The southern waters of Tianshui City!
The Suo clan fleet had been conducting live-fire exercises here for over half a month, with merely a dozen or so days remaining until the outbreak of war.
Yet the exercises continued in full swing.
Over this half month, they had expended six-figure quantities of artillery shells, the vast majority of which were irrecoverable, so it was equivalent to pouring gold coins into the sea every single day.
Only a super tycoon like Suo Lun could afford such a war.
Moreover, Yan Mo’s blockade of Suo clan maritime trade had already exceeded twenty days, and Suo Lun’s financial resources were beginning to tighten.
If they were defeated in a dozen or so days, the entire development of the Suo clan would face serious problems.
After a dozen days of frantic drilling, it was genuinely difficult to say what concrete results had been achieved.
Because target ships were after all limited, and it was hard to simulate large-scale fleet engagements. At most, Suo Lun had once dispatched several hundred small vessels to play the role of enemy ships.
But these ships were far too small. At long range, artillery simply could not hit them, so the drill objectives could not be met.
This half month of live-fire exercises, which had come at enormous cost, could only be described as allowing the soldiers to get a feel for things. In terms of performance, it really could only be called entry-level.
As for Suo Lun, apart from being squeezed dry by Zhi Yan every night, he spent his days learning swordsmanship from Zhuang Zhixuan.
Because his spiritual talent was extraordinarily high and his mental strength extremely powerful, Suo Lun’s progress in learning swordsmanship could only be described as advancing by leaps and bounds.
No matter what sword technique he learned, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
And Suo Lun also began teaching Zhuang Zhixuan spiritual techniques. With Zhi Yan’s consent, he taught Zhuang Zhixuan the Spirit Condensation Body Technique.
Because Zhuang Zhixuan’s martial arts were already so formidable, if she added the Spirit Condensation Body Technique, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Zhuang Zhixuan’s spiritual talent was already considered high, but she still fell somewhat short compared to Suo Lun, plus she did not possess the Demon Star. Although her mental strength cultivation was stronger than Suo Lun’s, her progress in learning the Spirit Condensation Body Technique was very slow.
At that time, Suo Lun had learned the Spirit Condensation Body Technique in merely a few short days, whereas Zhuang Zhixuan had spent half a month without even reaching the entry level.
It was not that Zhuang Zhixuan was too stupid. In fact, Zhi Yan had said that Zhuang Zhixuan was already learning quite quickly. It was simply that Suo Lun was too heaven-defying.
The most difficult aspect of the Spirit Condensation Body Technique was memorising and analysing the various mental strength wave bands and frequencies.
The data volume involved here was incomparably vast. Even a person with extremely high talent would normally need a year or half a year to memorise it. Then to learn to apply it for oneself, and to fully master the Spirit Condensation Body Technique, would take at least several years.
Suo Lun was a good teacher, and also a bad teacher.
Toward Qin Qin and Yuan Ba, he was extremely patient. But toward Zhuang Zhixuan, his patience was not so high, and his frequent catchphrase was, “Why are you so stupid? Why are you so foolish?”
And every time, Zhuang Zhixuan would be scolded by him until her face flushed red, then she would become even more earnest and focused.
Many times, she even began to suspect whether she was truly very stupid. They were both learning from each other, yet Suo Lun’s progress in swordsmanship was advancing a thousand li in a single day. While her progress in the Spirit Condensation Body Technique was sluggish and stagnant.
Later, to accelerate her learning progress, Suo Lun simply used the Spirit Invasion Technique to teach Zhuang Zhixuan.
This was equivalent to Suo Lun forcibly pouring data on mental strength frequencies and wave bands into Zhuang Zhixuan’s brain domain.
This meant Zhuang Zhixuan had absolutely no mental defence against Suo Lun, completely opening her brain domain so that she had no secrets whatsoever.
Zhuang Zhixuan, who had been scolded to the point of tears by Suo Lun on several occasions, agreed without the slightest hesitation. Thereafter, the two used the Spirit Invasion Technique, meditation techniques, and other advanced spiritual domain methods for learning.
Indeed, Zhuang Zhixuan’s learning progress increased greatly.
However, whether it was the Spirit Invasion Technique or meditation techniques, both required an extremely quiet environment.
So Suo Lun and Zhuang Zhixuan rode a griffin away from the fleet and headed to an incomparably tranquil island.
The moment the griffin took to the air, for some reason, Suo Lun actually let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Zhuang Zhixuan could not help but let out a stifled laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Suo Lun asked displeased.
Zhuang Zhixuan said nothing, but she still wanted to laugh, merely forcing herself to hold it in, so she was suffering greatly from the effort.
The reason Suo Lun let out a long sigh of relief was that he could finally escape Zhi Yan’s squeezing. For over half a month, three or four times every day, it was truly unbearable.
