Chapter 867
“My lord, these are the corpses of the bugs from last night. We gathered as many as we could.”
The bottle Quenin handed over contained several liters of the archaic fire bugs’ remains. They were bizarre creatures, the likes of which she had never seen before. The bugs clearly had a proboscis, much like a straw, protruding from their mouths. Shen Lang noticed a strange look in Quenin’s eyes and asked.
“What are you looking at? Do you also think my blood is so toxic it poisoned even these fearsome archaic fire bugs to death?”
General Quenin shook her head.
“Then are you feeling guilty, thinking that as a subordinate, you have a duty to satisfy your lord’s selfish desires, and are planning to show me your body?”
“Goodbye.”
General Quenin could not stand it any longer and left. She had originally intended to say a few heartfelt words, to thank him for risking his life to save them the night before. But this lord of hers was so vulgar that any conversation lasting more than three sentences would inevitably turn in *that* direction.
Shen Lang let out a sigh of relief. He was the kind of person who couldn’t stand it when people looked at him with deep emotionlet alone with profound gratitude.
A moment later, the silhouette of a peerless beauty with a dignified and valiant bearing entered the room. It was Princess Dora. Her expression was one of immense gratitude, her eyes filled with a thousand unspoken words. She had learned what had happened after returning yesterday, and the news had struck her like a bolt of lightning, leaving her frozen in place for a long time.
“Don’t say a word, and don’t get all emotional. If you’re truly grateful, would you let me kiss your navel? You’re just too voluptuous.”
“Ugh!”
Shen Lang’s crude words lodged all the things Princess Dora had wanted to say in her throat.
“How many were sacrificed last night?”
“Thirty-nine.”
A pang of sorrow struck Shen Lang. Thirty-nine lives lost in such an unexpected incident. Each Amazon warrior was incredibly precious. To think they hadn’t died on the battlefield, but had fallen to a bizarre surprise attack by the Fire God Cult.
“Thank you, my lord. We will be loyal to you for the rest of our lives. Duchess Diphas has been captured.”
Princess Dora spoke in a gentle tone, then planted a kiss on Shen Lang’s hair.
“The operation was a success? Were there any casualties?”
“Almost none.”
*Excellent!*
Shen Lang breathed a sigh of relief. The surprise attack had finally succeeded. With half of Pyke City in his hands, all that remained was to conquer the strong and arrogant Duchess Diphas.
Duchess Diphas had subjected Shen Lang to various humiliations in the past. She was the type to look down from on high, trampling on the dignity of others. She had married him only to burn him alive as a sacrificial offering and to forge some kind of contract with the Fire God. Moreover, this woman had been single-mindedly set on marrying into Great Emperor Solon’s house as a concubine. It was also this woman who had ordered a complete blockade of his Mulan ships, sinking his vessels and killing his people.
Now, this strong and arrogant woman had finally fallen into his hands.
***
Duchess Diphas was indeed strong. Even the anesthetic made from the strange bugs of Mount Budao could only keep her unconscious for half a day at most, when it should have lasted a full twenty-four hours.
When she awoke and opened her eyes, she stretched her limbs and took in her surroundings. She was bound by iron chains to a large wooden frame, without a single thread of clothing on her. It was a deeply humiliating situation, but she did not seem to mind much. Although her private life was exceptionally chaste, she did not place much importance on honors like purity. Something as trivial as this could not truly insult her.
The handsome Easterner, Shen Lang, stood before her, his face wreathed in a smile. A brazier burned beside him, heating two branding irons within it. Shen Lang spoke in a gentle voice.
“Faki, they say even a single night as husband and wife forges a deep connection. I’ve missed you to death. Will you surrender to me and offer me Pyke City?”
“Haha, in your dreams!” Duchess Diphas sneered.
“Agh!”
The very next moment, she let out an utterly wretched scream. Shen Lang had immediately pressed the heated branding iron against her left buttock. Two red characters appeared on her skin: Shen Lang.
“Even after months without practicing, my calligraphy skills are still this profound and magnificent. It is an honor for you to have my script seared onto your body. Since we are husband and wife, consider it me placing my seal upon you.”
Shen Lang switched branding irons, pretending to blow on it to cool it down. The iron was glowing red-hot. He asked again in an even gentler tone.
“Faki, will you surrender to me? Will you offer me Pyke City? Please.”
But before Duchess Diphas could answer, Shen Lang pressed the iron in his hand directly onto her right buttock.
On the left were the characters for ‘Shen Lang,’ and on the right, ‘His Slave.’
*Shen Lang’s Slave. Not bad.*
After screaming, Duchess Diphas stared at Shen Lang in disbelief.
*This beast actually dared to scar my body without a second thought?*
She was, of course, aware of how perfect and alluring her body was. Any man who saw it would treat it like a treasure. It was because she knew she was beautiful that she was confident she could seduce Great Emperor Solon. Yet, he had branded such a beautiful body without a shred of hesitation. Was this pretty boy really so vicious and heartless?
“Branding you down there isn’t enough. I should brand your face as well.”
Shen Lang picked up the first branding iron again and checked how hot it was.
“This won’t do. It’s not red enough yet.”
After saying this, he placed the iron back into the charcoal fire. Duchess Diphas’s body trembled uncontrollably. Her toes strained to touch the ground as waves of searing pain washed over her. She had never experienced such a punishment in her life. Shen Lang said no more, quietly waiting for the iron to heat up again. A few minutes later, he pulled it out, but it still wasn't red enough. He took out a cigarette, lit it with the iron, and took a satisfying drag.
