Naier was kneaded and pinched, bitten and sucked by Suo Lun, almost sent to seventh heaven.
This scoundrel had clearly done something wrong, yet still came to take advantage.
Naier’s body was truly too beautiful, to the point that Suo Lun’s hands and mouth together could not keep up.
Naier felt her defences crumbling wave after wave. Crucially, the tingling, electric sensation emanating from deep within her body caused her supreme martial arts to seemingly retreat completely clean.
But clearly, Suo伦 was about to press his advantage further, actually lifting her garments, his other hand sliding downwards.
Naier immediately grabbed that wicked hand of Suo Lun’s.
“No, no…” Naier said.
“Darling, I’ll just touch lightly for a moment,” Suo Lun said. “I’ll pull back immediately after touching. I keep my word.”
Keep your word my foot. If she believed his words, by this time next year she’d be a mother.
“I have something I want to say to you,” Naier said seriously.
“I’m listening,” Suo Lun said, his hand movements not stopping in the slightest.
“From now on, you absolutely, absolutely must not do that kind of thing again,” Naier said.
“What thing?” Suo Lun said. “Kneeling on the washboard?”
Naier did not know what a washboard was, but still nodded, saying, “Because if you do this, I’m afraid that in your heart you will… gradually come to dislike me. I don’t want people to think I’m overbearing. Even more, I don’t want you to feel guilty because you did something wrong, and then fear me, grow distant from me.”
Suo Lun could not help but be startled. Naier was truly very clever. People often grow distant because of guilt.
Naier continued, “The Silver Wolf Legion helped you retake Tianshui City, which makes me even more worried. Because I’m afraid you’ll feel indebted to me, and then there will be distance between us.”
Suo Lun said gently, “Every time I want our distance to be negative, but you refuse me every time.”
Naier ignored his teasing words, saying, “So, you must never kneel on whatever washboard again. If your elder sister finds out, I won’t be able to live.”
Suo Lun said, “But then what should I do next time I do something wrong?”
Naier immediately felt a surge of bitter anger. This scoundrel, having just committed this mistake, was already thinking about the next time he would err.
She truly could not endure it, and fiercely pinched Suo Lun.
Naier turned her body away, saying, “And I know, what you did to Weining this time was for Tianshui City’s sake. I shouldn’t throw a tantrum. But I truly couldn’t help it, because at that time you abandoned me for her sake.”
Suo Lun’s heart softened. He immediately said nothing, simply holding her tightly and quietly.
“So, if you do something bad in the future, don’t let me know, alright?” Naier said. “I know, some things, the tighter you grasp, the more they slip through your fingers. In any case, you must know, I can endure one injury, but absolutely cannot endure a second. If you dare abandon me a second time, I guarantee I will kill you with one sword, then kill myself.”
Suo Lun felt his heart melting. He said nothing, simply holding her quietly like this. The two of them lay on the ground motionless like this, even falling asleep like this.
…
The next day, Yan Yan led the army south, returning to Sky Wolf Pass. Suo Lun and Naier led four thousand troops, returning to Tianshui Main City.
In the time that followed, Tianshui City fell into incomparably complex internal affairs.
First to be carried out was the great trial.
The large-scale trial of Nu’erdan and the other rebellious high-ranking warrior lords, as well as the rebel army’s middle and high-ranking officers.
This trial would involve over a thousand people, and the vast majority would be executed.
The trial of Nu’erdan and the others was quite quick, completed in merely one day. Then the next day they would be publicly beheaded.
When Count Wey’s hundred thousand strong army pressed close to Tianshui City, Nu’erdan and the other rebels had been wild with joy, believing the Suo clan would soon be finished and they would soon turn the tables.
But they had not expected that merely two days later, tragic news would arrive. Suo Lun had flown from the royal city carrying the King’s decree and the Divine Dragon King’s Staff, forcing Wey’s hundred thousand strong army to retreat.
Then, Nu’erdan and the others knew they were finished.
The next day they would be publicly beheaded. At this time, Nu’erdan was incomparably eager to see Suo Lun once.
Since being captured, Suo Lun had not come to see Nu’erdan even once. Tomorrow they would be publicly beheaded. Even as the victor, he should come to see him once.
But Suo Lun still did not come.
Finally, Nu’erdan had no choice but to actively request, “I wish to see Lord Suo Lun once. There is a final word I wish to say to him.”
The warrior guarding him nodded and walked out.
Two quarter hours later, Suo Lun arrived at the prison cell.
Nu’erdan looked at him for quite a while, then knelt on both knees, saying, “Rebel subject Nu’erdan pays respects to the Lord.”