If it were Nai Er, or a woman like Gui Qin Shao, three or four times would be three or four times. Suo Lun’s martial arts were not cultivated for nothing.
The key was that Zhi Yan was a fox spirit. Her appearance was like an immortal, and she was innately seductive, plus her martial arts were high. Moreover, when doing such things, she liked to use spiritual techniques and dragon power absorption.
Who could endure that? It was completely making Suo Lun wander between heaven and hell, truly living between desire and death, unable to stop yet unable to escape.
Now, going to a deserted island with Zhuang Zhixuan to practice spiritual techniques, he could finally escape the extraction of Immortal Zhi Yan.
…
Arriving at a completely uninhabited deserted island, they found a tranquil lake. Although the water was also salty, it was crystal clear to the bottom, cool and serene, the best place for spiritual technique cultivation.
Suo Lun wore shorts, and Zhuang Zhixuan wore a diving suit, sitting cross-legged in the lake water.
Once again, she completely opened her brain domain to Suo Lun, allowing him to imprint the data of the Spirit Condensation Body Technique one by one into her mind.
Then, they used meditation techniques to practice in the depths of the illusion realm.
In this process, Suo Lun inevitably saw many things he should not have seen, such as Zhuang Zhixuan’s various dreams, dreams that made one’s face flush and heart race.
In the dreams, Zhuang Zhixuan was ravished by Suo Lun at least a hundred times, in every position and with every method imaginable.
Although Suo Lun was Zhuang Zhixuan’s only man, she had stayed by the side of the Demon Continent Princess Yuan Yuan and seen far too much, understanding everything.
After every three hours of cultivation, they would rest for three hours.
Previously, when Suo Lun cultivated spiritual techniques, it was Ye Jing Yu who massaged his eyes and temples. This time, it was Suo Lun’s turn to massage Zhuang Zhixuan.
At first, when Suo Lun massaged her, her delicate body was completely tense, and her breathing grew increasingly rapid, her body growing hotter and hotter.
Whenever this happened, Suo Lun would slap her thigh, hitting quite painfully.
After several times, she finally relaxed completely, allowing Suo Lun to massage her temples and eyes.
This day, Suo Lun was still giving Zhuang Zhixuan a massage.
“What ideals do you have in this life?” Suo Lun asked.
Zhuang Zhixuan thought for a while, then said, “What about you? What ideals do you have?”
“To protect my family,” Suo Lun said.
Zhuang Zhixuan said, “That is quite a grand ideal.”
Indeed it was grand, because Suo Lun’s family was growing ever larger.
At first there was only Suo Ning Bing, then there was Yan Nai Er, then Qin Qin, Gui Qin Shao, and Princess Zhi Yan.
The number of people he needed to protect was growing, and the number and stature of people he needed to offend were also growing ever larger.
Suddenly, Zhuang Zhixuan asked, “What counts as your family? Does Fu Yan Er count?”
Suo Lun said in a muffled voice, “She counts.”
He said this “counts” somewhat through gritted teeth.
Because this family member Fu Yan Er had stuck to him inexplicably, and he could not shake her off no matter what.
“Then could it be seen that any woman you have slept with counts as family?” Zhuang Zhixuan suddenly asked.
Suo Lun said, “I have not slept with the Ye Jing Yu sisters, yet they are my family.”
Zhuang Zhixuan asked, “What about me?”
Suo Lun hesitated for quite a while before saying, “I don’t know.”
Zhuang Zhixuan asked, “Zhi Yan said to let you sleep with me, and this time finding a deserted island to practice spiritual techniques, with only the two of us alone in a strange place, was deliberately creating an opportunity for you to sleep with me. Why did you not do so?”
For some reason, Zhuang Zhixuan had spoken these words inexplicably.
She had strong self-esteem, and was cold and conservative. She would never be able to say such words even if beaten to death.
But because cultivating spiritual techniques required her to open her brain domain to Suo Lun, especially since those unspeakable dreams of hers were all known to Suo Lun, she had no reservations.
Plus, Suo Lun was answering so sincerely at this moment, so the words from the bottom of her heart could not help but spill out.
Suo Lun said, “Zhi Yan was right. You are extremely important to me, and after sleeping with you, you would become even more devoted. But… I feel the sense of transaction in this is too strong, and what I dislike most is transacting in such matters.”
“If I said, I truly want you very much?” Zhuang Zhixuan said.
Suo Lun was startled.
Then, without another word, he stepped forward directly, tore her diving suit to shreds with one pull, revealing her explosively fit, incomparably sexy and beautiful figure.
And Zhuang Zhixuan was even more frenzied, suddenly flipping over, pressing Suo Lun down into the water, and tearing his shorts to pieces with one pull.
