Chapter 175

Huazhou.

“Your Grace’s troops are mighty and valiant—only a few hundred cavalry were needed to capture Huazhou’s city, defeating the rebel general Zhang Shirong. I am in awe.”

Wei Xiaokuan walked beside Li Shuang as he inspected the granaries of Huazhou’s city government.

Su Chuo and his staff were tallying the storehouse’s supplies and compiling them into records.

Seeing Li Shuang arrive, Su Chuo bowed in greeting.

“My lord!”

“How much grain is stored?”

“The granary holds…”

“Clack!” The soldier beside Lu Yuan pulled back the bolt of his rifle, aiming it at the government troops behind the cover. “Dare you speak to our officer like that? Do you want to die?” Huang Haishan, rifle drawn, threatened fiercely.

The Earth Dragon beast spirit felt as if an invisible hand had bound it, unable to break free, tightening more and more, suffocating it.

Many could not fathom it, but Xiao Long knew clearly—it was due to the relationship between space and time.

“Kill me!” Qin Caiyun’s face was calm, her eyes devoid of any desire to live.

Yi Fei also knew that in such a prominent place, her and her brother’s reunion was indeed inappropriate.

But this excuse now, faced with Xiao Long’s questioning, seemed so weak, so hollow! When the Blood Mary clan chief had come to speak with him, he had been helpless, resorted to bluster, failed—and out of sheer desperation, he had once again used this excuse to fend off the chief.

At the innermost seat near the window sat a man of twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in a black suit, white shirt, his hair slicked back and gleaming.

From the severed parts of the Buddha Demon Emperor’s body flowed no blood—only malevolent ghostly energy seeped from the flesh, dissipating into the air.

Xiao Long also realized that his current position was not the very bottom of this divine weapon—he had no idea how much further it extended underground, perhaps even penetrating deep into Neptune’s core.

Because of his slow speed, Vitskarodo rarely lunged at opponents; he always maintained a defensive distance—enough to prevent the opponent from easily accelerating away, yet always ready to intercept.

Seeing Yang Ran reverse the situation, the leaders of the major factions in the VIP seats suddenly changed expression, their faces alight with excitement, murmuring among themselves.

Soul energy is an extremely mysterious force; it lacks the power of spiritual energy, yet for the soul, it is a supreme nourishment—but soul energy is chaotic like primordial chaos, exceedingly difficult to sense.

The moment Fatso spoke, the lights in the room abruptly went out. The next instant, a cold wind swept through the room.

So the carriage could enter after all. Yingtao sighed—wealthy households truly were wealthy; even the side gate could accommodate a carriage.

After hearing Huang Zijian’s report, Li Tianxing showed no surprise at all. He looked up and smiled warmly at his trusted right-hand man, gesturing to the empty seat beside him to indicate he should sit.

“M-M-Mu Ze-ge?” Yun Meng widened her eyes, startled and afraid, unaware that her handkerchief had fallen to the ground; the maid beside her panicked, quickly signaling the coachman, then bowed her head and stood silently by.

Tang Tianlin nodded and said: “The Tang family is one of China’s top clans. In Beijing, only families like the Lin family and the Lei family can rival the Tangs—very few aristocratic houses. Nearly half of this vast China is controlled by these great clans.”

Fang Jie now realized the arm he had bought as a bracelet was so extraordinary, but he was even more curious why Pu Cao understood this foreign artifact so deeply.

Night curfew had begun, yet lanterns glowed everywhere in the capital; inns and guesthouses blazed with light—candidates preparing for tomorrow’s examination. The imperial examination hall had been thoroughly cleaned; today, the specially appointed exam supervisors had already moved in and would reside there for the duration of the three examination sessions.