Chapter Forty-Seven: Tying the Doll

Fatty Zuo’s condition was extremely critical; we couldn’t afford to delay any longer. Treasure hunting had its rules: never reveal oneself before the rooster crows. Truth be told, the time I had to retrieve the Jade Nasal Balm was limited to tonight and tomorrow night. If we postponed until the night after, Fatty Zuo would likely be gone for good. I told Sumeru to set out tonight.

Sumeru insisted it was too rushed; he wanted to dress his wounds first. I said, “If you’re not going to die, I’ll bring some gauze and bandages—you’ll have to make do.” Sumeru had no choice but to agree.

...

Rotwood’s eyes brimmed with absolute confidence. When he took over, his feet hadn’t shifted an inch. The Golden Handprint was only at the first level, yet he faced it with ease.

The man before her was tall and imposing, his refined figure wrapped in a black suit. She couldn’t see his features—only his deep, sharp, black eyes made her scalp tingle.

After shaking his head, Xie Qingyun didn’t glance at Su E again. He stretched out both hands and said, “Excuse me, could you move aside?” Then he separated the burly and thin scholars who were still standing there dumbfounded, walked between them, and made his way to the back of the carriage. He found the same seat he’d used more than a year ago and sat down with a swagger.

Whether she locked the door from inside or outside, the man entered with effortless ease. Clearly, as long as it was her residence, the door meant nothing to him; entering was as simple as turning a hand.

Now, connecting the events of the past two days, Fulin suspected that Wuyun Zhu’s ability to dance and sing despite her exhaustion was related to the medicine.

“Swallow, can I still trust you? You should know what I’m asking.” Jia Rong clutched the letter in his hand, his eyes blazing as he stared at Swallow, kneeling on the ground.

If not for the gravity of the matter, he wouldn’t have risked arousing the emperor’s suspicion, traveling to Guangxi under the pretext of celebrating his father’s birthday to persuade Sun Yanling.

With a single sentence, Lin Tan defined Xu Wen’s status: one of the Ten Peaks, a disciple of Transforming Dragon Peak, and a direct disciple of the peak master. His position was second only to the peak master and the grand elder—even surpassing ordinary elders.

“Lie down first!” Night Burial didn’t hesitate and lay down immediately, though his gaze was somewhat vacant.

Yet no one anticipated how severe this outbreak of smallpox would be. Months passed without relief; countless people died both inside and outside the palace. Even the Third Prince, Xuan Ye, contracted the disease. To prevent further contagion, they moved Xuan Ye outside the palace for treatment.

He’d always been independent—no matter what happened, his first thought was whether he could solve it himself, not to seek help from his elders. Only when confronted with something truly daunting, something he couldn’t handle, would he consider asking for help.

But he discovered that his internal energy wouldn’t obey him. He exerted all his strength to smooth it out, but as soon as it settled, the energy suddenly surged out of control again. Monkey was anxious, intensified his training, but the order lasted only briefly. The moment he relaxed, the energy went wild once more.

Night had fallen, and everyone had gone to sleep. Yet, as they drew closer to their destination, Li’s father woke early, sitting there eating.

“Hey, where did you find that?” Liu Yaoxi looked at the orange juice in Yun Feiyu’s hand, puzzled.

What puzzled him was that every time he practiced, his power multiplied. This caused him great pain: the stronger his power, the more toxic energy he released, and the amount he could control fell far short of the increase.

Xiao Meiniang’s eyes sparkled with desire as she sized up Chang Gexing. Chang Gexing, meanwhile, forgot about having lost his quilt—he had become a plump bundle of spring light.

Ge Song ran up to block Qin Tian’s path, and his tone had grown noticeably colder.

Later, it was unclear whether he’d gotten a taste for raiding villages or simply saw promise in the profession of banditry, but he went on to carve out his own territory and became the leader.