She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 256: Whoever Takes Yan Wanqing’s Life Will Be Made a Marquis with Ten Thousand Households

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Whoever Takes Yan Wanqing’s Life Will Be Made a Marquis with Ten Thousand Households

In the dim dungeon,

Xiao Hongshen gazed at the small window above his head, his pale face breaking into a slight smile.

The string of red rising in the sky made the smile at the corners of his mouth grow larger.

Yan Wanqing... Xiao Pingfeng, the two of you combined have eight hundred cunning tricks, who in the world doesn’t know?

Did you really think of me, Xiao Hongshen, as nothing more than a sack for storing wine and rice?

The traces left by the Divine Church of Light were merely a ruse deliberately set to capture your attention.

If that weren’t the case, how could I have left tonight?

Screams as expected rose outside the dungeon.

Xiao Hongshen listened enraptured, even clapping along.

The sounds that life makes in its final moments are truly marvelous.

Scream, scream... scream even louder.

All the humiliations he suffered in Xiliang City needed to be thoroughly cleansed with fresh blood.

After what felt like an eternity, the noise finally ceased.

Xiao Pingfeng slowly opened his eyes.

The door to the dungeon was kicked open.

Mo Shan appeared at the doorway, covered in blood.

She lifted her sword and shattered the shackles on Xiao Hongshen.

"I am late, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Xiao Hongshen rubbed the bloodstains on his wrists, looked at the ghastly pale hand under the moonlight shining through the window, and then fiercely slapped Mo Shan across the face with it.

His tone emotionless, he said, "Knowing you’re late, be quicker next time."

Mo Shan’s face turned aside, blood spilling from her lips. She bowed her head, "This subordinate will remember."

Xiao Hongshen straightened his dirty robe, walking with a firm step towards the outside.

"Rise, let us see what the outside world has become."

Outside, the blood was flowing like rivers.

When Xiao Hongshen emerged from the dungeon, a severed head rolled to his feet.

The head was facing upwards, showing a young face.

It was the maid who had been looking after Yan Wanqing’s yard.

Xiao Hongshen glanced at it and slightly furrowed his brow.

Immediately, Mo Shan stepped forward, kicking the head aside, then knelt on the ground, using her sleeve to wipe the blood off Xiao Hongshen’s shoes. However, a blood bead had already penetrated the cloth shoes, stubbornly refusing to be wiped clean. Mo Shan wiped for quite a while.

Impatiently, Xiao Hongshen spoke, "That’s enough."

He drew out the last word. Fear flickered in Mo Shan’s eyes but quickly vanished.

She got up and respectfully stood beside Xiao Hongshen.

By this time, inside the City Lord Residence, countless were dead or severely injured, their bodies crowded together, seething with silent rage.

And the black-clad assassins in Xiao Hongshen’s hands, like merciless puppets,

sliced through the air with their blades, unrelentingly sending the few remaining survivors to their deaths.

Xiao Hongshen felt a great sense of relief inside.

"Where is that dog, Ji Yuntai?"

Just thinking of Ji Yuntai siding with Yan Wanqing to act against him made his blood seem to flow backwards.

These people’s deaths were trivial; he was more eager to see Ji Yuntai kneeling before him, begging for mercy.

"Answering the master, he is currently fleeing towards the north of the city."

Hearing that Ji Yuntai, a cripple, could still flee, Xiao Hongshen found it unbelievable, "Who is aiding him?"

"An unknown and mysterious force," Mo Shan said cautiously.

"There’s still a mysterious force you don’t know about?" Xiao Hongshen scoffed at this.

Mo Shan bowed her head even lower.

She was just uncertain.

"Tell me your guess, speak wrongly and I’ll pardon you."

"...It seems to be someone from Penglai," Mo Shan slowly started, "They have always remained isolated from the world. It’s unknown why they would suddenly intervene to save Ji Yuntai this time."

"Penglai..." Xiao Hongshen was unfamiliar with it, but the vast world was full of wonders. Mountain beyond mountains, people beyond people, he soon let it go.

"Don’t let him escape easily. I want his blood to honor the spirits of those who died in this battle," Xiao Hongshen said with a sinister smile, speaking slowly.

This was an order that disregarded life or death.

Mo Shan immediately waved his hand, and a group of people dressed in black, like bats, darted out of the City Lord Residence.

