Chapter 93: True Friends

Why Huizhou cuisine?

At noon, Shen Siyuan and Ruan Hongzhuang chose a Huizhou restaurant.

“I think Huizhou cuisine should suit your taste better,” Shen Siyuan said.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you like Sichuan cuisine, so you probably prefer strong flavors—this nearby Luzhou Benbang dish is too sweet, Cantonese food too bland...”

“You’ve thought this through carefully,” Ruan Hongzhuang said, somewhat delighted.

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Though the officers harbored bitter resentment, they dared not defy Xiao Jing’s final words; they galloped furiously, tears and rage in their hearts.

The three were old comrades-in-arms, bound by life-and-death friendship. After serving eight years, Cheng Xin had to leave the military due to family obligations and return to inherit the family business; Jin Li naturally stood by him.

His sword moved off-center; his speed was like lightning—in the blink of an eye, he leapt through the air, arriving with overwhelming force.

Since most of the personal guards were held back by Du Kang, only a few managed to escape, so the guards protecting the leader were few; if they hadn’t fled, capturing them would have taken more time—now, it greatly reduced the difficulty of apprehension.

No one knew that many years later, the grown-up Xie Chenzhou returned once more to stand before this statue.

Despite Lin Huai-le's loud explanations, they had no effect; he fell silent and focused entirely on the battle before him.

Seeing the giant fist of Gao Feng move away from his face, he exhaled a heavy sigh of relief—if that punch had landed, he was certain his head would have been crushed without resistance.

The atmosphere here was nearly frozen; disciples coming and going all wore anxious expressions and moved with extreme caution.

By late October, after three months of preparation, the Jin army began its southern campaign—not to plunder, but to breach Lin’an and utterly destroy the Great Song.

Hua Xiangrong snapped: “Shangguan Yun, how dare you pretend to be weak in martial arts? If I hadn’t driven you to the brink, you’d have deceived me too. Tell me—what are you really doing in Hundred Flowers Valley?” Her sword advanced half an inch more; if it moved any further, Shangguan Yun’s throat would be severed.

The current Sect Master of Changsheng Sect had always been close to the Dao Master of Chengxian Dao; the two sects’ relations were not bad. Though Changsheng Sect had fallen on hard times, Chengxian Dao had neither helped nor struck when down—so this gift-giving visit was mandatory. The Grand Elder assigned Cui Lie and Yu Jing to lead a group of new disciples to pay their respects.

“Regardless of how it turns out, we should know soon—this ghost fox is the leader of this operation.”

The group had found nothing and fell silent. Night brought frequent demonic beast activity; after another day’s march, they prepared to rest beneath a cliff.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” To Wu Di Mo, this was merely a routine inquiry to a subordinate.

However, since Zhang Yunze had not yet turned eighteen, under the laws of both nations, he lacked full civil capacity; thus, these contracts required his guardian’s signature to take full effect. Zhang Yunze called his grandfather, explained the situation, and Zhang Chen Sheng agreed.

That means Dongfang Yun has been pregnant for ten, twenty years—even a hundred—delaying the child’s birth. If born after ten months, the child would be ordinary; if born after ten years, the child would be extraordinary; if born after twenty years, even more extraordinary.

But he failed to notice that, as he turned his back, Zhang Yunze also revealed a cold, contemptuous smile. When Jianchuan Youtai first struck Zhang Yunze’s back, Zhang Yunze likewise exerted force to counter Jianchuan Youtai’s back strike.

The Spirit God Emperor always felt that the more he tried to turn over, the more some strange force bound him—he struggled desperately, yet could never gain full freedom.