Chapter 23

In truth, the salaries of Ming Dynasty officials were not high. Censor Gou, a seventh-rank official, earned five taels of silver per month—equivalent to less than three thousand yuan today. Even top-ranking officials of the first rank earned no more than fifty taels a month, which, compared to their vast expenses, would normally leave them struggling to make ends meet.

Yin Yi was multitasking, stealing glances at Bai Shu’s expressions while instructing Wang Hongbo and Rong Hua on important matters, all the while thinking about how much he wanted to stroke those soft, warm, silky rabbit ears just one more time.

Three agonizing screams echoed as three members of the Silver Flower group were instantly swallowed by tongues of fire and riddled with holes. Bright red blood poured out, staining the reception hall below a deep, vivid crimson.

In the Sahara Desert, following his audience with Li Yu, Lin Tianxing received the blueprints for a special military academy. Manipulating the base stone, he began to construct one towering building after another.

Furthermore, one must be moderate with tea. As for the tea leaves, they should be used in appropriate amounts. Too many leaves make the brew overly strong, while too few leaves result in a flavorless cup.

If all else failed, he would send someone to seize that insidious fellow, Jiang Yuanshi, and slice him to pieces while he was still alive, forcing him to surrender the photographs or whatever else he held.

"How does he know so much?" Jiang Yuanshi thought, struck with terror. He realized he could not quibble or deny that the event had occurred; the more he denied it, the greater his culpability appeared, as if he were actively snatching the blame away from Zhang Haiqing and placing it upon himself.

Qiangwei felt miserable, but what hurt even more was the look her brothers gave her when she stepped outside—that shock, that suppressed urge to laugh, that mixture of fear and mockery in their eyes.

But who was Xu Hua? The senior disciple of Mount Shu! Known as one of the banes of the Chinese cultivation world! Could he just yield like that?

It was clear that the monks of Puyuan Temple could not withstand the assassin. There were many monks at the temple, so the assassin must have been formidable, possessing truly exceptional martial arts.

Had anyone else endured such an attack, they would surely have perished long ago, let alone been able to continue the challenge.

The new owner's first match since taking office was a home game against Tianjin Ajax. Whether the undefeated Tianjin Ajax could survive this test remained to be seen.

While there were human kingdoms in this world, the majority of the human race remained scattered across the lands, lacking any significant organization.

"It is possible. You haven't even tried yet; how can you know it won't work?" Lin Tao continued to encourage him.

Lady Huan and Empress He resumed their daily entertainment. Thanks to their efforts, the construction of the capital city, Chang'an, changed appearance with each passing day. It would likely be completed in just a few more days.

Abe no Seimei prided himself on being a guardian of the world's balance, and given his talent and strength, he was indeed qualified to claim as much. Yet, facing Fujiwara no Mokou, who had carved her way through slaughter and death, he seemed so fragile—all his spells failed to kill her, and every seal he cast was broken.

In the end, Xinghuo High School defeated the visiting Lengfeng High School 2-0. After the match, accompanied by an interpreter, Gōda Takeshi took the initiative to find Zhang Yaoyang to shake his hand.

After finding the fruit tree, Ye Yao employed his old tactic once more: he focused all his strength into his palms and struck out with all his might.

The thieves marched along the ancient road, with Opatiphannie leading the vanguard. Shao Yu, Wendy, Schutov, Slan, and Sna raced their horses across the hilltops.

Having escaped death and regained his freedom, the head of the Jin family became remarkably docile, not daring even to breathe loudly.

Despite the scar-faced youth’s loud voice, Chai Shaowu had no intention of answering. He turned his head away and remained silent.

As the magical energy dispersed, the gods peered closely to see the Dragon-Headed Divine General’s chest pierced through, golden-red divine blood flowing steadily from the wound. With vacant eyes, he had been defeated in a single stroke.

However, the strength of the reserves was his primary concern. If the Heat’s bench were just a bit stronger, they might challenge for even greater heights this season.

With these two forwards, the Heat’s defense had improved significantly, and today, the "Prizefighter" was wreaking havoc in the paint like a fierce dragon crossing the sea.

Gu Xiu had nowhere to hide, but he retreated a step early, his figure darting back before coming to a stop, completely unscathed.

The man with the large mole blinked and asked again, then glanced around with a guilty conscience; in truth, he did not want to ask at all.

Zuo Jun, of course, was unaware of any of this, not even realizing he had crushed the roof of the car. He didn't think he possessed such great strength.

Mo Ke channeled the spiritual power within his body, putting force into his hand, and the next moment, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air as he struck toward Ba Kun.

In truth, the Cavaliers were not as weak as people thought this season, but in order to acquire James, they had to appear weak regardless.

"Hmph, you are a cancer to society. Killing by day and committing crimes by night—what kind of grudge could you possibly have that you felt the need to silence people? I will definitely bring you to justice!" Wu Yongtian pointed at Zuo Jun in righteous indignation. With that, he pulled his phone from his pocket to notify the other officers on the force.

So many "outlanders"—if they were to sabotage things at a critical moment, the consequences would be incalculable.

Qin Marquis Ying Fei was indeed a hero of his generation; his reputation was well-earned. In just half a year, he had won the hearts of the people of Bingzhou. He was truly a heaven-sent talent.

"Damn it, you’re so calculating!" Seeing the battle spirit of Yue Jin rushing over at breakneck speed rather than being summoned, Jiang Ai quickly cast the blame on the other party first.

"This city is called Aoweina; it is considered one of the more prosperous cities in this region," the Demon Emperor explained.

Upon seeing the description of this function, Jin Yang was stunned, unable to speak for a long time.

If one punch doesn't kill him, give him ten. If ten don't kill him, give him a hundred.

"Yesterday, Allen asked me directly why I didn't put Chopin in the game. He felt the other players didn't understand his desire to win. I came up with a pile of excuses and then told him I would put Chopin in," Larry Brown said with a bitter smile.

An excellent commander can maximize the combat effectiveness of an army, allowing soldiers to display results that far exceed their individual strength.