Chapter 294
Chapter 294
Princess Aronana stared at Big Dummy in disbelief.
*This fool is that strong? He blocked my glaive more than ten times.*
Her hands were trembling. Astonished and enraged, she shouted.
“What are you all standing around for? Go and kill the entire delegation from Yue! Kill them!”
At her command, a thousand cavalrymen brandished their scimitars and charged madly toward Shen Lang’s hundred-man delegation. Of the hundred warriors with Shen Lang, half were sent from the State of Yue, while the other half were private soldiers from the Heavenly Society and the Jin Clan. Though they were elite warriors, they were no match for a thousand Qiang cavalrymen. The combat prowess of the Qiang cavalry was truly astonishing. Once the two sides clashed, Shen Lang’s hundred men would be utterly annihilated. The situation was dire. Shen Lang shouted loudly.
“Grandmaster, that’s enough. Please show yourself!”
*If you don’t appear now, people are going to die. I know you’ve been following us since before today.*
But Grandmaster Zhong Chuke did not appear. Instead, a captivating fragrance began to drift through the air. In that instant, Princess Aronana shrank back, turning to flee.
*A familiar scent.*
The person she feared most had arrived. Her master, Grandmaster Xue Yin. She had fed her master a stupefying potion before running away from the mountain. In reality, the potion Aronana used had no effect, but she believed it had worked, which made her even more terrified.
“Roro, stop.”
An exquisitely beautiful voice rang out. Just hearing it made Shen Lang feel dazed, as if intoxicated. It was a voice so gentle, so moving. Shen Lang had never heard such a tender voice in his life. It was as soft as a spring breeze, as gentle as a passing cloud. He was even a little bewildered.
*I heard Grandmaster Xue Yin isn't young, but this sounds like the voice of a woman in her twenties or thirties. Could she be an old woman with just a youthful voice?*
The voice seemed to hold a magical quality, yet it was so utterly pure that he felt she couldn't possibly be some kind of enchantress. It was a purity that emanated from within. This purity was of a completely different nature than that of Princess Ning Jue. This voice alone was enough to make one fall completely and utterly in love. And Ning Jue? She was a spinster who extinguished all desire. She appeared serene on the surface but was actually filled with the negative energy of a disillusioned person. That was why, no matter how beautiful she was, he could never get hard. Could one sleep with a beautiful stone statue?
Grandmaster Xue Yin’s voice was different. It was filled with warmth, with an absolute, positive energy. This was true purity. Upon hearing her master’s voice, Aronana instantly lost her will to fight and instinctively raised her hands. She could defy anyone in this world, but not her master. Her master was a very good person, a perfect person.
Aronana loved her master dearly, more than anything. The reason she had run away from the mountain was precisely because she couldn't defy her. If her master pointed to a man and commanded, “Roro, you will marry him,” Aronana wouldn’t dare refuse, no matter how much she disliked him. What could she do in such a situation? Running away was her only option.
“Shen Lang, can you truly cure smallpox?”
Grandmaster Xue Yin’s voice echoed again. It was laced with such friendliness that she didn't sound like a high and mighty grandmaster at all; rather, it reminded him of a first love he never had.
“I can cure smallpox and save countless lives.”
At Shen Lang’s words, Xue Yin sighed. She had not wanted to meet the King of Qiang, because he was infatuated with her. To be precise, every man who met her fell for her. Even Zhong Chuke, though he never voiced his feelings, remained a bachelor out of his pure devotion to her. It was impossible to know how many men had grown old alone because of Xue Yin. She herself felt it was a sin. But she couldn't accept a man just because she was moved by his devotion. She and Najia had been the greatest beauties of their generation, just as Princess Ning Han was the foremost beauty of the next.
“Very well. I will meet with the King of Qiang and tell him not to kill you, for whatever reason.”
At Grandmaster Xue Yin’s words, Shen Lang bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you, Celestial Maiden.”
In that moment, everyone stared at Shen Lang. They had never seen such a shameless person call the Grandmaster by such an embarrassing title.
*And I was holding back. I originally wanted to call her ‘big sister.’*
“You’re welcome. Heaven holds the virtue of cherishing all life.”
Grandmaster Xue Yin’s voice faded into the distance. With her master gone, Aronana breathed a sigh of relief. Since her master hadn't mentioned the stupefying potion, it seemed she had escaped punishment for her transgression. Then, Aronana glared at Shen Lang.
“I don’t believe a single word from a pretty boy like you. Men, surround the delegation from Yue. Escort them to my Royal Father!”
***
A day later.
