[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens":3,"chapter-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270886,4434,"Chapter 11: The Liar Merchant","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>A few hours earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prey? What kind of prey could there be on a road meant for travelers?” Boge frowned in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, to hunt prey, one had to venture deep into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more remote the place, the rarer the prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you forget that Klay merchant who swindled your village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xia Mingyu’s casual remark ignited Boge’s fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I remember—that damned Klay bastard, who dared to swear false oaths before the gods to deceive us all! He insulted the gods and insulted us, causing countless red fruits, grown with a year’s worth of hard work, to be wasted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing as if spitting fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I hadn’t been hunting in the forest that day, I’d have shot him dead with one arrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—Your Highness, are you saying the prey is him?” Boge suddenly realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you ever killed a person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.” Boge shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he often hunted wild beasts and had piled up enough carcasses to form a small hill, he had never killed a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I haven’t either, Xia Mingyu silently told himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that didn’t stop him from feigning the demeanor of someone accustomed to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you willing to kill?” Xia Mingyu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s a heartless Klay merchant like this one, who cares nothing for human lives, I’d kill them all—no matter how many come!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge ran his fingers along the bowstring, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his brown eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who shot that arrow?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mills, fallen to the ground, shouted in shock and rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the direction of the arrow, he quickly spotted two figures hidden among the bushes nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could demand an explanation, another arrow whistled toward him at blinding speed, aimed straight at his right eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mills’s hair stood on end in terror—he tried to dodge, but it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Boge stepped out from the bushes, excited, ready to thoroughly search the heartless merchant’s purse for ill-gotten coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his shock, the arrow he had fired with all his strength, mere moments before piercing the man’s eyeball, suddenly struck what looked like an invisible shield—there was a loud *crack*, and the arrow shaft bent and fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of magic is this?!” Boge’s eyes widened in disbelief—his prized archery had been so easily blocked!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu, still hidden among the bushes to conceal his identity and aura, was equally stunned—he had never seen supernatural power in this world before—but he quickly regained his composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they had already struck, they were now mortal enemies; there was no turning back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boge, keep shooting!” Xia Mingyu shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He refused to believe the man could sustain such a defense forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Mills, having blocked the arrow, swiftly pulled a compact hand-crossbow from the pouch hanging on the dead horse’s body—a costly personal defense weapon he had bought at great expense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the hunter who had just fired the arrow snap out of his shock and draw his bow again, Mills clenched his teeth and swiftly aimed the hand-crossbow at the man’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his last chance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Swish!*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Swish!*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two sharp arrows passed each other in midair—one struck true, aimed straight at Mills’s skull; the other veered wildly, only grazing Boge’s shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Mills was merely a merchant—he knew nothing of archery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Crack!*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the arrow neared Mills’s skull, it struck the same invisible shield as before—*crack!*—and the shaft bent and fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his expression now turned panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mills cursed, then without hesitation unslung the bulging money pouch from his waist and hurled it with all his strength toward the hunter still drawing his bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned and fled—faster than a startled hare, weaving through the forest with agility, vanishing in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liar Merchant vocation granted him two abilities: one, Unjust Protection, which could block two unjust attacks; the other, increased running speed—but usable only while fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His two protections were already spent; continuing the fight would mean certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he loved coins above all else, his life mattered more—and besides, most of his wealth had already been converted into gold sols and hidden inside his shoe insoles; the pouch held only a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of coins spilled from the pouch, clattering and blinding Boge’s vision, causing a momentary emotional tremor in the man who had never seen so much money before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he regained his focus and aimed again, Mills’s figure had vanished into the dense forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, Your Highness—I failed to kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge groaned, clutching his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt utterly foolish—for failing so miserably before his future lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, now the man probably wouldn’t even want him as a servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m so stupid I’m so stupid I’m so stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. Count how much money there is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing ahead at the thick, quiet forest, though uneasy inside, Xia Mingyu soothed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t afford to let this village’s primary combatant and greatest weapon lose his will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, there are sixteen silver sols and eighty-three copper sols!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge held a large handful of gleaming silver coins, his face alight with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This fellow really is a shrewd merchant—he’s quite wealthy,” Xia Mingyu remarked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From what he’d learned, the currency issued by the Sosia Kingdom was called the sol—copper sol, silver sol, and gold sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighty copper sols could be exchanged for one silver sol, and forty silver sols for one gold sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for purchasing power—here’s this: a full basket of fresh red fruit, at normal market price, sold for only ten copper sols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the entire Fruit Basket Village’s annual agricultural tax owed to the lord was only twenty-one silver sols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boge, take these coins back to the village—will they cover the agricultural tax?” Xia Mingyu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Your Highness! Though Fruit Basket Village has little money now, we can still scrape together four silver sols.” Boge nodded vigorously, eyes wide with astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had assumed this noble prince would take all the coins—but instead, he gave every last one to the village for tax payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was… utterly unlike a noble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this stirred a spark of respect within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, thank you for your generosity and wisdom. Even if you refuse to take me as your retainer, I vow to serve you for the rest of my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge knelt on one knee, solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu smiled but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burn the carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Your Highness—how did you know that Klay merchant would definitely return?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On their way back, carrying the money pouch and some goods looted from the carriage, Boge couldn’t help asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he paid a deposit,” Xia Mingyu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Merchants, as a breed, will sell the very rope around their own necks for money—how could they ever tolerate their own money being wasted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he *will* return—even if he knows he might be killed by angry villagers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because capital never stops moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1192,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","afc2574fcd9d0bc4bf505cf63b28f2d10ca7bbf4ecb35ce552faabb85ebdf24b","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-12","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-10",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]