Chapter 706
Chapter 706
Though the King of Chu had fainted, terrifying news continued to pour in. The Chu royal palace was in complete ruins, and the Queen, Consort An, and several princes and princesses had all been taken captive by Shen Lang. Following that came a secret dispatch from the Blackwater Terrace of Chu, stating that Shen Lang had paraded the Queen, princes, and princesses through the streets, subjecting them to immense humiliation. Then came the news that all the castles and counties near the capital had gathered a large army and marched to their aid, only for that relief force of seventy thousand to be utterly defeated. As the bad news piled up, the Crown Prince wished he could just spit blood and collapse on the spot.
What was he to do now that his father, the King, had fainted? Everything that had transpired had completely overturned his world. How had Shen Lang accomplished this? Leading ten thousand men over a snow-covered mountain range spanning more than a thousand leagues was a miracle in itself. But to capture the capital of Chu in less than a day? Even if the capital was empty and the only true elite soldiers were the ten thousand Imperial Guards, a force of seventy thousand still defended it. Even seventy thousand pigs defending such a sturdy fortress wouldn't have been defeated so easily. To conquer it in a single day—was Shen Lang a man or a demon? With the absolute commander of the army, the King of Chu, unconscious, the Chu army had ground to a halt. The Crown Prince of Chu ordered a complete lockdown on all news, waiting for his father to awaken.
***
The capital of Chu.
Shen Lang gazed at the peerless beauty before him.
‘Truly beautiful.’
Not as beautiful as Mulan, of course, but she was a woman who exuded a scholarly air. She was clearly a vixen, yet she gave off the impression of Lin Daiyu—a frail, literary beauty from the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Every movement she made was graceful, light, and gentle, as if she couldn't even bring herself to step on an ant.
“You are Consort An?”
“Yes!”
Consort An whispered in a quiet voice, looking as meek and timid as a rabbit. Shen Lang smiled and said.
“A peerless beauty, indeed. How about you sleep with me?”
Consort An’s lovely body flinched. Fear flickered in her eyes as she answered in a trembling voice.
“If you defile my purity, Young Master Shen, I will have no choice but to die.”
Shen Lang chuckled.
“Ah, is that so? I was only joking. Even if you offered to sleep with me, I doubt I could bring myself to do it. Consort An, do you know a certain saying? It’s a very vicious one.”
Consort An whimpered softly.
“This consort is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Young Master Shen.”
Shen Lang exclaimed loudly.
“‘You dare put poison in my piss?’ Isn’t that a vicious thing to say?”
Consort An was taken aback.
“But I bet you know an even more vicious one. ‘There’s poison in your…’”
Hearing this, Consort An’s face changed dramatically.
“Hahaha. I never would have thought. I always thought that was just a joke, but to think I’d meet someone who actually did it.”
Consort An said in a shaky voice.
“Young Master Shen, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You are a disciple of Mount Budao.”
Consort An looked startled and shook her head.
“Mount Budao? How could that be? I am the legitimate daughter of the noble An clan of Chu. I don’t even have the strength to wring a chicken’s neck. I don’t know any martial arts.”
“Your greatest strength lies in the fact that you know no martial arts. That’s why the King of Chu never suspected you, and why the Grandmaster-level expert by his side never suspected you either. Not only are you a disciple of Mount Budao, but you’ve also been cultivating *gu* worms in your own body. And during your intimate moments with the King of Chu, you implanted those worms into his system.”
Shen Lang then stepped closer to Consort An, sniffed the air around her, and pointed to a spot on her abdomen.
“The worms are here, aren’t they?”
At his words, Consort An’s expression twisted into something monstrous. Shen Lang’s aim was precise. The *gu* worms were deep in slumber right there. Shen Lang spoke, a note of wonder in his voice.
“Impressive. You’re a woman, meant to receive a man’s seed, yet you implanted your own vile worms into the King of Chu instead. Mount Budao is truly remarkable.”
Consort An gradually regained her composure, her expression shifting in an instant. She said coldly.
“Since you already know, Young Master Shen, you should just sit back and enjoy the show. Don’t say anything unnecessary, and don’t meddle in what doesn’t concern you. If my guess is correct, you are also a disciple of our Mount Budao, so you must not do anything to bring shame upon the sect.”
Hearing Consort An’s threat, Shen Lang’s voice trembled.
“Consort An, you are so formidable. I’m utterly terrified.”
“You may be putting on a brave face, but you’re scared on the inside. You can afford to offend the King of Chu, but not our Mount Budao!”
“Whose disciple are you at Mount Budao?”
“That is something you don’t need to know, Young Master Shen. Perhaps you don’t even have the right to know.”
“Oh! So you’re not just the disciple of some big shot at Mount Budao, but more accurately, a disciple and a plaything! Be honest now. I have a very good nose; I can smell a vixen no matter how well she hides it. If I’m not mistaken, you were a virgin when you married the King of Chu. You must have used quite a few enemas back at Mount Budao, didn’t you?”
Hearing such a venomous accusation, Consort An’s face grew even darker. He had just exposed her deepest, most hidden secret.
“Tell me. What kind of *gu* worm did you plant in the King of Chu? How do you awaken it?”
Consort An sneered in response.
“Don’t waste your time, Young Master Shen. I’ll only speak upon my death. But if you dare to harm a single hair on my head, you won’t have a path to survival. My master will surely slaughter your entire family.”
