Chapter 35: Probing

Time slipped away in a silent, taut tension until the appointed day of the meeting arrived.

The banquet hall on the top floor of the Royal Opera House felt both private and oppressive. Heavy velvet curtains were drawn halfway, framing the gray, overcast sky outside. The massive crystal chandelier cast a cold, clinical light, reflecting off the exquisite silverware set upon the long table. The air was thick with a blend of expensive cigars and crisp champagne, yet far from relaxing, the atmosphere only added to the underlying weight.

As the Chairman and a business tycoon, he wondered if their marriage could finally stop the Jing family from hounding him so relentlessly, sparing him from such a difficult position.

Mu Yichen leaned back in his chair, looking bored as he turned his head toward the bamboo screen. Through the bamboo slats and the mist-like glass curtain, the figures on the other side were blurred, yet still discernible.

"He is a prince; how could I possibly be at odds with him?" the Duke replied nonchalantly.

In the dim light, Shen Lanfeng’s expression was hard to read, but Shen Mucheng knew his face must be a sight to behold.

Fortunately, neither Wei Ru nor the Marchioness of Xiangyang were the sensitive or suspicious type, so they naturally failed to notice anything amiss with Wei Han.

Li Yi had long since realized their landing coordinates were off. Upon confirming they had landed at the G8 Fortress, he was stunned. Could this truly be the work of fate?

Zhao Yibo thought Tong Yujin was overcome with joy and grinned even wider, never imagining that she would immediately start throwing punches.

Mu Yichen nodded, his hands sliding from under his overcoat to grip her firm waist, causing the coat to fall back slightly.

Zhao Yibo felt utterly uncomfortable under her laughter. Flustered and at a loss, he shoved the porcelain vase into her hands and turned to leave.

Then, before the shocked eyes of the onlookers, the disciple’s sturdy body shattered into pieces in an instant.

In a heartbeat, the snake spirit Liu Xiyao lost her ability to fight back, her body teetering under the threat of the meteor hammer.

If anything were to happen to Qi Tianshou, his Su family would have to go all out to assist him—but was it truly worth it?

From the very first bite, he finished the entire bowl of beef ramen in one go, drinking every last drop of the broth.

This was an entirely different world, one that was not only bone-chillingly cold but also saturated with the aura of a primordial age.

Sighing deeply once more, the swordsman washed up casually in his room, then opened the door with the resolve of one prepared to die.

At that moment, the blade-shaped wind cutter tore through the remaining waves and thunder, striking right before Su Xing.

With the system in his hands, the celestial powerhouses he would summon in the future would surely transcend this realm. To say nothing of the long term, Qi Tianshou had a premonition that if the mission involving the sea monsters were completed, the rewards from the system would be absolutely delightful.

Although Simon and his men had laid down a layer of broken branches beneath their white cloth, and had placed a reasonably thick cushion between the branches and the fabric, it did little to insulate them from the biting cold of the snow.

Like a sigh of the wind, it came softly, and then, a finger glowing with a faint white light slowly reached toward the back of his head.

The sedan chair swayed all the way to the Cold Palace—or what was now merely a ruin. It was a vast, snow-white world where the ashes and collapsed structures of the old palace were completely buried under the heavy snowfall.

Fan Li focused all his energy on attacking Wancheng and Luoyang, while Sima Yi stationed his own troops between the two, creating a mutually supporting defensive line. Though Fan Li commanded his forces in relentless assaults on Wancheng, he achieved nothing; his efforts could not shake the city in the slightest. Sima Yi’s defense was impeccable.

"My money! My money! It’s all mine!" Jin Lin’er’s eyes sparkled with stars. Excitedly, she thrust her entire head into the hidden compartment, grabbing a sack and stuffing it with stacks of banknotes. When Xin Ran ran over to help her gather the cash, she was shooed away, leaving her to stomp her feet in a fit of pique.