Chapter 293
Chapter 293
King Arugang of Qiang ordered Crown Prince Arutai to gather five thousand cavalry and prepare to invade the State of Yue.
‘Our Qiang Kingdom will never back down, even with smallpox raging. If we say we're going to war, we go to war. Five thousand cavalry should be more than enough to strike the weak State of Yue. After all, it's just a matter of burning, killing, and plundering.’
At that moment, an envoy from the Su Clan entered the Qiang royal palace and, without a word, presented a hundred thousand gold coins. He pleaded for the king to temporarily quell his thunderous rage and kill one person first. And who was this person to be killed? Shen Lang, the envoy from Yue. In fact, the royal decree appointing Shen Lang as the envoy to the Qiang Kingdom had not even been issued yet.
Although the King of Qiang accepted the gold, he still intended to send his troops to punish the State of Yue. The Su Clan envoy stated that if His Majesty would first kill Shen Lang, the envoy from Yue, and then dispatch his troops, the Su Clan would be willing to offer another hundred thousand gold coins. Finally, the King of Qiang suppressed his soaring rage for the time being and waited for Shen Lang's arrival. A few days ago, the King of Qiang received news that Shen Lang, the envoy from Yue, had already set out for the Qiang Kingdom, bringing with him the heads of a dozen members of the Qiang delegation.
‘This is an unprecedented provocation!’
The King of Qiang was enraged, his killing intent soaring to the heavens. He wanted to mince the entire Yue delegation and boil them into a meat soup. At that point, Princess Aronana, known as the Hell Princess, volunteered for the mission, requesting to lead soldiers to slaughter the entire Yue delegation and mince the envoy Shen Lang to feed to the dogs. The King of Qiang granted the princess's request, which led to the current situation where Shen Lang's delegation was surrounded by the Hell Princess's cavalry just as they entered the Qiang Kingdom.
***
Princess Aronana of Qiang was just as determined to kill Shen Lang as her royal father was.
‘How dare that feeble State of Yue kill our delegation? And they send an envoy carrying the heads of our warriors? They're truly courting death.’
Just as she was about to mince Shen Lang and feed him to the dogs, she suddenly heard him shout, "Big Dummy!"
‘Big Dummy? Isn't that the man my master told me to meet for a potential marriage?’
In that instant, Aronana looked at Big Dummy.
‘My goodness! He's that tall? I, Aronana, have never met a man taller than me...! I've finally found one.’
***
After hearing Shen Lang, Big Dummy instinctively looked at Aronana. And in an instant, he fell in love. Of course, the reason for this love was quite complex. First, his master, Zhong Chuke, had relentlessly emphasized that she was his bride. On the way to the Qiang Kingdom, Shen Lang had done the same, constantly repeating that she was his bride. Big Dummy, being inflexible, had long considered this unseen bride to be the one and only woman in his life. He was that foolish, and also that innocent.
Of course, even in the modern world, many otaku fall madly in love after just chatting online with a woman they've never met, imagining her as an utterly perfect being and losing themselves daily in fantasies about her. However, while modern otaku might do so out of loneliness, Big Dummy did it out of genuine innocence.
He had never even tried to imagine what his bride-to-be looked like. Of course, he lacked the ability to imagine it. The only women he had ever met in his life were his stepmother, Jin Mulan, Xiao Bing, and Princess Ning Yan. With such a small sample size, he couldn't exercise his imagination. But regardless, the moment Big Dummy saw Aronana, his eyes widened, and his heart began to pound wildly.
‘My goodness. Such a tall, strong, and beautiful woman exists. I like her so much. This is the woman I've been waiting for. This woman will be Big Dummy's wife for life.’
Stunned, he blurted out.
“Wife, I am Big Dummy.”
Aronana paused and looked Big Dummy up and down for a long moment.
“Are you Zhong Chuke's disciple?”
“Yes. I am my master's final disciple. Do you also close the gate for your master every day?”
Aronana instantly realized he was an idiot.
“Are you here for a marriage meeting with me?”
“What's a marriage meeting?”
Shen Lang chimed in from the side.
“It means marrying her, sleeping with her, and having children!”
Big Dummy nodded vigorously.
“That's right. I will marry you, sleep with you, and have children.”
Upon hearing that, everyone burst out laughing. In an instant, the murderous atmosphere from moments before vanished without a trace. But just as quickly, everyone stopped laughing, their faces stiffening. It was because Princess Aronana's face had turned as cold as ice. At a time like this, one couldn't help but stop not just their laughter, but even a fart or a stream of urine.
Princess Aronana of Qiang said coldly.
“Dummy, you want a marriage meeting with me? Then withstand three of my moves. If you can take them, I will acknowledge that you are qualified!”
Shen Lang was overjoyed. Big Dummy might not have any other skills, but his ability to receive and block attacks was absolutely top-notch.
The first move! Aronana instantly leaped forward, swinging the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which weighed over a hundred pounds, down with all her might. The force was so astonishing it stunned the onlookers. Big Dummy instinctively raised his Xuan Iron Staff.
‘Block!’
