Chapter 57: The Will to Charge into Battle

Crown Prince Zhao Su was the savior of tens of thousands of refugees; in their hearts, His Highness was not merely a man, but a deity. At Gao Bu’s call, the soldiers in training all halted, gazing eagerly toward the mountain path. Some even cheered with excitement.

Zhang Liao had not expected the Crown Prince to arrive at this moment. Yet the army had already been training for five days; since His Highness was here, they would let him witness their progress.

Li Ning was struck across the back by a beast and staggered forward two or three steps. Fortunately, he had borrowed the Black Cloud Robe from Tang Feng—the very robe that had withstood Zhang Yang’s sword last time. Unharmed, Li Ning stepped forward and swung his blade in a fierce, dexterous strike.

Perhaps those unworthy of love truly deserve no place in one’s memories. Life is but a fleeting few decades; she no longer had time to waste on mistakes, or on loving the wrong person.

“Have you found the bandits’ lair? Once you find the mastermind, eliminate them all,” Feiyu’s eyes gleamed with a murderous intent.

Nangong Rufeng could restrain himself no longer. He stepped forward and drew Qingwu tightly into his arms. Perhaps this would be their last embrace; he wished time would freeze at this moment, willing to trade his next life for this brief eternity.

The burly man used the excuse of compensating for the sand spirit to keep Li Ning there, intentionally offering him guidance on the rules for body cultivators. Yet Li Ning, though he agreed to stay and make amends, was moved by thoughts of a friend’s thousand years of loneliness.

Li Ning asked for a portion of every game dish, then suddenly realized he was short on gold and silver. His expression changed, and he felt awkward and troubled.

“Pei Junhao, do your words still count?” Tong Hanpeng called loudly from upstairs.

It was the weekend, and many parents took their children to various scenic spots. The children played with exuberant delight, sweating profusely even in the midst of winter.

They wandered aimlessly, conversing as they walked, and unknowingly found themselves on Lovers’ Lane. On both sides of the path, willows grew lush and verdant, and a gentle breeze caressed their bodies.

“Should we really let them spoil their children like this, Junhao?” she asked, somewhat indignant. Seeing the tenderness in Pei Junhao’s eyes tinged with firmness, she steadied her emotions and continued, “Maybe we should wait a bit before letting the children go see them again? I really worry about the way the elders are teaching the children.”

Long ago, she seemed to have felt the same emotions at that age, but in the end, they faded away without consequence.

Of her two male deskmates, she spoke more with Li Jun, but only because he was rather monk-like, shy, and sometimes left behind by other boys after class, so he didn’t make it to the playground.

Changning merely gazed steadily at Bai Yi, smiling without speaking. They had never been friends, but he owed her a life debt. He was in her debt.

When his body began to sweat, Xiong Qi washed up briefly, then dashed into the gym.

“Who says that’s a good idea? He’s so young—what if he can’t help himself?” Mother Lin glared at Father Lin in annoyance.

Changning asked with interest, “Are there candied hawthorns for sale on the street? Any acrobatics? Riddles to guess? A lantern festival? Is there a Temple of the Moon Goddess here?” Not a single word out of place.

“Boss Ba, we’d better retreat for now. Leave the gold for the moment—once we escape, we can always come back for it. They can’t get it out anyway,” one bodyguard said, grabbing the furious Guessing Ba.

But the star formation they arranged that day seemed much more complete. It was for that reason he wanted to see exactly what they could accomplish.

Jin Qing was dragged by Gu Ruixue for an entire afternoon’s lecture on managing the household after marriage—where accounts were most easily falsified, where servants were most prone to pocketing extra, how to balance reward and punishment—so much that her head spun. She only wished she could return the house to Gu Ruixue; life would be far less troublesome that way.