Chapter 172: Let's Watch the TV Series Together After Court! (Fourth Update)

"So it is this window that holds some bizarre secret, allowing him to sleep with such peace of mind?" Within the darkness, the figure's face grew so dark it seemed to merge completely with the night.

Standing before Fang Qi's windowsill, he pondered briefly with a grim expression: "It appears this brat's room is fortified, but..."

He glanced toward the neighboring room: "That room over there seems to be where the clerk stays; surely there are no protections there..."

With this thought, he quickly made his way outside Jiang Xiaoyue's windowsill.

Peering through the glass, he saw a small head poking out from beneath a white blanket embroidered with a calico cat: "This girl is also fast asleep; I should be able to manage without waking her."

First, he gave the window a firm push.

It did not budge in the slightest.

"..." A sudden, ominous presentiment bloomed within his chest.

Immediately afterward, a series of dull, frantic thuds echoed outside the little girl's window!

Half an hour later...

A figure entirely wrapped in strips of pitch-black cloth sat heavily upon the eaves of Fang Qi's roof, panting softly.

"To think even the clerk's window hides such mechanisms!" With that, he stamped a foot onto the black tiles of the roof.

"Tiles?!" He glanced beneath his feet, a sudden realization striking his mind as he smirked, "No matter how well-guarded you are, the structure of a common dwelling remains unchanged. Don't tell me you can stop me from prying up these tiles too?!"

He reached down and pulled.

Not a single budge!

He applied more strength, yet it remained obstinately fixed!

"Hah—! Ah—!" He exerted every ounce of his strength.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" He was completely exhausted.

Roughly another half-hour passed before this strange fellow, swathed in black cloth, slowly drew the long blade from his waist and stood before the shop entrance.

The gleam of the blade was dim, bearing a deep, oppressive crimson hue as though drenched in far too much blood.

"Can this entire shop truly be an impenetrable fortress in every single corner?!" Gripping the hilt with both hands, a gloomy and terrifying aura radiated from the blade. As his grip tightened, the entire length of the sword emitted a turbid, raspy chime, resembling the dying gasp of a mortal!

He was completely enveloped in a powerful and fearsome energy, yet it was so intensely restrained that not a single shred leaked into the surroundings.

The very air along the long street began to flow backward, and the already bleak sky grew colder and more deathly still. Forget the moonlight; even the starlight seemed smothered by an inexplicable force!

Then the blade moved, like the flash of the Grim Reaper severing the dark night!

It slashed viciously against the glass doors of the Origin Internet Club.

Thud!

Before long, a frenzy of frantic banging resounded continuously through the shadows!

...

"Ugh... so sleepy..." Fang Qi mumbled, rubbing his bleary eyes as the first pale light of dawn began to touch the sky outside.

At that exact moment, the sound of Auntie Wang's bun shop next door opening echoed through the morning air.

The relentless pounding ceased instantly!

As Auntie Wang opened her storefront, she caught sight of a bizarrely dressed warrior entirely wrapped in black cloth, a long saber at his hip, shuffling slowly toward the far end of the street.

Glancing over, Auntie Wang noticed that the hand resting upon the hilt of his weapon was twitching and cramping violently the entire time.

"Can someone who can't even hold a sword steady truly be a warrior...?" Auntie Wang muttered in bewilderment, returning to set up her bun stall.

"..."

"Why does it feel like I dreamed of someone pounding on my window last night...?" Fang Qi patted his forehead. "Has the plot of the Zhu Xian TV series been getting too intense lately..."

"Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway..." Fang Qi glanced at the sky outside, pulled the blanket over his head, and went back to sleep.

...

Within the imperial palace.

As dawn broke, Emperor Ji Wu seemed to sense a presence nearby and inquired, "How went the mission?"

"The master of that shop is indeed formidable. Your servant originally intended to capture the young proprietor to force his hand, but..."

"What was the outcome...?" Ji Wu pressed urgently. "Is his strength truly that immense?"

"..." The strange figure enveloped in black cloth was visibly embarrassed. "...Your servant labored through the entire night, yet failed to even set foot through the door..."

Ji Wu: "..."

"There must be a powerful array or restriction outside that room. When your servant's blade struck it, not a single scratch was left, even when eighty to ninety percent of my strength was deployed..." the man explained.

"To possess such profound mastery over arrays?" Ji Wu stroked his chin. "No wonder he could intimidate the old prince. It is said his mastery over lightning arts is equally unparalleled. It seems the old Chancellor was correct; it is best not to act rashly for the time being..."

"Otherwise, the losses will outweigh the gains."

"Your hand... is it injured?" Ji Wu inquired further.

"...It is of no consequence."

"Very well. You may withdraw."

"Understood!" With that final word, all sound vanished completely.

Naturally, the Emperor would never suspect that this elite expert, whom he relied upon most, had spent the entire night fruitlessly pounding on someone's windows and doors.

...

Fang Qi got out of bed and checked the numbers; the day before yesterday, the views per episode for Zhu Xian hovered around one hundred, but by the time the shop closed last night, the view count for each episode had reached one hundred and sixty or seventy.

At this rate of growth, the quest should be completed either today or tomorrow.

Right at that moment, Fang Qi received another notification from the system:

Energy accumulated has reached the critical threshold; the system will upgrade tonight.

Upon completion of the upgrade:

1. The shop's physical space will expand, quadrupling in size for the first time.

2. The number of computers will increase.

Additional features will be unlocked subsequently.

...

Meanwhile, in the capital, it was roughly the hour for the morning court assembly.

"Old Chancellor, is that shop you spoke of truly so remarkable?! Can even we scholars cultivate?!" The officials walked toward the Golden Throne Hall in small groups, conversing as they moved.

"Naturally!" Chancellor Zhang declared. "Would this old man deceive you all? I watched that television series in the shop for a mere two days and immediately felt the cultivation of martial qi stirring within me! Even Guard Bian has verified it!"

"The magical treasures of cultivators are truly... growing more wondrous by the day!" Behind him, a middle-aged scholar-official gasped in astonishment. "To think that even we men of letters can cultivate now?!"

"They always say scholars are utterly useless..." another official sighed with emotion. "If this is indeed true, then from this day forward, no one will ever dare utter those words again!"

"The world is vast, and the capabilities of cultivators are boundlessly miraculous! Hahaha!" another official laughed heartily.

"Old Chancellor, though your subordinate ought not to harbor doubts, still..." There were those who remained skeptical. "Would you allow me to feel a trace of your martial qi?"

"Of course!" Chancellor Zhang extended his hand. "True gold fears no trial by fire!"

Chancellor Zhang placed his hand upon the official's arm, and before long, a strange, warm current seeped into the man's body—faint, yet unmistakably real: "It truly is martial qi?!"

"Gentlemen! Once court is dismissed, let us journey together to Jiangnan to see this 'television drama' or whatever it may be called. What say you?!" someone proposed. "Though the distance is vast, if we are to believe the words of our venerable Chancellor, it is well worth the trek!"

.

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PS: The fan title is now available for collection—yes, the 'Thunder King'. Once claimed, you will be able to see the title effect appended to your comments in the app's chapter reviews.

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