Then, the two rolled and tumbled in the water, completely stirring the tranquil little lake into utter chaos.
From the water to the shore, then to the beach.
The two madly entangled, madly possessed each other, madly burned.
When Suo Lun encountered Princess Zhi Yan, he was completely defeated.
But when he encountered Zhuang Zhixuan, they were evenly matched.
At one moment Suo Lun pressed her beneath him, at the next she pressed Suo Lun beneath her, desperately fighting for dominance.
And what was most formidable about her were indeed those two super long legs, filled with astonishing elasticity and power, truly taking one’s life.
…
After a full hour and more, finally all was calm.
Zhuang Zhixuan, who had been tormented by dreams for twenty days, had her inner fire finally blaze into a roaring conflagration, burning her desire to ashes and achieving complete satisfaction.
Lying on the beach in a spread-eagle posture, Zhuang Zhixuan breathed heavily.
“I want nothing else in this life, I will just be your personal bodyguard,” Zhuang Zhixuan suddenly said.
Suo Lun said, “Don’t you even want to bear children?”
Zhuang Zhixuan said, “At eleven years old, I was sterilised by the people of the Demon Continent. I can never have children in this life.”
Her voice was very calm, but it was filled with intense hatred.
“Princess Zhi Yan was right, women become more devoted after being slept with,” Zhuang Zhixuan said. “The hardest thing for everyone is finding their place in this world. Being your personal bodyguard is perhaps the most suitable place for me in this lifetime.”
Zhuang Zhixuan turned her head and said, “Suo Lun, my liege, I hope your martial arts do not grow too quickly, for then I would lose my position.”
Staring at Suo Lun’s incomparably handsome face, Zhuang Zhixuan could not help but flip over and kiss his lips, sucking and entangling fiercely.
Then, the two battled once more, rolling once again.
Half an hour later, the battle ended.
Zhuang Zhixuan panted and said, “You are quite formidable. You can defeat a woman as fierce as me, so why do you lose so miserably to Princess Zhi Yan? I can hear you begging for mercy every night.”
Suo Lun said helplessly, “Have you ever seen someone use spiritual techniques and dragon power together while doing such things? Her martial arts are so high. If not for her showing mercy, I would have long been reduced to dust.”
…
In the royal capital Zhi Du, the wedding of the young lord Zhi Li had already been going on for two days, and today was the final day!
This day, the millions of citizens of the royal capital witnessed the most magnificent wedding in history, a procession of over ten thousand people stretching for several li.
The dowry from the Tu Ling ducal mansion numbered several hundred carrying poles. The accompanying servants, maids, and warriors actually exceeded three thousand people.
Truly a ten-li red dowry, wealth and nobility pressing upon all!
The failure of the campaign to destroy Suo several months ago had plunged Zhi Li into deep decline. Especially after Yan Wu Zhi and Gui Xing Fu pledged allegiance to Suo Lun, the entire Southeast Province fell completely into Suo Lun’s hands.
Then later, Zhi Li’s most loyal ally Fang Qing Shu failed in his plot against Suo Lun and was instead captured by the Dragon Temple, stripped of his position as young master of the Hidden Continent.
At that time, Zhi Li’s morale had sunk to its lowest point. Instantly, all the nobles and aristocrats of the world were watching and wavering.
However, life is like the ebb and flow of tides, and soon Suo Lun suffered great misfortune.
His half-brother Yan Mo actually mobilised a hundred thousand troops to blockade his maritime trade, cutting off sixty percent of his income.
And Suo Lun actually lost his mind. With only twenty-five thousand naval troops in hand, he did not know how to compromise, instead wanting to engage Yan Mo in a decisive battle.
Of course, Suo Lun had numerous examples of winning with fewer troops, and had created miracles beyond count. Even twenty-five thousand against Yan Mo’s hundred thousand, many people felt the outcome was hard to predict.
But one matter revealed Suo Lun’s true situation, that was his journey to Ying Zhou Island to seek aid, and his agreement to extremely harsh demands.
Although Suo Lun’s alliance with Hai Gang was top secret, it had long been vaguely revealed by Hai Wu Yan and Hai Na Er. To secure the Hai clan’s military support from Ying Zhou Island, Suo Lun had paid the price of three to four hundred thousand gold coins annually.
If Suo Lun could win on his own, why would he pay such a huge price to seek aid from the Hai clan of Ying Zhou Island?
Of course, if the Suo and Hai clans had truly successfully allied, then the battle with Yan Mo would still have an uncertain outcome.
But偏偏 the alliance between the two families had failed, because Suo Lun had raped and killed Hai Gang’s youngest daughter Hai Zhi Er.
Although only half a month had passed, this matter had already spread far and wide through the deliberate propagation of interested parties.
