Chapter 40: Forgive Me, President Zheng!

"President Chang, you must be joking. Dafu Timber is of such a massive scale, sustaining nearly half of Yebei on your own. How could you possibly fail to scrape together a mere one or two million for shipping costs?"

"Alas, there is nothing I can do; the international market is simply in this state," Chang Dashan sighed.

Had it been the past, let alone two million, he could have casually produced ten times that amount without batting an eye.

Yet, wasn't the company facing a severe crisis right now?

When there was no money left—

Zheng Yan, the Transfiguring Demon Puppet Master, possessed an extremely eerie and unorthodox set of techniques for manipulating puppets. Furthermore, this man held an irreconcilable blood feud with the Inspection and Seclusion Bureau. No one knew how many Azure Falcons had perished precisely at the hands of Zheng Yan's two adamantine, invulnerable puppets bristling with hidden weapons, named "Everspring" and "Wintry."

Zhang Xiu panted heavily, a thin layer of pale frost clinging to the skin around his neck—the lingering condensation of Yu Fengrong's breath from when he had pressed against him just moments before.

This was the scheme devised by Li Zhijing, who had deliberately summoned Empress Li to meet with Huangfu Xuan, hoping to see whether they might inadvertently let slip some crucial information.

Mainly, these people had not attended Teng Chong's wedding at all, so they were completely oblivious to what had transpired. They only knew that Teng Chong had passed away. Because most of those who went were individuals on good terms with Teng Chong—heavyweights who would not lightly deign to attend a wedding that might lower their social standing—this was considered a major taboo.

As for King Zhou, he turned away none, welcoming them all into his inner palace. However, whether these fox-clan maidens would eventually be enfeoffed into the 'Human Sovereign Celestial Court' or the 'Human Sovereign's Inner Palace' would depend entirely on their subsequent performances.

Dalu's smile instantly froze, and then he glanced toward Xu Miaomiao, who showed no inclination to detain him whatsoever.

Xu Miaomiao raised her head, exchanging a glance with the man beside her. Catching the affirmation in his eyes, she felt entirely assured.

The Five Elements Desire-Entangling Array of Beitong City had been set up by these five individuals. They were well-versed in the arts of the Five Elements, which corresponded to the human body's viscera and bowels, while also mastering the seven emotions and six desires of mortals. Thus, to deploy this array, they used the entire city's populace as sustenance, absorbing the essence of their desires to deepen their own cultivation of the Five Elements.

Being complimented naturally filled Dou Xinyao with secret delight, but what pleased her even more was securing the role. She had indeed acted in two television dramas recently, playing significant roles in both, yet they had caused not even a single ripple. Dou Xinyao was anxious; in a few years, it would become even harder for her to advance, and without genuine acting skills, she would be left with nothing but flirtatiousness to sell.

Right at this moment, the iceberg beneath King Zhou's feet drifted along with the sea currents, drawing ever closer to the snowy, frozen shore.

There was nothing particularly vexing about this. Compared to origin points, laws were far more vital to him at present, so he did not hesitate to consume a million origin points to extract the law's essence.

Yan Huan was woken up by the heat. She got up, took a shower in the bathroom, changed into a clean long dress, dried her hair, finished her breakfast, and went next door to visit Hua Xiren.

Although separated by a door, it felt as though she could see a pair of venomous eyes staring fixedly at her.

"Something's happened, let's go check it out!" Ye Zhiqiu and Liu Xue spoke simultaneously, rushing toward that direction side by side.

Naturally, Shen Lili believed it even less. She cast an amused, smiling glance at Yan Huan, thinking to herself that this yellow-haired girl must be trying to make her back down through intimidation—not a chance in a billion.

Aside from winter sports, among all second-tier events, table tennis had experienced a powerful resurgence over the past decade, establishing itself as one of the core athletic disciplines.

Yan Huan emerged from the bathroom, placed her enameled tooth-brushing mug on the bedside table, retrieved a clean washbasin from under the bed, and helped Yu Fan sit up so he could brush his teeth.

The pairing of Li Qing and Tony Leung managed to overpower both the "Two Chows and One Jet Li" and New Year box-office king Wong Pak-ming, reigning supreme as the overlords of this year's Lunar New Year box office season.

Hearing her older sister put it this way, Huo Roufeng knew that Chief Manager Feng had betrayed her, or perhaps those who sold her out also included Zhang Ting and Zhang Xuan.

Those prominent families were not as well off as the Tang, Song, and Shi families; their fifth-tier martial experts had all perished within. One could only imagine the exorbitant cost required to cultivate a fifth-tier expert—even for a top-tier aristocratic family, the loss would inflict a deeply painful heartache.

What she had ultimately failed to evade still caught up with her. Looking at the man opposite her whose eyes were completely bloodshot, Jiang Nuan instinctively halted her steps.

"What is your original appearance?" Kang Hodong seized the precise timing, instantly interrupting to ask.

Lee Jun-hwan chose the short-stature team for reasons unknown, while Gu Heeseung was unceremoniously pulled into the tall-stature team—the short team members simply lacked the reach and were a step too slow.

Looking further back lay a grove of trees. The woods were dense—not a secret chamber carved from earth and stone, yet walking among them offered a degree of cover. However, to pursue someone over a longer distance, one had to retrace their steps for a bit.

After she entered the bathroom, Ye Yiling abandoned any thoughts of finding clothes in her own room and directly called Zhou Yang, telling him to deliver a complete set of formal evening wear. Since it was already winter and bitterly cold outside, she specifically instructed him to include an extra warm, soft velvet shawl.

After the Xuanqu Cavalry Battalion returned to the capital to report on their mission, the Emperor summoned Gongsun Ao back to the capital immediately, relieving him of his post as Colonel of the Hu Cavalry and transferring him to serve as Colonel of Xuanqu, while the former Colonel of Xuanqu, Wei Qing, was reassigned to the long-vacant post of Colonel of Xieliu.

Ji Ruojia was overjoyed. "Sis, you agreed? Thank you, Sis!" Leaning forward abruptly, she planted a loud smack of a kiss on her sister's cheek.

Intermittent, fine impacts struck her upper back; even through the layers of clothing, the stinging pain felt intensely sharp.

"Is there anything else? Could that truly be all?" Qin Feng grew somewhat anxious. How could Jiang Xue be this foolish, knowing absolutely nothing at all?

Although the Su family possessed immense influence, Su Yingxue was, after all, merely a collateral family member. Coupled with her usual high-profile demeanor, there were still plenty of students at the academy who despised her conduct and harbored no fear of her background.

An had no idea what the blue light gateway before him actually was, but he knew that once sucked inside, he would undoubtedly be transported to an utterly unfamiliar environment.

Knowing that her own cultivation level was temporarily of no help, Mu Rurou quietly remained where she was to wait.

A blue suit of battle armor unfolded in midair, forming a protective barrier forged from the peak strength of his nine-star Bitter Sea realm.

The Ice-Sealed Ancient City was styled as a city, yet in reality, it was a towering mountain peak. Its outer surface was blanketed by a thick, impervious layer of accumulated snow, save for a massive karst cave yawning at the base of the mountain—undoubtedly the entrance to the Ice-Sealed Ancient City.

An and Ramos exchanged no further conversation; continuing to talk would likely yield no results, and besides, An had already arrived at Dragon City.

Seeing that Ye Hao possessed such formidable capabilities, Qin Luolu couldn't help feeling a trace of regret for bringing her subordinates here to pick a fight with him.