Chapter 95: Killing villains in exchange for His Highness's blessing, the Southern Region lords are crazy!

Night Shadow Territory.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled on the dilapidated village, and the withered yellow fields were like a dead desert, and even the wind carried the smell of decay.

"Jianni, look what I found!"

In a simple farmhouse, a peasant who was not old but exceptionally aged excitedly grabbed a black mouse and came to his wife.

"I'll roast it in a while to supplement your body," the peasant said with a smile, holding the mouse as if he were asking for credit.

His wife was a skin-and-bones peasant woman, and after seeing this scene, she smiled reluctantly, her thin face full of haggardness.

Looking at the beautiful girl who had become like this step by step after marrying him, the peasant's heart felt as painful as being cut by ten thousand knives.

But this was already a blessing.

Some time ago, his wife lost the child in her womb during the grain requisition, and since then she had become crazy, and even dared to block the army.

Fortunately, she met a kind lord who was not only not angry but even hugged his crazy wife and blessed her.

Strange to say, since then, his wife's madness had gradually recovered, and she could already talk normally.

Thinking of this, the peasant couldn't help but be full of gratitude to the lord with rare black hair.

If only that lord were the lord of the Night Shadow Territory!

Afterward, the peasant skinned and beheaded the mouse, lit a fire, and soon made fragrant mouse meat skewers and handed them to Jianni.

Looking at his wife eating the mouse meat skewers in small bites, the peasant's heart couldn't be happier.

It's great, he can still let his wife eat meat.

"Lilin, I'm full, why don't you eat some too?" The wife handed over the remaining large half of the mouse meat skewers.

"Me? I've already eaten a mouse, I'm as full as I can be!" The peasant patted his belly, which was trying to bulge but was still flat.

"You still have to take good care of your body and give birth to another child for me. With that lord's blessing, he will definitely be able to grow up safely and become a diligent peasant!"

The peasant pushed the mouse meat skewers back to his wife.

The wife hesitated for a long time, and only when she heard the word child did she take another bite.

This scene made the peasant's eyes slightly moist; he was moved, but even more anxious.

Because everything edible nearby had almost been caught by the starving villagers, and if this continued, he really didn't know how he could support his wife.

Or, learn from Zhar next door, cut the meat from his own body to support his family and children...

"Villagers here, all come out to receive grain!"

Just as the peasant was hesitating, a shout suddenly came from outside.

The peasant carefully poked his head out of the window, and then saw a scene that left him dumbfounded—a group of Black Wolf Territory soldiers pushed a cart full of golden barley to the village and distributed it to the skin-and-bones villagers in the village for free.

Among them was Zhar's family next door.

That poor husband who had lost a leg cried until tears streamed down his face on the spot when he took the bag of barley handed by the soldier.

Tsk, a big man crying like this, so funny!

So the peasant also went, and it wasn't until he took a sack of barley from the soldier who was distributing it that he trembled all over as if waking from a dream, kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you, great Lord of Black Wolf Territory, Howling Wolf Kalen Hughes!"

The peasant cried even more miserably than the person who took the grain before him; he only felt that he had to cry out all the despair and suffering of these days.

And at this time, the soldier responsible for distributing the grain pressed his shoulder and stopped him:

"The one who made such a benevolent act of distributing grain is not our lord, but a sage, and that sage's name is Xia Mingyu."

"If you are truly grateful, then thank this lord!"

Xia Mingyu... for some reason, when he heard this name, the peasant inexplicably thought of the kind lord with black hair.

"The former lord of Night Shadow Territory, Victor, committed many evils and has already had his head taken and hung on the city wall of Night Wind Town. If you want revenge, you can also go over and throw a stone."

"But it's better to be quick, because it's almost smashed."

After dropping this sentence, the soldiers pushed the cart and left in a hurry; they still had to rush to the next village to distribute grain.

The lord who set the breathing tax... the peasant's eyes gradually revealed fierce light.

Night Wind Town.

Under the city wall, it had been surrounded by villagers from all over the territory who heard the news.

Whether adults or children, everyone actively picked up stones, branches, sheep dung balls... and other objects on the ground and threw them at the unknown circular object hanging on the city wall.

That was the head of the previous lord, but after a whole afternoon of throwing attacks, it was completely unrecognizable, and even emitted a foul smell.

