Chapter Eighty-Four: A Stark Contrast to the Literary Direction (2/10 Seeking First-Order Support)

Why do so many people yearn for the nineteen-eighties?

Was it really because that era overflowed with passion, stability, and hope?

No.

Smuggling, taking exams in another's place, bribery, fraud...

We miss it because back then we owned almost nothing, and therefore had almost nothing to lose.

When you lived in that age, you found that everyone seemed more or less the same, and from that came the line we now use in jest: we all have a bright future ahead of us.

Though any of them could become an inner disciple of the Cloud-Loom Sect, there was still a world of difference between them. The difference between first, second, and third place was not something outsiders could truly understand. It concerned not only the rewards for this selection, but also how much importance one would receive within the sect after becoming an inner disciple.

Although six years had already passed, even before that, whenever anyone brought up a palace selection, the Emperor of Peace and Prosperity had made his refusal unmistakably clear. So to issue an edict for such a selection now, with no warning and no preparation, was truly too abrupt.

Two hours later, when Zhang Liao saw that the soldiers had rested and were brimming with energy, he finally ordered the army to set out.

Upon hearing the news, Yuan Shao stood stunned for the better part of a stick of incense, and only came to himself after the soldiers had all assembled.

She suddenly recalled Aunt Chi's habits and manner of conduct; everything about the woman suggested strict training, and beneath it all there seemed to be the faint bearing of one accustomed to power. If she truly had come from the palace, then her status could hardly have been low.

The Lady of the Marquis of Eternal Peace loved flowers, so the marquis had men search for them far and wide. The current emperor once joked that the flowers and trees planted in the Pei family's garden were probably even more numerous than those in the imperial gardens.

Along the way, palace consorts came forward one after another to pay their respects. When they curtsied before Lingxi's palanquin, fear showed in their eyes, lest they become the second Lady Yan.

Of the talents he had gained a year ago, nearly half had already slipped away, and the exodus was still growing worse.

At barely thirty, he was already a fifth-rank deputy minister in the Ministry of Revenue; in the future he might even rise to the highest rank.

Lin Yijia could not help feeling guilty at once, unable to keep up the pretense any longer. She lowered her head and bowed to her parents.

Hmm... only this morning she had learned from Professor Wang that the Jiang family had meddled from the shadows in her reassignment, and then in the afternoon she ran into Li Siwei, whom she had not seen more than a few times in three years... a coincidence?

Li Yu jolted back to his senses and stared in horror at the smiling side of Ning Ning's face, while the Japanese man opposite narrowed his eyes.

Gorfie's suggestion ended in failure, but she did not give up. Instead, she ran to her brother and asked him to speak on her behalf.

Master and servant each drifted in thought within the quiet room, yet their minds strangely arrived at the same conclusion, until a dull creak of a door broke the silence.

Because he needed talismans, Qi Hao had been somewhat distracted by Lu Chengfu's words, but when he heard the phrase "something happened," his expression changed.

Today, Lu Xinyan had been summoned into the palace for no other reason than that if she did not go soon, A Zhu would storm the Prince Zhenguo's manor herself.

Blood kept spilling from the wrist of the mourning bell, seeping into the river and carrying with it an invisible temptation of danger, spreading in all directions.

Zhi A's silence did not make Yun Ge stop. She knew this was a rare chance; she had not expected Zhi A to come out and see her, and he had been the one to raise the subject in the first place, so she continued without waiting for him to say anything.

The only question was whether, tomorrow, the two of them would both ride the elder's flying beast, or take their own. The elder did understand that now that this man had come, how could he possibly let his wife ride his flying beast? Still, he was curious what their flying beast looked like, and just how dazzling it truly was.

Then, seven or eight masked men in black suddenly sprang out of the forest and surrounded Wu En and A Zhu.

Liang Yu was not alarmed. Since he had deliberately landed, he had already anticipated that the Beast-Taming Valley people lurking in the shadows would surely have laid an ambush. His figure flashed, neatly avoiding the bloodthirsty maw lunging at him, and then he swept his long sword in a single stroke, cleaving straight into the serpent's immense body.