World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 351: Kneeling on a washboard!

Chapter 351: Kneeling on a washboard!

"The King decrees that the rebellion in Tianshui City has been quelled, and all kingdom troops must immediately withdraw from the Tianshui territories, or suffer the penalty of death without mercy!"

Although still kilometers away, the voice of Grand Eunuch Gao Yin echoed throughout the entire battlefield.

Behind him, Suo Lun heard the voice, neither loud nor soft, distinct and clear, with a metallic resonance.

Yet even Yan Nai’er, kilometers away from Gao Yin, heard his voice as if it were right by her ear.

"The King decrees that the rebellion in Tianshui City has been quelled, and all kingdom troops must immediately withdraw from the Tianshui territories, or suffer the penalty of death without mercy!"

Gao Yin’s voice rose again and again, reaching the ears of every soldier.

Duke Zhi Wei turned a deaf ear, having decided that he would defy the King’s decree and eliminate the Suo family by capturing Tianshui City.

As for the consequences? At worst, he would lose his position as Governor of the Southeastern Province and be demoted from a Duke to a Marquis or even an Earl. If the punishment were more severe, it might extend to confinement in the ancestral mansion.

As for the penalty of death without mercy, that was just to scare ghosts.

He was a Duke, a child of the late King; not even the King himself would dare to kill him.

When King Zibian ascended to the throne, nearly all the princes involved in the struggle for succession met untimely deaths. This caused great controversy and forced him, even though he disliked Zhi Wei, to bestow high titles upon him to recover his reputation after gaining power.

Today, with no children of his own, King Zibian’s reign was waning, while Zhi Li was rising like a radiantly ascending morning sun.

Thus, Duke Zhi Wei did not believe that King Zibian dared to kill him at this time.

"Attack, continue attacking..." Zhi Wei roared loudly.

Whether it was for the greater good or out of the anger in his heart, he wanted to obliterate Tianshui City.

But while he cared little for the King, the samurai and soldiers below greatly feared the King’s authority. Hearing Grand Eunuch Gao Yin loudly proclaim the royal decree, they hesitated and stopped.

Duke Zhi Wei shouted angrily, "What are you stopping for? Continue the attack and flatten Tianshui City."

"But... His Majesty’s decree has arrived," quivered a Centurion.

Zhi Wei abruptly drew his great sword and held it to the Centurion’s neck, yelling sharply, "Do you dare disobey orders? Continue the attack! Those who speak of retreat shall die, and those who show cowardice shall die. I will bear any consequences."

Instantly, ten Centurions, intimidated by Zhi Wei, ordered the army to resume the offensive.

The one hundred thousand-strong army surged towards Wind Thunder Fortress like a tidal wave.

Upon seeing this, Gao Yin shouted angrily, "Duke Zhi Wei, are you defying the royal decree?"

His voice thundered like lightning from the heavens, deafening all who heard it.

But Zhi Wei acted as if he had heard nothing, as if deaf to the sound.

Gao Yin, riding on his griffin, blocked the path of the one hundred thousand troops, then dove towards Duke Zhi Wei with the force of a thunderbolt, stopping just a meter from him.

"Duke Zhi Wei, are you defying the royal decree?" Gao Yin said coldly.

Zhi Wei replied icily, "Who knows whether the decree you hold is real or fake? His Majesty has not appeared for a long time, and for all we know, you eunuchs of the inner court could be forging his commands."

Gao Yin said, "The King has commanded you to withdraw your troops immediately. Will you withdraw or not?"

"I will not," Zhi Wei said. "Unless the King himself comes to issue the decree, only then will I believe it to be true."

Gao Yin, holding aloft the Dragon King Staff, said with a cold voice, "I wield the Dragon King Staff as if His Majesty were personally present, with authority to execute now and report later."

With that, he infused the powerful staff with Dragon Power,

"Ao..." Suddenly, the Dragon King Staff burst into dazzling light, emitting a majestic roar akin to an authoritative growl.

A wave of overpowering royal aura enveloped the battlefield, instilling an urge to kneel in submission.

Then, Gao Yin slowly placed the royal staff above Duke Zhi Wei’s head and said word by word, "Duke Zhi Wei, will you withdraw your troops or not?"

The Dragon Power concentrated within the staff grew stronger and more intense, causing Zhi Wei to feel a terrifying pressure as if a great mountain were bearing down upon him.

He summoned his Dragon Power, struggling to withstand it, his sweat pouring like rain and his face drained of color.

His martial skill was far inferior to Gao Yin’s, and this was the royal staff, the true instrument of execution with authority to act first and report afterward. After only a brief moment, he could no longer bear it.

"Ao..." Suddenly, the staff roared like a dragon and then fiercely smashed towards Duke Zhi Wei.

"My life is over!" cried out Duke Zhi Wei in terror. As death loomed, he immediately shouted, "Elder Gao, stop! I accept the decree!"

When real death approached, he could not endure it.

Despite always believing that Gao Yin would not dare to kill him, he just couldn’t risk it.

After shouting those words, all fighting spirit drained from Duke Zhi Wei.

And his warhorse, completely unable to withstand the weight of the descending Dragon King Staff, collapsed to the ground.

"Duke Zhi Wei, what did you say? I didn’t hear you," Gao Yin asked.

Zhi Wei said resentfully, "I obey the decree, and I will withdraw!"

At this, the high-ranking samurai and officers nearby heard him and were quick to shout, "Cease the attack, cease the attack, withdraw immediately!"

At once, the tumultuous hundred thousand-strong army stopped in their tracks, exhaling a long sigh of relief.