Coupled with Suo Lun’s slowed pace of reorganising his army, the suspension of construction on three defence lines in the Southeast Province. And the large-scale inland withdrawal of coastal industries, many people began to see that Suo Lun was pessimistic about this great naval battle and had already prepared for the worst.
And at this time, Zhi Li’s marriage alliance with the Tu Ling family represented that the relationship between the two families remained solid.
Moreover, the new young master of the Hidden Continent, the Hidden Origin Association manager Fang Qing Yi, publicly declared his stance in Yan Jing and Zhi Du, stating he would further support Lord Zhi Li.
Instantly, Zhi Li’s two pillars were once again secured.
The wind once again blew in Zhi Li’s favour, and the chips in people’s hearts were once again placed on Zhi Li.
And this wedding was the symbol of Zhi Li once again grasping the initiative in the Fury Wave Kingdom.
…
A magnificent procession of over ten thousand people, carrying the bride and dowry, circled the entire city, harvesting countless gazes of envy and admiration.
Then, the bride Tu Ling Mo was carried into Zhi Li’s young lord mansion.
The entire young lord mansion was packed with guests like clouds. Apart from officials of the Southeast Province and the Suo faction noble forces, all other nobles and aristocrats, regardless of territory size or rank, attended in person.
Several thousand distinguished guests, with banquets spread to courtyards several layers deep.
Nobles below the rank of viscount who were not feudal lords could only drink their wine far outside. Looking at this spectacle, it was as if Zhi Li was once again at the height of his power.
Although the great hall of the young lord mansion was already large enough, it still could not accommodate all the guests.
So, officers below the rank of ten thousand commander, and nobles below the rank of viscount, could not enter the hall to watch the wedding ceremony of young lord Zhi Li.
Of course, originally the officiant of this wedding should have been the supreme King himself.
But now everyone knew that the King was on his deathbed, perhaps still alive but unable to speak, unable even to sit up.
But it did not matter, for two other guests of incomparably noble status attended and would officiate the wedding.
The Dragon Temple High Priest Ge Li of Zhi Du, and the Grand Inquisitor Luo Ge of the Zhi Du Tribunal.
The attendance of these two completely compensated for the absence of the King. It made Zhi Li’s wedding the most splendid and glorious wedding in decades.
…
By now, night had fallen, and the bride Tu Ling Mo had already been welcomed into the young lord mansion. The climax of the wedding was about to arrive.
And this time, it would not merely be the bowing ceremony. Because Zhi Li was the young lord, his wedding would be even more imbued with the colour of the Dragon Temple.
As the groom, Zhi Li first stepped into the great hall.
Instantly, everyone rose to greet him!
Originally according to status, Tu Li Yang was not qualified to sit at the head table, but because he had most firmly supported Zhi Li recently, he sat at the first table with Viscount Fu E, Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji, Duke Tu Ling Tuo, and Hidden Continent young master Fang Qing Yi, becoming the most honoured guest.
Tu Ling Duo glanced toward her husband Tu Li Yang, casting a meaningful look.
Tu Li Yang rose, came before Zhi Li, and bowed in salute, saying, “Young Lord, before the ceremony begins, I have a matter to report!”
Zhi Li said, “Young Lord Tu Li Yang, please speak!”
Tu Li Yang said, “Count Tianshui Suo Lun forcibly occupied Lin Hai City, and falsely transmitted an imperial decree to execute Duke Zhi Wei. Not only that, he forcibly mobilised troops and seized the Southeast Province. Such wanton conduct, utterly devoid of conscience, trampling upon the dignity of the kingdom, as young lord, why does Lord Zhi Li not severely punish him?”
Zhi Li’s face flushed red, and he said, “Ashamed, ashamed!”
Tu Li Yang said, “My father unfortunately fell into Suo Lun’s demonic clutches, his fate unknown. Now, Luan Yang City is under my authority. I announce here that Luan Yang City imposes severe sanctions on the Suo clan of Tianshui City. From this day forth, not a single grain of salt or magic mirror of Suo Lun’s shall enter the Luan Yang City market by half a step. Luan Yang City’s grain and metals shall not flow into Tianshui City, nor into the Southeast Province by half a step!”
At these words, everyone’s face changed dramatically.
Tu Li Yang, this was to cut off Suo Lun’s lifeline.
Now, Suo Lun’s maritime trade was already blockaded by Yan Mo, and he relied entirely on overland trade.
And in overland trade, the Fury Wave Kingdom’s market currently accounted for the majority.
Without doubt, Zhi Li was forcing the nobles and aristocrats of the world to take sides completely. Not merely verbally supporting Zhi Li, but directly making enemies with Suo Lun, economically sanctioning Suo Lun, making the entire Fury Wave Kingdom impose an economic blockade on Suo Lun.
He was intent on driving Suo Lun to his death, and Tu Li Yang was the vanguard.