Suo Lun nodded, saying nothing, showing neither triumph nor pity.
“What I wish to tell you is that the reason we rebelled, apart from Zhining’s long-term incitement and provocation, was even more importantly because your previous self appeared too incompetent, to the point that it made us restless with desire, nurturing ambition,” Nu’erdan said. “Had we known you were so outstanding, we would not have rebelled.”
Suo Lun asked, “What kind of person was my father?”
Nu’erdan recalled for a moment, saying, “A person upright to the point of near foolishness, a person brave to the point of fearlessness, a person truly noble and selfless, an anomaly among feudal lords. For most of the time he was in power, he led the Suo clan’s army to sell their lives for the kingdom, yet gained no benefit whatsoever. He could neither increase his territory by an inch, nor raise his noble rank by a level.”
Suo Lun said, “Then was he the only feudal lord who supported the King at that time?”
Nu’erdan said, “At that time, the King’s power and influence reached the heavens. He had not yet revealed the flaw of having no sons. Therefore, though all the feudal lords of the world harboured hatred in their hearts, they had no choice but to desperately fawn upon him. But the only one who was truly loyal to the King from the heart, and sold his life for him, was Lord Suo Long alone.”
“Understood. Thank you for telling me. Have a good journey tomorrow,” Suo Lun said.
Then, Suo Lun directly departed.
Nu’erdan knelt once more, his forehead touching the ground.
The next day, before tens of thousands of common people, Nu’erdan and nineteen other rebellious high-ranking warrior lords were publicly beheaded.
From this point, the great purge of Tianshui City officially began.
All territory high-ranking warrior lords, warrior lords, territory centurions, and so forth were all arrested, imprisoned, and replaced.
The entire Tianshui City was like being struck by thunder and rainstorm.
All the common people across this five hundred li of territory clearly felt that the sky above their heads had completely changed.
Their new Lord Suo Lun was cold, icy, cruel, powerful.
But immediately after, another matter occurred, adding a new dimension to this lord’s image.
Because Suo Lun distributed an astronomical number of gold coins.
On that day, Suo Lun led rogue bandits, sweeping through all the innocent common people within the territory, seizing all their property and grain, driving them to Tianshui Main City, turning them into refugees. This matter made Suo Lun’s image among the lower-level common people very brutal.
Unexpectedly, Suo Lun very quickly dispatched soldiers to deliver money and grain door to door, nearly double compensation for these people’s losses.
Instantly, these common people were caught off guard by such favour. Regarding their previous losses, they had already resigned themselves to fate. Some had even cursed Suo Lun, worried that one day the city garrison would break down their doors and arrest them.
They had not expected that they could actually receive compensation, and double compensation at that.
Thus, many common people felt that their lord, though perhaps possessing no tender warmth, was at least fair, and incomparably wealthy.
…
“Money, one can never have too much,” Suo Lun said. “Next, all of Tianshui City’s resources will be invested into the Phantom Plan.”
The Phantom Plan, a brand new plan proposed by Suo Lun, had the goal of making money, astronomical sums of money, not inferior to the money from Chaos Stone Island.
Suo Ningbing said, “After Chaos Stone Island enters a stable period, it can bring in over a hundred thousand gold coins in revenue annually. Plus the territory’s tax revenue, is that still not enough?”
“Not enough,” Suo Lun said. “Next, Tianshui City’s army must expand to at least over fifty thousand, and every soldier must be armed to the teeth with the best armour and the best weapons.”
“Fifty thousand?” Ye Jingyu said with excitement yet unease, “Lord, do we need so many troops?”
“We do,” Suo Lun said. “A few days ago, Count Wey’s hundred thousand strong army pressed against our borders, and we had almost no power to resist. I do not want this situation to repeat a second time.”
For Suo Lun, fifty thousand troops was not even enough. He needed a hundred thousand, or even more.
Because in the time to come, the contradictions within the Raging Wave Kingdom would become semi-public. The King was already half paralysed, so he would be even weaker.
Weili had temporarily lost a small round on Tianshui City. But for him, Tianshui City was merely a small corner on the chessboard.
In reality, with the King’s paralysis, Weili’s power would swell once again.
For a long time to come, the only armed force the Weiyan faction could rely upon was Suo Lun’s Tianshui army.
And facing the setback at Tianshui City, Weili would absolutely not remain indifferent. He was still determined to obtain Tianshui City.
Therefore, Suo Lun had to make himself powerful as quickly as possible.
“Jingyu, have you finished the matter I asked you to do?” Suo Lun asked.
Suo Lun had asked him to find an uninhabited deserted island along Tianshui City’s coast, then excavate an underground castle within the deserted island. This would become Suo Lun’s second secret base.