Deep in their hearts, they didn’t want to defy the King’s decree, as King Zibian’s formidable reputation over the decades had truly penetrated their souls.

Gao Yin said, "Duke Zhi Wei, you dispatched troops into the sovereign territory without authorization. His Majesty commands me to take you back to Zhi Du to face punishment."

Then, Gao Yin brought out a yellow paper lock and placed it on Zhi Wei. The scene was a spitting image of when Duke Zhi Ting had been captured.

Duke Zhi Wei turned to the ten Centurions and commanded, "Lead the army back to Baiyun County and return to your respective posts."

"Understood," said the ten Centurions.

Zhi Wei then looked towards Suo Lun, revealing a deep-seated hatred, and said word by word, "Suo Lun, remember, your days are numbered!"

Afterward, he mounted the griffin and said to Gao Yin, "Eunuch Gao, let’s go, take me back to the royal city to accept my punishment."

This arrogance was far beyond that exhibited by Duke Zhi Ting in his prime.

...

Grand Eunuch Gao Yin had left, Zhi Wei had left, and then his army of one hundred thousand also retreated completely.

The crisis of Tianshui City had been thoroughly resolved.

Suo Lun had finally, at the last moment, turned around the situation that was on the brink of destruction.

Inside Wind Thunder Fortress, the soldiers distinctly felt the taste of having survived a catastrophe, for they had been but a step away from death just a moment ago.

The Lord Suo Lun before them had once again pulled everyone back from the brink of disaster.

Among this army were the Tianshui City Guards and the Silver Wolf Legion; though their time with Suo Lun wasn’t long, in just a short period, this lord had performed several miracles, thoroughly subduing them.

Seeing Suo Lun walk into Wind Thunder Fortress alone,

"Long live the City Lord!"

It wasn’t clear who started it, but more and more people knelt down, shouting loudly.

"Long live our lord!"

"Long live Lord Suo Lun!"

Densely packed, every single soldier in each corner knelt down toward Suo Lun.

...

Nai’er was angry. After surviving the catastrophe, she didn’t rush over immediately but instead hid in a room inside Wind Thunder Fortress.

After Suo Lun learned which room was hers, he wanted to go up to find her, but Yan Yan stopped him on the staircase.

"Yan Yan, pays his respects to the lord." The King of the Silver Wolves knelt on one knee toward Suo Lun.

However, because he was on a few steps higher, he still appeared taller than Suo Lun even when kneeling.

"Please don’t, father-in-law. You honor me too much," Suo Lun hurried forward to help Yan Yan up.

"What have you done to wrong Nai’er?" Yan Yan’s gaze was like lightning, staring at Suo Lun.

Suo Lun looked down and said, "I slept with Zhi Ning."

Then, he waited for Yan Yan’s furious outburst.

However, Yan Yan’s rage didn’t come. Instead, he kept his gaze on Suo Lun for a long while, then stepping back, he said, "Nai’er is in the room at the top floor. What do you plan to do?"

Suo Lun patted the brand-new washboard on his back and said, "Such private matters between husband and wife, need not be discussed with my father-in-law."

"Take care of yourself," Yan Yan said. "You know, if you dare to hurt her again, I promise to tear you to pieces."

After speaking, Yan Yan simply walked away.

Suo Lun arrived at the room on the top floor, expecting the door to be tightly closed, and no matter how much he called out, it wouldn’t open. Instead, he found the door wide open.

Nai’er was standing at the doorway, seemingly waiting for him. She stood there, radiantly beautiful and serious.

"Suo Lun, Zhi Ning said you ** her, is it true or false?" Yan Nai’er said coldly.

"It’s true," Suo Lun stated bluntly.

At once, Nai’er’s eyes reddened and she said, "How could you do that? I, I won’t forgive you."

Suo Lun’s face was stark as he drew out the washboard from behind him and threw it down in front of Nai’er.

"Bang!"

Nai’er couldn’t help but step back; seeing Suo Lun’s stern face, she said, "What do you mean by this? Are you, are you trying to break up with me again?"

Without a word, Suo Lun bent both knees, and knelt directly on the washboard.

"Ah..." Nai’er was shocked, exclaiming, "What are you doing?"

"I did something wrong to you, so do as you wish, whether to beat or kill me," Suo Lun said, "A true man dares to act and take responsibility for his errors. But I refuse to break up or give you the cold shoulder!"

Nai’er really was very angry, and she had made up her mind not to forgive Suo Lun.

But Suo Lun was shamelessly...

At the moment he knelt, her mind almost exploded.

She became thoroughly flustered instantly; in this world where men were honored, kneeling to a woman was unimaginable.

"What are you doing, get up quickly. If someone sees, how can I live?" Nai’er said in a panic.

"Have you forgiven me?" asked Suo Lun.

"I...I..." Nai’er didn’t know how to respond.

"Then I won’t get up," stated Suo Lun.

"You... you have no shame," Nai’er said, trembling.

Suo Lun said, "I have always been shameless, you know that."

"Get up quickly. If someone really sees this, I can forget about entering your family’s door," Nai’er pleaded.

"Have you forgiven me?" Suo Lun asked again.

"Fine, I forgive you, I forgive you, you bastard..." Nai’er said furiously, utterly flustered. If others really saw Suo Lun kneeling to her, Suo Lun didn’t care about his thick skin, but she really wouldn’t be able to live it down.

Moreover, if word got to Suo Ningbing, she would definitely have an opinion about her. The retainers of the Suo family would surely regard her as extremely arrogant and rude.

...

Note: The second update is here, written on the train; truly an arduous task.