Chapter 63: A Sorrowful Father

The night was as dark as ink, and the city's clamor gradually faded into silence, leaving only the lonely footsteps of Fu Xiaotao echoing through the empty streets.

Dragging her weary body home, the moment she stepped through the door, the lively, carefree expression she'd worn while out with friends vanished instantly, replaced by a face marked with vigilance and cold indifference.

The house reeked of pungent alcohol, the dim, flickering light casting uneasy shadows. Fu Xiaotao’s father, Fu Heshe, sat slumped and unsteady.

“Xiao Feng, I thought you were strong, but under my Thunder God's Hammer, you will surely perish,” Li Potian declared, wielding the massive weapon like a deity descended from the heavens, slowly bringing it down to the ground.

“Look, look up there! What is that? Why does it look so familiar? That’s right—it’s the giant golden pillar we saw when we first came in!” Er Zhuang shouted, pointing frantically in one direction, his voice raw with urgency.

“Not at all! Brother Du is the true hero!” Ma Feihong forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, silently adding a derisive “Bah” in his mind.

The assassin never expected that the law of cause and effect had not yet been set in motion; with cause unformed and effect unborn, he had already fallen into the trap.

Qi Xiu was unaware of the tangled entanglement between the two islands. Though curious about the outcome, having already left, he merely entertained a passing thought before casting the matter from his mind.

The crown prince’s annual stipend of 4,200 shi, roughly equivalent to 400,000 coins, was a mere forty gold pieces. This paltry sum was insufficient for even festive gifts to palace servants and had to be supplemented by generous offerings from senior members of the royal family. To avoid future embarrassment where the prince might accept “gifts” from his ministers out of financial need, it was indeed necessary to provide him with additional sources of income.

Since Lin Qingqing met Su Cheng, he had been much like Ou Yuanlan—both taciturn and composed regardless of circumstance. Hearing his panicked tone over the phone now genuinely startled her.

The remaining crowd surged eagerly toward the gate. Perhaps driven by a fervent desire to enter the secret realm, no conflicts arose among them as they passed through the entrance.

Simply put, the stronger you are, the larger the crowd drawn to witness; the weaker you are, and no one bothers to watch.

That morning, after Yan Jiaojiao saw Kou Xi's closeness with Nian Xin, she referred to Kou Xi as “your man” when speaking to Nian Xin. Though initially awkward, both gradually grew accustomed to it.

Zhao Hui embraced Li Zhenguo, welcoming his eager kiss, feeling as though her entire being was submerged in his love.

Of course, drunkenness varied—light intoxication brought complaints, deep drunkenness meant falling asleep immediately, remarkably docile.

The emperor and empress were carefully preparing a grand surprise for their child; among them, none was happier than the empress herself.

In recent days, Zhao Hui had not seen Li Tengguo—no sign of him during morning exercises, nor at school in the afternoons.

“You know you are a princess, so you should understand what is proper and what is not,” Quan Mingqi rebuked sternly, his face cold. “Rushing before me, speaking of national duty, yet in the end, it was all for a man.”

“Kill her,” Zhang Fei on the second floor sneered, his contemptuous gaze looking down. Standing firm with spear raised, he had no intention of acting.

Yang Hao and Shang’s spiritual energies spread simultaneously, permeating the grand hall on the fifth floor. Yang Hao’s force filtered the entire room, yet no tremor was detected.

Yun Zijin was taken aback, her eyes complex as they fixed on Gong Wuxie, who knelt to help her put on her shoes. Her hands gripped the bedsheets tightly, her heart torn with mixed emotions.

Mo Yanxi’s “second senior sister” and “third senior sister” referred to two other grand elders of the Lingdan Sect; as for his eldest senior brother, he was the current sect leader’s master, long ago ascended to the celestial realm thousands of years past.