*Clang!*
A loud noise rang out, and sparks flew in all directions. Big Dummy's body staggered violently, and the solid ground beneath his feet cracked like a tortoise shell.
“Second move!”
Princess Aronana of Qiang's Green Dragon Crescent Blade spun and thrust forward. Big Dummy blocked it again like a flash.
‘Block!’
*Boom!*
His body staggered violently, but he had withstood the second move as well. Aronana was truly shocked. Among all the peers she had ever fought, aside from Crown Prince Arutai, no one had ever been able to block even a single one of her attacks. She had heard that this Big Dummy before her was five years younger than her, so how could he be so formidable?
“Then take my third move.”
Princess Aronana unleashed her secret technique, the Blade-Dragging Art. Until now, all her attacks with the crescent blade, whether slashing or cleaving, had been instantaneous. But the Blade-Dragging Art was a technique that involved continuously gathering force from a distance to strike the opponent.
*Shhhk.*
She unleashed her secret technique, but Big Dummy still managed to block it. However, a layer of his Xuan Iron Staff was brutally shaved off. Even though the sun was shining brightly, making it hard to see, sparks could be seen flying continuously in all directions. Not only that, but the Xuan Iron Staff grew so hot that one could have cooked meat on it. This was because she had used immense force in her third move, and the intense friction from Big Dummy blocking the Blade-Dragging Art generated extreme heat. Yet, Big Dummy remained motionless and withstood the Hell Princess's third move. However, both of his palms were torn, dripping with blood, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Shen Lang couldn't help but be amazed.
‘The princess of Qiang is truly powerful. To attack with enough force to make Big Dummy bleed and suffer internal injuries.’
Shen Lang knew very well how formidable Big Dummy was. But this match was a bit unfair to Big Dummy. Princess Aronana was five years older than him and had been practicing martial arts for twenty years. Of course, when it came to innate bloodline talent, Big Dummy was far superior.
‘Since Big Dummy managed to withstand the third move, they can have their marriage meeting now, right? I never expected it to happen in a place like this.’
***
Princess Aronana said.
“Big Dummy, you have withstood my three moves, so now we can have our marriage meeting.”
Big Dummy was overjoyed.
‘Is it happening now? Little Dummy said that a marriage meeting means getting married, sleeping together, and having children. But I don't know how to do any of that!’
“I am Aronana. Princess of the Qiang Kingdom, and disciple of Grandmaster Xue.”
“I am Big Dummy, the final disciple of Zhong Chuke.”
Like a normal marriage meeting, both sides introduced themselves. Big Dummy originally wanted to repeat that he closed Grandmaster Zhong Chuke's door every night, but with what little wisdom he possessed, he somehow felt it was better not to say it.
‘A good start.’
Shen Lang felt very proud. This man and woman seemed like a match made in heaven. But...
“That's enough. The marriage meeting is over. I don't like you, so leave at once!”
At Aronana's words, Big Dummy went,
“Huh?”
Shen Lang also went,
“Huh?”
surprised.
‘Ending the meeting right after it started? That's too fast. In the modern world, after introducing themselves, they'd ask if you have a house, a car, what your annual salary is, how much you've saved. You didn't ask anything and just rejected our Big Dummy? This is like putting out the fire before it's even lit!’
Aronana continued to hold her Green Dragon Crescent Blade and shouted loudly.
“The State of Yue killed our envoys, so I will kill every member of Yue's delegation! Shen Lang, die!”
Her great blade swung fiercely toward Shen Lang. Shen Lang jumped back in surprise.
‘She can switch gears like that?’
Shen Lang shouted loudly.
“Your Highness, I can cure the smallpox for the Qiang Kingdom and resolve the crisis that threatens your nation!”
For a moment, Princess Aronana was stunned. A very potent strain of smallpox was rampant in the Qiang Kingdom, so much so that even she felt fear. Because no matter how skilled one was in martial arts, contracting smallpox meant certain death. So far, over twenty thousand people had died, more were being infected every day, and cases had even appeared among the Qiang Kingdom's most elite cavalry.
Now, her royal father couldn't even bring himself to kill the infected anymore. If he kept killing them, he didn't know how many people would be left in the Qiang Kingdom. Even her royal father's young princes had contracted smallpox. Smallpox was truly like a divine punishment, like the grim reaper swinging its scythe, madly reaping lives. If anyone could cure smallpox, it would be the same as saving the entire Qiang Kingdom.
But... Aronana couldn't believe the pretty boy in front of her. Dozens who had claimed they could cure smallpox had failed and been beheaded by her royal father.
“I don't believe you. Pretty boy, die!”
Aronana shouted and swung her blade down, but Big Dummy forcefully blocked her crescent blade.
‘Block! Block! Block!’
After striking more than ten times, Princess Aronana was gasping for breath. The impact of blocking the blade had driven Big Dummy's legs deep into the ground, making him look like a short person. Both his hands and the corners of his mouth were covered in blood. Big Dummy was extremely fast, but Princess Aronana was also too strong. But Big Dummy would risk his life to block anyone who tried to hurt Little Dummy. Even his bride was no exception.