Chapter Twenty-One: The Imperial Court Issues the Martial Examination Edict

After the dust settled in the martial arena, Yun Buhe suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter, unable to contain his excitement.

“Are you wearing An Zhen’s dress again?” Zhao Lansheng’s expression darkened as he saw An Zhen’s red dress draped on Luo Qianyun.

Gu Zixin saw through it but said nothing, pulling Mao Doudou along to try each one in turn—still the familiar pattern, still the same flavor as before.

The puppet soldiers lit their torches. Captain Zhou did a quick count—just one squad of puppet troops. He was deliberating whether or not to engage.

Back then, he had envisioned Heize advancing all the way, with the follow-up troops immediately keeping pace. They would soon be able to carve up parts of the so-called Eighth Route Army base areas, and at that point, all units would be commanded by headquarters.

Ling Tiandong’s eyes were sharp as knives; energy gathered in his legs in an instant. He moved like a swallow, deftly dodging the electric whip and charging toward Feng Jun.

Before Ran Jiuli could finish her words, there was a sharp slap, and her face was struck.

Su Guiwan’s eyes struggled to keep up with everything happening. Though she managed to remember it all, she knew perfectly well that if she had to actually do it herself, it would end in total chaos.

One problem was that the Xianbei were not skilled at siege warfare, but excelled in encounters and open-field battles.

From the onlookers, it was clear at a glance that Zhao Yun was connected to them, which led to close observation and, finally today, sending someone to test him.

Fifth Xing was overjoyed, using his Primordial Art to guide the energy of the Five Elements through his body, then channeling it into his Ren and Du meridians.

Fifth Xing and Cheng Zhizhi felt a jolt of dread, instantly sensing something was wrong, and rushed for Abbess Meiyin’s quarters.

Wu Erlang sat dumbly on the sofa, tugging at his own hair over and over. Each strand he pulled out, he’d hold to his lips and blow on, then, using both hands, smooth it carefully from the middle outward until perfectly straight, finally laying it neatly on the coffee table.

On the bustling street, Yan Xiuyu stood dazed for a long time, his face blank as though his soul had left his body, only a hint of confusion eventually appearing.

Liu Yan’s remarks abruptly shifted the conversation to an investigation into corruption. Li Songlin was visibly unsettled.

“This is your business. I am only acting out of respect for Lord Rost’s wishes. My apologies,” the bishop said, closing the door behind him.

Yan Qingge’s eyes lit up as she tried to decipher Lexuan’s gaze. Lexuan’s eyes now seemed vacant, giving her an even more foolish look. Yan Qingge was determined to master that very gaze—for she’d surely need it once she entered the palace.

After all that, it turned out she had only frightened herself. Zhai Lirang got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and crouched on the roadside to smoke.

The Red Sparrow approached the couch. Consort Hui’s makeup was still intact, though her hair had come loose on the pillow. Her undergarments were loosely draped, exposing a swath of skin on her chest, where a faint trail of dark red marks could be seen.

Fifth Xing was startled the moment he heard the voice—it was close, right behind him.

Even the cheapest Decay Dragon Grass cost over 1.88 million exchange points, which pained him greatly.

Several soldiers cleaning the battlefield hurried over, set Xu Shan down, then helped pull out the long spears and arrows. Someone even wiped the blood from Xu Shan’s face and hands with a towel.

However, after the game, Rashard Lewis felt pain in his knee and underwent examination. The Magic announced that due to his knee injury, Rashard Lewis would be temporarily suspended.

“No, I’m here to work,” Lan Linfeng replied, looking every bit as suspicious as the family of a suspect.