Chapter 144: Mountain and Wind

"Sir!"

Marco pushed the door open with a rustic air that drew looks of contempt from the surrounding generals. Gilbert, in particular, felt nothing but disgust for someone of such humble origins.

Yet, under Leo's formidable pressure, no one dared to voice any objections.

As for Marco, acting like an utter simpleton completely oblivious to the atmosphere of the meeting, he casually pulled up a chair and sat down.

Only after he had settled in did Leo finally speak.

"Gilbert, the pa..."

Startled by the sight, Chu Xiuxiu did not dare to cry out loudly. Unsure of what he intended and terrified of being molested again should she draw too close, she tiptoed down the stairs, keeping a safe distance as she trailed behind him.

Glancing at the system prompt, I decisively clicked cancel. To trigger the teleportation right now would not merely be declaring a stance; it would undoubtedly spark a war. Although I had not yet become the master of this town, it was only a matter of time. I had no desire to draw the greedy eyes of scoundrels so early, or I would never know a moment's peace.

A cold sneer on his face, Zhang Zheng used his leather whip to point at the nearby no-smoking sign and hazard warning label, then gestured toward the several large oil drums inside the adjacent room as he spoke to Director Mao.

Naturally, Nie Peixiao held no affection for the Yun residence. Xiuxiu once again began to fret over the future of the Yun household. What if this soon-to-be Empress Ye harbored a grudge against Lady Dowager Xie? Would she vent her anger on the entire Yun clan?

He cursed and muttered, preparing to settle accounts with the carriage driver, when two men appearing to be ordinary passersby arrived right on cue, helping both him and the driver up from the ground.

Generally speaking, whether it was the Nine-Headed Golden Crow or the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, even though they possessed multiple heads and tails, they rarely manifested them. The reason Golden Feather and Golden Xuan had reverted to their true primeval forms at this moment was solely to withstand the searing heat wave unleashed by the Nine-Sun Fire.

"Father, you need not worry. My eyes have already been cured by that friend of mine. Thanks to them, my vision is now a thousand times better than before," Han Xunmei said with calm composure.

Luyu belonged to the gentle and refined type, whereas the man in black before her exuded an ultra-cool aura.

"Yes..." Raising her head, Lu Xiangniang met the half-smiling gaze of Second Madam Lu, causing her to falter involuntarily. When she caught the hand gesture made by Morning Glow, she realized she had completely botched the matter.

After tidying herself up, Qin Feng stepped out of the office, grabbed a casual bite at a nearby breakfast shop, and then drove toward the Provincial Department of Finance.

Some situations cannot be fully comprehended through a casual glance; given how long they had been at it, they certainly grasped the details far better than she did.

"What are you people doing? If you don't believe me, call Baili Fengqing!" Shangguan Xichen snapped, his temper flaring slightly.

Having washed, dressed, and partaken of a light meal, Pei Xing'er summoned Ruiniang and instructed her to clear out the courtyard on the western side, then select a few clever and sharp maidservants to stand ready. These preparations were made for the people bestowed by the palace.

While she was racking her brains with no resolution in sight, her opponent knocked the nunchaku from her hand and pinned her down.

Whether it was because she had grown somewhat accustomed to the gloomy atmosphere of the graveyard mountains, on the way back she no longer felt all that frightened, chatting off and on with Chu Liufei.

With her mind cluttered and chaotic from thinking about too many things, she suddenly found herself seated in a large room before she knew it, while everyone was discussing some matter.

This fellow certainly knew how to frame someone; had she genuinely brought outsiders along in private, she would likely have been expelled from the Five Elements Academy indeed.

And now, with her child gone and the engagement broken off, the Fan family had become a laughingstock. They would never tolerate her existence as a living reminder of that humiliation.

Entering Rourou's room, she rummaged frantically through a desk full of food boxes until she finally spotted a plump, tender chicken tail. Hardening her heart, she shoved it into her mouth and chewed vigorously.

As a modern person, if nothing else, her breadth of knowledge alone easily surpassed that of the ancients by leaps and bounds.