At this moment, footsteps outside the City Lord Residence surged incessantly.

Xiao Hongshen, after hearing this, had an even colder look in his eyes.

"They arrived quite promptly, just right."

The doors of the City Lord Residence were violently smashed open from the outside.

Chang Kuan was about to step over the threshold when his subordinates pulled him back.

"Blood!"

Isn’t it all blood?

Maids and servants struggling to escape piled up by the doorway, their fresh blood spreading over the bluestones, leaving no clean spot to step at the entrance of the City Lord Residence.

It was too cruel.

Chang Kuan clenched the long sword in his hand tightly.

Anger turned his eyes blood-red, "Brothers, charge in. We must avenge the City Lord Residence!"

"Charge—" The soldiers shouted, wielding their weapons.

But just as the echo faded,

Three claps—"Clap—, clap—, clap—" were heard from the left side of the entrance.

Xiao Hongshen, wearing a robe over his shoulders, stood under a date tree, clapping his hands.

"Whom are you avenging?"

He asked.

Chang Kuan’s eyes were red; he naturally knew that the Prince should be detained at that moment, but at this time, his demeanor and the servant beside him covered in blood,

Even if the Prince, Xiao Hongshen, was not the perpetrator, he could not be uninvolved.

"How did the Prince escape from the dungeon?" Chang Kuan stepped through the muddy blood water, approaching Xiao Hongshen with a trail of bloody footprints.

His voice squeezed out from between his back teeth, word by word.

Hearing this, Xiao Hongshen sneered, his hands slowly lowering.

"Is Chang Kuan questioning this palace?" he raised an eyebrow, "Following Yan Wanqing for a few days and you’ve lost sense of your stature? To question this palace’s responsibility, you are not worthy!"

He clicked his tongue, as Mo Shan by his side slowly drew his sword.

Listening to the sound of the scabbard,

Chang Kuan was unmoved, and continued to speak, "The Prince should be staying in the dungeon, waiting for the return of Marshal Yan."

"Why should this palace wait for her, Yan Wanqing, to return?" Ridiculous!

Xiao Hongshen was almost amused by the fool before him.

It was not easy to get Yan Wanqing and Xiao Pingfeng, two plagues, out of Xiliang City; he felt the air in the entire city was refreshing.

Now this Chang Kuan actually wanted him to go back to the dungeon and wait for Yan Wanqing to deal with him.

He tilted his head, sizing up Chang Kuan in front of him in this manner.

"This palace is in a good mood right now, Chang Kuan, giving you one last chance." He narrowed his eyes, "Kneel before this palace, loudly denounce Yan Wanqing for conspiring and committing treason, and this palace will spare your life."

To loudly denounce the Marshal for conspiring and committing treason?

Kneeling was possible, but for him to betray Yan Wanqing was absolutely impossible.

"I, as the State Duke, definitely will not falsely accuse Marshal Yan of conspiring and committing treason!" Though not entirely clear of disgrace, he, Chang Kuan, was no coward. Even if the Prince held high authority, he would not submit to power.

A true man, standing tall and upright!

Xiao Hongshen anticipated this.

"All are stubborn mules."

He lost interest and waved his hand dismissively.

Chang Kuan sensed something wrong and became alert; the next second, his eyes widened as he looked toward the servant beside him.

"You—"

Xiao Hongshen didn’t even look at him, but shouted loudly towards the soldiers at the gate, "Yan Wanqing conspires and commits treason, Chang Kuan plots behind the scenes, bringing calamity upon Dawei’s soldiers and their lives. This palace has already executed Chang Kuan. Does anyone dissent—"

The soldiers, gripping their long swords, looked nervously at each other.

Just as someone was about to raise their sword towards the sky, Mo Shan’s long sword, as if it had eyes, was thrown directly, piercing the soldier’s heart, causing the sword in his hand to silently fall to the ground.

After this, no one dared to respond.

Xiao Hongshen, seeing this, hummed with satisfaction.

He spoke in a grave voice,

"Yan Wanqing conspired against the loyal and righteous, murdered the City Lord Ji Yuntai of Xiliang City, and has now fled the city. By this palace’s order - anyone in Xiliang who seizes Yan Wanqing’s head, will be appointed a Marquis of ten thousand households—"