The moment the blood-stained military medal was brought out.
Qin Xiao stood frozen in place. Looking at the young girl weeping on her knees, his heart felt as if it were being pierced by thousands of sharp blades!
His towering figure trembled, and even the hands reaching out to take the medal were shaking!
He, Qin Xiao, prided himself as the number one in the world, possessing unmatched martial prowess, a sovereign of a generation!
But what was the result?
In the end, he could not even protect the families of his own subordinates!
The men followed him to conquer the world, yet these orphans and widows were left to suffer humiliation from others!
In places he could not see, just how miserably were these women, children, and elderly living!
"Ridiculous! Pathetic!"
Qin Xiao laughed out of extreme anger.
His killing intent was unleashed without reservation!
Streaks of black and red aura swayed around him like tentacles.
The air became thick, making it impossible for anyone around to catch their breath!
"Your Majesty!"
Lu Fengxian's eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent boiling. His hill-like body suddenly dropped to one knee, and he let out a low growl through gritted teeth.
"This general requests orders! To execute this group of scourges who persecute our elders!"
"If we do not exterminate this trash, what face do we have to meet the million soldiers of Northern Liang!"
Jia Xu also bowed down, a cold, venomous snake-like glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"Your Majesty, leave this matter to me and General Lu. We guarantee to slaughter all nine of their familial clans!"
This incident had already crossed their bottom line.
Over in Northern Liang, there was already a lack of money and provisions.
It was entirely relying on Qin Xiao's prestige and charisma that the million soldiers stubbornly defended the border passes against foreign tribes.
Now Qin Xiao had become the Emperor.
Once word got out that Qin Xiao did not treat the families of the Northern Liang soldiers well, the sky would probably fall!
"We beg for Your Majesty's decree! We will definitely execute the wicked thieves and return justice to the elders of our Northern Liang army!"
Clatter!
A group of Northern Liang generals knelt to the ground in unison, their momentum deafening!
Their killing intent soared straight to the heavens!
At this moment, the Northern Liang generals had completely bared their fangs!
Just waiting for a single command from Qin Xiao, they would devour people and kill all their enemies!
It was also at this time.
The voice of the system in Qin Xiao's mind sounded.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the Divine Emperor Choice!
Option One: Kill, kill, kill! Slaughter everything clean! All filth, all scoundrels, execute their nine clans! Reward: Ten thousand pre-Qin Lishan convict soldiers!
Option Two: Find out exactly who embezzled the military pay, investigate the mastermind behind the scenes, and give the million Northern Liang soldiers an explanation! Reward: Ten thousand Brocade Guards!
Looking at the two tasks that appeared, Qin Xiao chose both without hesitation!
"I will not only kill all those scums, but also find the mastermind behind the scenes!"
This mastermind was not simple.
To actually make someone like Chancellor Cai Kun so terrified.
Then they must definitely hold a high position.
"Then, who exactly is this person?"
At first, Qin Xiao guessed it was Emperor Qinwu.
But after thinking about it, even if Emperor Qinwu was stupid, it was impossible for him to embezzle the pensions of the fallen soldiers.
Once the matter spread, it would ruin the reputation of Emperor Qinwu, who cherished his image dearly!
Moreover, this matter was inextricably linked to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple.
After all, the tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in the Northern Liang Military District Compound had all become the property of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple.
The person behind this... was on the verge of being revealed!
With this thought, Qin Xiao already had a rough idea in his mind.
"There is no need. I will personally take a trip to the Northern Liang Military District Compound!"
He waved his hand, his cold tone filled with monstrous killing intent!
Everyone's hearts tightened, and they subconsciously looked up.
His Majesty was going personally.
Then it would not be as simple as just killing a few people.
They could foresee the scene of heads rolling next!
Cai Kun, who had just faintly woken up, immediately wet himself in fear upon hearing these words.
"It's over! The sky is falling!"
The crotch of his pants became a wet patch.
His vision went black, and he fainted once again.
Qin Xiao only gave Cai Kun a cold glance before turning his gaze back to Zhang Qianqian.
"Child, you have suffered."
His eyes were soft and his voice gentle, showing not a trace of the hellish god of slaughter from a moment ago.