The peasant also followed his wife and threw stones a few times, and only stopped reluctantly after he really couldn't find anything to throw.

At the same time, in the most conspicuous place in the town, several craftsmen were sweating profusely and carving stone sculptures.

It is said that they are carving the statue of the sage Xia Mingyu, the great benefactor of the Night Shadow Territory who distributed grain to everyone.

Because of this, those craftsmen used their lifelong skills, and every hammer blow was the peak of their own skills.

Many villagers knelt under this statue that had not yet taken shape and thanked it piously.

They all knew that if it weren't for this kind sage, they would have starved to death long ago!

And the peasant, together with his wife, stared blankly at the statue above his head.

Although the statue had not yet taken shape, having seen that lord with his own eyes, they could already recognize that this was indeed the statue of that lord.

So, the kind sage Xia Mingyu was the black-haired lord who tolerated and blessed them.

"Jianni, with the blessing of the sage lord, it seems that our child will definitely be able to grow up safely in the future!"

The peasant said excitedly to his wife.

And his wife, the peasant woman who had never shown a smile since losing her child and was full of haggardness.

At this moment, under the afterglow of the sunset, a brilliant smile appeared on her thin face, as if she had returned to her girlhood.

"Hmm!"

This scene made the peasant burst into tears; he held his wife's hand and lined up at the end of the long queue in front of the statue.

And in the distance, the black-haired young man looking at the two also smiled slightly, and then turned and left with the attendant carrying a long bow.

"Berg, give them another sack of wheat and a cow."

"As you command, Sage Lord."

Evening.

The night curtain hung low, the bright moon hung high, and the cold radiance spilled onto the earth.

A luxurious carriage, pulled by a giant black wolf, drove steadily toward the distance.

Although the surrounding light was very dark, for nocturnal animals, it was not much different from daylight.

Xia Mingyu sat on the velvet roof of the carriage, facing the bright moon, quietly closing his eyes and meditating.

Berg sat in the front room of the carriage acting as a coachman, while Lise lay in the carriage cabin sleeping soundly; the magic that broke the city during the day consumed too much of her energy and needed a good rest.

After killing Victor, Kalen took the army and stayed in the Night Shadow Territory temporarily.

He had many things to do: public trial of soldiers with too many crimes, distributing grain to the people of the entire territory, establishing the sage's reputation for His Highness, supporting a puppet lord...

And Xia Mingyu and his party returned to Black Langbao first.

With one Transcendent peak, one Morning Star combat power, and one Crescent Moon combat power protecting His Highness closely, presumably no petty people would dare to peek at His Highness.

"The speed of magic power refining has accelerated a lot!"

As soon as Xia Mingyu meditated, he clearly felt that his speed of refining magic power was almost a quarter faster.

"No wonder books say that prestige and great achievements are sharp weapons for promotion," Xia Mingyu couldn't help but sigh.

"Okay, let's practice in one go!"

He completely let go of his mind, without any distractions, leaving only that bright moon in his heart.

After witnessing the previous war, Xia Mingyu's desire for power increased again.

He didn't want to be just a bystander, even if he couldn't fight with a sword in his hand, he hoped to be like Lise, at least be a glass cannon.

Blade City.

Red Fox Castle, study.

"What a joke!"

The owner of the castle, Luonan Martha, tore the decree sent by the kingdom's envoy to pieces, and a surging torrent of magic power erupted from his body, shaking the bookshelves in the entire room until they were shaky.

"What is that kid Laun Socia thinking? He has only been king for a few years and has repeatedly increased taxes, and only demanded grain!"

"Was his brain kicked by a cow?"

The butler looked at the angry roaring count, full of helplessness, and could only squat down to pick up the paper scraps and fallen books on the ground.

"Hoo, hoo, if it weren't for them having dragons, if it weren't for them having dragons..."

Luonan took a few deep breaths before his mood gradually calmed down.

"My lord, should we continue to increase taxes according to the decree?" the butler asked.

"Increase it, I don't want a fire-breathing giant dragon to fly over the castle one day."

Count Martha hesitated for a long time before agreeing, and afterward, he slumped in his chair as if he had lost all his strength.

"My lord, Miss Rosa has been a bit too close to her guard this year, do you think we need to separate them?"

