Chapter 53: Contract Expiration

The man's broad and commanding figure towered over her, trapping Song Yanzi within his embrace.

"We agreed that you would wait for my return, yet you sneaked away on your own. What is the meaning of this?"

His signature chilly aura enveloped her, carrying a subtle, oppressive weight.

Song Yanzi met his gaze, her tone indifferent as she spoke, "I figured President Shen was a busy man and wouldn't have the time..."

The back of his right hand was severely burned in the exposed areas, and his British scout uniform was charred pitch black.

Ye Zhixing returned to school, her spirits clearly low. Seeing this, Zhan Xiao handed her a PSP, hoping that playing a game would help her relax, but Ye Zhixing simply shook her head.

As long as she still breathed, she would keep fighting. She would never allow any monster to harm this man.

The cultivation levels of Taibai Jinxing and the others had been concealed the moment they entered the military camp. To the local garrison officer, they appeared to possess no combat capability whatsoever.

Ouyang Wu, eager to witness Wang Hao's methods, followed closely by his side, while Li Nuannian was escorted back to Yancheng under arrest.

Qi Tianshou could not help but find it amusing. With mere cultivation like theirs, did they seriously attempt to lay their hands on the thousand-year-old secret arts of the Beast-Taming Manor? Even he had hesitated for a long time before coming to the Beast-Taming Manor, only making up his mind to go after powerhouses of Taibai Jinxing's caliber appeared by his side.

Xiaoxiao sneered coldly, her eyes fixed straight ahead on Lianyun City. At this moment, Abbess Yinqiu, Chunhua, and the others had all arrived. Old Du and Jiang Baiyou dropped to their knees, gazing toward Lianyun City and Abbess Yinqiu, pleading for her mercy to save the fairy.

Although that talisman paper had been slapped onto her body, she showed no sign of pain; a bizarre smile still lingered at the corners of her lips.

"Explain yourself. Why did you slaughter the people of our Celestial Court in the Primordial Grand Dao without any provocation? If you cannot give me a valid reason, today will be the day we fight to the death," Biyou said.

The hair on Feng Lin's arms stood on end. Instantly activating Luo Yu's ability, she slipped right through his arms and landed on the ground.

"What is it? Are you trying to provoke me into finishing you off right now?" Lance looked at the screen, speaking in a bantering tone, yet his eyes betrayed a profound seriousness.

She felt as though, within the silent forest, she could hear a faint rustling sound, like something treading upon the fallen leaves on the ground.

A meaningless question. It was obvious just by thinking about it that this person had not been living well. If she could, Jiang Zhongyan would have loved to take those words back.

"This official has urgent business at the Censorate and must report for duty. I shall gather with Your Highnesses another day. Farewell." Cupping his hands in a salute once more toward the group, Fenghua prepared to retreat into the carriage and leave.

The young man beneath the covers curled up into a small ball, still sniffling softly in his sleep. The tip of his nose was slightly red, making his complexion appear even paler, and faint dark circles shadowed his eyelids.

The literal meaning of the word "divorce" was glaringly obvious, yet aside from the Grand Commandant, everyone else present remained entirely unresponsive.

Upon reaching Zhaoyang Palace, Su Jinman had the eunuchs carrying her sedan chair stop at a considerable distance. She picked up her luggage herself and walked toward the palace. Her belongings were sparse to begin with, so carrying them required little effort.

Nanny You cast a mocking glance at Lady Qi, who dared not even step close to the bed, and pointed toward the figure on the bed who could barely be felt breathing. "Lady Qi, Consort Qi has contracted a strange illness. Every physician in the Imperial Medical Service has examined her, and even the imperial doctors who exclusively serve the Emperor and our Empress have looked into it, yet all of them are helpless."

"Personally, I find this move rather brilliant," Lance continued. "When most people capture a high-value hostage, their first thought is how to 'hide' them away. Yet that kind of indefinite imprisonment ultimately yields only three possible outcomes: the hostage escapes, the hostage commits suicide, or the hostage is discovered and rescued."