Chapter 1: The Sea Becomes Farmland, Development of the Maritime Regions

After putting away the Creation Jade Tablet, Zheng Fa asked the two Elders:

“Master, do you believe the Demon Ancestor’s words?”

He did not know Yan Sect Master’s thoughts, so he naturally held back three-tenths of his trust.

Yuan Laotou and Zhang Shijie exchanged a glance, fell silent, and did not know how to decide.

Zhang Shijie drew forth the Immortal Pen and painted the Primordial Eight Trigrams; after three breaths, she nodded: “If we calculate only Yan Sect Master, the credibility of this statement exceeds seventy percent.”

That’s right!

“Officer, you’re staring at me like that—I can’t go!” A refugee’s voice suddenly came from the latrine. Both soldiers halted, for two figures emerged from the latrine; though their faces were unclear, their military uniforms were plainly visible.

Ye Xi walked to the table, selected a longbow; its stave was forged from dark iron and coated in gold leaf, its string made of premium rhinoceros tendon—a top-tier bow.

Upon hearing this, he utterly disbelieved it: “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I would never betray my master!” He cried out in shock.

Guangxu’s face turned pale; such a major matter had escaped his notice—no need to guess, it was surely that cheap “father” who had done it.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival a month later, Su Miaojing went early to the Yue Prince’s mansion; after a month of her treatment, he had fully recovered, and today she came merely for a follow-up check.

Lai Meiren had been kneeling outside the hall all along; she thought it was her fault and feared the Emperor would punish her—images of beheading, confiscation, and banishment to the Cold Palace flooded her mind, making her tremble violently, so much so that she could not steady her handkerchief as she wiped her tears.

Some people’s bearing is like snow on a mountain peak: once melted, it becomes the purest water on earth, flowing along its destined course—you may gaze at it in awe and envy, stretch out your hand, yet it slips through your fingers like sand.

Watching the changes around her, and occasionally hearing Wang Chen mention Dugima Saezi, her eyes filled with shock; she unconsciously drew closer to Wang Chen, who gently pulled her into his arms.

Yang Xu summoned Zhao He, whispered a few instructions, still uneasy, repeated them several times; Zhao He memorized the entire procedure and hurried back to Zhaojiadian with five family members.

“General, the river ahead is polluted with corpses—its stench is unbearable, unfit to drink!” An Bang bowed respectfully.

Yet strangely, the Emperor, known for his filial piety toward his mother, never raised this proposal; instead, he issued an edict to bury the Empress Dowager’s remains in the pagoda grove of Jishi Temple.

Ji Wang had unwittingly made Leng Yiqing a powerful enemy; with his current strength, he could hardly withstand him, and would inevitably grow even more reliant on Zheng Yong. Thus, Zheng Yong would have the chance to set a trap, gradually forcing Ji Wang into a dire situation until he was cornered to death.

“Don’t worry—I’m only going to collect a debt, not to fight.” Lin Huan offered a few words of reassurance; then the three sat in the parlor chatting for a while before returning to their rooms to rest.

Before the flight attendant finished speaking, the plane jolted—the once-bullying Fatty’s nose slammed into the door panel. He cried out in pain.

As it stands, the Song family has essentially fallen into Fang Chen’s hands; previously, the Song family absorbed the Liang family, so now everything belonging to the Liang family is also under Fang Chen’s control.

“Rest assured, Sixth Brother—I shall have the Crown Prince oversee this personally!” Yang Mingkun turned his gaze to the Crown Prince and assured Yang Yue.

The captain of the Tianfeng Squad is a young man with an unusually mature face, wearing black-rimmed glasses; his name is Zhang Zhiqian.

After releasing his aura, Zhang Tiancheng stood motionless as a pine tree, fixing his gaze on Lin Huan and Shen Jiayi—silent, still, coldly watching the two.

Yet whether this method will work depends on Heaven’s will; if it does, I am confident I can secure the top rank.