancestors who had escaped.

The Phoenix had already arrived. Although Cao Xuanbai had withdrawn, in her urgency she still shouted that name.

Xi Die sneered, turning her eyes away, unwilling to even glance at him, though a trace of bitterness flickered across her face.

“You really want to protect her!” The old man’s face darkened terrifyingly. Whether the silver needle was so expertly placed that he felt no pain or because of that momentary distraction, he appeared unaware that Gu Qi had acted covertly, but his fury was unmistakable as he stared down the injured middle-aged cultivator.

All this was thanks to the media. Because of that headline, Wei Xiu’s name exploded nationwide overnight, exposing the nation’s worst traits in full.

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In fact, Yan Luosheng’s response was exactly what Tang Yixin anticipated. Having just reconciled, she guessed that even if she asked for the stars and moon, Yan Luosheng would find a way to bring them to her.

Manvis Pruess looked at Wei Xiu in shock. Wei Xiu’s actions were mostly predictable, but this statement seemed to defy all logic.

It was already mealtime, and Tang Yixin was getting hungry, so after paying the driver, she got out and walked onto the sidewalk.

Gu Pan refused without hesitation. She was only taking a stroll at the foot of the mountain—what danger could there be?

A Ci said nothing. Having earned merit before, the leader hadn’t questioned her much and approved her request. The position was still filled by the junior who had taken over previously, and she would resume her duties upon returning.

Zhuo Hualing hesitated, about to speak, but then saw a ray of sunset breaking through the clouds on the distant mountains. The rain had stopped at some unknown moment.

What surprised him even more was that, from beginning to end, he was a neat freak who couldn’t tolerate close contact with others, yet he felt no aversion whatsoever to any physical contact with Gu Pan.

To deal with the old fox Xu Youwei, one must not go along with him; the more you oppose him, the more you can force him out.

The boss was preparing delicacies behind the bar, with plates of sashimi and sushi displayed alongside wasabi.

Li Xiang’s parents tried to refuse a few times but couldn’t refuse such sincere hospitality, so they accepted it, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Chen Nan thought to himself, “Damn it, Poison Empress Zhuo Ruoyan’s words are finally some consolation. Otherwise, according to Li Liushui’s intentions, possessing this Kui Bull’s spirit map would make me a target of public scorn.”