My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

On his way back, Lin Ye saw the movements of these aristocratic families through the sky.

Then, he specially spent 10,000 Shock Points to buy a High-Level Stealing Note and remotely projected it onto the beam of the room where they were talking.

The talisman landed successfully, like a snowflake falling silently onto the crossbeam.

Lin Ye could feel that every word spoken in that room, even every heartbeat and every breath, was transmitted into his ears without missing a single detail.

These old foxes getting together might just bring up some unexpected things...

Lin Ye wasn't interested in the options ahead. He sat on the sofa next to Xiao Douzi, his arm draped over the back of the chair, his eyelids drooping slightly.

For a moment, I even doubted whether I had gone to the unnecessary lengths.

Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?

The moment this thought had just surfaced—

They mentioned Ye Fan.

The gloating voices seemed to echo in my ears: "We were just adding fuel to the fire with Yao Jingyuan's mess..."

Lin Ye's eyes darkened.

Sure enough, these people were behind Ye Fan's misdeeds back then!

A flash of coldness crossed his eyes, and he sneered inwardly.

Didn't you want to see a divine weapon even more powerful than the new iron?

Lin Ye's fingers suddenly tightened.

Alright, then I'll let you have your fun—

Let me show you!

He had no interest in hearing the rest.

Knowing that these people are not clean, he will not let them go!

Lin Ye immediately had the system end the live stream.

……

The Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Imperial Palace of the Great Flame Kingdom.

On the dragon bed, Shu Jingwei had recovered.

To say that I've recovered is merely to say that I've escaped from that state of near-blinding darkness and near-vomiting blood from anger.

She lay there, the bright yellow satin quilt covering her chest, the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on the quilt crumpled in her hands, its head twisted into a distorted shape.

Outside the window, dusk deepened inch by inch.

Until the last glimmer of light on the horizon was completely swallowed up.

She knew that the curtain of heaven had fallen once again.

Shu Jingwei stared at the luxurious ceiling above the bed.

That was specially commissioned to be made the year she ascended the throne.

The frame is made of fine Phoebe zhennan wood and decorated with Yun brocade from Jiangnan, embroidered with a pattern of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix using gold thread and peacock feathers.

The phoenix's eyes alone were embroidered with seven or eight different shades of black thread, making them appear to be looking back at her from any angle.

At that moment, the phoenix's eyes were also looking directly into hers.

Shu Jingwei suddenly felt that there was something indescribable in the phoenix's gaze.

Is it pity? Or mockery?

She stiffly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

It was very quiet around.

It was a silence unique to the dead of night, a silence that seemed to amplify all sounds.

She could hear her own heartbeat, each beat muffled and deep within her chest.

You can also hear the sound of the candle burning; the wick is being gripped by the scalding wax, making a very slight hissing sound.

You can still hear the sound of the wind blowing through the pillars outside the window, like a woman sobbing in a low voice.

Amidst this overwhelming silence, the regret she had previously suppressed finally surged forth endlessly in this moment of vulnerability, after she had just suffered a blow.

Ye Fan...

She regretted it!

She shouldn't have let Yao Jingyuan harm him. That good-for-nothing Yao Jingyuan is no match for Ye Fan at all!

But what should she do now?

Can her elite troops really stop Wang Meng?

……

At this very moment, there was another person who shared the same regret as her.

That is--

Yao Jingyuan had already left the territory of the Great Flame and entered the grasslands.

The night on the grasslands and the night in the capital are two completely different things.

The nights in the capital are stifling and oppressive, suffocating under layers of walls and eaves.

The night on the grassland is vast and empty. The sky is like a huge, upside-down black pot, with the bottom pressed so low that it almost touches people's heads.

The wind blew in from all directions, with nothing to block it, cutting like knives on people's faces, hands, and all exposed skin, carrying a strong smell of animal dung mixed with dry grass.

Yao Jingyuan cowered on the ground.

Beneath him lay several pieces of tattered sheepskin sewn together, most of the wool of which had fallen off, revealing the bare, hard hide underneath.

There was a layer of grease on the hard skin that had accumulated over many years; it felt slippery to the touch and emitted a nauseating fishy smell.

This is his bed.

He is currently sleeping in the lowest-ranking servant's yurt of the China tribe.

The night wind could seep in through every hole in the tattered yurt. His toes were already numb from the cold, his fingers were stiff, and his knuckles seemed to be rusted, making a creaking sound when he bent them.

Moreover, an indescribable stench permeated the surroundings—

There was the stench of sheep dung, the rancid smell of fermented yogurt, and the sour, putrid odor emanating from the body of the servant sleeping beside me, a body that hadn't been washed in who knows how many years.

There was also a faint, lingering, fishy sweetness, like the aftereffects of rotting flesh.

The smells mingled together, filling his nostrils, and he even gagged when he first entered the place.

It wasn't until my stomach was completely empty, and I couldn't even vomit up any more acid, that I slowly started to get used to it.

He was very hungry.

He had barely eaten anything for three days in a row, and every time his stomach emptied, it felt like sandpaper was grinding inside, sending waves of cramping pain through him.

Yao Jingyuan had become even thinner, with prominent cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and two deep pits on the sides of his face.

Her wrists were so thin you could see the bones, and on her much tanned skin, the bluish-black veins throbbed weakly.

The beard on his chin had grown into a tangled mess, covered with grass clippings and clumps of dirt. Strands of his hair clung to his scalp, and if you touched it, you could even feel fleas bouncing between your fingers.

Why did it turn out like this?

Yao Jingyuan curled up on the tattered sheepskin, his knees pressed against his chest, his hands tucked between his thighs, trying to retain a little warmth.

His teeth were chattering, and his upper and lower teeth were clattering together, making a continuous "clucking" sound.

Because he had left the Great Flame, he did not see the celestial canopy this time.

They were also unaware that Lin Ye possessed a more advanced method of iron smelting, and that he had successfully alienated aristocratic families and some ministers from Shu Jingwei simply by using some books.

Even if he knew, all that prosperity would have nothing to do with him now.

He was now filled with immense regret for listening to He Jin and coming to the Chi Na tribe.

On their first night in the China tribe, everything went exactly as He Jin had said. He had a good relationship with the current Khan of the China tribe, and his group was personally welcomed in by the Khan.

The Khan even held a banquet for him, slaughtered a sheep, served mare's milk wine, and invited prominent figures from the tribe to accompany him.

The bonfire was burning brightly in front of the dome, the flames leaping higher than a person and almost reddening half the sky.

Altan Chinna sat opposite him, a smile on his rough, dark face, weathered by the winds and sands of the grasslands, revealing a set of strong white teeth.

He personally poured wine for Yao Jingyuan and cut meat for him, showing him great respect.

Yao Jingyuan was sitting on a leather cushion, drinking warm mare's milk wine, eating succulent roasted mutton, and watching the grassland women singing and dancing in front of him. He felt completely lightheaded.

He couldn't help but feel smug, thinking to himself: This move was absolutely right!

As a result, those people's attitudes changed the very next day!