At this moment, Ashi Liren truly could not suppress the emotions within her heart.
The feeling was incredibly strange. It stirred even the normally cold and tranquil Ashi Liren.
Because of the Holy Dragon Temple’s relentless pursuit as though facing a great enemy, because her younger brother Ashi Luo had died for the World Destroying Demon Emperor.
In Ashi Liren’s mind, the World Destroying Demon Emperor was a being as mighty as the Dragon Emperor, a dark sovereign who devoured everything and destroyed everything.
Someone as towering as a mountain, as dark as the deepest night.
Someone whose mere presence would make people tremble, a terrifying demon king capable of tearing apart heaven and earth and annihilating countless living beings.
In short, he had to be an existence even stronger than her master Jiang Shang, a supreme dark deity.
But if that person was the Suolun before her…
Ashi Liren truly could not describe what she was feeling.
So, did Ashi Liren hate the World Destroying Demon Emperor?
Of course not.
Although Ashi Luo had died for the World Destroying Demon Emperor, before his death he had suffered torment a hundred times, a thousand times worse than death.
Ashi Liren hated the Holy Dragon Temple.
She hated Demon Continent.
She wished she could slaughter every member of the Holy Dragon Temple and tear the entire world apart to avenge her younger brother Ashi Luo.
If the World Destroying Demon Emperor really appeared, what would she do?
She would take Ashi Luo’s place and immediately devote herself to the World Destroying Demon Emperor, helping him destroy the corrupt and evil Holy Dragon Temple.
The world was truly strange.
It actually required an even darker and more evil demon king to destroy another dark organisation.
But was the Suolun before her truly dark?
Was he evil?
No.
He was gentle, handsome, charming, kind, and even righteous.
Yet his heart and emotions were sensitive and fragile.
If something caused them to shatter, then perhaps he really would become dark and evil.
Ashi Liren simply held Suolun’s face as she stared blankly at him.
Then, as though possessed, she leaned forward with her fragrant lips and kissed his.
She even slipped out her tongue and pushed it into Suolun’s mouth, kissing him deeply as she gently sucked at his lips.
It was as though she wanted to know what the World Destroying Demon Emperor tasted like.
At that moment, Zhiyan upstairs had already clearly sensed Ashi Liren’s spiritual energy recovering.
Meanwhile, Suolun’s spiritual aura had become completely calm.
He had apparently fallen unconscious.
So she walked downstairs.
She did not call out or ask any questions because there was no need.
With Ashi Liren’s cultivation, she could easily sense Zhiyan’s approach.
When Zhiyan entered the secret chamber, she saw Ashi Liren holding Suolun’s face with dazed eyes, as though she had completely fallen for him.
Zhiyan did not know this was because of the possible connection to the World Destroying Demon Emperor.
She assumed it was simply because of romantic feelings.
She found it both amusing and rather curious.
Without question, Ashi Liren was one of the most outstanding women in the entire world.
Whether in martial arts or status, Ashi Liren, Zhiyan, Ji Xiuning, and Jiang Xue were undoubtedly the four greatest women alive.
Seeing even someone like Ashi Liren fall for Suolun, Zhiyan could not help wondering.
Was her husband really that charming?
Zhiyan’s question seemed rather strange and unreasonable.
Perhaps it was because one cannot see the true face of the mountain while standing upon it.
Or perhaps for some other reason.
In any case, from the very first genuine meeting between Zhiyan and Suolun, they had already been destined to become husband and wife.
When Princess Zhiyan left the Holy Temple in Yanjing and returned to the royal city, her father had asked whether she was willing to marry Suolun.
At that time, Zhiyan had almost no impression of Suolun.
Her only impression came from Suolun’s father, Count Suolong.
He had been the person her father trusted most, more than a brother, someone who had stood beside him through life and death.
Zhiyan had nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Thus, Zhiyan and Suolun’s marriage resembled an ancient arranged marriage.
Their parents made the decision entirely.
Perhaps they would only have seen each other’s faces properly on their wedding night.
There had never been any courtship.
Likewise, there had never been any romance between Zhiyan and Suolun.
From the moment she agreed to her father’s request, Zhiyan immediately accepted the role of Suolun’s wife.
Perhaps…
She simply lacked the ability to fall in love.
For example, if an ordinary woman saw her husband behaving so intimately with another woman, especially one nearly equal to herself, she would naturally feel jealous.
But Zhiyan truly felt no jealousy whatsoever.
Instead, she simply found it fascinating that even a woman like Ashi Liren had fallen for her husband.
“What happened to my husband?” Princess Zhiyan asked.
Ashi Liren seemed to wake from her daze.
“Oh. He couldn’t withstand my icy energy and lost consciousness.”
Princess Zhiyan nodded.
She stepped forward and gently placed her jade like hand upon Suolun’s head and chest.
A warm yet powerful energy entered Suolun’s body, instantly dissolving the remaining cold.
Very soon, Suolun regained consciousness.
Seeing both Zhiyan and Ashi Liren standing before him, he looked rather surprised.
Princess Zhiyan turned to Ashi Liren.
“Senior Sister Liren, thank you.”
Because Zhiyan had also studied martial arts under Jiang Shang for more than six months, she likewise addressed Ashi Liren as Senior Sister.
Hearing that title, Suolun suddenly realised just how hierarchical this world truly was.
At the very top of the pyramid stood only a handful of people who addressed one another as senior brothers and senior sisters.
They were Jiang Shang’s direct disciples.
Jiang Xue.
Ashi Liren.
The Crown Prince of Eastern Li.
The direct descendants of the Four Secret Continents.
Along with the Imperial Crown Prince and Eldest Princess Ji Xiuning of the Yan Empire.
Even the rulers of the other great kingdoms, despite being considered world powers, remained completely excluded from that circle.
Princess Zhiyan had nearly entered the Sky Temple because of her extraordinary talent.
She had almost joined that exclusive group.
But because she had to inherit the Furious Wave Kingdom, she gave up the opportunity.
…
Ashi Liren left the secret chamber, leaving Suolun and Zhiyan alone.
Her thoughts were in complete turmoil.
She needed time to think.
She needed time to digest everything.
After sensing the mysterious energy within Suolun’s body, she had almost completely concluded that he was the legendary World Destroying Demon Emperor.
Yet immediately afterwards, that certainty gradually began to fade.
It felt increasingly unreal.
She could not ask him.
Nor would she ever ask.
The moment she spoke those words, she would place Suolun in danger.
If Suolun truly was the World Destroying Demon Emperor, then no one else should know that secret.
When a secret existed only within one’s own heart, it brought immense security.
But once a second person knew, even if that person would never betray you, unease would inevitably arise.
That unease would eventually reveal itself through subtle flaws.
Therefore, although Ashi Liren was desperately curious, she would never ask.
Nor would she attempt to verify it in any way.
She would pretend to know absolutely nothing.
Because the secret was simply too shocking.
Too terrifying.
Once exposed, no one in the world could save Suolun.
Not even her master Jiang Shang.
Suolun was still far too weak.
If the truth came to light, there would no longer be any place for him anywhere in the world.
…
“Husband, I have delivered Fang Zeming’s flayed skin to Fang Qingyi.” Princess Zhiyan said.
Suolun was momentarily stunned.
Then he immediately understood the meaning behind those words and raised a thumb in approval.
Zhiyan asked, “Husband, have you truly made your decision?”
Suolun replied, “Can you accept it? After all, this is your kingdom.”
Princess Zhiyan answered, “When comparing two harms, one should choose the lesser. Rather than become Hidden Continent’s puppet, I would rather ascend the throne in Tianshui City and then fight my way back, spending another three to five years reclaiming the entire Furious Wave Kingdom.”
Zhiyan spoke calmly.
Yet the boldness behind those words surpassed that of the vast majority of men.
Suolun gently embraced her.
“Although we have made the same decision, mine came from stubbornness and emotion, while yours came from wisdom.”
Zhiyan asked, “Then when do we begin confiscating everyone’s property?”
“Tomorrow.” Suolun replied.
“Let them enjoy one final peaceful night’s sleep.”
His tone remained calm.
Yet the meaning behind those words would unleash a storm upon the entire Furious Wave Kingdom.
Never before in its history had such a thing occurred.
The royal family would dispatch troops to confiscate the property of every noble and official, using the seized gold to maintain the kingdom and compensate the common people.
What Suolun intended was equivalent to carving flesh from the nobles to feed the army and the people.
Within the Furious Wave Kingdom there were essentially three groups.
The nobles.
The common people.
The army.
Throughout history, every dynasty had taken from the common people to enrich the nobles.
But now, Suolun was not merely taking from the nobles.
He was preparing to slaughter them like pigs.
Indeed, throughout thousands of years of human history, such an event had never been heard of.
Once Suolun carried this out, there would be no turning back.
He would become the enemy of all under heaven.
He would stand forever against every noble house and every feudal lord.
Unless he transformed the Furious Wave Kingdom into some entirely new kind of empire, he would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame in the eyes of the nobility.
After all, Suolun himself was also a noble.
He was expected to defend noble interests.
Instead, he had completely betrayed his own class.
Therefore, the moment he issued the order, there would truly be no turning back.
When that happened, would the Tuling Family, the Tuliwen Family, the Chu Family, and the Jian Family still stand beside him?
Or would they immediately betray him?
Suolun did not know.
Because they too were nobles.
More importantly, even if Suolun confiscated every noble family’s wealth to rescue the kingdom and support the army and the common people, the nobles still controlled public opinion.
The common people might never appreciate what he had done.
Instead, they might join the nobles in condemning Suolun as cruel and shameless.
They would never know that the confiscated gold had been used to help them.
They would simply assume Suolun had filled his own pockets.
In their eyes, he would become a complete tyrant.