The butler thought for a moment and decided to change to an easier topic first.

Mentioning his cute daughter, the count's face had a smile, but after hearing the word close, he became serious.

"Separate them, of course separate them, how can my daughter be with a guard every day!" Luonan patted the table irritably.

"As you command."

"Wait a moment..." The butler was about to leave, but was called back by Count Martha.

"That kid from the slums, I remember he qualified as a Knight Apprentice with just a bottle of magic potion without any training, right?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Hmm..." Luonan tapped the table and fell into deep thought.

If he had a boy other than Rosa, he would have separated the two forever without hesitation, because at that time Rosa's task would undoubtedly be marriage.

But in fact, he only had one girl, Rosa, and she didn't have much talent in cultivation.

If he could cultivate a loyal and powerful knight, even as a lover in the future, it could protect his daughter's safety.

Moreover, if he came from the slums, that kid's parents probably starved to death because of his tax increase.

"Sigh, keep him for now, if that kid ten..." Luonan finally made a decision.

"Yes, my lord."

In the corridor of the castle.

"Butler, why did you call me here?" Leo asked respectfully.

Looking at the boy in front of him who was almost as young as his son, the butler hesitated for a long time before pulling him over and whispering a few words.

For the sake of the young lady, and also for the sake of the count, he felt it necessary to tell this boy who had some talent the truth in advance.

"If I can't break through to a knight before I'm sixteen, I'll never see Miss Rosa again!"

The boy's expression was shocked, and his young face was full of anxiety.

In the year of getting along day and night in the past, he had long regarded the girl as the most important person besides the Prince in his dreams, so how could he bear to separate?

"Yes, this is the order of Count Martha, don't spread this matter, you must cherish your talent and work hard."

The butler patted the boy on the shoulder solemnly and turned away, leaving the boy standing there blankly.

In the time that followed, Leo seemed to have become a different person, nesting in the training ground every day from early morning to late night, exercising crazily with the knights in the castle.

So much so that every time Rosa wanted to take him out to play, she had to forcibly drag him to go.

Because the boy was reluctant every time, Rosa lost her temper and ignored the boy for several weeks in a row.

At this time, the castle butler mentioned the truth about the boy's desperate training, and it happened to be accidentally heard by the young lady.

Rosa: "???"

Learning that the boy was desperate to train just so he wouldn't be separated from her, the girl who had not yet experienced the world was moved to tears on the spot.

Afterward, she no longer dragged the boy to play, but kept going to her father to explode gold coins, buying precious magic potions to send to the boy to help him exercise.

The girl who used to be unable to stay idle every day could now lie in the shade of the training ground, quietly watching the boy exercise in the scorching sun all day, watching the boy's body become strong bit by bit.

Just like that, three years passed in a flash.

Three days later.

Black Langbao.

Main hall.

On the towering ceiling, huge wooden beams crisscrossed, supporting this space like a giant's skeleton.

Xia Mingyu sat on the main seat, holding his head with his hand, looking down at the Southern Region lords who had rushed over dusty.

Anliya, in a white dress, holding a stack of paper, stood behind him as a maid.

Pulled by a named magic beast day and night, he returned to Black Langbao in just one day.

Afterward, he quickly sent people to invite all the lords of the Southern Region to come to Black Langbao to discuss matters.

Learning that it was an invitation from His Highness, a group of lords immediately whipped their horses and arrived at Black Langbao in just two days.

The only pity was that the most noble Lord of the Southern Region seemed to have urgent matters and hurried back to Twilight City, so he did not attend today.

"Noble Your Highness, I don't know why you called us here today? If you have any orders, I will definitely do my best."

The lord of Ram Territory, Edward, took the lead and bowed elegantly.

"We are the same!" all the lords shouted.

Clap, clap.

Seeing this, Xia Mingyu clapped his hands, and Anliya behind him distributed the papers in her hands to the lords.

The content on the paper is as follows:

In my territory, no one will ever starve to death due to taxes, or be sold as a slave; nor will anyone be forced to become a prostitute... Let the wicked get what they deserve, and the good live like people, able to eat their fill and not be bullied.

The lords who saw the content on the paper looked at each other and exchanged glances with their eyes.

What does His Highness want to do?

I don't know, it's a bit difficult, it costs a lot of money.

