Prince Li Jin made his decision on the spot: "Then he is the one. I refuse to believe the Huan family will intercept even this man!"

As events proved, the Huan family indeed made no second move.

Before long, the Chen Feng that He Piaoliang had spoken of accepted the invitation and came before everyone.

Yet one look was enough to set them all frowning in unison.

In terms of appearance and presence alone, the man was quite extraordinary; but from head to toe he exuded an undeniable air of dejection—any normal person could not help but frown at the sight.

The technical specifications of the P40 fighter had long since been memorized cold by every member of the reserve unit; through repeated drills time and again, all of them looked forward to the day when they might at last pilot this legendary aircraft—said to rival Japan's mysterious fighter—into the blue sky and have a thorough, exhilarating fight with the Japanese.

Li Yunguan had originally been a staff advisor whom Zhang Liangji brought over from Yunnan. Zeng Guofan, seeing that he handled affairs with steadiness, transferred him to serve in the Trial and Review Bureau. For his merits he was awarded the sixth-rank button. Zeng Guofan placed considerable trust in him, and whenever the Xiang braves had thorny matters, he was entrusted with seeing them through. Li Yunguan was now counted among the capable officials of the Trial and Review Bureau.

She had just let down the hair coiled atop her head, seeming to have washed up and meant to rest. Having just eaten a little of this plane's fine fare, she appeared not in the least displeased—she had played all afternoon, so by now she ought to be feeling more guilt than anything.

At first he did not believe it was real, but now the icy iron chain coiled around his neck, tightening until it seemed it would snap his throat—it was so real that he could not help but believe.

"Hmph!" Qiu Hanliang gave a cold snort, and before Bai Yu could react, his figure had already appeared in the arena; his fingers curled and then snapped straight, and with his bare hands he flicked Xu Qinglian's sword aside.

"Fine, I'll go!" Princess Yunjing was a woman of unyielding temper and could not bear to be provoked; fuming, she flung open the door and went out.

"Don't you have one? Think back carefully yourself." Chen Yuling shot Qin Zheng a glare, the corner of her mouth curling into a faint, barely perceptible smile.

"How dare you talk like that!" the young boss exploded, certain that Jiu Tian had seen through his trick and meant to swindle him out of his sword-wood on that pretext.

"So, leave. Do not waste a young life—there is nothing here that you want anymore," this master said, very much in the spirit of Buddhist detachment.

The director patted the back of her hand. After years of knowing one another, she understood her predicament completely; yet such a deadlock benefited no one, and she needed a brave and responsible choice, not endless evasion of reality.

At the sight of Chen Xiaowei, Gu Shengze's expression turned rather sour, but he could hardly interfere in another's feelings; since Song Yanjue could not bear to part with her, he too must not force the matter.

At the eighth level of the Nine Heavens Wings, with Su Dong's degree of true essence, a full-force flight was comparable in speed to the late stage of an eighth-rank divine master.

Amid that dense, milling crowd, You Jinhai caught sight of a figure in a long robe holding a dharma sword; though he had not seen it with his own eyes, he was almost certain that this adventurer mage was the very one who had wounded him just now.

"You truly are of great value." Lu Manqing drew a deep breath. At this moment she had also come to understand a little: Zheng Lun was not deranged—he had genuinely conceived thoughts he should never have. The conversation with Gu Yan still echoed in her ears, and Lu Manqing felt it was time to settle this matter.

Now, that great-aunt whom even Grandfather had never seen had suddenly appeared, and had come before her in such an abrupt manner.

At eleven forty, the freshman military training closing ceremony ended; all the students formed ranks and saluted the instructors' corps, thanking them for their careful and patient instruction over the past twenty days.

Bai Xue had not spent all those years in the circle for nothing, and naturally she had her connections too. Though the full course of events was still unclear, her inquiries on many fronts had yielded a rough outline, and one thing was certain: the claim that Chen Haoran had attempted murder was absolutely no idle talk.

"Senior Zhu need only go on ahead. Rest assured, Senior—should any mishap occur, this junior will guarantee Miss Duan's safety even at the cost of this life," Ling Muyu affirmed.