In just one day, the Tiqi Division had completely changed hands, completely renewed from the inside out.
The three captains of the Tiqi Division had all been replaced by Ren Tianye's men, bearing his mark and entirely different from before.
As the Commander, Chen Liang knew that the tide had turned against him.
Any further effort would be futile, so the thought of leaving sprouted in his mind.
However, before leaving, he still needed to see Pei Jingzhi. Firstly, to express his apologies; secondly, to hope Pei Jingzhi would leave with him. Right now, the gates of the capital were wide open, so there was still a chance. If they delayed, they would only end up losing their heads.
Thirdly, he wanted to ask Pei Jingzhi for advice on who he should seek refuge with.
Gu Qingyue was forming an all-female army, so it would certainly be inappropriate for him to go there. Besides, he didn't think she would succeed.
But where else could he go?
Harboring these thoughts, Chen Liang arrived early at the Pei residence the next day. Since Madam Liu was currently away, and given his close personal relationship with Pei Jingzhi, he only needed to inform the gatekeeper before walking straight in.
He strode inside.
Before he even reached Pei Jingzhi's study, he saw a woman carrying a huge travel bag, looking in a great hurry. Looking closely, it was none other than the key figure in the crucial plan he and Pei Jingzhi had previously devised.
Hongxiu!
The singing and dancing girl kept by Pei Jingzhi in his residence.
However, although she was an entertainer, Pei Jingzhi treated her exceptionally well. Her status was almost on par with the Pei family members, and she was also highly respected outside.
Because of this, Chen Liang did not dare to be disrespectful. He cupped his hands in a polite greeting, I am Chen Liang. Greetings, Lady Hongxiu.
Lady Hongxiu, are you...
Going out?
Chen Liang asked, his mind racing.
He suddenly remembered a donkey cart parked not far outside the Pei residence when he arrived. It seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and a scholar-looking man on the cart kept looking anxiously toward the manor.
His heart skipped a beat, and Chen Liang seemed to realize something.
Yes, going out!
Hongxiu just nodded casually and was about to brush past him. But Chen Liang knew that Lord Pei's blood had not yet run cold and Hongxiu was still part of his plan. Now that he had run into her, how could he easily let her go?
Wait a moment...
Chen Liang stepped sideways, stopping Hongxiu. Where are you going, Lady Hongxiu?
Just taking a stroll! Hongxiu still didn't want to talk much and replied sullenly. She casually brushed her hair back, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful side profile, but that face was filled with... utter impatience!
Is it really as simple as just taking a stroll outside?
Chen Liang's eyes turned slightly cold as he blocked her path. Why do I get the feeling that Lady Hongxiu is running away from home?
Chen Liang, mind your own business!
As an outsider, how could I manage your affairs? However, right now your business concerns Lord Pei's affairs, so I cannot let you act recklessly.
Chen Liang shifted his body, completely blocking Hongxiu's path of retreat, his tone growing even colder. Lady Hongxiu, I am afraid you want to leave the Pei residence for good, do you not?
Who gave you the order?
Your deed of bondage is still in Lord Pei's hands. Who allowed you to leave like this?
Hongxiu could barely handle the rest, but the moment the words deed of bondage were mentioned, it completely hit her sore spot. Her face instantly turned red, and she flew into a sudden rage.
It is just a piece of paper! Why should it tie me to the Pei residence? You people are too overbearing. You have been domineering for so many years, and you still want to be like this now?
Are you being reasonable at all?
Chen Liang was speechless.
Such words caught him off guard, but he never liked to get entangled with women over matters of love and affection. He simply asked coldly, It seems you are doing this behind Lord Pei's back?
Who is the person taking you away?
Is it that down-and-out scholar outside the door?
You want to leave with him, looking as shabby as he does?
Yes, I am leaving with Chancellor Han! Hongxiu answered resolutely, as if defending something precious in her heart. I am going with Chancellor Han to Yunjing, and from now on, I will never return to this sorrowful place!
The Great Yu Dynasty had two capitals and thirteen provinces. The two capitals were the current capital, Shuojing, and the southern auxiliary capital, Yunjing.
This Hongxiu wanted to run off to Yunjing?
And... had she suffered some massive grievance here in Shuojing?
Chen Liang frowned and said coldly, Here in the capital, being kept in the Pei residence, Lord Pei has treated you quite well, has he not? He has not bullied you like they do in other noble households; he practically holds you in the palm of his hand.
In the capital, Lord Pei has given you power, status, and wealth... What grievance could you possibly have suffered?
Hongxiu was already full of grievances, and hearing Chen Liang say this completely broke her composure. She instantly lost her temper and shouted, All Pei Jingzhi can give are these useless things!
What use are the power, riches, and wealth he gives me?
What I want is a soulmate!
A companion who can understand the meaning of my dance!
A companion who shares a mutual appreciation with me!
But I have none of these!
Now that I have finally found the love of my life, why will you not let me go?
Why?
Chen Liang felt as if rolling thunder had exploded above his head, and his mind buzzed. It took him a long while to comprehend Hongxiu's way of thinking, and in that instant, he suddenly felt a bit of appreciation for Ren Tianye.
The Demon Suppression Division truly needed to be established!
If it was not, how could they wipe out these freaks and monsters?!
His gaze grew increasingly sharp. Why? Because of the laws of Great Yu, and because you are a singing and dancing girl privately kept by the Pei family. Your life belongs to Lord Pei, not to you!
Furthermore...
Chen Liang looked at Hongxiu's bulging backpack and said, Even if Lord Pei released your deed of bondage and agreed to let you go, do you think you can just take the Pei family's belongings as you please?
Did you not want to find a good man who understands you?
Why not let your good man support you?
You still want to loot the Pei family's wealth? Have you eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to be this audacious?
Fine, I will not take them! Hongxiu was also stubborn. She threw the bundle she had painstakingly packed onto the ground. With a crash, everything scattered open, revealing that it was entirely filled with gold, silver, and fine jewelry.
Obviously, she had packed up all the rewards Pei Jingzhi and Madam Liu had bestowed upon her over the years.
Now, having dropped it all, she stood tall and proud. Chancellor Han does not care about these worldly possessions. He is my lifelong love. Whether we are rich or poor, he will take care of me!
Then, Hongxiu said coldly, Now, can I leave?
In your dreams!
Chen Liang did not give her a chance at all. He even felt he had wasted too much breath on her. Mostly, after hearing Hongxiu's words, he was so overwhelmed with indignation that he could not help but spit it all out.
Right now, whether Hongxiu took the Pei family's wealth or not, without Pei Jingzhi's consent, he would absolutely not let her leave easily.
He summoned two servants and ordered them to stop Hongxiu.
He would personally go and ask Pei Jingzhi.
...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
