Chapter 52: Blowing Cover * 5

This map from the official server had already been explored and developed by many players, so it was quite normal to find player relics left behind. There was never any shortage of eccentric individuals in this world; it seemed that even near the Borderlands, some players had run off to settle down, escaping the aggressive warfare of the major factions in their original servers.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Tang Chen's mind. His expression turned stern and cold, while sharp glints flashed deep within his eyes.

Zhao Xuan'er secretly rejoiced at her own cleverness for successfully cutting short Zhao Pucheng's curiosity. How was she supposed to know why there were still endless more "whys" following his questions? At this rate, until when would she have to keep answering?

He stared blankly at that delicate face that seemed as if it could be broken by a mere puff of breath, and at that snow-white, jade-like neck, feeling somewhat at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet.

Since they were all old acquaintances, there was naturally no need for polite formulas or deliberate pleasantries. Therefore, after exchanging greetings, everyone sat down on the sofa in Wang Luochen's living room and began to chat and laugh.

This movement startled Lin Rui greatly. Feeling a surge of force hit her, her body uncontrollably flew backward, slamming heavily onto the ground. As for the camera she had been cradling in her arms, it had somehow ended up in Tang Yan's possession.

"Don't think I don't know! My car malfunctioning, my phone having no signal, and those people who came to pick me up getting flat tires halfway—were all of those your doing?" Zhuang Xiywan questioned sharply.

The Emperor laughed heartily. This imperial decree was not a one-time item; it was permanent. As long as the mysterious power was not afraid of breaking the rules, it would exist indefinitely, acting essentially like a bug in the system. Upon learning of this decree's existence, Fan Ping'an had cursed it countless times—this thing was simply too difficult to deal with.

Impossible. She could not possibly be such a vicious person. But if it truly was her doing, how was he supposed to face her? After all, back then, he was the one who had wronged her first. Yet, if that were the case, everything else would finally be easily explained.

Swish, swish! Channeling nine threads of ultimate power, Tang Chen executed the Nine Palaces Flower-Plucking Hand, reaching out to grab the square battle boots of the Chimera Dragon.

Watching Lin Yu draw ever closer, Xia Liu elevated her spiritual energy once more, her footwork generating multiple overlapping afterimages as she moved.

Ye Suiyun thought to himself, "So they are troops from the Divine Strategy Army. No wonder they can't compare to the Heavenly Strategy." In truth, he had no idea which of the two was stronger, but his heart naturally harbored a bias, always feeling that the Heavenly Strategy was mighty while the Divine Strategy was weak.

Li Yunrao chimed in, "That man is called Linghushang. I heard he is some sort of 'Chasing the Sun Elder' in An Lushan's Wolf Fang Army. Hmph... the title sounds impressive enough, but I don't think he's anything special." In her mind, since even the young Tang Wuyun did not lose to him, he naturally could not be all that remarkable.

Tong Yan was just about to speak when, unexpectedly, a weathered voice rang out without the slightest warning.

The man surnamed Li stood tall in mid-air, supporting a magic stone in one palm as he could not help but throw his head back and roar with wild laughter.

With his eyes wide open, still wearing an expression of horror, despair, and disbelief, the precious life of the executive director of the Purple Sakura Auction House ebbed away from him in a split second. From his still-gaping mouth, wisps of faint, curling smoke continued to drift lazily upward.

"Gosh, you really are a mega tyro!" Looking at the incoming transfer notification text message, Gu Fangxia was so stunned her mouth refused to close.

Chen Feng was originally supposed to be carried back to his room to rest, but he suddenly shook off Dugu Huang and Lu Daoling. At this moment, he had nothing else on his mind; the only thing he wanted was to witness the birth of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Although he admired Tang Yan's martial arts, Chen Feng detested this head of the Tang Clan from the bottom of his heart, and naturally did not wish to see him become the Alliance Leader.

Under these circumstances, Ye Fan found it somewhat difficult to cope, which was only natural. Fighting against a multitude of opponents while outnumbered was already arduous, and having to divide his attention to ensure Song Meimei's safety made it entirely understandable that he felt stretched thin.

After waving goodbye, the two youths embarked on their journey toward Italy. Wang Shihan watched as Zhang Shujing's figure receded into the distance, her vision gradually blurring.

Gu Feirui was the first to walk over. "Lingze, are you feeling better?" It was no wonder he was worried; Gu Lingze's complexion back then had been truly awful.

All of this was because the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, had originally served as the Piermalwen, tending to the divine dragons and horses in heaven, which imbued him with a certain aura that caused all ordinary horses to fear him upon sight.

Song Zhiying felt completely clueless looking at these people, having no idea who any of them were in her heart. Director Guo by her side introduced them to her one by one. Song Zhiying lowered her stance to greet them politely, and just as she was planning to go prepare herself, Director Guo pulled her over and made her sit down in another spot.

Before this, she had assumed it would take many days, but she never expected it to take only a short ten days. Rarely getting the chance to leave home and get some fresh air, Jiayi had not yet seen enough of the wonderful world outside. Therefore, she dragged out the return journey as much as possible. The General Defying the West could do nothing with her and had no choice but to march a short distance and rest.

"Haven't I already transcended? Otherwise, why would I be here?" What was somewhat strange was—how was she still able to see her own body?

Perhaps hearing Gong Yi's sigh, Tian Qing walked over to her, patted her shoulder, and comforted her, "Don't worry, having something is better than nothing at all. At least we won't be returning empty-handed." Even if it was just a fragment, it was still a part of the exquisite chess pieces.

"It is already summer, and the weather is growing increasingly hot. Aren't you afraid that this factor will cause a large batch of fruit to rot on the road?" Emperor Qitai threw out the most crucial concern, pressing for an answer. In his eyes, fruit spoiled extremely easily, and if one wasn't careful, the whole enterprise would truly be like fetching water in a bamboo basket.

Such unconventional matters were things she had never imagined would happen before. Having transmigrated to the Qing Dynasty, however, she had already witnessed all sorts of bizarre occurrences anyway.

Yet he overlooked his own hopelessly soft-hearted principles. The moment Zheng Qing'er showed any sign of weakness or wept, he would immediately fall into a fluster and forget who he was.

Song Zhiying was caught up in her tangled thoughts, and just as she had finally managed to summon a shred of sleepiness, she was startled awake once more by Yin Jiaoyue's booming voice.

"Master Feng, you are too awesome! Even a method like this is something you could think of, hahaha!" Looking at the scene before him, Tang Tianyang's excited voice rang out.

This was the way great families handled affairs. Although cold and ruthless, it was the method that ensured the long-term survival of the clan.

Saxon repeated in a low voice. In the end, the figures around the round table stood up and left one by one, leaving only a sparse few still seated in their chairs.

As Ao Bai detailed the account, Yao Qianyu listened in a cold sweat, terrified that Dulgadai would leak this path to Hong Taiji; if the Eight Banners army were to break into the interior from here, the capital would be in grave danger.

The massive profits that commercial activities could generate tempted the major landowners in developed regions beyond measure. They eagerly engaged in sideline businesses, colluding with merchants to monopolize trade, or opening vast workshops and employing hundreds or thousands of workers. Many high-ranking officials of the Ming dynasty were actually of wealthy merchant origins.