World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 1008 - 463: Great harvest in heaven! FuE dies tragically!

Chapter 1008: 463: Great harvest in heaven! FuE dies tragically!

...

The next morning, while Suo Lun and Zhi Ning were still sound asleep, a deep knocking sound suddenly echoed from outside.

This knocking was loud enough to awake Suo Lun but gentle enough not to disturb the baby.

Suo Lun opened his eyes, certain that there must be an urgent matter, otherwise Zhuang Zhixuan would never wake him at this time.

Immediately, he carefully withdrew his arm from under Zhi Ning’s body.

Zhi Ning, still drowsy, opened her beautiful eyes and cooed, "What happened?"

"There are some matters I need to attend to," said Suo Lun.

"Uh-huh." Zhi Ning drowsily closed her eyes again, continuing to sleep.

Suo Lun kissed her forehead, then the baby’s, before getting out of bed to open the door.

"What’s the matter?" asked Suo Lun as he walked outside.

"The Shadow Cabinet has sent a message; they’ve captured Fu Qi," said Zhuang Zhixuan. "He was very cunning, instead of escaping towards Baohuo City, he hid in the rural mountains hundreds of miles away, so it took several days to capture him."

Why does Suo Lun need to capture Fu Qi? Is it to force Marquis FuE to talk?

He wants to get a secret out of Marquis FuE’s mouth, the distressing secret shared with Zhi Li?

Zhi Li assassinated the King and forcibly ascended the throne, a risky act with near-certain death. With Marquis FuE’s transcendent status, there’s no need for him to participate in such madness. Why would he do this? There must be a reason, involving a shocking secret.

However, even if Marquis FuE were to be beaten into disability, having his limbs and meridians destroyed, he still refuses to speak.

Therefore, Suo Lun sent people to capture Fu Qi. Marquis FuE might not care about his own life, but he must protect his grandson, right?

Marquis FuE doesn’t quite like his son, Fu Xian, finding him too weak, but he dearly loves his grandson, Fu Qi.

Fu Qi is very domineering and fierce, which Marquis FuE deems as extraordinarily spirited.

Thus, Marquis FuE has even decided that after his old age passes, he would hand over the lordship of Baohuo City to his grandson Fu Qi.

Once they’ve captured Fu Qi and used his life to threaten Marquis FuE, he should be willing to compromise then.

Of course, whether the secret from Marquis FuE’s mouth is useful is still unknown, but Suo Lun can feel that this secret is extremely significant, even astonishing.

"How long before Fu Qi can be brought back?" Suo Lun asked.

"By evening, he should be brought back to the royal city," Zhuang Zhixuan replied.

...

Zhi Yan feels incredibly happy, having a man to rely on and being able to be with her baby, watching him grow up day by day.

Zhuang Zhixuan, at this moment, also feels extremely blissful.

She doesn’t like using her brain, having only one skill: high martial arts ability, fierce in a fight.

Suo Lun is always protecting the Rage Wave Kingdom, and she, Zhuang Zhixuan, is always protecting Suo Lun, giving her a profound sense of fulfillment and worth.

Moreover, the man she protects is the one she loves most.

Though not his wife, Zhuang Zhixuan spends more time with Suo Lun than his own wife, even more than Zhen Yan Princess.

This also gives Zhuang Zhixuan a particular sense of satisfaction.

She barely interacts with Suo Lun’s wives, except for Yan Nai’er.

In her eyes, Yan Nai’er is the loveliest among Suo Lun’s wives, straightforward, daring to love and hate, and also brave in making sacrifices.

Moreover, both are obsessed with martial arts, often discussing Martial Arts together.

While in the royal city, Zhuang Zhixuan occasionally interacts with Zhen Yan Princess. However, most of the time, Zhuang is seeking advice on Martial Arts from Zhen Yan.

Zhuang Zhixuan has never met King Dongli Jiang Shang, thus in her view, the highest skilled in martial arts is Zhen Yan Princess!

How skilled is Zhen Yan in martial arts? In Zhuang Zhixuan’s opinion, it’s profoundly unfathomable.

Until now, Zhen Yan has never met any match.

Zhen Yan Princess is only a few years older than Suo Lun, yet her martial arts skills are so high at such a young age, Zhuang Zhixuan is really curious, how did Zhen Yan train her martial arts?

