Chapter 44: The Artifact

"Did Chi Sen say he was coming?" Qiao Yanyan asked, picking up the coffee cup on the table and taking a gentle sip.

Internet celebrities like this were a dime a dozen nowadays, though very few actually managed to rise to fame. She simply had never heard of this Luo Xinshu.

Li Xun'er's words left me dumbfounded. I hadn't expected her to respond to my question at all, let alone drop such an explosive inside secret.

She was never one to take things lying down, and all of this had been triggered by He Xize. Xie Guangyao, likely having seen through something, was the reason he uttered those exact words.

Fang Mo swept his gaze across the five elite guards in black and nodded slightly. Not bad. It seemed the heritage of the Nasser family truly surpassed that of the Hamid family. That being the case, he was all the more eager to witness the inheritance of the Nasser family firsthand.

"Give this medicine to her." Ignoring Yang Yi's expression, Yan Weiming handed the medicine in his hand to Yang Yi, turned around, and left without another word.

First, to keep the destined "guardian deity" by his side for a greater sense of peace; second, to allow Zhao Hao to gain some recognition among the high-ranking officials so that any future promotions wouldn't feel too unfamiliar.

Dongfang Jie wore a calm expression and said nothing, but it was clear that he was furious, merely suppressing his anger for the time being.

He then looked at the stack of documents in his hand, couldn't help letting out a curse, and picked up his phone.

At that very instant, a ripple stirred deep within my heart, and the purple mansion inside my body quietly expanded just a fraction more.

He estimated that he would have to trek through the mountains for quite some time, and carrying too much weight would exhaust him. Yet, that single bag still contained at least twenty kilograms of various gemstones.

Complaining loudly with a look of profound regret: "This move, if I had played this move... Ah! Why am I so foolish? If I had gone here instead, you definitely would have lost." With that, he pointed a finger at the exact spot.

***

Mist locked the surroundings, an endless, boundless sea of dense fog resembling clouds and oceans, yet one could make out a few distant black dots that looked like islands amidst the misty expanse. Perhaps disturbed by the passing breeze, the sea of fog constantly surged and flowed, rolling and unspooling like clouds in a scene of ever-changing and magnificent grandeur.

"As you command!" Wei Jiao instinctively responded. When Qin Meng turned his head and vanished, the room instantly emptied. For a moment, Wei Jiao felt somewhat dazed, as if he had just awakened from a dream, everything feeling utterly bizarre.

Building a dam along the old riverbed first required clearing away the scattered boulders. These rocks could be put to use by piling them up at the estuary's mudflats—this was one of the suggestions Mo Youdong proposed after inspecting the site in person. Planting mangroves and reed beds could serve as a trial run starting from the old riverbed, and once they successfully took root, the area could be gradually expanded.

Yuan Zhenxia let out a string of seven or eight cold laughs to express the fury burning in his chest. Sanya’s hostile demeanor had completely vanished, replaced entirely by a look of profound apology as she struggled to find the right words to express her remorse. Yuan Zhenxia remained silent, merely gazing at her coldly.

Having narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Gulang Mountain, Qin Meng had simply turned the tables by faking his death from a cliff fall to deceive the world. While he had fooled everyone else, he hadn't kept it a secret from Zhao Zheng. On one hand, it was due to Zhao Zheng's pure heart; on the other, tracking down the masterminds behind the assassination and providing relief for the starving masses required an insider within the state of Qin.

Zhang Xiang couldn't be bothered to entertain him. Maintaining his usual deadpan expression, he merely gave the boss a nod. Furious, Ye Feng lunged at Zhang Xiang, straddling him and wrapping his arms and legs around him like an octopus.

Lu Dafu smiled ingratiatingly without daring to utter a single sound, his heartbeat pounding so loudly he could hear the thuds in his ears.

After a moment, the clerk returned bearing an exquisite box. Upon opening it to reveal a complete jewelry set, its brilliance instantly dazzled everyone present.

However, these guards had also heard rumors that the "Great Deity" was immensely powerful. Seeing Yang Hu intervene, they naturally backed down.

Hearing this, Liu Suyiyi blushed so deeply she nearly buried her head in her chest. She had practiced this exact expression countless times.

Bai Mo puckered her lips and leaned in close toward Feng Xinglang, only to be brusquely pushed away by a disgusted shove of his hand.

Everything appeared so bizarre that even Baron Mordo, destined to become a future villain, could not help but gasp inwardly. From beginning to end, he had intended to replace the Sorcerer Supreme, and just moments earlier, he had been on the verge of exposing Ancient One for absorbing dark energy. Yet at this exact moment, words failed him completely.

***

Ever since encountering Ancestor Fei Yun that day, Fei Jingyue had attained sudden enlightenment regarding all things. Her mind was no longer blocked; perhaps because she had finally resolved every lingering detail, she found herself yearning deeply for that divine, astonishingly handsome man over the past few days, yet he had vanished without a trace ever since his departure.

At that moment, inside the bedroom, Shen Xueling was clad in a thin nightgown, sitting quietly on the bed in deep contemplation—or rather, caught in a struggle of hesitation and inner conflict.

"Madam, it will only take a moment of your time. The eldest young master wishes to speak with you regarding matters concerning you and the second young master." Aunt An came dangerously close to spelling the whole thing out.

Lady Zhang was so infuriated that her chronic illness flared up, and she had to be supported as she walked back. Fei Moyang also headed to the City Defense Headquarters; having been demoted by the emperor, he needed to complete the handover formalities. No matter how reluctant he was, the imperial decree could not be defied.

His palm transformed into dark flames, shaping into a massive hand that charged toward Jiang Yi’s fist projections.

Suddenly, the pairing of Xiao and Chu won over a greater majority of the audience and fans. As it turned out, the supporters from the three previously opposing factions now occupied the vast majority of the fanbase.

Looking back at the actors who had appeared earlier, none were forced to jump from buildings, nor did any suffer accidental falls. Not a single one had genuinely chosen to leap willingly for the sake of future suspense.

State affairs were temporarily handed over to the eldest prince, Prince Zhao, to manage on the emperor's behalf. Frail and aged, the emperor retreated deep into the palace to recuperate alongside the noble consort.

"I am a soldier; you don't need to teach me about that." Meng Tiefu flashed a cheeky grin at Chang Lin, acting as though he had just won a brilliant military victory.

The host was already calling names. Thanks to the renown of director Li Shuangmu, he was the first to take the stage.