“Cough, cough…”
Tsk, tsk. He had remembered that he had become handsome, but forgotten that he didn’t know how to smoke.
“Here, you have a puff too.”
Shen Lang forced himself to take another drag, then placed the cigarette on Duchess Diphas’s red lips. She inhaled deeply, holding the smoke inside her body, as if it could lessen the pain. The Western world had started smoking earlier than the East, though everyone used pipes. The pirates under Black Pearl, in particular, were all heavy smokers. So, Shen Lang had gone ahead and reinvented the cigarette.
“It should be ready now.”
Shen Lang took out the branding iron again. This time, it was glowing bright red.
“Darling, will you surrender or not?”
As Shen Lang spoke, he did not pause his movements in the slightest, moving the heated iron directly toward Duchess Diphas’s incomparably beautiful face. He even eyed which side to press it on.
“I surrender! I surrender!” Duchess Diphas shouted.
The branding iron was barely a finger’s width from her face. It was so close she could feel the intense, scorching heat. Any later, and a permanent burn mark would have been seared onto her face, completely ruining her perfect features.
“You should have said so sooner.”
Shen Lang immediately pulled the iron back, preserving Duchess Diphas’s beautiful face.
“Of course, even if you had spoken sooner, I still would have given you those two brands just now. So, it’s not too late now, is it, darling?”
*You madman. You are a completely deranged madman.*
Duchess Diphas cursed him silently in her mind.
Shen Lang said with a smile, “I knew you weren’t some great hero who doesn't fear death. You may be a strong warrior and an ambitious woman, but you are by no means a hero.”
Shen Lang took out some ointment and applied it to the wounds on Duchess Diphas’s buttocks. She winced in pain several times.
“Shen Lang, you cannot rule Pyke City. You are an Easterner.”
“I know. But I have you, don’t I, darling? We were officially married and have never divorced. So, we are still a legally married couple. Have you forgotten? Therefore, what’s yours is mine. Of course, what’s mine is still mine.”
“What is it you want?”
“I want countless tons of food, meat, steel, copper, ships, blacksmiths, and shipwrights. I want all the resources of Pyke City.”
“You have to let me go for me to give you those resources.”
“Diphas, you are an intelligent woman. In fact, there aren't many women as intelligent as you. Thus, you are the best at weighing gains and losses. Now, let me analyze this for you. What end you will meet if you refuse, and what end you will meet if you agree.
First, you must disband all your armies and send them back where they came from. Why, you ask? Why should they come and make a fuss when it’s just the two of us, a married couple, having a fight? Next, you must travel the Western world and proclaim that I, Shen Lang, am your legal husband, and therefore, I am also the co-ruler of Pyke City. Third, I will be transporting a great many things from Pyke City. Of course, I will pay for them. I don’t have any money, but we are one body, so your money is my money. I know you have mountains of gold and silver in your secret vault.
Don’t blame me. I made a living off women back in the Eastern world, and that talent is my pride. Now that I’m in the Western world, there’s no need to change my profession, is there? It’s not easy to just change careers, you know. I’m not skilled in any other work. Besides, as they say, you should love what you do. With a face this handsome and not even enough strength to wring a chicken’s neck, wouldn’t it be a waste not to live off women?”
Duchess Diphas stared at Shen Lang. She had never heard such shameless words in her life. Did a person with no moral boundaries like this truly exist in the world?
“Of course, if you agree, you will become a scandalous figure in the Seirun Empire. Many people might even consider you a disgrace. You will no longer be the Guardian of the South, nor will you become Great Emperor Solon’s concubine. If we get along well, I might even get you pregnant. In conclusion, you will at least retain ownership of the Pyke Province and possess a man of supreme beauty like myself.
If you refuse… If you refuse, you will have nothing. You will die immediately, and Count Austin will have to die as well. Then, the branch families of House Rousseau will fight to the death to seize the Pyke Province, and House Rousseau will be torn apart. If you agree to my demands, the reputation of House Rousseau will suffer greatly, but at least the family will be preserved. There. I’ve said my piece. I don’t care what you think, but I will be watching what you do.”
He then took out a syringe and injected its contents into Duchess Diphas.
“What is this? What is this?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“It’s nothing. This injection is to treat your wounds. Don’t be afraid.”
Next, Shen Lang took out another syringe and injected it into Duchess Diphas’s body.
“W-what is this one?” Duchess Diphas asked, her voice still trembling.
“A deadly pathogen. Without my antidote, you will likely be dead within ten days. If you don’t believe me, go find any physician you like for treatment. Whether it’s a physician from the Fire God Cult or a royal doctor from the Seirun Imperial Palace, anyone will do. If they can cure you, I’ll cut off my head and give it to you. In about three days, you will develop a fever that will only get worse. Then you will start coughing, spitting up blood, and eventually, you will die.
You will be dead in a few days at most. Of course, you must wear a mask at all times and avoid contact with anyone. Otherwise, they too will be infected, and your entire ducal estate, and even all of Pyke City, will be infected and die. Can you walk? If you can, go back on your own. Take this vial of medicine. It’s the best for treating burns. Your buttocks are mine, so I hope you won’t severely damage their beauty in the future.”