Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion

  On the imperial city’s Long Street, heavy snow was unsteadily falling from the skies above, covering the green quartzite tiles and pressing down upon the tents set up by vendors next to the street.

  A chilly wind blew past, causing the pedestrians wearing layer upon layer of clothes to uncontrollably shiver and exhale a cloud of white breath before continuing on their way.

  Luo Sanniang was dragging along Ouyang Xiaoyi and Yang Chen. The three of them were slowly walking on the imperial city’s Long Street. The snowy breeze and falling snowflakes were all blocked by the true energy barrier that Luo Sanniang had erected.

  As the three of them walked on, Luo Sanniang was still berating Yang Chen about something, while Yang Chen appeared miserable with his little face almost scrunched together. Next to them, Ouyang Xiaoyi was giggling at Yang Chen’s wretched appearance.

  Suddenly, the snow that covered the skies stopped falling and the entire street became quiet. Luo Sanniang’s pupils constricted. She could not hear anything in her ears, except the sound of her own breathing.

  She turned her head with much difficulty and looked at Ouyang Xiaoyi and Yang Chen. Their tiny mouths were opening and closing, as if they were saying something. However, Luo Sanniang could not hear anything at all.

  At the end of the street, a man wearing an overcoat with images of cranes sewn on it leisurely walked forward with his hands held behind his back.

  With every step he took, Luo Sanniang felt the pressure on her body increase. The scenery in the surroundings became dull and only the man leisurely walking toward her was left in her pupils.

  "Zh…… Zhao Musheng?!"

  Luo Sanniang’s red lips slightly opened and she cried out this name in astonishment, only to discover that she was unable to make any sound. Her delicate body was slightly trembling. The pressure was suppressing her to the point where she was unable to move even a muscle.

  Zhao Musheng leisurely walked with his hands held behind his back until he came before Luo Sanniang. His pupils were ever-changing like the vast ocean, as if a Buddhist aura was circulating inside and a sutra was being chanted.

  Luo Sanniang blankly stared at Zhao Musheng. The corners of the latter’s mouth curled up as he passed by her. He grabbed hold of the hands of Yang Chen and Ouyang Xiaoyi, and step by step disappeared from the imperial city’s Long Street……

  Bang!

  Luo Sanniang’s eyes widened as she powerlessly knelt down on the ground. Her perky chest was moving up and down as she gasped for air.

  The clamor of the city and the howling of the winter wind returned to her ears once more. A snowflake quietly fell and landed on Luo Sanniang’s loose black hair. Her true energy barrier had already collapsed without her awareness.

  The entire imperial city was in a state of shock. The prominent families, Ouyang and Yang, had declared their intention to aid the crown prince’s enthronement. This news was like a devastating earthquake had occurred in the already turbulent imperial city.

  The rich and influential families that were originally still indecisive all began to pick a side. Most of them had chosen to support the crown prince, Ji Chengan.

  The number of rich and influential that was supporting King Yu had substantially decreased as well. With the support of the Ouyang and Yang families, the crown prince’s enthronement was practically in the bag. Once the crown prince became the emperor, there was basically no chance for King Yu to make a comeback.

  There was still one more prominent family within the imperial city, the Xiao family. General Xiao Meng had already announced earlier on that he would only support the emperor. This meant that unless special circumstances arose, he would not support either the crown prince or King Yu.

  King Yu’s manor.

  The expression of King Yu, Ji Chengyu, sank as he banged the table with his palm, shattering the entire table into pieces. The aura exuding from his body became extremely bleak.

  "That damnable Zhao Musheng! That detestable old fox! He didn’t make any movements, so I thought he was going to be a spectator! I didn’t anticipate that he would do this! Damn it! God damn it!"

  Inside of the room, Hun Qianyun wrapped in a black robe faintly smiled as he watched the enraged King Yu. He said, "There’s no need for King Yu to be angry. Humans are bound to make mistakes. The fact that Zhao Musheng was able to become the Minister of the Left proves his craftiness. Nevertheless, even if the crown prince has gained the support of the Ouyang and Yang families, we’re not necessarily helpless against them."

  King Yu took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He looked at Hun Qianyun and gestured for him to continue.

  "We’ve already gained the support of many court officials, including the Finance Minister himself. With his help, we’ll be able to control the entire economy of the imperial city. Furthermore, the White Bone Palace and the Joyous Union Sect from the four great sects of the Heterodox Path have already dispatched their experts to support King Yu. In terms of high-end combat capability, as long as Xiao Meng doesn’t intervene, we have the upper hand over the crown prince," Hun Qianyun said.

  "The White Bone Palace and the Joyous Union Sect?" King Yu instantly narrowed his eyes sharply at Hun Qianyun.

  On the contrary, Hun Qianyun was perfectly composed as he calmly looked back at King Yu.

  "When did I ever say I wanted assistance from the White Bone Palace and the Joyous Union Sect? The four Heterodox Path sects really are close……" King Yu said with a sneer.

  Hun Qianyun lightly chuckled and shook his head. "We’re not the four Heterodox Path sects anymore. The Death Soul Palace was wiped out by Emperor Changfeng, so they’re no longer considered part of the four great Heterodox sects. However, with the aid of the three great Heterodox sects’ support, is King Yu still not confident of sitting on that throne?"

  "You truly are self-assured," King Yu said while narrowing his eyes.

  "I think we’re the same." The spirit fire within Hun Qianyun’s eye sockets pulsated……

  Bu Fang carefully peeled off the outer layer of the Wandering Dragon Cow’s small intestine. The transparent and springy outer layer of the small intestine was very suitable for being used as a sausage casing.

  Indeed, Bu Fang was planning to make sausages, a type of food that he loved back when he was on Earth. The rich aroma of an authentic, well-made sausage was guaranteed to make anyone salivate.

  However, the sausage that Bu Fang was making this time was not an ordinary one. Based on the ingredients alone, it was already far superior to ordinary sausages. Only Bu Fang would be wasteful enough to use the meat of the Wandering Dragon Cow to make sausages.

  Once the sausage casing was prepared, Bu Fang placed it aside and took out some of the spirit herbs he harvested during his visit to the Valley of the Fallen Phoenix from the system’s storage space. These spirit herbs were not as valuable as the Phoenix Blood Herb. However, the herbs were still rather precious and brimming with spirit energy.

  The Golden Dragon Bone Kitchen whirled in Bu Fang’s hand and fell like a meteor, turning all of these spirit herbs into fine powder. With the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife’s special characteristics, the medicinal property of these spirit herbs was all preserved. After mixing the powder with the minced meat, he took a small break and later added seasoning before retrieving the sausage casing.

  He took out some specially-made rock sugar provided by the system. Every single piece of the rock sugar was as beautiful as a gem. However, this beauty was soon turned into dust by Bu Fang’s kitchen knife. After mixing these rock sugar dust into the minced meat, Bu Fang began shoving the minced meat into the sausage casing.

  With the help of true energy, stuffing the minced meat was much easier. Bu Fang only needed to infuse true energy into the sausage casing and it would become inflated. After that, it was an easy matter to shove the minced meat into the sausage casing. Once the entire sausage casing was full, he used catguts to segment it into individual sausages.

  Looking at the bulging sausage, an intense amount of spirit energy was seeping out from the sausage casing. There was already a fragrance wafting from the sausages even before they were cooked.

  This fragrance was not the aroma of meat, but the smell of the spirit herbs mixed within the minced meat.

  Bu Fang was rather satisfied as he looked at the twenty odd sausages. There was only this much sausages. Once they were sold out, there would not be any more.

  After all, there was only one seventh grade Wandering Dragon Cow and it only had a single small intestine……

  When Bu Fang imagined the fragrance these sausages would exude after he deep-fried them, his mouth started to salivate. He was itching to cook them right now.

  However, there was no point in being anxious. After preparing the sausages, he still needed to let them dry cure for a few days. Therefore, Bu Fang hung the sausages within a cupboard provided by the system. This cupboard had the effect of accelerating the dry curing process. The principle was the same as accelerating the fermentation process back when he used the Nine Brewing Method.

  After closing the cupboard, Bu Fang let out a deep breath. He was looking forward to the result. After all, this was his first time not making something from the system’s menu.

  "System, what’s the approximate price for my sausages after they’re cooked?" Bu Fang asked in curiosity.