[{"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-73":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},2270948,4434,"Chapter 73: I Will No Longer Raise My Hand Against an Innocent Soul","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-73",73,"\u003Cp>On the sandy ground of the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the order of the arena’s master—the Lord of the Slave Capital—Shi San finally, beneath the expectant gazes of the audience, slowly straightened his massive frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire body was covered in wounds, blood streaming down his muscular contours and pooling into dark red puddles on the sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap tap tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slaves, who had just been fiercely wielding their weapons, instantly retreated several steps, watching him with caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For they, as fellow slaves, had witnessed the Butcher’s bloody performances firsthand and knew well that even grievously wounded, he could snap their necks in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the absolute aura forged by his hundreds of victories in life-or-death battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Butcher!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Butcher!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The audience erupted again in cheers, their roar like a tidal wave drowning all else, enough to stir any warrior’s blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Shi San did not attack the slaves; instead, he lifted his head and gazed up at the dense sea of faces above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, veins bulging thickly along his neck, and shouted with all his strength:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will never again raise my hand against an innocent soul!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice, low and resolute, echoed like thunder through every corner of the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, every person in the arena froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some spectators stared blankly; others gaped in shock; the slaves on the sand dropped their weapons in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the nobles high above loosened their wine cups in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloudy glass cup shattered on the ground, jolting Sir Simon, who had been stunned by a slave’s defiance of his command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am not the—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Shi San could finish, a massive palm of blood-red magic descended from the upper platform and slammed into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a tremendous explosion, a huge crater blasted open in the sand, burying Shi San beneath it, alive or dead, unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen, our gladiator has encountered a minor issue today—the Beast vs. Lion match is postponed by one day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sir Simon’s voice, tightly suppressed with fury, rang out over the arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Refund our tickets! This is rigged!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not betting anymore—this is definitely the Man-Eating Lion’s win!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators, snapping out of their shock, roared in anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had paid dearly to watch a slaughter and gamble for instant wealth—not to listen to a slave preach morality!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen, all tickets are free this time, and you may place new bets shortly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several deep breaths, Simon Clay gritted his teeth until they threatened to crack before forcing out those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could no longer calculate how many gold sols he had lost—but it was unquestionably a sum beyond ordinary comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was literally killing him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as a titled baron and war hero, he was still a true Clay man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Clay ancestor Frankenstein once said—take my life, but never my coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the audience began to file out did this farce finally draw to a temporary close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring me the man in charge of the Butcher!” Simon snarled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to see which bastard had corrupted his most prized slave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, in a lavishly decorated hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor was covered in deep red velvet carpet, embroidered with golden vines and flowers; heavy silk curtains hung at the windows; a massive crystal chandelier dangled from the ceiling, hundreds of crystal pendants glittering like stars, refracting multicolored light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every corner of this place screamed its owner’s unmatched wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was it you who turned my Butcher into a fairy-tale hero?” Simon sat on the main seat, coldly staring at the man kneeling below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no, Lord Simon, you know me—I’d never dare!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benson turned ashen, banging his head against the floor with frantic thuds, soon blood trickling from his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. I knew you didn’t have the guts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Simon’s anger slightly eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you weren’t a Clay man like me, I’d have thrown you into the beast pen long ago!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me every word you spoke to the Butcher before his fight. Omit one, and I’ll slit your throat,” Simon growled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I told the Butcher—” Benson stammered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing his account, Simon fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was certain the Butcher’s change in mindset was not Benson’s doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who? Could someone possibly speak to the Butcher from beyond the dungeon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for the Butcher thinking of it himself—impossible. A slave born into servitude, long accustomed to killing, would never believe killing was sinful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it. As a merchant, his immediate priority was not to find the culprit, but to minimize his losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Throw that Butcher into the most crowded slave cell. If he can kill them all, give him weapons. If he can’t—ha, tomorrow he’ll fight the Man-Eating Lion barehanded.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simon’s gaze turned icy, brimming with murderous intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a vast dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of slaves crammed the space, turning what had once been spacious into a suffocating crush; they pressed together like goods, with barely room to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bodies pressed against one another, sweat and grime mingling, the air thick with a rotting stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces bore exhaustion and despair, eyes hollow and numb, as if they had long lost all human desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In you go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five guards struggled to carry the battered Shi San, then hurled him into the cell with all their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His massive body hit the dungeon floor with a thunderous crash, sending the slaves scrambling in terror away from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had either heard or seen the Butcher’s horrors—they feared he might kill them on a whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, heavier than a beast!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards cursed as they left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a figure approached the dungeon with a complex expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of him, the slaves in the dungeon shrank together in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For he was the dungeon’s overseer—Benson Clay—whom they had all, in some measure, felt the lash of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi San, I know you’re still conscious. With your physique, even after all those injuries and Simon’s palm strike, you won’t die so easily,” Benson said slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his disappointment, the giant merely lay motionless, eyes tightly shut, as if already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he knew—Shi San simply refused to acknowledge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh. Merciful Lord Simon has given you another chance. Kill every other slave in this cell, and you’ll get healing and weapons. Otherwise—tomorrow, you fight the Man-Eating Lion with nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Benson sighed and left, leaving behind only the dying giant in the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1086,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2733cce04fc4d1fd74908c620b160b828d7561c48c328b03b1433a940e3a4e5f","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-74","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-72",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]