Chapter 54: Why Learn the Sword

Could the room be empty?
Jiang Zhuo felt a slight trace of wonder in her heart.
Unable to suppress her burgeoning curiosity, Jiang Zhuo gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Unlike the other chambers of the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion, which were filled with the sweet, heavy scent of rouge, this guest room was furnished with austere simplicity.
In the corner of the wall stood an ebony weapon rack, from which hung several swords of varying lengths. Their tassels were half-worn, suggesting they had seen some years, yet their blades were maintained to a razor-sharp edge.
A plain white porcelain vase was set near the window. Instead of seasonal blooms, it held only—
Fang Juan did not answer, merely nodding in silent agreement before tearing another strip of paper from the roll.
Hesitating for a moment, she stepped quietly inside beneath the all-pervasive moonlight. Behind her, pigeons pecking at grains of rice on the ground looked like leaping white phantoms, entirely absorbed in their greedy feeding, indifferent to her arrival. Not a single flutter disturbed the air. Indeed, compared to the person within the hall, they seemed more like the true masters of the Palace of Scenic Excellence.
"Retribution, is this what you call retribution?" Emperor Li Er muttered in a low voice.
Following Xin Wu and the Scholar, Yao Feifei walked into the VIP private room. The five delinquent youths were still blowing smoke rings and boasting, while their girlfriends looked on with eager curiosity, occasionally bursting into shrill giggles.
"Why should Brother Zhou take it to heart?" In truth, from beginning to end, this was merely a play arranged by Fifth Brother. As for his motive, Fifth Brother simply wished to test Zhou Xiao. What the outcome of that test might be, only Fifth Brother knew.
"What I spoke is the bare truth!" Zheng Gang retorted tit for tat, clearly showing no intention of backing down.
However, the name marked in the name column beside the photograph was not Shen Xiao, but Wei Wei.
"Night, Ye Wujue, is Qianxun truly your princess consort?" Meng Bing's eyes widened a fraction, still finding it hard to believe. She had never once heard any news of Ye Wujue marrying!
At that very pinch, Yun Yi suddenly shuddered all over. In that instant, Yun Yi could feel that the demon figurine possessed a pair of icy eyes, looking at them from afar with a half-smile that exuded a piercing chill.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. Taking advantage of the moment Zhang Xin was laughing, I made my move. Cursing aloud, I drove a fist straight into Zhang Xin's stomach, then swiftly raised my leg, grabbed the back of Zhang Xin's head, and drove it down with a knee strike.
Treading upon Biyue's back and using her for leverage, she placed her right right foot on the stone, stretched out two paces, reached upward with her hand, and immediately grasped the top of the wall, climbing over with great ease and exceptionally agile movements.
He sighed and suddenly waved his hand. Numerous golden beans fell to the ground, instantly transforming into rows upon rows of silver-armored soldiers.
"What?" Lü Minghui's heart trembled. If this were truly the case, it would be utterly terrifying. Since he was still within her own home, did that not mean everything she did was under his surveillance? Lü Minghui stared wide-eyed at Li Suqiu; everything was unfolding precisely as Li Suqiu had predicted.
"I am merely speaking the truth. I was genuinely woken up by hunger," Li Xiaoxiao declared righteously. As if to validate her words, her stomach chose that exact, opportune moment to let out a loud rumble.
Wu You had figured it out now; this White Wolf had barely been here half a day before stirring up all the restless ambitions among the corpse-demons.
Three days later at dawn, Gu Yunxi finished a simple meal and was led out of the dungeon by the embroidered-uniform guards of the Western Depot. With the heavy clanking of hand and foot shackles slowing her steps, she was hoisted onto a cart and hauled toward the execution grounds at Sheep Fang Mouth.
Liu Tianyi shouted coldly, his expression gradually darkening. As a quasi-inheritor who had yet to master the technique of the thirteenth form, he could not tolerate such a young, ignorant bumpkin already resorting to fraud and deception.
Humming a tune, Ye Mengmeng skipped to the front courtyard. Seeing the red-ribboned girl thwarted felt utterly exhilarating to her. For the very first time, she felt that fellow Ye Li was not entirely useless; at the very least, he had inadvertently helped her put Red Silk in her place.