“Oh! You don’t know any martial arts, do you? What a coincidence. Neither do I. Isn’t that perfect!”
Shen Lang then shouted.
“Is the cesspit ready?”
Hearing this, Consort An’s eyes widened in fear.
“It is ready.”
“Is it deep enough? Consort An is about five feet and five inches tall, so the cesspit must be at least five feet and seven inches deep. It must be deep enough to fully submerge her entire body. Consort An, you’ve grown far too arrogant since becoming a disciple of Mount Budao. I think you need to cool your head in a cesspit!”
The Sword King’s wife immediately came forward, grabbed Consort An by the neck, and dragged her outside.
“Shen Lang, how dare you! Mount Budao will not spare you! My master will never let you go—!”
Before she could finish, she was thrown into the cesspit. It was a pity to see such a peerless beauty with skin as white as snow tossed into such a place. She couldn’t even finish her sentence before her mouth was forced shut. I won’t describe the reason, lest it induce nausea. In any case, she struggled desperately but sank continuously. It was no use. She had no martial arts. To thoroughly deceive the King of Chu, Mount Budao had forbidden her from learning any. In just over ten seconds, she sank completely and vanished from sight.
***
Thirty minutes later, Consort An quietly awoke. She was lying naked in a pool of water. Her body had been washed clean, but her stomach could not be so easily cleansed.
“Ugh, blech, retch!”
Consort An vomited violently, spewing even bile. Shen Lang had originally intended to question her, but upon seeing this, he quickly pinched his nose and left. A few minutes later, Shen Lang called out from outside the door.
“Consort An, are you done vomiting? I’m reminded of the phrase ‘a mouth full of shit.’”
“Blech.”
Though she had already emptied her stomach, hearing Shen Lang’s words sent her into another fit of frantic retching. Her entire body convulsed until she could barely breathe.
“Wash her again, thoroughly, from the inside out. Pump her stomach.”
And so, for the first time in her life, Consort An was subjected to the torture of having her stomach pumped.
***
Another hour passed. Shen Lang appeared before Consort An, holding a scented handkerchief to his nose.
“Honestly, it pains me to put a delicate beauty like you through such hardship.”
Consort An gasped for breath, and Shen Lang quickly stepped back.
“And I am not a patient man.”
Consort An remained silent. Shen Lang said seriously.
“It seems you still haven’t had your fill. Men! Throw Her Highness Consort An back into the pit to help her calm down!”
The Sword King’s wife came forward again, lifted Consort An, and started for the door.
“S-s-stop. I’ll talk… I’ll talk… Young Master Shen, I don’t know the specific name of the *gu* worm inside the King of Chu. I only know that I can awaken it at any time on Mount Budao’s command, causing him to die suddenly. The King of Chu is cunning and uncooperative in many matters, so our original plan was to have him die suddenly one day and let the Crown Prince succeed him.
“The item to awaken the *gu* worm in the King of Chu is in my palace. In a hidden underground location, there’s a small, five-foot-square secret chamber with a box inside. The box is locked, but it’s a one-time use lock. You have to align three symbols—a snake, a ghost, and a woman—in a row to open it. If you arrange them incorrectly, it will spray poison.”
Consort An confessed everything.
“Well done. That’s a good girl.”
Shen Lang then sent people to the ruins of the royal palace to find the box. Just as she had described, it was soon brought before him. Shen Lang prepared to open the lock himself.
“I’ll do it.”
Go Duhuan quickly stepped forward. If there was a mechanism in the box, Shen Lang’s life would be in danger. The Sword King’s wife said.
“Make that woman open it herself.”
Shen Lang shook his head and, following Consort An’s instructions, manipulated the primitive combination lock, aligning the symbols of the snake, the ghost, and the woman.
*Click.*
The lock opened, and Shen Lang lifted the lid. Inside was a peculiar ceramic jar.
“The item to awaken the *gu* worms in the King of Chu is inside that jar.”
Consort An said, her breath shallow.
“Mm.”
Shen Lang opened the jar.
*Poof.*
In an instant, a green mist erupted violently, and countless venomous *gu* worms lunged at Shen Lang’s face. Tens, perhaps hundreds of millions of them swarmed over his face, trying to burrow into his body. The grotesque and terrifying scene made Go Duhuan’s blood run cold, and the Sword King’s wife let out a horrified scream. Consort An let out a sharp, triumphant laugh.
“Hahahaha! Shen Lang, you fell for it! You fell for it! Hahahaha! Those are the most venomous *gu* worms from Mount Budao! Shen Lang, you’re finished, you’re finished! Release me, Shen Lang, and send me back to Mount Budao, and you might have a chance to live. Otherwise, you can only wait for the most miserable death imaginable!”
Consort An’s face was contorted with malice, her voice sharp, with no trace of her previous pitiful demeanor. She was ecstatic. Shen Lang was exceptionally clever, but he had fallen for her trick in the end. Consort An swore to herself.
‘Shen Lang, I will make it so you can neither live nor die. You will taste the same humiliation I suffered, tenfold, a hundredfold! I won’t just take revenge on you, Shen Lang, but on your wife and child as well. I will make them live a life worse than death. I will cast them into the eighteenth level of hell.’
But in the next moment, the *gu* worms on Shen Lang’s face all fell away like dust.
‘The *gu* worms are dead? Th-this is impossible! Those are the most potent *gu* worms. Were they… poisoned to death by Shen Lang instead?’
Consort An was completely stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing.