Everything happened far too suddenly.
This so-called Princess Yudie still had a proud and cold expression on her face before she died, and she did not even have time to show a look of astonishment.
The servants and maids she had brought with her were completely stunned and fell into a deathly silence at first, then they began screaming.
“How dare you, Lan Ling! She is the sworn younger sister recognised by Princess Shayan, the adopted daughter of the Rakshasa Royal Family!” One of the maids pointed at Lan Ling and shrieked, “You have committed a capital offence. You are finished, and your entire Flame Demon Banner is finished too.”
Lan Ling frowned. Were all the servants around Princess Shayan this arrogant and foolish?
Yudie was no fucking princess. She was merely Princess Shayan’s personal sword attendant. The reason she had been recognised as an adopted daughter by one of the younger brothers of the Rakshasa King was entirely due to Shayan’s political manoeuvring. She had tried to use a so-called princess as a means of marrying Lan Ling.
It could be said that if it were not for Lan Ling, Yudie would not even have the title of a fake princess.
These maids and servants of Princess Shayan believed that the Rakshasa Clan was the supreme heaven. They thought that even Yudie, after being recognised as the adopted daughter of a member of the royal family, had instantly become a noble young lady. In Flame Demon City, she was a superior master who possessed a status even higher than that of her master, Lan Ling.
This Marquis Beiling had blood splashed across his face. He was slightly stunned, then his gaze instantly became icy cold. After all, Yudie could be considered his nominal lover. Although he had never slept with her, he had promised to take Yudie as his concubine.
That was right, he had come to cause trouble for Lan Ling.
Lan Ling’s rise had not only attracted the attention of the Little Rakshasa King, it had also attracted the attention of Prince Youming.
Of course, Prince Youming did not pay that much attention to Lan Ling. To him, Lan Ling was merely a minor nuisance that could easily be crushed to death by a single finger of the Rakshasa Royal Family. It was only because this was the critical period before the outbreak of the internal war within the Demon Clan that Lan Ling had room to stir up trouble.
After Lan Ling defeated the Black Demon Banner Lord, Prince Youming finally turned his astonished gaze towards the name Lan Ling.
However, before he could make any move, the Little Rakshasa King had recruited Lan Ling, married Princess Shayan to him, and even appointed him as the Flame Demon Banner Lord.
To Prince Youming, this was an extremely dangerous signal. He believed that it completely represented the Flame Demon Banner led by Lan Ling pledging allegiance to the Little Rakshasa King.
All along, this Crown Prince, the Little Rakshasa King, had been extremely arrogant. He had never bothered to win over any factions, and had always remained cold and distant towards the thirteen Demon Banner Lords below him.
Yet now he had actually begun winning over Lan Ling. In Prince Youming’s eyes, this was a signal that the Little Rakshasa King had begun forming his own faction and was fighting back against Prince Youming’s attempts to erode his position as Crown Prince.
For the past ten years, Prince Youming had never stopped competing for the position of Crown Prince.
He had enormous advantages, but also enormous disadvantages.
His advantages lay in two points. First, he had a close relationship with his father, the Rakshasa King.
Although he was an illegitimate son, the Rakshasa King loved Youming far more than he loved the Rakshasa Crown Prince. In Youming, he could experience a feeling of being worshipped and admired, and he could experience the pride of being a father.
But with the Little Rakshasa King, he could not feel this at all, because his Crown Prince was simply too outstanding and too arrogant.
Second, Prince Youming had an excellent relationship with the elders of the Rakshasa Clan and the Demon Banner Lords below.
This was also thanks to the Rakshasa Crown Prince. This Crown Prince was simply too arrogant. His face was always as expressionless as a statue. Not only did he refuse to win over the forces below him, he was even reluctant to meet and talk with them.
Whether it was the Council of Elders, senior members of the royal family, or the Demon Banner Lords below, they all felt that this Rakshasa Crown Prince was simply too distant.
Prince Youming, however, was completely different. Through day after day of cultivating relationships, he had become extremely popular. Whether in the hearts of the Demon Banner Lords below, the senior members of the royal family above, or the elders of the Rakshasa Clan, Prince Youming was regarded as an excellent and approachable prince.
They had not only established friendships, but also huge interests and benefits.
On the surface, the power of Prince Youming seemed to cover the heavens and the earth, so he should have had a huge advantage in the battle for the throne.
However… in reality, it seemed that this was not the case.
Throughout the entire Rakshasa Clan, and even throughout the entire Demon Realm, no one had ever doubted that it was right for the Rakshasa Crown Prince to inherit the throne.
Although everyone felt that this Crown Prince was too distant and arrogant, everyone naturally regarded him as the heir to the throne.
No matter how hard Prince Youming tried, it seemed extremely difficult for him to change this.
What made Prince Youming even more furious was that his Crown Prince elder brother did not regard him as an opponent at all. He completely ignored Youming’s attempts to seize power and win over influential figures.
Youming had constantly launched attacks against the position of Crown Prince and had continuously eroded the power belonging to the Rakshasa Crown Prince.
Yet the Rakshasa Crown Prince seemed not to care about it in the slightest, and had not even shown the slightest intention of fighting back.
Now, the Rakshasa Crown Prince had won over Lan Ling. In Prince Youming’s eyes, this was a signal that he was finally fighting back.
Therefore, he immediately rose to the challenge as if he had been injected with stimulants.
His purpose was very simple. Crown Prince elder brother, aren’t you trying to recruit Lan Ling as a powerful ally? You even went so far as to marry Princess Shayan to Lan Ling.
Then I will cut off this arm of yours, and use Lan Ling as a cannonball to attack you, the Rakshasa Crown Prince.
Previously, no matter what move Prince Youming made, the Little Rakshasa King always remained completely unmoved, so there had never been the slightest opening.
Now, the Little Rakshasa King’s recruitment of Lan Ling was, in Prince Youming’s eyes, a huge opening that could provide him with enormous firepower, so he was extremely excited.
He would definitely play this move well. Not only would he cut off Lan Ling, this arm of the Little Rakshasa King, he would also knock half of the Little Rakshasa King’s position as Crown Prince out from under him.
That was why Marquis Beiling had come to Flame Demon City to demand Yudie.
As Lan Ling’s concubine, Yudie being demanded by Marquis Beiling was obviously an act of humiliation.
If Lan Ling backed down and handed Yudie over, then without a doubt, a huge crack would appear in his marriage alliance with Princess Shayan.
The best possible outcome, however, would be for Lan Ling to become enraged and kill Princess Yudie.
In that case, not only would his marriage alliance with the Rakshasa Royal Family be completely severed, he would also completely offend the Rakshasa Royal Family.
Furthermore, the Little Rakshasa King, who had arranged this marriage alliance, would have to personally execute Lan Ling in order to restore the dignity of the royal family. After all, Yudie could also be considered someone the Little Rakshasa King had given to Lan Ling. Now that Lan Ling had killed her, it was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Little Rakshasa King.
If the Little Rakshasa King did nothing, it would tarnish the dignity of the royal family. If he reacted, he would be cutting off one of his own arms. It was much like Zhuge Liang weeping as he executed Ma Su in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
It was precisely because of this scheme that Marquis Beiling had seduced Yudie and given her extremely serious promises of love, to the point that they could even be considered to have secretly pledged themselves to each other. This filled Yudie’s heart with hope.
This foolish woman, Yudie, thought that Marquis Beiling genuinely liked her, but she did not know that she was merely a pitiful tool to be used as cannon fodder.
Moreover, although most of the servants and maids who accompanied Yudie as part of her dowry belonged to Princess Shayan’s residence, some had already been bought off by Marquis Beiling. Therefore, after following Yudie to Flame Demon City, they had constantly encouraged her and stirred up trouble from the sidelines.
It had to be said that Prince Youming’s scheming and skill at plotting were extremely astonishing.
With a casual move, he had created an unsolvable situation.
Of course, he would never have imagined that Lan Ling had not pledged allegiance to the Little Rakshasa King. Instead, the two of them were fighting for a common ideal.
……
Holding Yudie’s head, Marquis Beiling revealed a sinister smile and said, “Lan Ling, you really are stupid. You jumped straight into such an obvious trap. Thank you!”
Then he suddenly changed his expression and became incomparably grief-stricken.
“How dare you, Lan Ling! Yudie is the adopted daughter recognised by the Rakshasa Royal Family, my adopted younger sister, and Princess Shayan’s adopted younger sister. You killed her just like that. Where does that leave the dignity of the royal family? Where does that leave the dignity of His Highness the Crown Prince?” Marquis Beiling pointed at Lan Ling with trembling fingers and said, “His Highness the Crown Prince values you so highly that he betrothed Princess Shayan to you and gave Princess Yudie to you as part of her dowry. You… you actually killed Yudie. You have smeared filth all over His Highness the Crown Prince’s face. Your crime is unforgivable!”
At this moment, Marquis Beiling’s handsome, feminine face was twisted into a vicious expression, as if he were filled with immense anger, as though his lord had been humiliated and his subordinate should die for him.
His acting was indeed convincing.
“Marquis Beiling, is your father Elder Mokan?” Lan Ling asked.
“So what if he is?” Marquis Beiling replied.
Mokan was the elder brother of the Rakshasa King, a member of the Rakshasa Royal Family’s Council of Elders, and a member of the Rakshasa Clan’s Council of Elders.
The highest authority of the Rakshasa Clan was the Rakshasa Clan Council of Elders, followed by the Rakshasa Royal Family Council of Elders, and then the thirteen Demon Banners.
Marquis Beiling’s father, Mokan, was not only an elder of the Rakshasa Clan, but also a royal family elder. He possessed absolutely overwhelming power and influence.
In terms of power and status, this Marquis Beiling indeed did not take Lan Ling, a newly appointed Demon Banner Lord, seriously.
At this moment, dozens of servants and maids who had come with Yudie all knelt down and shrieked, “My lord, please seek justice for Princess Yudie! She cannot have died for nothing. Kill that beast Lan Ling, exterminate his entire clan, and avenge the princess!”
Marquis Beiling said sorrowfully, “I do not have the authority to deal with a Demon Banner Lord.”
Immediately, one of the servants hurriedly said, “Then who has the authority? We will kneel before the palace gates and petition them. We will shed blood to make our complaint. We must make the traitor Lan Ling pay with his blood.”
Marquis Beiling said, “The Rakshasa Clan Council of Elders and the Royal Family Council of Elders both have this authority. However, all the elders have important matters to attend to. Therefore, the person with the greatest authority to deal with this matter right now is His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Immediately, the servants cried out, “We will go and beg the Crown Prince. We will ask him to exterminate Lan Ling’s entire clan. If he refuses, I will smash my head against the gates of the Little Rakshasa King’s residence and die there.”
Marquis Beiling said, “Yudie was also my adopted younger sister, yet she was killed by Lan Ling right before my eyes. I will go with you to kneel before the gates of the Little Rakshasa King’s residence and beg His Highness the Crown Prince to seek justice for my adopted younger sister Yudie and restore the dignity of our Rakshasa Royal Family.”
Lan Ling sneered as he watched everything.
Then he suddenly laughed and said, “Your cannonballs are not enough yet, and my crimes are not serious enough either. Why don’t I give you some more?”
Marquis Beiling was stunned.
Lan Ling looked towards the dozens of servants and maids brought by Yudie and slowly asked, “You came from Princess Shayan’s residence, but once a woman marries, she follows her husband, and once you came to Flame Demon City, you became my servants, didn’t you?”
The faces of several servants at the front trembled. They sensed an ominous premonition.
“As my servants, you encouraged Yudie to curse my son, your young master. Moreover, in front of outsiders, you repeatedly called for the extermination of my entire clan. This is **naked betrayal. When servants betray their master, what punishment should they receive?” Lan Ling said coldly.
Immediately, one of the leading servants raised his head and said, “We are servants of the Rakshasa Royal Family, not your servants. You married Princess Shayan, but that only means you married into the royal family.”
Lan Ling waved his hand. Goulie immediately brought over a large stack of contracts and said, “But all your contracts of servitude are in my hands. In other words, you are no longer servants of Princess Shayan. You are now servants of me, Lan Ling.”
Then Lan Ling turned towards Marquis Beiling and said, “My lord, it is rare for you to visit Flame Demon City as a guest. The performance of beheading a beauty just now was not enough, was it? How about I put on a performance of skinning living people for you next?”
With that, Lan Ling coldly ordered, “Men, skin the leading offenders among these fifty-nine servants and maids. Execute all the rest. I want to give them to Marquis Beiling as a gift!”
Then dozens of Death Warriors stepped forward and skinned several of the main troublemakers among the servants and maids brought by Princess Shayan.
The remaining dozens were pinned to the ground, and their heads were cut off one by one.
“Ah… ah… ah…”
A series of miserable screams rang out.
An incomparably bloody and terrifying scene unfolded before Marquis Beiling.
Di Na, who had previously pleaded for Yudie, was also standing at a high place, coldly watching this scene without making the slightest attempt to plead for them.
The reason she had pleaded yesterday was because she did not want her newly born baby to bear the burden of bloodshed.
But as long as the killing was not because of her baby, even if Yudie were torn into pieces, she would not blink an eye.
She had not the slightest trace of saintly compassion.
When Marquis Beiling witnessed this scene, his scalp went numb again and again.
Some of the servants were not yet dead. Every one of them had lost control of their bodily functions, with indescribable fear and pleading in their eyes.
Their screams were more miserable and horrifying than anything before.
Not only Lan Ling, but the entire upper echelon of Flame Demon City watched all of this with cold expressions.
Lan Ling looked at Marquis Beiling and smiled. “My lord, aren’t you going to stop this? Some of these people could be considered your trusted subordinates. Watching them die without doing anything is rather cold-hearted.”
Marquis Beiling’s face twitched repeatedly, but he said nothing.
A quarter of an hour later, all fifty-nine servants and maids had died. Most had been beheaded, while the leading troublemakers had been skinned.
“Men, send these human skins and heads to His Excellency the Marquis. Have him take them back to Rakshasa City,” Lan Ling ordered.
Immediately, several Death Warriors stepped forward and placed the bloody human skins before Marquis Beiling.
Then Lan Ling approached Marquis Beiling and said, “You want to go to Rakshasa City and report me. One head, Yudie’s, is not enough. I will give you several more skins and dozens of heads. That should be enough evidence of my crimes. Go… take them back and make your complaint!”
Marquis Beiling’s gaze towards Lan Ling was filled with venom. He said word by word, “Lan Ling, you really know how to court death. Since you want to die, I will grant your wish!”
Lan Ling likewise said word by word, “Tell Prince Youming that whatever he wants to play, I will play along!”