She has also heard that the most outstanding martial arts talent in the entire Dragon Temple is Ji Mengbai.

She wonders, compared to Ji Mengbai, whose skills in martial arts are higher.

Moreover, Zhen Yan Princess seems to be utterly obsessed with Martial Arts, even after entering the royal city, she hardly ever appeared in the palace.

Previously, she was in the Princess’s residence protecting Fang Qingzhuo and her daughter, now that the Rage Wave Kingdom is completely safe, she still hasn’t come to the palace but instead meditates in the Princess’s residence.

In Zhen Yan Princess’s world, there seem to be only two things: first, practicing martial arts. Second, being intimate with Suo Lun.

Beyond that, she cares about nothing else.

Zhuang Zhixuan can’t see through Zhen Yan Princess at all, and has no idea what this fairy-like woman truly desires.

What kind of relationship does she actually have with Suo Lun?

Their marital relationship seems more loving than any other couple’s.

Because Zhen Yan Princess never interacts with any other men, not even speaking a single word. In front of others, she always appears aloof and ethereal like a fairy.

But in front of Suo Lun, she is more than a vixen? Intimately affectionate beyond measure.

Yet, she and Suo Lun seem incredibly distant from each other.

Even though the two are together every day, they rarely talk unless it is something very serious; only then do they communicate.

And with many other women around Suo Lun, Zhen Yan Princess shows no jealousy.

Even though these women are under the watchful eyes of Zhen Yan, she shows no displeasure.

In this world, there’s no woman who doesn’t feel jealous, including Yan Nai’er, who feels very upset and tears up every time she speaks about Suo Lun’s other women.

She has even made a punching bag in her room with Suo Lun’s face painted on it; every night Yan Nai’er has to punch it before she can go to sleep.

How could any woman not feel jealous? But Zhen Yan doesn’t.

Of course, maybe it’s because Princess Zhen Yan is too high in her realms, beyond Zhuang Zhixuan’s understanding.

...

"Duke, the seizure of wealth from Suofu and twenty-five major corrupt officials is largely completed, and the seized Gold Coins have already started to be transported to the Royal Mint." Gao Yin said with undisguised joy, holding a thick stack of ledgers in his hand,

Suo Lun asked, "How much property has been seized in total?"

Gao Yin replied, "You would not believe it, the total property seized from these twenty-six corrupt individuals amounts to nine million seven hundred seventy-nine thousand Gold Coins."

This number is absolutely staggering, equivalent to six years of Rage Wave Kingdom’s taxation.

Gao Yin added, "There are still many hidden assets that haven’t been accounted for. Once they are, this number will increase, possibly exceeding eleven million Gold Coins."

Good heavens! How many years has it been?

The scale of the kingdom’s corruption has risen to such an extent.

If left unchecked, this group of corrupt officials would devour the entire Rage Wave Kingdom.

However, the seized properties include many valuable books, antiques, manors, lands, and immovable properties.

"How much is in cash?" Suo Lun asked.

"Five million nine hundred and ninety-two thousand Gold Coins," Gao Yin answered. "The remaining assets need to be auctioned off to convert them into Gold Coins, and a larger part is in immovable properties, which will take longer to liquidate."

Five million nine hundred and ninety-two thousand Gold Coins all in cash!

Just a couple dozen major corrupt officials have yielded nearly six million Gold Coins in cash.

This would cover the deficit from Zhi Li’s misappropriation of public savings. Not just that, but it also secures the operating funds for the Rage Wave Kingdom onwards, at least for the next half year we won’t have to worry about money.

"Then let’s not liquidate them for now," Suo Lun said. "Keep these immovable properties as part of the royal assets, and directly allocate the profits into the royal treasury."

"As you command," Gao Yin replied.

Suo Lun said, "Next, we need to reform the royal industries. The corrupt insiders who need to be caught, should be caught; those who need to be killed, should be killed! These royal servants who colluded with the Hidden Yuan Association, greedy for personal gain, deserve death!"

"Yes!" Gao Yin responded.

Suo Lun continued, "Suofu’s ledger also listed other corrupt nobles, well over a hundred people, though their scale of corruption is smaller. Send someone to warn them to voluntarily surrender their ill-gotten wealth, which would leave them a way out. Don’t force me to begin a massacre."