The Phantom Plan would be carried out within this secret deserted island.
“The target location has already been found, and people have already been transported there,” Ye Jingyu said.
“Uncle Tu’an, have you found the people I asked you to find?” Suo Lun asked.
Tu’an said, “They have been found, but is it useful to spend so much money to find so many alchemists?”
For this Phantom Plan, the first batch of gold coins Suo Lun approved exceeded ten thousand. This sum was nearly half a year’s tax revenue for the entire Tianshui City.
“Suo Lun, can this Phantom Plan really earn several hundred thousand gold coins?” Naier could not help but ask.
“Of course,” Suo Lun said. “When the time comes, I’ll pile gold coins in every corner of your room.”
…
“What did you call me here for?” Sword Venerable Bi Xiao’s expression was extremely ugly.
“Has Ashiluo’s retaliation already come?” Suo Lun asked.
Sword Venerable Bi Xiao nodded, saying, “My three female disciples were tortured to death by someone. Their corpses were delivered before me. Their deaths were too horrible to behold, and each person’s death was different. Some had their bodies pierced through, some had all the skin and flesh flayed from their bodies.”
Suo Lun’s eyebrows twitched, saying, “What do you plan to do?”
“Nothing,” Bi Xiao said. “I cannot afford to provoke him.”
When he said this, his expression was incomparably dejected.
“Do you believe me?” Suo Lun asked.
Bi Xiao said, “Speaking of character, I do not believe you. But speaking of ability, I believe you.”
Suo Lun said, “One day, I will avenge this grudge for you.”
“You and he are already irreconcilable enemies,” Bi Xiao said. “So I believe you, though there is a ninety per cent chance you’ll be flayed and dismembered by him, your corpse fed to dogs.”
Suo Lun said, “On the account that I will avenge you, do one thing with me.”
“What thing?” Bi Xiao said.
Suo Lun said, “Pick up a person, then kill a person.”
Pick up a person, of course, referred to picking up Ye Jingyu’s twin sister, Suo Lun’s lifesaver. At that time, he did not have enough money for the face-changing procedure, so Ye Jingfeng voluntarily stayed with that mysterious sorcerer for three years. A year had already passed. Suo Lun had also retaken Tianshui City. He must bring Ye Jingfeng back.
“Kill who?” Bi Xiao asked.
“A sorcerer,” Suo Lun said. “A wandering sorcerer.”
That’s right, Suo Lun wanted to kill to silence him.
Currently, only four people knew he was impersonating Suo Lun. Ye Jingyu, Ye Jingfeng, Suo Ningbing, and that sorcerer who changed his face.
The first three were his own people, who absolutely would not betray Suo Lun.
But that face-changing sorcerer was a dangerous factor.
The key point was that all sorcerers originated from the Demon Continent, and Ashiluo was a major figure of the Demon Continent. Therefore, Suo Lun could not take any risks.
To strangle this danger in the cradle, Suo Lun needed to kill that sorcerer to silence him.
Moreover, virtually every sorcerer was evil. There was virtually no innocent sorcerer in the world. Their rise always meant the destruction of countless lives.
“I can help you kill him,” Bi Xiao said. “But you must exchange something of sufficient value.”
“What do you want? Will gold coins do?” Suo Lun asked.
“I do not need gold coins,” Bi Xiao said.
Suo Lun closed his eyes and thought for a moment, saying, “The location of a new Heavenly Tomb, how about that?”
Instantly, Bi Xiao trembled fiercely, saying, “Impossible. The Heavenly Tomb is the highest secret of the Divine Dragon Temple. You cannot possibly know.”
Suo Lun said, “I never speak empty words. However, the information is not yet complete and needs to be organised.”
Bi Xiao stared at Suo Lun for quite a while, saying, “Fine, I’ll give you half a year. You must tell me the location of the new Heavenly Tomb within half a year, or else the consequences… you understand.”
“Agreed,” Suo Lun said.
…
The next day before dawn, Suo Lun and Sword Venerable Bi Xiao departed Tianshui City, heading towards a certain mountain range at the southwestern border. The mysterious sorcerer’s estate where Suo Lun had his face changed was located within this mountain range.
The two travelled two thousand li.
Three days later, Suo Lun arrived at his destination.
This beautiful yet sinister and eerie sorcerer’s estate was before his eyes.
Suo Lun glanced towards Sword Venerable Bi Xiao, only to see his face completely calm, without the slightest killing intent.
Suo Lun came before the sorcerer’s castle, saying, “Sorcerer, an old acquaintance requests an audience!”
Before his words had even fallen, a beautiful figure rapidly ran out from within.