Just these few simple words caused Zhang Qianqian's tears to flow uncontrollably.
From softly sobbing at the very beginning, it turned into heart-wrenching wailing.
Child...
What an unfamiliar title.
Ever since her family was gone, she was no longer a child, but an orphan drifting with the tide.
How she longed for warmth, even just a tiny sliver would be enough.
Especially when an Emperor personally spoke, saying she had been wronged.
Although it was just a few simple words, she understood the pity and heartache contained within them.
"Your... Your Majesty... I'm... I'm sorry, this commoner was rude just now..."
Zhang Qianqian knelt on the ground, apologizing with her cheeks bathed in tears like a pear blossom in the rain.
She knew the dead could not be resurrected, and she knew her family members who died in battle could never come back alive.
She just wanted to vent, just wanted to pour out the grievances she had suffered for so many years!
Qin Xiao grabbed Zhang Qianqian and helped her up.
"The humiliation of the families of the Northern Liang soldiers is due to my lack of oversight, and even more so the rampancy of scoundrels! Rest assured, I will give you an explanation, and give the families of the Northern Liang soldiers a satisfactory answer!"
Zhang Qianqian met Qin Xiao's sincere gaze and subconsciously nodded.
"Let's go, we are heading to the Northern Liang Military District Compound!"
"I want to see just how audacious this group of degenerates really is!"
A cruel and bloodthirsty arc traced the corners of Qin Xiao's mouth.
Subsequently, everyone boarded the carriages and headed towards the outskirts of the city!
During the journey, Cai Kun was awakened by the bumps.
The first thing he did upon waking up was to kneel before Qin Xiao and weep bitterly.
He spilled everything he knew.
It wasn't that Cai Kun didn't want to manage it; after all, even with ten times his courage, he wouldn't dare to embezzle the pensions of soldiers killed in action.
Embezzling this kind of money that crossed the red line would leave him in constant fear day and night.
Not to mention, there were many people eyeing his position as Chancellor.
Regarding the distribution of pensions, it was arranged by the Ministry of Revenue.
The facts were not much different from Qin Xiao's guess.
Behind all of this, there seemed to be the shadow of Qin Yu, Prince of Qi.
But one piece of information provided by Cai Kun was very useful.
Trembling all over, Cai Kun buried his head under his knees and cried out mournfully.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject does not know much. There is the shadow of Qin Yu, Prince of Qi in this, but he is not the one who truly intervened in this matter."
"This humble subject heard through the grapevine that it is a one-eyed man. Not only does he have the backing of Qin Yu, Prince of Qi, but he is also closely connected with the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. Together, they have extorted who knows how much of the people's hard-earned wealth!"
Qin Xiao frowned deeply.
"A one-eyed man..."
He instantly thought of someone.
Dusty memories were unlocked.
Events from his childhood surfaced in his mind one by one.
In his childhood, his life had been swapped by Qin Yu.
In that place resembling a doghouse, he suffered beatings and scoldings, enduring endless cold stares and abuse!
Finally, after he gained the ability to resist.
He was the one who personally drove a knife into that man's eye!
"If it really is you... then I shall settle both the new grudges and the old scores together!"
A strong surge of killing intent erupted!
Qin Xiao's eyes were crimson like a wild beast, exuding a terrifying aura.
That murderous aura pierced straight into the sky, as if it were going to overturn the firmament.
That fierce momentum made Cai Kun tremble all over.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
His face was deathly pale as he knelt on the ground begging for mercy, trembling uncontrollably like a leaf!
"Get lost!"
With a wave of a sleeve.
Cai Kun's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. Feeling as though he had just been pardoned from a death sentence, he fled the carriage.
He sat beside Lu Fengxian, who was driving, taking in the scenery of the streets while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"It feels so good... to be alive."
For the very first time, he found the air to be incredibly sweet.
.....
Meanwhile.
At the Northern Liang Army Compound.
"You bunch of old geezers, today is the day to collect the land rent! Hurry up and get out here for this monk!"
Down the devastated streets.
A group of fine horses came galloping in.
The riders were all bald men dressed in monks' robes. They were heavily built, their faces plump and gleaming with grease.
That arrogant and domineering voice echoed throughout the entire army compound.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
