Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s eyes lit up.
Had he really completed the mission?
He had barely held out any hope for Shen Moyan, yet the man had actually succeeded?
He said excitedly, “Quick, quick, quick! Invite General Lu in. Hurry and bring General Lu in.”
Zhou Mengyan had known of Lu Chaosheng for a long time, and he was also very confident in Lu Chaosheng’s abilities. Unfortunately, Lu Chaosheng had previously been the de facto commander of the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. Zhou Mengyan had wanted to recruit him, but he could hardly leave the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster without a leader.
Now, however, the situation was different. The Jiangbei Fortress Cluster had been seized by Ren Tianye, freeing Lu Chaosheng to join the Yangtze Defense Line.
With Lu Chaosheng on his side, Zhou Mengyan had already possessed tremendous confidence in facing Ren Tianye. Now, that confidence had grown even stronger.
However, after Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan finished speaking, Shen Moyan merely bowed and said, “Grand Commander, General Lu is still at the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster.”
“He did not come with me.”
The moment those words were spoken, the joy on Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s face vanished, replaced by a dark and furious expression.
“Shen Moyan, are you making a fool of me?”
Generals Zhao and Qian saw an opportunity to kick a man when he was down. How could they possibly let it pass?
They immediately unleashed a torrent of abuse.
“Grand Commander, Shen Moyan is clearly making a fool of you! He’s brazen beyond belief and deserves to die! Leave him to me. I’ll make him understand what it means to be unable to live or die!”
“Grand Commander, Shen Moyan is nothing but a pretty boy who relies on women, a useless thing even Bi Lian didn’t want. What abilities could he possibly have? Sending him to invite General Lu was a pipe dream from the start. He clearly failed to bring General Lu back, so now he’s deliberately rambling and changing the subject, trying to confuse everyone.”
…
Generals Zhao and Qian had an exceptionally poor impression of Shen Moyan. As a result, anything that came out of Shen Moyan’s mouth was immediately dismissed as nonsense and an attempt to wriggle out of trouble.
They mocked and condemned him at every opportunity.
But Ruan Fei did not want to see things develop this way. She immediately spoke in a gentle voice.
“Brother Mengyan, don’t jump to conclusions just yet. No matter what, Young Master Shen did make a trip to the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. Even if he gained no merit, he still deserves credit for his efforts.”
“I heard that he was even pursued by Ren Tianye’s men on his way back.”
“He definitely wouldn’t try to deceive you.”
“Why don’t you give him a chance?”
As Ruan Fei spoke, she swayed her slender arm and kept tugging at Zhou Mengyan. Her body was practically about to fall into his arms.
Her soft and tender appearance instantly melted much of Zhou Mengyan’s anger. He smiled and said, “All right, all right, we’ll do as you say, Xiaofei. We’ll do as you say.”
“Give Shen Moyan a chance.”
“Give Shen Moyan another chance.”
After a pause, Zhou Mengyan said, “Shen Moyan, since you failed to bring General Lu Chaosheng here, go back and think carefully about what you should do next.”
“In any case, you must invite General Lu Chaosheng here. Do you understand?”
Shen Moyan remained exceptionally composed today. He said, “Grand Commander, I understand.”
“However, although I failed to bring General Lu Chaosheng here this time, I unexpectedly discovered a few other things.”
“I found two letters.”
“They were personally written by Ren Tianye. I brought them back specially and would like to deliver them to the Grand Commander for your inspection.”
The moment he said this, Zhou Mengyan shot to his feet.
Even Generals Zhao and Qian fell completely silent.
A tree has its shadow, and a man has his reputation. Ren Tianye’s name carried such weight that, apart from fools like Pei Wugou, anyone with even a little sense could not afford to disregard him.
“Bring me those two letters,” Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan ordered.
“Yes!”
Shen Moyan respectfully handed over the two letters. A guard delivered them to Zhou Mengyan. When the Grand Commander received them, both his hands trembled slightly. Fortunately, he had a deep reserve of composure and quickly regained control of himself before slowly opening the first letter.
Four large words immediately caught his eye.
“Dear Zhao!”
???
A string of question marks instantly appeared in Zhou Mengyan’s mind.
“Though it is said that one day apart feels like three autumns, you and I have never even met. Even so, my longing for you is like a mighty river, stretching on without end…”
???
Another string of question marks appeared in Zhou Mengyan’s mind.
He hurriedly finished reading the letter. The question marks disappeared, replaced by heavy breathing. Almost subconsciously, he looked up at General Zhao.
General Zhao had no idea what was going on, but since his superior was looking at him, he naturally had to respond. Thus, General Zhao returned his gaze with a smile.
A particularly sincere smile!
“Hmph!” Zhou Mengyan snorted coldly before opening the second letter.
Four words immediately greeted him again.
“Dear Qian!”
This time, no question marks appeared in Zhou Mengyan’s mind. Instead, it felt as if a massive stone had been placed on his heart, as heavy as Mount Tai and weighing a thousand jun.
With great effort, he suppressed his emotions and continued reading.
“Best wishes upon receiving this letter!”
“You and I have never met, but I have long understood your loyalty. I am delighted that you were able to abandon the darkness and turn toward the light, taking the initiative to submit to me…”
The enormous stone in Zhou Mengyan’s heart pressed down another inch. He nearly found it difficult to breathe, and once again, he subconsciously glanced at General Qian.
General Qian was equally bewildered.
Why had the Grand Commander looked at General Zhao and then at him after flipping through the letters? And why was his gaze so strange?
But regardless of the reason, when the boss looked over, he had to respond. General Zhao had offered a smile, but clearly the boss had not been satisfied. General Qian had to outdo him.
Thus, General Qian split his lips into a grin. A row of pearly white teeth gleamed beneath the light. Against his dark, rough-hewn face, those clean white teeth stood out even more.
“Hmph!”
Zhou Mengyan let out another heavy snort, this one louder than before. It rumbled through the tent like thunder, instantly plunging the atmosphere inside into an icy chill.
At the same time, Zhou Mengyan’s mood froze as well.
At that moment, he understood.
He finally understood!
His two most trusted naval commanders had already defected to Ren Tianye.
Those two men were spies!
They were the two sharp blades Ren Tianye had hidden within the Yangtze Defense Line. The moment Ren Tianye made his move, the two of them would immediately stab toward him—
and take his life!
“I thought I had already won these two men over. I never imagined that they would… still be unable to change their treacherous nature!”
Zhou Mengyan thought bitterly.
Everything Zhou Mengyan possessed today—especially his position as Grand Admiral of the Navy guarding the Yangtze Defense Line—was largely thanks to his wife. However, his talent and ambition would never allow him to hide behind a woman for the rest of his life.
After taking power, he had begun using various methods to strip his wife and her family of their influence within the navy while building his own prestige among the troops.
Generals Zhao and Qian were among the commanders he had recruited. He had believed they could become his trusted aides, but he had never expected that…
“If they could surrender once, they can surrender a second time!”
“Indeed, men with treacherous hearts cannot be trusted!”
…
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
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."
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?”
