Chapter 302
Chapter 302
Lu'an's resentment toward Shen Lang for Zuo Baiyu's death soared to the heavens. She tried every method she could think of to kill him, and Crown Prince Aru'tai chimed in beside her.
"Your Majesty, I too have heard rumors of Shen Lang's supposed talents. Why not put him to the test?"
"That whelp dared to propose conditions to me. He told me to write a letter of apology to the King of Yue. He deserves to die for that."
Crown Prince Aru'tai said coldly, his face contorted with rage.
"Did such a thing happen? I will go now and tear out his tongue and sever one of his hands."
He appeared even more incensed than the King of Qiang himself. His attitude was necessary, for it was said that if a father is insulted, his son must risk death to avenge him. The King of Qiang waved his hand dismissively. With Zuo Baiyu dead, it was impossible to know if Shen Lang's claims were true or false, but Shen Lang had insisted time and again that he could cure smallpox. If he were to die, there would be no hope left for the kingdom.
The King of Qiang had killed countless people, and in recent years, if he wanted to beat someone, he would just pick a fight. After extorting the King of Yue, he extorted the King of Chu. He projected an air of majesty in every direction, his dominance soaring to the skies. And now, this man was telling him to write a letter of apology? He was truly courting death! If it weren't for the current special circumstances, he would have long since had Shen Lang minced and fed to the dogs.
The King of Qiang spoke in a hoarse voice.
"I've already told him. If he doesn't retract his statement and kneel in apology before sunset, I'll have his tongue torn out and one of his hands cut off. Then, he'll be sent to obediently treat Nana."
"My brother, Zuo Baiyu, cured my young son in three days. If Shen Lang cannot cure her within three days, it means he is a charlatan who has deceived Your Majesty. He must be torn limb from limb."
"If he has not apologized and gone to obediently treat my sister by the time the sun sets behind the mountains, I will tear out his tongue myself."
Was it fatigue? The exact reason was unclear, but the King of Qiang's head was spinning. Could it be because he hadn't slept a wink last night? Yet he had often gone for days and nights without sleep with no issue.
"I am going to sleep. When the sun sets, you will bring Shen Lang to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The surrounding windows and doors were shut, and all the candles in the room were extinguished. The King of Qiang, Aru'gang, sat alone on the throne in the great hall, closed his eyes, and sought sleep. A moment later, snores like rolling thunder echoed through the hall.
***
The cangue cages were used exclusively for imprisoning slaves, and the stench was unbearable. Paradoxically, because they had been confined for so long with little contact with the outside world, they had not been infected with smallpox. Nevertheless, this place was a living hell on earth. Shen Lang had a cage to himself, but the other slaves were crammed a dozen or more to a single cage, with barely enough room to stand, let alone lie down.
They had no food to eat or clothes to wear each day, and even drinking water was scarce. The people imprisoned here were from the State of Yue, the State of Chu, and even the Western Regions. Whenever the people of Qiang went on raids, they always captured a large number of slaves. The men were sent to the mines to work until they died of exhaustion, while the women became tools for breeding. Whether male or female, becoming a slave in the State of Qiang was a fate too grim to behold.
This aspect of the State of Qiang highlighted the superiority of the Great Yan Dynasty. Although the politics of the Great Yan Dynasty were incredibly complex and hopelessly corrupt, at least it was not a chaotic hell. Whenever the State of Qiang captured slaves, at least two-thirds of them would not survive. From inside his cage, Shen Lang heard many Yue slaves speaking and asked them.
"Where in the State of Yue are you from?"
"Huangliang City."
"Manshan Prefecture."
"I'm from Baiye Prefecture."
Hearing these place names, Shen Lang's brow furrowed. They were all within the borders of the State of Yue, in the region east of the Su Clan's fiefdom. The diplomatic efforts the Su Clan had invested in the State of Qiang had a clear effect, as Qiang did not raid within Yue's borders. So how were there so many Yue slaves?
"How were you captured? Who caught you?"
Shen Lang asked them.
"The great bandit, Three-Eyed Fiend!"
"We were captured by the great bandit, Three-Eyed Fiend!"
"Every year, the great bandit Three-Eyed Fiend plunders everywhere, capturing people. He takes as many as a thousand at a time. We were caught then and sold to the State of Qiang."
Hearing this, Shen Lang trembled, on the verge of exploding. A terrifying conspiracy was hidden here. An operation of this scale should have caused a massive uproar. The great bandit Three-Eyed Fiend capturing a thousand people every year was a monumental event. Yet, no one in the capital ever mentioned it; he had heard no such rumors. The officials of Zhenyuan Prefecture and Tianxi Province had concealed everything. There had to be a huge conspiracy at play.
Shen Lang didn't have to think hard to realize that this "Three-Eyed Fiend" was a bandit cultivated by the Su Clan. For the sake of the Su Clan's political stability and to prevent the State of Qiang from raiding Yue's territory, the Su Clan had disguised themselves as bandits, plundered their own people, and gifted them as slaves to the King of Qiang.
