Chapter 349

The State of Kang was a poor country with a harsh living environment, but its king possessed a fortune comparable to any of the world's wealthiest magnates. His palace was larger and more opulent than that of the State of Yue, its roof even covered in gold. In stark contrast, the people of Kang lived in extreme poverty. King Kang Arujiang considered his people's poverty perfectly natural, and many of them had come to believe the same. For the past several hundred years, the people of Kang had always been poor, so everyone thought it was simply the way things were. But with Shen Lang's arrival, the situation and their perceptions were beginning to change.

After acquiring the art of variolation, King Kang naturally began charging for the procedure. Do you wish to escape the specter of smallpox forever? Then give me one cow, or three sheep. If you have no money, that's fine. I will lend you the money—at an interest rate. But the interest King Kang charged was exorbitant. Shen Lang was gone, and the Sacred Temple was empty. A cow was expensive, but if it could save a life, it was a price people could bear. Once infected with smallpox, a commoner was as good as dead. Therefore, despite the sky-high prices, most of the people of Kang flocked to be vaccinated. Thanks to Shen Lang's technique, the royal family of Kang alone made a huge windfall.

But then, unexpected news arrived. Princess Aronana had built a new settlement at the foot of the snow mountain, where she established a new Sacred Temple and provided free smallpox vaccinations to all. Anyone could be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vaccinated there—not just the people of Kang, but even the Shaman Tribes and people from the Western Regions. In an instant, countless people swarmed to the foot of the mountain. In just over a month, Princess Aronana's settlement had grown to a population of over one hundred thousand, and it was still growing. People from the Western Regions and the Shaman Tribes continued to pour into Aronana's settlement.

"It is Your Majesty's birthday banquet, yet Princess Roro has not come."

As Queen Su Mo, Su Nan's younger sister, mentioned Princess Aronana, King Kang's expression turned cold, his eyes filled with fury. His daughter had disappointed him greatly.

‘I could overlook her siding with Shen Lang once before. But now, she dares to openly oppose me. I charge one cow per person for the smallpox vaccination, and she's giving it away for free? Now countless people will flee to your settlement.’

Of course, Aronana's settlement was still part of the State of Kang. But since she had established it without the king's approval, her actions were tantamount to treason.

‘In the future, the State of Kang must be entrusted to the Crown Prince, Arutai. Aronana, what do you, a woman, hope to seize?’

Arutai said, "Aronana said this last time: when she had smallpox, no one cared for her, no one even set foot in her quarantine chamber. Because of that, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will no longer consider Father and me as family. From now on, she will only consider Big Dummy and Xue Yin her kin."

Queen Su Mo spoke. "Your Majesty, that girl is constantly undermining the foundation of Kang and winning the hearts of the people. Although she is your own daughter, she is cutting into your flesh, making you bleed endlessly so she can drink your blood and grow stronger. If she becomes too powerful to control, she may one day come to harm her own father."

King Kang Arujiang said coldly, "She dares! How many people are in her settlement now?"

Crown Prince Arutai answered, "One hundred thousand."

Hearing this, King Kang felt a throbbing in his temples.

‘One hundred thousand? The entire population of Kang is only a few hundred thousand.’

King Kang asked again, "And how many warriors does she have?"

"Three thousand."

Aronana had, at most, three thousand warriors under her command. Most of those who sought refuge with her were the old and the weak. The valiant warriors had been enticed by King Kang, and the young warriors could get the smallpox vaccination without paying. Moreover, the warriors of Kang preferred to follow the strong. In their minds, although Aronana was strong, she was ultimately a woman with limitations; they believed she could never be stronger than King Kang.

King Kang picked up a large glass goblet, filled it to the brim with wine, and drained it in one gulp. He then strode out of the palace, found an exceptionally magnificent yak, and effortlessly broke off its horn. The yak let out a wretched cry, spraying crimson blood.

"Your Majesty is truly majestic. You have no equal in this world."

King Kang handed the blood-stained horn to his fifth son.

"Aruchuo, take three thousand men to the foot of the snow mountain and see Aronana. Take this bloody horn with you. Tell her she has ten days to come to the palace and kneel at my feet. If she does not arrive on time, tell her I will personally stab her to death with this horn. I gave her life, so I can certainly take it away."

The fifth prince of Kang knelt and received the bloody horn.

"Yes, Royal Father."

With a look of excitement, he left the palace and led three thousand men on a relentless ride toward the foot of the Great Snow Mountain. King Kang quickly cast aside his displeasure and continued to drink and revel.

"Envoy of Chu, I will personally lead my troops to invade the State of Yue this time. How much have you prepared?"

King Kang was always like this. Money was never far from any discussion.

"Two hundred thousand gold coins."

At the Chu envoy's words, King Kang grew furious.

"You people are too stingy. Look at Su Nan. How generous he is."

"King Kang, you mustn't say that. We are not just giving you money; we are also sending a large army ourselves. Over a hundred thousand of our troops are lined up at the border of Yue. What will you do if you invade the western border of Yue to plunder and the army of Marquis Zhong Yao of Zhenxi comes to repel your attack?"

