Volume 1, Chapter 158: Driven by the Urge to Compete

Shen Zhaowu: "..."

She could not possibly refuse it in earnest.

"I'll take it." She forced a smile, unable to say a single insincere word. "Still, this is too expensive, I feel rather embarrassed."

"I bought it specifically for you."

"Sister, why don't I have Aunt Wu make another trip to the market to buy another set of pig offal so we can keep cooking them when we get back? But wait, aren't you still nursing? Eating this much spicy food can't be good for the baby, right?" Li Pan'er tentatively suggested.

"Your Highness, my divination might not be entirely reliable, but you really shouldn't get close to those Qi cultivators. While they may not bring earthquakes or tsunamis, they treat mortal lives like blades of grass and kill on a whim. If one of those erratic and vicious types shows up, it will be even more perilous," the priest chimed in.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know the specific details either. However, I have heard tales of the Wang family from the past. Back then, they were quite a prominent clan. But regarding the matters up above..." Matchmaker Liang gestured mysteriously toward the sky, and seeing that Qian Mimi seemed to understand, she continued.

No, wait! On the glabella of that ghost, there was actually a trace of red—it was Li Bufan's blood! He had pricked his own finger before making a move. Although I didn't know when Li Bufan had learned to channel his own blood, it certainly seemed to have worked.

"Their ultimate goal is precisely this. The Second Circle was merely an excuse, and you are just a pretense used by the headquarters to strip away the power in my hands. But it doesn't matter; if they want it, I'll just give it to them," Ling let out a long sigh.

"This... truth be told, those guards of ours were all raised and trained by the family. Such a compensation fund is a bit too high..." Meng Jida said weakly, his posture entirely resembling a grandson acting spoiled before his grandfather.

"You are overthinking it. According to reports from our scouts on the front lines, all three great demon kings of the Eastern Demon Army are garrisoned in Yanzhou. They have only dispatched demon commanders to take the three prefectures first to probe the Cangzhou forces," General Zheng said.

Scanning his entire body, he found that he was still in good shape and retained his human form, yet he could sense massive changes within himself. His strength had multiplied at least severalfold, and his defensive capabilities had increased by an unknown margin. What on earth was going on here?

Yet Guo Ziyi managed to achieve it. He had numerous opportunities to mobilize troops and countless chances to seize military glory, but from beginning to end, he remained steadfastly immobile, guarding the final defense line of the Yellow River to prevent any unforeseen disasters.

Watching the situation of the five of them, Shang Hao thought to himself that he had perhaps instilled a bit too much faith energy into them. These five could be considered completely brainwashed by him now.

If errors in rewards and punishments are unavoidable, then it is better to lavishly reward the wicked than to wrongfully punish the good... Because losing a good person causes far greater harm than benefiting a scoundrel. If a country lacks an environment where good people can survive, that nation is finished.

Opening her eyes once more, she beheld a brand-new beauty in the mirror.

Before the United States could take any action, however, a chorus of exclamations suddenly erupted from the soldiers across the deck.

Feng Liancheng's thoughts were in the right place. Xiao Suxun assumed he was shedding tears of emotion over her pregnancy, so she let her own tears fall as well, inwardly feeling all the more blessed and convinced she had not loved the wrong man.

Xi Yan immediately clutched her chest, her legs curling inward, yet this sight served as yet another intense stimulus for a man.

Catching the gaze directed at her by the old matriarch, Su Qianling paused slightly, walking toward the old lady as she spoke. Upon catching sight of Madam Su, she froze momentarily, her footsteps coming to an abrupt halt before she knelt down beside her.

As Luo Shi'er spoke, his eyes turned bloodshot. The Li family were honorable folk, and the Luo family were no cowards either.

Shi Yan still led his retainers to welcome Zhao Wu at the gates of Zhao City, and Zhao Wu once again signed the customary agreement to liberate his bondsmen. This time, he freed twelve thousand people, bringing the total to the point where the vast majority of bondsmen in Zhao City had been emancipated into tenant farmers. His act of freeing the slaves once again sparked waves of cheers, amidst which the troops of Zhao marched into the city one by one.

Possessing extraordinary intelligence, how could he have never doubted his own birth? Even if he was not shunned by Princess Kunshan like his eldest sister, Princess Taicheng, he had never received even a fraction of maternal love. Most importantly, not a single feature of his facial structure bore the slightest resemblance to Princess Kunshan.

When the temporal standstill ended, the water in the shower resumed its flow, and the physical discomfort caused by the prolonged lack of transformation gradually faded away.

Huang Lian had been secretly observing the movements outside the courtyard of the patriarch. Seeing the guards emerge empty-handed, a look of relieved, mischievous triumph flashed across his face, and he slipped away unnoticed.

Shangguan Ouyang gnashed his teeth in exasperation, then cast a pitiful look at Xue Nuan. "Xue Nuan, I'm begging you." His expression was the picture of utter agony.

He was the king of the entire underworld; a single stomp of his foot could make the underground world tremble.

Once the car came to a steady halt, Avril had—who knows when—already slipped off her coat, and her thermal shirt underneath had been torn open, revealing smooth, flushed skin and a purple lace-trimmed sexy bra.

"Look at your childish behavior, you even made Yaoyao laugh," Su Ling said, his tone neither warm nor cold, leaving no one around to pour tea for him.

This stay lasted for over a year. Completely out of touch with the outside world, Xiyang had no inkling that Jiang Yuanxing had stirred up such a massive storm.

"If this counts as a master, you might as well find someone actually formidable," Lu Xuan curled his lips in disdain and remarked dismissively.

Jing Lingjing did not meet with anyone else, choosing instead to pull Lao Ya straight out. Dressed in military uniform, he sat casually and leisurely across from him.

Su Ling looked around at his surroundings. He wondered how much silver had been spent just on this grand hall; it seemed the Qinglong Gang had been up to plenty of evil deeds on ordinary days.