‘Don't you come to take them. We'll deliver them to you ourselves.’
No wonder the State of Qiang hadn't come to plunder the State of Yue in recent years. Damn the Su Clan. The Prefect of Manshan Prefecture deserved to die, as did the Prefect of Zhenyuan and the Prefect of Baiye. Even the Governor of Tianxi Province deserved death. Su Nan, that old man, had no bottom line.
Shen Lang asked them again.
"Were you all farmers back home? Or what did you do?"
"We were farmers, but after our fields were gone, we went to work in workshops or mined in the mountains. Later, we were captured by Three-Eyed Fiend and sold to the State of Qiang."
What a gradual, masterful method. First, they were made to leave their villages and fields, moving them away from the sight of their neighbors. Then, disguised as bandits, they were ambushed, captured, and presented as slaves to the King of Qiang. Innocent people of Yue had become slaves in Qiang, destined to die within a few years. Could there be a more heinous act in the world? And the officials of Tianxi Province had all covered it up.
‘Su Nan, that old man deserves to be stabbed ten thousand times. The Su Clan deserves to be exterminated by the royal family. And the King of Qiang, that beast. Su Nan, for your family's wealth and glory, to curry favor with the King of Qiang, you abandoned your humanity and crossed a line that should never be crossed.’
Not only that, but the Su Clan's control over the officialdom of Tianxi Province was far greater than Shen Lang had ever imagined.
***
As the sun set, a large shadow appeared before Shen Lang. It was the Crown Prince of Qiang, Aru'tai. Though not as large or burly as the King of Qiang, his body radiated explosive power. In terms of martial arts, he was a master second only to the King, and even Princess Aru'nana was no match for him. He was initially taught by the King of Qiang and later received instruction from the supreme master of the Sacred Temple of the Snowy Mountain, High Priest Kuhai. High Priest Kuhai was an incredibly mysterious figure who rarely showed his face, residing solely in the temple at the mountain's peak.
"Man of Yue, did you tell my royal father to write a letter of apology?"
Aru'tai said, looking down on Shen Lang. Just then, a slave from a nearby iron cage pleaded with him.
"My lord, please, just a sip of water. I'm dying of thirst. I think I'm going to die..."
With a cold glare, Aru'tai lifted the iron cage and slammed it to the ground. Then he lifted it again and slammed it down once more. This man was born with divine strength. The iron cage, with more than a dozen people inside, weighed over two thousand catties, yet he lifted it with ease! Such strength was rare. After he slammed it down several times in a row, the slaves inside were covered in wounds and soaked in blood.
"Who else wants water?"
All the slaves trembled, not daring to utter another word. This was how the people of Qiang treated their slaves, worse than dogs or pigs.
"Drag Shen Lang out and take him to the palace!"
At Aru'tai's command, two warriors pulled Shen Lang from the cangue cage and led him toward the royal palace.
***
Because the King of Qiang needed to sleep, the windows were all firmly shut, the main doors were closed, and every candle had been extinguished. The entire great hall was pitch black. The King of Qiang still sat on his throne, his snores echoing like thunder.
Crown Prince Aru'tai brought Shen Lang in but didn't dare wake his father, waiting quietly for him to stir. Just then, Lu'an rushed into the hall. The only thought on her mind was to see Shen Lang dead. The King of Qiang's martial prowess was so great that even though they made no sound, the mere presence of people nearby was enough to rouse him from his sleep.
Aru'tai said, "Royal Father, I have brought Shen Lang."
"The sun has set. I already gave you a chance. Shen Lang, if you kneel and apologize to me, I will give you one more opportunity. A chance to treat Aru'nana and prove your ability."
Lu'an added from the side, "If you fail to cure Aru'nana's smallpox within three days, it means you have deceived His Majesty with lies, and you deserve to be torn to pieces."
The King of Qiang said flatly, "Kneel and beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, you will be punished."
He didn't truly want to punish Shen Lang right then. The man was the only one who could cure smallpox. But he couldn't allow his authority to be undermined. Aru'tai drew a dagger. He intended to cut out Shen Lang's tongue and sever one of his hands the moment the King gave the order. The King of Qiang's voice was cold.
"Kneel... I will not say it a third time. Light the lamps. Is it not too dark in here!"
Aru'tai said, "Royal Father, allow me to punish this man who has disrespected you. I will cut out his tongue, and from this day forward, Shen Lang, you will never speak again."
He raised the dagger and began to walk toward Shen Lang. Just then, someone let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Aaaah!"
A female attendant was pointing at the King of Qiang's face and screaming. It had been too dark to see before, but now that the lamps were lit, the King's demonic face was visible. Aru'tai was stunned, and so was Lu'an. They even instinctively took several steps back. The King of Qiang's entire body was densely covered in pustules, a case more severe than anything they had ever witnessed. The sores were more numerous and horrifying than any smallpox they had seen. In that moment, the King of Qiang looked like a demon. The King himself was horrified.