King Kang said dismissively, "Do you think I fear the likes of Zhong Yao?"

The envoy from Chu said, "King Kang, you are brave and peerless, so of course you do not fear Zhong Yao. But invading the western border of Yue is for the sake of plundering freely and slaughtering to your heart's content, not to wage a war, is it not? As long as our Chu army makes a move, the western border defense forces of Yue will be unable to leave their posts. With the cooperation of the Su Clan at that time, the entire western region will become Your Majesty's hunting ground. Think of how much money, how many beautiful women, and how many slaves you can plunder."

"Three hundred thousand gold coins. If it's a single coin short, I will not dispatch my troops."

The Chu envoy replied, looking resigned. "Very well. Then we will be counting on Your Majesty."

The greed of this barbarian king before him was truly infuriating. In truth, his lust for gold was not to develop his nation's strength but to pave his floors with gold bricks and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠build his palace. The gold bricks on the floors of the palaces in Wu and Chu were all fake, but the golden floor of the Kang palace was paved with bricks of real gold.

King Kang once again filled his goblet and drank. Then he pulled another of his junior queens from the Su Clan, Su Ning, closer and groped her chest with his large hands.

"I hear Shen Lang's wife is quite beautiful, is that true?"

Su Jianting replied, "It is true. Jin Mulan's beauty is no less than that of the Divine Maiden Xue Yin."

The thought of Xue Yin made King Kang's sword of fury rise to the heavens.

"The most satisfying thing in the world is to behead your enemies and take their wives. Shen Lang has barely earned the right to suffer such a fate at my hands."

"Unfortunately, Jin Mulan is not in the capital but on the far eastern coast."

‘Besides, Jin Mulan will never be yours, King Kang.’

Su Jianting continued, "However, Shen Lang did bring a concubine to the capital. She is a small, lovely woman, yet so voluptuous she stirs the heart. What's more, she is with child."

"That will do. I will have that woman."

King Kang Arujiang had never bowed his head to anyone in his life, with one sole exception: Shen Lang. At that time, to save his own life, he had been forced by Shen Lang to write a letter of apology and allow the construction of a Sacred Temple in the State of Kang. That incident was a great humiliation.

‘A true hero should flay his enemy's skin, pull out his tendons, and then, after beheading him, trample his woman with his head placed right beside them. Hahahaha! Now that would be exhilarating.’

He imagined leading his grand army on a mad rampage of plunder and slaughter across the western border of Yue. How much gold, how many beauties, and how many slaves could he seize? The condescending people of Yue, reduced to sacrificial offerings like pigs and sheep, and those so-called civilized folk of Yue, forced to watch with their own eyes as their wives were violated—how satisfying would that be?

After drinking heartily, King Kang lifted the greatsword beside him. It was even larger than Aronana's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, a full three meters long and weighing over two hundred pounds. He began to dance wildly with the blade in the great hall. In an instant, a fierce gale swept through the hall, and the violent wind from the greatsword sent all the silver platters and dishes on the tables flying. The greatsword howled like a wailing ghost. All the guests in the hall quickly retreated to the corners, their faces pale ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and trembling, while shouting praises.

"Your Majesty is valiant! Truly, Your Majesty has no equal!"

King Kang was born with superhuman strength, and his martial arts were profound. Now, at forty-nine, his skills were at their absolute peak. As he swung the greatsword with abandon, even those standing ten meters away could feel the sting of the wind from his blade. No one in the hall could even keep their eyes open.

"Hahahaha! Emissary of the Shaman Tribes, did you not boast of being a strong man among your people? Why not come and test your skills against me? Are all men of the Shaman Tribes cowards?"

Having been provoked to this extent, the emissary of the Shaman Tribes could no longer endure it. Five masters from the Shaman Tribes drew their blades in a flash and rushed toward King Kang. The envoy from Chu could hardly bear to watch the scene.

‘Barbarians are truly barbarians. The king of a nation, drawing his blade against the emissaries of another country.’

"Fight! Kill!"

The five masters from the Shaman Tribes roared as they moved to surround and attack King Kang. But in the next moment, they were sent flying like kites with their strings cut. Spewing crimson blood in mid-air, they were thrown to the floor. The masters from the Shaman Tribes had all their bones broken and their internal organs ruptured, dying on the spot. Even the weapons in their hands were shattered to pieces. King Kang had defeated them all in a single blow.

King Kang's superhuman strength and inner energy were truly heaven-defying. Everyone who witnessed the scene trembled. They had only heard rumors of King Kang's invincibility, but seeing it firsthand proved his reputation was well-deserved. King Kang was far more formidable than the rumors suggested.

Seeing this, Su Jianting's expression changed drastically. King Kang was like an invincible god of war. But who was more formidable, King Kang or that she-devil, Qiu Yao'er? He had heard that Qiu Yao'er had single-handedly charged into a thousand men and carried out a one-sided slaughter. Such an invincible god of war, born with divine strength, was a sight one might not see even once in ten thousand men.