His name would become infamous.
History was filled with such examples.
King Zhibian had fought desperately to protect the kingdom from Hidden Continent’s encroachment and to prevent its people from becoming slaves.
Yet in the eyes of the people, King Zhibian had murdered his brothers and father merely to seize the throne.
He was regarded as nothing more than a ruthless beast.
The Yongzheng Emperor introduced reforms for the benefit of the nation and its people, requiring even the scholar gentry to pay taxes.
Naturally, those reforms also strengthened his own rule.
But they undeniably benefited the common people.
Yet more than two hundred years later, people still condemned Yongzheng as an illegitimate ruler, accusing him of murdering his brothers and altering the late emperor’s will.
In countless dramas, righteous heroes assassinated him again and again.
Such is the world.
I gave my heart to the bright moon, yet the bright moon shone upon the gutter.
Or perhaps, sincere devotion has never been enough, while clever schemes always win people’s hearts.
…
Fundamentally speaking, Suolun’s actions were wrong.
No matter how noble the reason, no matter how righteous the excuse, confiscating people’s property remained an act of plunder.
But in situations like this, what truly counted as right or wrong?
When forced to choose between two evils, one chose the lesser.
If the Furious Wave Kingdom was to avoid becoming a colony and a slave of Hidden Continent, this was the only remaining path.
Suolun had already been driven to this dead end.
Moreover, those whose property would be confiscated included not only the other nobles.
Suolun himself would also lose everything.
Every gold coin in Tianshui City had already been transported to the royal capital.
To overcome this crisis, Suolun had emptied his entire fortune.
That night, crushed beneath immense pressure, Suolun and Zhiyan clung to one another with desperate passion.
Previously, it had always been Zhiyan who completely overwhelmed Suolun, leaving him utterly exhausted and begging for mercy.
But that night, Zhiyan became a delicate and gentle little woman.
Suolun became a fierce beast, making love to her again and again.
…
The next day.
At dawn.
Outside the royal palace, tens of thousands of Imperial Guards stood in perfect formation, fully prepared to move.
The moment Suolun gave the order, they would sweep into every noble residence throughout the royal city and confiscate their property.
Even the imperial decree had already been drafted.
The king had personally stamped it with the royal jade seal.
After Yanping’s failed negotiations with Zhiyan the previous day, news of the matter quickly spread.
Immediately, the entire royal city was gripped by fear.
Although daylight had already arrived, the air remained as silent as death.
Like the stillness before a volcanic eruption.
Once Suolun ordered the confiscations, the entire Furious Wave Kingdom would explode like a massive barrel of gunpowder.
Or like a kite whose string had been cut.
As for where it would eventually drift, only heaven knew.
The worst possible outcome was obvious.
Suolun would become the enemy of the entire world.
The kingdom’s order would collapse.
Chaos would engulf the land.
Warlords would divide the kingdom among themselves.
“Master, Elder Gao has come to receive the decree.” Zhuang Zhixuan’s voice sounded from outside.
The moment the decree was handed to Gao Yin, the operation would begin.
There would be no turning back.
“Husband, have you made up your mind?” Princess Zhiyan asked. “Once this begins, both of us will become the enemies of the entire world.”
Suolun slowly closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
“Yan, are all the reserves inside the Royal City Gold House stored as gold coins?” Suolun suddenly asked.
Princess Zhiyan shook her head.
“Impossible. At least nearly half of it consists of silver coins. Most ordinary people deposit silver rather than gold.”
That was indeed true.
One gold coin was worth roughly the equivalent of more than ten thousand yuan in modern currency.
Gold was therefore used only for very large transactions.
Ordinary circulation relied almost entirely upon silver and copper coins.
Suolun quickly calculated.
Eleven million gold coins.
Nearly five million gold coins’ worth existed in silver.
That meant one hundred and sixty million silver coins.
Approximately sixteen million jin in weight.
Adding the gold together, the total weight approached eighteen million jin.
Roughly nine thousand tonnes.
Naturally, as half of the kingdom’s gold and silver reserves, this amount was not particularly excessive.
Yet transporting such an enormous quantity by wagon would require nearly five thousand carts.
If loaded directly onto ships, fewer than ten vessels would suffice.
However, the royal city lay thousands of li from the nearest coastline.
Even the closest major river was several hundred li away.
The Shadow Pavilion and the Imperial Guards kept the Royal City Gold House under constant surveillance.
Could the Hidden Origin Society really move five thousand wagonloads of gold and silver out of the royal city within just twenty days without anyone noticing?
Was that even possible?
No.
It was impossible.
A transport operation on that scale would be discovered long before it even left the Royal City Gold House vaults.
Even Hidden Continent, powerful as it was, could never accomplish such a feat.
Then where had that enormous fortune gone?
Suddenly, inspiration struck Suolun.
His eyes lit up.
He leapt to his feet and rushed outside.
“Come on. We’re going to the Royal City Gold House headquarters!”