Princess Aronana escorted Shen Lang’s party into the Qiang Royal Palace. It was an ancient and rustic palace. Immense, cold, and menacing. It was covered in sharp points, and the atmosphere was exceedingly strange. Why paint gold over black stone? The entire palace was black, but all the pointed eaves were painted gold. Such a chaotic sense of aesthetics.
Due to the severe smallpox outbreak in the State of Qiang, they had witnessed mountains of corpses on their way to the palace. Villages were littered with piles of already-burned bodies, and the land was devoid of life, like a city of the dead. Furthermore, as these people belonged to a culture with no concept of hygiene, they had no way to stop the epidemic, making the damage even greater and more severe. Simply leaving burned corpses like that could become a source for another plague… In the past, a plague spread by rats in Europe had killed a third of the population.
The culture here was far more backward than that of Yue. They were barbarians, incomparable to the splendid civilization of the Great Yan Empire. The State of Qiang, the Savage Tribes, and the various nations of the Western Regions were not part of the Great Yan Dynasty. The rulers of these small nations called themselves kings or hegemons, but since they were not officially invested by the Son of Heaven, the nations of the East considered them barbarians.
Arriving outside the massive palace, Aronana shouted.
“Father, the envoy from Yue, that pretty boy, is here. Do you want to see him? Or should I just kill him?”
Shen Lang shot a fierce glare at Big Dummy.
*You useless oaf. Can’t even control your own bride, letting her shout about killing me.*
Big Dummy was even more dejected than Shen Lang, for his heart was breaking. Today, Big Dummy’s eyes had followed Aronana constantly, but she hadn’t glanced at him once, acting as if he didn’t exist. Unrequited love. In a way, Big Dummy had just had his heart broken.
“Let them in!”
The voice of the King of Qiang, Arogan, came from within.
***
Shen Lang entered the grand hall of the Qiang Royal Palace. It was incomprehensible how the main hall of such a small country could be larger and taller than Yue’s. It was so vast and spacious, a truly magnificent sight. However, because the hall was built entirely of stacked stones with no wood, it felt oppressive and cold. Even the throne was carved from stone and painted gold.
Shen Lang faced the King of Qiang. He was just as the rumors described. A man as immense and imposing as a mountain. It was no wonder he had a daughter like Aronana. The King of Qiang wasn't as tall as Big Dummy, but he stood around two meters and ten centimeters. His dark, muscular body looked like it was forged from iron, radiating explosive power.
He wore no royal robes; his muscular form was itself an armor of imposing dignity. He was a figure like a legendary god of war. This man alone gave the small State of Qiang the strength to fight anyone. He fought the Western Regions, the State of Chu, the State of Yue, and the Savage Tribes. He fought anyone who displeased him. Because of this man, the State of Qiang could extort Yue and Chu every year, playing the two great powers against each other for its own benefit.
His murderous aura was so thick that even from dozens of meters away, Shen Lang felt uncomfortable. Shen Lang instinctively activated his X-ray vision to scan if such a man’s… equipment was also substantial. The result confirmed that he possessed a tool truly worthy of a donkey, enough to make all men in the world ashamed of their own. Su Nan’s sister and daughter had both married this man. Shen Lang offered them a few moments of silent prayer. Their marital relations must have been as painful as torture.
The King of Qiang killed indiscriminately, so his eyes constantly overflowed with murderous intent. In truth, aside from his subordinates or family, most who met his gaze were already corpses, skeletons, or the dead. If the Celestial Maiden Xue Yin hadn't come to plead on his behalf, the King of Qiang wouldn't have even met Shen Lang, instead ordering him to be chopped up and fed to the dogs.
Shen Lang bowed and spoke.
“Shen Lang, envoy of the State of Yue, greets the King of Qiang. I can cure smallpox, save hundreds of thousands of your subjects, and rescue the State of Qiang.”
Facing such a king, Shen Lang chose to get straight to the point.
*Never beat around the bush. A bloodthirsty tyrant who kills for sport like this will have no patience.*
“Unnecessary. Someone has already succeeded in treating smallpox. He cured my young son.”
Shen Lang was stunned by the king’s words.
*He already cured smallpox? Before me? Yesterday, Aronana said many people came to Qiang claiming they could cure smallpox, but they were all liars, so she killed them. But someone actually succeeded? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!*
The King of Qiang continued.
“Su Nan wrote me a letter, saying that the deaths of over ten of our Qiang warriors, who were burned to death in Yue’s Sacred Temple, were the result of your scheme. Was it you who caused the deaths of our Qiang braves? Is that true? Think carefully before you answer. You have only one chance to decide whether you live or die.”
Shen Lang answered without the slightest hesitation.
“That is correct. It was my scheme. I made them burn down Yue’s Sacred Temple, so it was I who killed them.”