Chapter 34: The Crown Prince Who Neglects His Duties

That night, two kerosene lamps shaped like wine flasks burned brightly until dawn. Little Deng did not leave once throughout the night, keeping a constant watch over the lamps. Whenever the wicks were about to go out, he would use a fork to draw them out a little more. He admired Zhao Su immensely; never had he imagined that something so useless and polluting, floating upon the water’s surface, could become such a marvel in the hands of His Highness the Crown Prince.

...

In my dream, I felt a hand unfasten my waistband, pull down the zipper, and through my undergarments, that hand caressed me. Something else was brushing against my legs.

"Not stupid," Leng Ao stopped circling, gazing at her intently as if to carve her image into memory.

"The difference in strength between us is simply too great. This Elephant Rhino Beast doesn’t even see me as a threat!" A thought flashed through Ye Tian’s mind. Facing off with such a beast would bring him no good end. With some distance still between them, Ye Tian turned and began to run.

A long, tightly woven barbed wire fence encircled the entire outer city. The gleaming steel spikes caught the sunlight, flashing as they formed an impassable barrier between humankind and the undead. Rows of sandbags were stacked into waist-high barricades along the streets, with only a few wide passages at the entrances and exits.

The Dukes of Rongchang and Xinchang were overjoyed, and without waiting for the Duke of Wuying to object again, both immediately knelt and showered Ji Shen with unending praise for his wisdom. The Duke of Wuying could only sigh inwardly, and in silence, bowed his head with the others.

After examining Jiyang’s injuries, the Hermit of Heavenly Command left behind several healing and energy-restoring elixirs before departing, leaving only Fengyu, Maku, and Liu Ruosu in Jiyang’s room.

At this point, Fifth Brother paused, leaving me puzzled as to why, upon mentioning Lulu, he suddenly launched into such a long-winded explanation.

All five kinds of essence energy were rare treasures in the world. For one to even witness a supreme essence in a lifetime was extraordinary, let alone refine it into one’s own body, or absorb all five! Yet soul power was, astonishingly, the key to absorbing all five supreme essences.

What Ye Tian cultivated was baleful energy, not battle energy. It was only natural that Chen Feng could not sense it; if he could discern Ye Tian’s true strength, that would indeed be a marvel.

“Daddy, you—you’re amazing!” Farus, who had watched her father’s heroic display, cried out excitedly, but her strength was nearly gone, and her once-ecstatic body almost slipped down again.

“If one truly reached the rank of a novice Spirit-level Enchanter, even Bai Xiaotian would not dare cross him lightly!” A grave look appeared on Yun Buhui’s face.

The bugle sounded. Thousands of arrows whistled into the cavalry formation. Hundreds of riders were struck down, falling from their mounts, but this did little to halt the New Army’s charge. Still, thousands broke through the Dazhong Army’s arrow barrage and clashed with the spearmen.

“I think you’ve watched too many dramas. You’re hopelessly addicted,” Ruiya couldn’t take it anymore and rolled her eyes.

“Mom, come eat breakfast. Let him play dead—so he took a few hits, does he need to lie there all night? I still have to go to the station to check on Guang later—Gao, come with me.” Chen Yue’e’s face was drawn and weary, the freckles on her face more pronounced, the bloodshot in her eyes almost frightening.

Placing his hand gently on the metallic sheen of the sea clam’s shell, Wu Ming slowly drifted into meditation. Seeing this, Huahua and Guagua quieted down, shaking their heads as they curiously watched, as if wondering what Wu Ming was doing.

On another rainy evening, after finishing her state affairs, Xi Chen strolled to the gates of the Palace of Chen. She hesitated at the threshold, but this time, instead of leaving, she stepped inside.

In the eleventh month of the first winter of the Di Emperor’s reign, after holding out for seven months, Yunzhong County finally surrendered. Soon after, when the Xiongnu cavalry entered the city gates, Chief Historian Ran Hui leapt from the city wall, sacrificing himself for his country.