Gao Yin replied, "Yes, and we can also make them denounce each other."

Suo Lun hesitated briefly, then said, "Forget about mutual denunciations; if we do that, the country would descend into chaos."

"Yes," Gao Yin immediately knelt and said, "This old servant spoke out of turn."

Suo Lun quickly helped him up, saying, "Elder Gao, you’re my elder, it’s improper for you to act this way."

Gao Yin stood up and positioned himself off to the side.

Suo Lun said, "Anyway, we’ve managed to get through this crisis. But we still need a lot of money moving forward. Among the four major legions, both the Dragon Guard Legion and the Southwestern Legion need to be rebuilt, requiring astronomical amounts of Gold Coins. As for the Southeast Corps, it needs to be independent from the Tian Shui City Army and restored to a force of two hundred thousand, which also demands a significant amount of money."

"In the coming years, there will be a large-scale struggle within the Dragon Temple, leaving them no time to focus on us, creating a golden period for our development," Suo Lun declared grandly. "Within three years, I will restore Rage Wave Kingdom to its former national strength. Within five years, I aim for the kingdom’s frontline legions to exceed one million, establish a major camp in the southeast, and start our expansion southward!"

Gao Yin, too, was excited and boiling with passion, saying, "In that case, twenty years later, Rage Wave Kingdom will expand thousands of miles, adding four or five provinces. By then, when our young lord ascends the throne, Rage Wave Kingdom will already be the foremost superpower in the world."

Suo Lun laughed heartily, "Elder Gao, may your words come true."

...

In the evening!

The Shadow Cabinet Warriors escorted Fu Qi into the Royal City.

After evading capture for more than ten days, Fu Qi looked completely transformed, from a noble young master to a beggar, dirty and unkempt, his hair like wild grass, not a single clean spot on his body.

Upon seeing Suo Lun, Fu Qi first threatened inwardly, saying menacingly, "Suo Lun, you wouldn’t dare do anything to me! My aunt is a Judge at the Dragon Temple."

Suo Lun calmly replied, "That aunt you’re talking about is my mother, and she has been arrested. Zhi Li, who carries the blood of a demon, mentioned Fu Lingxi in his confession. Yesterday, she was captured and taken to the Yanjing Holy Temple for trial."

"Impossible, impossible, impossible..." Fu Qi screamed frantically, struggling desperately.

The Shadow Cabinet Warriors stepped forward, a flurry of slaps landing, leaving him bleeding from the nose and mouth.

Soon, Fu Qi quieted down.

Then, he violently knelt down before Suo Lun and kowtowed desperately.

"Suo Lun, let me go, let me go!" Fu Qi cried bitterly and pleaded, "I’m still your cousin, my younger sister Fu Yan’er is your woman, and I’m Qin Qin’s real uncle!"

Suo Lun gave him a disdainful glance and waved his hand, saying, "Take him away to the Sky Prison!"

Having caught Fu Qi, Suo Lun didn’t believe that Marquis FuE would remain silent!

Now that Rage Wave Kingdom was secure, the only thing weighing on Suo Lun’s mind was the secret of Marquis FuE.

Of course, some might suggest using Zhi Yan’s Mental Skill to extract the secret.

This is difficult; unlike Suofu, Marquis FuE has close ties with the Dragon Temple and surely knows mental defense and deception arts.

At that time, a group from the Dragon Temple couldn’t extract the secret of the demon blood from Ashi Luo’s mind.

Thus, Zhi Yan also couldn’t extract anything from Marquis FuE’s mind.

However, using Fu Qi’s life might coerce him into talking, since Fu Qi represents all of FuE’s hopes.

Amid Fu Qi’s struggles, cries, and pleas, Suo Lun and his party headed towards the Black Dragon Platform Sky Prison to interrogate Marquis FuE!

However...

When they were still a few hundred meters from the Black Dragon Platform Sky Prison!

Suddenly, several Shadow Cabinet Warriors hurried over, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly, "Duke, Marquis FuE has suddenly died violently!"

Suo Lun shuddered violently, Marquis FuE is dead?

My step-grandfather, dying at this critical moment?

Dying just before he was about to speak! Was it suicide? Or murder?

Was it a silencing kill?

...

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