Pei Jingzhi was overjoyed.
Back then, he and Chen Liang had plotted in the capital against Duke Ren. Later, Duke Ren had set aside their past grievances and taken him in as one of his trusted aides. Pei Jingzhi was so grateful that he felt he had no regrets left in life.
His only regret was his old friend Chen Liang. After leaving, Chen Liang had vanished without a trace, and Pei Jingzhi had heard nothing from him for so long. The next news he received was that Chen Liang had appeared in Pukou City—but after Pukou fell, Chen Liang disappeared again.
They said he had gone to repay a debt of gratitude.
But where had he gone to do that?
And why had it taken so long?
Now that he was finally going to see Chen Liang, Pei Jingzhi could hardly contain his excitement. He sprang to his feet and said, “Duke Ren, I… I’ll go—”
“Go!”
Ren Tianye smiled.
Pei Jingzhi dashed out like a wild horse breaking free of its reins. Before long, he spotted Chen Liang in the distance.
Chen Liang saw him as well.
After being apart for so long, the two men felt as though they were meeting again after a lifetime had passed. They walked toward each other.
“Lord Pei, it’s been a long time. You’ve grown thinner.”
“So have you, Chen Liang.” Pei Jingzhi sighed. “Back then, the two of us were devoted to serving the country. We were even willing to lay down our lives for the Empress Regnant, only to end up with nothing but confusion and disappointment. Fortunately, we now serve Duke Ren, and the situation is settled. Chen Liang, you should pledge yourself to Duke Ren as well.”
Chen Liang said, “That is precisely what I intend to do. I’m only afraid that Duke Ren may not be willing to accept me.”
Pei Jingzhi waved his hand. “Duke Ren is broad-minded. Why would he refuse you? Besides, you accomplished something extraordinary at Pukou City. With that achievement alone, he ought to take you into his service.”
As he spoke, Pei Jingzhi took Chen Liang by the hand, and the two entered the tent side by side before kneeling together.
“Duke Ren, the two of us offended you greatly in the past. Chen Liang has now come to offer his service. We hope you’ll give him a chance!”
At that moment, Zhang Shi was quietly reporting something to Ren Tianye. His expression had remained calm when he heard about the turmoil throughout the realm, but when he heard the name Gu Qingyue, his brows lifted slightly.
His gaze instinctively shifted toward Chen Liang.
Seeing Pei Jingzhi make such a plea, Ren Tianye immediately smiled. “I couldn’t be more pleased that Chen Liang is willing to come. Besides…”
“Chen Liang has brought this duke a great deal of important information.”
“Someone, bring him a seat!”
There were no specially designated seats in the military camp. Ren Tianye’s gesture clearly showed how much importance he placed on Chen Liang. How could someone as perceptive as Chen Liang fail to understand?
He hurriedly declined the seat and brought up the matter at hand instead. “Duke Ren, the realm is on the verge of descending into chaos. Please take this matter seriously.”
Ren Tianye’s expression turned solemn.
In truth, this had been expected for some time. Given the commotion caused by Empress Regnant Xiao Mingzhao, it would have been strange if the realm had remained peaceful. It was only that all the factions with real power were still watching and waiting.
If he took Yunjing smoothly, everyone would submit to him. But if his attack on Yunjing stalled—or even ended in defeat—the realm would fall into chaos.
Ren Tianye had already made his plans.
That was why, when he had summoned Wei Shuo, he had issued him another order halfway there: Wei Shuo was to monitor the realm on his behalf and suppress any signs of rebellion before they could take root.
Throughout this period, Wei Shuo had kept in constant correspondence with him. No disturbances had appeared, which proved that matters were still under control.
Ren Tianye was therefore in no hurry.
They could proceed step by step. The Great Yu Empire had lasted eight hundred years and had still ended up in this state. How could it possibly be completely pacified and restored to an age of prosperity overnight?
For now, the most important thing was to seize Yunjing, the root of all this trouble!
Ren Tianye nodded slightly and asked, “Zhang Shi said that this time you also discovered signs of Gu Qingyue?”
“Yes.” Chen Liang hurriedly replied, “That is the second matter I wish to report to you, Duke Ren. Although I did not see any trace of Gu Qingyue myself, I learned what she intends to do.”
“Back when Gu Qingyue harmed Duke Ren in the capital, I was the one who personally let her go. When she left, she was still brimming with confidence.”
“I paid it no mind at the time.”
“I was simply delighted to be rid of that calamity.”
“But I never expected Gu Qingyue to actually accomplish something. She has been working to organize an army composed entirely of women, with the aim of opposing Duke Ren.”
“And now…”
Chen Liang enunciated each word carefully. “She has achieved results.”
Ren Tianye’s brows drew together slightly.
To be fair, Gu Qingyue’s escape had not been entirely due to Chen Liang letting her go. Ren Tianye had deliberately allowed it.
In his view, leaving a fool like Gu Qingyue to stir up trouble across the realm was far better than facing countless enemies concealed in the shadows.
He simply had not expected Gu Qingyue to be somewhat more capable than he had imagined.
She actually managed to organize an all-female army!
“An all-female army… You mean an army made up entirely of women?”
“If that’s the case… we’ll have to take good care of such an army!”
“Quite a few of the brothers in our forces are still single.”
With that thought in mind, he asked, “How far has Gu Qingyue’s all-female army progressed?”
“That, I have yet to ascertain,” Chen Liang replied. “However, I did find out that Gu Qingyue has recruited several women to help organize and lead what she calls her all-female army.”
“Oh?” Ren Tianye asked eagerly. “Who are they?”
“I only know that one is at Zijin Pass. She seems to be the wife of the pass commander.”
“There are two more on the opposite bank of the Yangtze.”
“Of those two, one seems to have an inextricable connection with Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan.”
As soon as he heard this, Ren Tianye’s spirits lifted.
The others in the military camp were likewise energized.
Zhang Shi in particular brightened visibly.
She had a connection with Grand Admiral Zhou Mengyan?
Then… as long as they figured out the nature of this romantic relationship, wouldn’t the Yangtze defenses be as easy to break as a rotten fence? One strike would shatter them!
“There’s one more…” Chen Liang’s voice rang out again. “She is Ning Wanqin, the betrothed of Lu Chaosheng, commander of the northern Yangtze fortress network!”
The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Shi shot to his feet.
“Who?”
“Who did you say?”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
