Meanwhile, a light, pristine snowflake drifted down, landing delicately on a piece of braised pork on the dinner table, highly conspicuous.
The sharp-eyed Lin Ying was the first to notice, pointing at the snowflake atop the glistening piece of meat and said:
"Oh, it's snowing!"
As she spoke, the snowflake had already melted from the steaming heat of the braised pork.
But soon, countless snowflakes followed, fluttering down in abundance.
Seeing this, Liao Pantu waved his hand, conjuring an invisible shield above everyone’s heads to block the falling white snow.
At this, Mo Yuanjiao quickly set up a heating array beneath the table to keep the dishes warm.
After Jiang Youfu had brought out all the dishes, he swiftly came over and took his seat.
Today, Sun Yigao's father, Landlord Sun, had bought plenty of fine wine and carried it up the mountain. He was now pouring drinks for everyone.
Even the two young girls, Liu Shengsheng and Lin Ying, were given small cups of fruit wine.
Then everyone, without touching their chopsticks or bowls, turned in unison to look expectantly at Lin Xiao.
Seeing everyone’s gaze on him, Lin Xiao lowered his head with a smile, then raised his own cup and said:
"A new year—may our cultivation reach new heights, may we better improve our lives and our village, and may our Lingxian Sect flourish more and more!"
As if echoing Lin Xiao's words, the sound of crackling firecrackers suddenly rose from Xiushui Village at the foot of the mountain.
It was also the time for the villagers to have their New Year’s Eve dinner.
They liked to throw a bunch of firecrackers into a bonfire before eating to liven things up.
The sound of firecrackers from the village drifted unceasingly into the ears of those on the mountain.
Liu Yanan slapped his forehead in annoyance:
"Aw, I forgot to prepare firecrackers!"
In the past, everything for the New Year was prepared by his mother at home. Back when the family was poor, the New Year’s Eve dinner was just a little better than usual—who had the spare mind to think about firecrackers?
So Liu Yanan simply didn’t remember to bring any this time.
They had bought plenty of Spring Festival couplets and melon seeds—things he had picked up by watching others prepare in the town and county seat.
Hearing this, everyone at the table burst into laughter, looking at one another.
Lin Xiao waved his hand grandly:
"Eat, eat! Listening to the village’s noise is just as good. Everyone, enjoy the meal! Fuzi’s dishes go fast—slow hands go hungry!"
Before he even finished, he grabbed his chopsticks and started eating first.
Seeing this, the others all reached for their chopsticks and began their culinary struggle.
At the Liaoju Manor.
In the back courtyard of the government office, Tong Shuzheng was enjoying his New Year’s Eve dinner with his advisor, Xue Chengfeng.
Xue Chengfeng chewed on the dishes made by the hired Cook An, finding them a bit bland. He looked up and asked Tong Shuzheng:
"Sir, when will the lady of the house be coming over?"
Tong Shuzheng knew as soon as he asked that he was tired of Cook An’s repetitive meals.
Because Tong Shuzheng’s wife had excellent cooking skills, always making festive dishes flavorful and inventive.
Looking at Xue Chengfeng, who seemed somewhat dissatisfied with his meal, Tong Shuzheng laughed:
"Then you’ll have to wait a long time. Nannan is still young at home; your sister-in-law can’t let her go yet. Traveling across these vast distances isn’t convenient with her. Only when Nannan is a bit older in a couple of years, or if I get transferred back closer to home."
Xue Chengfeng knew all this; he just wanted to vent a little.
Hearing Tong Shuzheng’s reply, he gloomily poked at the food in his bowl:
"Why don’t you change cooks, sir? Let’s try something different?"
Seeing his sudden childish mood, Tong Shuzheng said with a smile:
"Cook An’s family is poor; the whole family relies on her salary from the yamen to survive. She was originally someone you saved, and you begged me to give her a chance. What, don’t want to help her anymore?"
Xue Chengfeng knew this too. He just felt that during the New Year, for some reason, he was a bit unsettled in his heart and wanted to complain.
Tong Shuzheng looked at him and suddenly teased:
"Speaking of which, Chengfeng, you’re not young anymore. Aren’t you planning to find a wife? If you had a wife, wouldn’t you have someone to switch things up when you wanted a change in taste?"
At this, Xue Chengfeng waved his hands repeatedly:
"Sir, don’t make fun of me. You know I…"
His words were interrupted by a servant’s report:
"Your Excellency, an urgent dispatch has arrived from the imperial court, requesting your personal attention."
Upon hearing this, Tong Shuzheng immediately put down his chopsticks and said to Xue Chengfeng:
"You keep eating. I’ll go see what it is."
With that, he got up and quickly walked out of the room.
Seeing this, Xue Chengfeng lost all appetite for food. He also rose and followed:
"I’ll come with you!"
The two arrived at the front office of the yamen, where a man in sturdy clothing was waiting in the hall. Seeing them come out, he gave Tong Shuzheng a formal salute:
"Greetings, Sir Tong."
He then presented his identification token for verification, and after that, handed over an official document from the court.
Tong Shuzheng took it personally, and the man withdrew.
Tong Shuzheng then carried the document with Xue Chengfeng to his study in the back courtyard.
Opening the letter, the two put their heads together and quickly skimmed the contents.
After reading, both showed expressions of delight.
Tong Shuzheng set down the document, clasped his hands behind his back, and stood upright:
"So that immortal sect is called the Lingxian Sect."
After Xue Chengfeng gave it a quick glance, he went back to read it word for word. Hearing Tong Shuzheng, he nodded:
"Yes, it truly is a legitimate immortal sect. From now on, we can interact with them openly and properly."
Tong Shuzheng clapped his hands with some excitement:
"This being the New Year, don’t you think, Chengfeng, we should send them some New Year gifts?"
Hearing this, Xue Chengfeng thought for a moment and agreed:
"Your Excellency is right. Since the court’s intention now is to have us build good relations with the Lingxian Sect, sending New Year gifts is a gesture of goodwill. And given the character of that young immortal, I believe this sect must be excellent as well. They will certainly reciprocate with gifts. In this way, with an exchange of courtesies, our relationship with the Lingxian Sect can gradually develop."
Unable to sit still, Tong Shuzheng paced in the study. As he walked, he said:
"I think the court seems inclined to further the relationship with this sect. If you carefully consider the tone of the document, I feel it’s somewhat different from their previous attitude toward the Three Major Sects."
Hearing this, Xue Chengfeng bent his head to scrutinize the words again, then said with slight surprise:
"Indeed, Your Excellency has sharp eyes!"
He then mused:
"If so, it seems the court may be considering a change in the way it deals with these sects."
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
