Chapter 38: He Who Did Not Go Upstairs

"This is my freedom, and you have no right to interfere."

As Liang Youjia moved to hang up, a cold sneer came from Yu Qingzhou on the other end.

"Then you had better think carefully—without the power and status of the Liang family, can you really stand on your own two feet?"

Liang Youjia suddenly fell silent; Yu Qingzhou knew he had compromised.

...

Although Ye Shuang was celebrating Yun Jiming’s victory, he was also in awe of Yun Jiming’s ability to learn, for the very move used to defeat Qin Xiaofan was one of his own.

At his age, birth, aging, sickness, and death were simply natural occurrences. To him, gold and jewels were like dirt; having someone who understood him and kept him company was what mattered most.

After accepting two stiff drinks from Director Zou and Bai Lang to ensure everyone had a good time, she had the bill added to her tab and headed for the company, only to be intercepted halfway.

"We had an agreement—we are even now. Why should I help you again?" Han Xuening had no desire to get involved in this mess. This was a struggle between those in the upper echelons; if she meddled, she would be nothing more than a pawn, and she would meet a miserable end. She certainly did not want to be a part of it.

Old Man Hei did not answer, appearing somewhat dejected. As for what was weighing on his mind, no one knew.

Fanzi nudged Sun Hao with his shoulder, his peripheral vision constantly darting toward Tang An, who was standing aloof in the sea breeze.

Yun Jiming asked suddenly, "By the way, you came to our school undercover because terrorists were planning an attack. That incident happened so long ago, why haven't you returned to the police station yet?" Yun Jiming’s question made Zou Bangyan somewhat flustered. He couldn't let Yun Jiming know he had actually been ordered to protect him.

At the time, Ruan Qing had only offered a cold laugh, not taking it to heart. But when she saw those stolen photos of her mother smiling so radiantly, the softest part of her heart could not help but tremble.

The moment the four of them touched down, the voice of their instructor, Hu Haifeng, resonated directly in the minds of every student in Class One.

Locke slowed his breathing and carefully surveyed the surrounding environment. It was impossible to reach Silverpine Forest without alerting the bandits, so battle was inevitable.

Tang Shaoxiang was the master of the Heavenly Chaos Compass and bore a heavy burden. He had to eliminate the evil cultists and other wicked figures, but he also had to mend the fences and prevent such things from happening again. Beyond that, he had to use his knowledge of Feng Shui to save those lying in their coffins.

Han Wang said that the number of refugees in Zhending was increasing daily, so he would go to recruit troops tomorrow. If that wasn't enough, he would go to neighboring counties to recruit refugees and volunteers. For the first phase, he would recruit one thousand new soldiers for a three-month intensive training, hoping to select five hundred qualified soldiers.

Only then did Zhu Babo realize that besides lightning, it was strange fire that it feared the most.

As for why he set out on this path, it was partly because he had nothing better to do. He wanted to guide the great nation toward a direction as reasonable as possible. Of course, he couldn't devote himself entirely to it—that was impossible; he could only do what was within his power.

Naturally, while the fighting in the port sector was not as fierce as the hand-to-hand combat on the front lines, it was a life-or-death struggle nonetheless.

This left everyone utterly bewildered. It was said that just a short while ago, the two were at daggers drawn; yet seeing them today, they were as thick as thieves? His Lordship’s methods were truly brilliant! It seemed that it wouldn't be long before His Lordship took the flower maiden as his wife?

Although this type of typical populist display would be looked down upon in later ages, in this era, it was highly effective. For the Prefect and a nobleman from the capital to actually dine at a village school—once word spread, it would be a mark of glory.

Needless to say, word of his communications with the Southern Dynasty had leaked. That didn't matter much, as no one was clean in these times. However, he had expanded his ranks by over two thousand men in the last two months; recruiting troops without fighting was becoming difficult to justify.