29 Left-Behind Children

"Master... do you mean that I was not born to my father? Then who are my real parents?" Lu Zhen's voice trembled. Having suffered multiple blows to her spirit within a single day, she felt so haggard that she could barely stand.

Although the monks in the temple had gained the protection of Li Jing, they dared not break their original vow. They never opened the temple to outside pilgrims. Apart from chanting scriptures all day, they spent their time cultivating patches of fields and vegetable gardens in remote corners of the temple, producing just enough grain and vegetables to sustain themselves.

They had long heard that the salaries of the Supreme Court officials remained steady, and they were envious. Now that they had encountered the Chief Justice in person, how could they not scramble to cozy up to him?

Endless gale winds swept in from nowhere. The clear, cloudless sky was suddenly pressed down by dark clouds, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Amidst the crackling, white electric snakes slithered through the vast expanse of black clouds.

"What did you do?" the rat-eyed youth asked, still shaken. But before Zhao Xin could answer, the youth collapsed heavily onto the ground. Beads of sweat as large as beans rolled from his temples, his expression twisted in agony. His mouth hung open, yet he could not emit a single sound—the scene was incredibly eerie.

"This is only the outer perimeter of the Ancestral Palace," Qing Yan said softly, though she did not stop walking, heading straight into the depths of the palace. Qin Mu followed closely behind.

Wang Yuanqing had dashed past him, and he had instinctively retreated and fired. He had intended to aim for Wang Yuanqing's back, but hit his legs instead. This was something he certainly could not admit.

"You don't understand. The inherited bloodline will never cease. This wind will continue to blow, and for now, I shall be the one to carry on this will."

Clenching his fists tightly, his nails dug into his palms. The numerous wounds covering his body suddenly turned bright crimson, and blood began to seep out like a fountain.

"The spring arrives with timely rain; the first thunder stirs in the east. All hibernating creatures awaken in fear, as trees and grasses stretch and flourish." This is a poem about the Awakening of Insects written by the Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming.

Xiao Yi did not give the other party a chance to retort; he launched into a tirade the moment he opened his mouth, leaving his opponent with no opportunity to offer an explanation.

Perhaps it was because everyone had eaten too much roast meat and felt a bit greasy, or perhaps their appetites were unsettled from the constant meat consumption; as the banquet neared its end, more people began to go to Chef Feng’s side to fetch food.

Merely tailing someone is not much of a problem, but if there are other people sitting in the trailing car, the significance behind such surveillance becomes worth considering.

When Ruoyun’s zither music began, Sun Xin also moved. With a spin of her feet, her figure fluttered in the wind like a graceful butterfly.

Cheng Jia "humphed," not taking Zhou Shaojin’s words to heart, but when she looked up, she saw Old Madam Tang of the second branch casting a stern glance at her.

That is why he has been able to survive until now. Stephen is dead, but he cannot get up now.

Dismissing his Susanoo, Madara appeared eerily on a mountain not far from Ling, his crimson eyes staring unblinkingly into Ling’s strange eyes.

Li Gengxin heard Baldy Qiang praise the name so highly, and he felt even more convinced of the name "Flourishing Peony."

"Our brothers rushed to carry out the assassination, but just as they were about to strike, they were slaughtered instead. It was the Invisible Man; he was hiding in the fire escape, near the elevator entrance, and other such places. He struck suddenly with a silent pistol. Come and see," Lan Xue said in a low voice, her face pale, an aura of furious killing intent radiating from her entire body.

Chun Ying glanced at her expressionlessly, looked back at her mother and younger brother, and then followed her out of the courtyard gate.

Li Zhi glanced at Li Cong but did not respond. He had originally intended to communicate with Fang Xuanling first before recommending Luo Binwang, but with Li Cong’s interjection, combined with the pleading look in Luo Binwang’s eyes, he felt somewhat cornered.

"Stop!" Ran Yan’s deep voice rang out, and the crying, screaming, and arguing came to an abrupt halt.

After Shentu Congjian spoke, the Chu army responded in unison. At a moment of life and death, any shout is a mechanical response, and the Chu soldiers did not realize there was anything wrong with what they said. It was only after a long time that they realized, and a smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of their mouths.

No matter how well prepared they were, they still felt insecure when their superiors came to inspect, especially now that it felt like a surprise raid. Thus, the two of them were determined to find any way to make the Emperor slow down, giving them time to arrange things, or at least to ensure that the mental state they presented to the Emperor was positive and upbeat.

"Hahahaha—" Yuan Tiangang burst into loud laughter upon hearing Yongning's words, his face filled with triumph. "I knew it, master knew that if you were given the choice, you would certainly not be willing to remain in Chang'an... Brother, look..." He turned his head to look at Song Mingzi, his face full of entreaty.

Li Gang left, and Bao Wei collapsed onto the sofa. He took out his mobile phone and found Shu Yi’s number. After thinking for a moment, he did not call, because he had not yet figured out what he should say to Shu Yi.

"Master Han, the gentlemen from the Silk Guild invite you to drink at Tianxiang Tower at noon to celebrate your move into the Silk Guild." Brother Fu could not easily enter Zhou Lingling’s courtyard, and thinking this was a good thing, he passed the message to a maid in the courtyard, asking her to convey it.

In the end, Ansel was unable to stay with Jian Su for a while longer as originally planned.

Sure enough, Dorant’s quiver was empty, and the bow he held had no arrow; he had been bluffing in front of the Tigrex the entire time. The dual blades of the Ci Ao were covered in notches, and the weariness in his eyes could not be erased even under the threat of the Tigrex.

"Interesting, you two have actually joined forces." The Purple Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow, showing no signs of worry, as if all of this were a mundane affair.

"What exactly is the password?" Out of boredom, Su Zhe also tried to crack the code, but in the end, he had to seek help from the creator of the code.

Instinctively, he raised a spiritual shield, then pulled out a handful of talismans and unused magical artifacts, threw them all out, and shouted sternly.

What exactly was going on? Jiang Yuxuan followed the sound deeper into the Phantom Boat, passing through one cabin after another, until finally, he reached the place where the sound originated.

"Jiang Taichu," Jiang Yuxuan responded coldly. Chang Xinying was beautiful, certainly, but compared to Chang Xiao'e beside her, she was still lacking something. Moreover, although Jiang Yuxuan had lost his memories, his aesthetic standards had not diminished in the slightest. Closing his eyes, he could still see several graceful figures lingering in his mind.