Chapter 1: Winning Hearts

"No." Lin Zhaoyan’s response was extremely flat, bordering on indifferent.

Zhou Jingxuan lowered his head, a secret smile tugging at the corners of his lips in the angle hidden from her view.

"But he is a decent man," Zhou Jingxuan said, counting off on his fingers. "He is handsome, considerate, and gentle. Even when drugged with an aphrodisiac, he did not offend you, nor did he collude with the imperial concubine..."

Lin Zhaoyan stopped in her tracks, staring at him with a look that was neither quite a smile nor quite a frown. "Is the heir speaking his true heart?"

She tugged her waistband upward with all her might, while Leng Xiao, in his drunken state, pulled it downward with equal fervor. As two experts engaged in a contest of strength, it was not Mu Jin or Leng Xiao who suffered, but rather the trousers caught in their struggle.

Cheers resounded through the heavens, shaking the very earth. Many of these scholars came from humble beginnings and understood the profound truth in Qin Yiren’s words. Without a thought for Lu Buwei’s reputation, they roared their approval.

Seeing his strike miss and Luo Bin slowly vanish before his eyes, the Medusa warrior sensed disaster. He turned just in time to barely block the full-force spear thrust. Although Luo Bin's attack was forcibly intercepted, the immense force behind it sent the warrior reeling, causing him to lose his balance.

After a long bout of laughter, the generals began to critique, chattering all at once. They praised Qin Yiren to the skies, as if he were the most humorous man in the world.

Chu Xiao’s words were stifled in her throat. The eldest mistress’s expression darkened, her mind already made up, before she looked away, resumed her usual smile, and entered the room.

The beast-goblins guarding the priest on the earthen mound grew tense, their eyes locked on the tornado, fearing it might sweep toward them. Others rushed toward the silver pegasus, hoping to drive it from the battlefield.

Ziqing sat briefly with her guests before taking her leave. She walked in the courtyard with the children, who played with the koi for a while. Finding they could not catch any, they grew tired and sat in rocking chairs, letting the maids push them. Feeling weary herself, Ziqing gave a few instructions and returned to her room to rest.

She only hoped that the leader surnamed Chen would not provoke her again, lest she be forced to take drastic measures once more.

The voice was like a lover’s whisper, drawing Chi You in against his will. He looked up sharply, and it seemed as though only the other’s narrow, upturned brows and eyes remained in his entire field of vision.

At this moment, Lin An, Lin Fu, and Zilu arrived. Lin An and Lin Fu were dragging two men who looked clearly like villains, with shifty, rat-like eyes. Lin An and his companion had dislocated the men's joints, and they were howling in agony.

With a resounding "Boom!", the burly, tattooed man slammed into a coffee table, shattering it into pieces.

To put it plainly, Li Zicheng’s claim of having two hundred thousand troops was pure bluster. His numbers relied on the masses he had coerced; these people lacked military training. One day they were commoners, the next they were bandits—they had little combat effectiveness. Li Zicheng’s elite, seasoned core troops truly numbered only about twenty thousand.

Following a series of sounds, Wei Renwu saw a hole large enough for an adult to pass through appear in the wall behind the head of the bed, on the western side.

"What, is everyone not happy to see me?" Hua Mian asked with a smile, joking as he saw the crowd staring at him in astonishment.

Watching Li Kui first widen his eyes, then cry out powerlessly, and finally collapse and die, He Xuan could not help but sneer coldly.

Therefore, I gave it several more vicious kicks, with the sole purpose of letting this creature know who was the master of its fate.

Wang Yuan suddenly became polite, even addressing Mo Chenggui as "Uncle Mo" instead of calling him by his full name.

One could only wonder what had happened in this chemical industry building; everyone inside had been turned into radiation zombies.

She seemed unbothered, walking through this place rife with demonic aura without the slightest hint of unease. Perhaps, as a demon herself, she did not react strongly to such energy.