Who will be the first to agree to test His Highness's tone?

"Gentlemen, I have something I want to do a deal with you all." Before they could exchange glances for too long, Xia Mingyu spoke.

The moment they heard His Highness speak, these big figures who held countless people's lives in their own territories straightened their backs in an instant, as respectful as students facing a teacher.

"Your Highness, no deal is needed, if you have any orders, we will definitely..."

The lords were eager to express their stance, but were interrupted by Xia Mingyu making a shushing gesture.

He knew very well that although these lords were all respectful to him on the surface, in the end, people are still profit-driven creatures.

If he wanted to make them carry out a great purge of the territory sincerely like Kalen, he had to give them benefits far exceeding the losses in the process.

Fortunately, giving this benefit had no loss for him, but deepened the connection between him and these lords, letting them get on his pirate ship.

"If you can do the requirements on the paper, and later swear by honor in front of me, I promise that in the future, at the baby honor ceremony held by one of your children, I will sincerely offer him a blessing."

Xia Mingyu said slowly.

His tone was very flat, but the information contained in it exploded in the hearts of the lords like thunder.

After a short silence, their expressions instantly became fanatical. Although it was not recognizing a godson, a blessing from His Highness could also raise their child's blessing by one level.

"Your Highness, is what you said true?"

Edward Ram, the calmest lord, had his voice trembling at this moment.

"Your Highness, I swear, within five days at most, I will kill all those brothels, gangs, etc. in the territory!"

The lord of Locke Territory shouted, and magic power erupted from his muscular body because of his passionate emotions.

"Your Highness, I only need four days!"

"I only need three days, I guarantee that even if it is checked to my own family, I will kill them without exception!"

"... What's the rush? His Highness didn't just give one quota."

In the solemn hall, it was filled with the excited statements of the lords for a while.

"Then, I will wait and see."

Xia Mingyu's mouth curled up slightly, saying calmly.

Looking at these lords walking out of the hall one by one with murderous intent, he felt that the end of the villains in the entire Southern Region should not be very good.

Spark Hall.

As soon as Xia Mingyu came here, he saw Leo following Tamerlane to exercise without stopping for a moment, and he didn't even come to ask him to pat his head.

"Hagek Kesi, he should have been in this state for three days, right?" Xia Mingyu asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I don't know why this kid suddenly started working so hard."

The giant, who was reading *The Spartacus Uprising*, looked up, his heroic face filled with confusion.

Xia Mingyu took that copy of *Biography of the Crimson Fire* from the very bottom layer, hidden beneath layers of bookshelves, and read a few pages.

"The power of love is truly terrifying!" he muttered to himself after closing the book.

Love?

Hagek Kesi heard this sentence keenly. He turned his head to look at the short, shabbily dressed Lio, feeling even more puzzled.

Who would fall in love with this little boy who looks like a beggar?

He must have misheard!

Hagek Kesi continued to bury himself in his books. One day, he too wanted to be like the protagonist in the book, to incite a slave uprising and let that arena, filled with countless sins, be destroyed in the raging fury of the slaves!

Blade City.

Another two years flashed by.

Under five years of tireless training, along with Tamerlane's annual guidance and the magic potions sponsored by Rosa, Lio finally successfully qualified as a Transcendent Knight in the last few days of his fifteenth year.

Looking at the emerald-green protection reflected in the creek, Lio, who had grown into a tall youth, was filled with pride.

"Stop looking. You've been staring for a whole day, my knight."

Rosa, who had grown into a slender young lady beside him, said while helplessly holding her forehead.

"Rosa, it is truly wonderful that I could meet you."

The youth knelt on one knee and lifted the girl's hand to kiss it lightly.

And that Prince, he added in his heart.

Now that he had matured, he naturally knew how great the help the Prince had given him was; it would be no exaggeration to say it had changed the fate of his life.

Sosia Kingdom, Southern Region.

In the past few days, the entire Southern Region had undergone a drastic change.

Led personally by local lords, fierce soldiers raided brothels, gangs, and every place where lawless criminals might exist.

Regardless of status, as long as they had committed a crime, even the lords' relatives would be thrown into prison, squeezed into overcrowded cells with other filthy criminals.

Regardless of strength, even if they could break free from the soldiers' grasp, they were eventually captured by the lords themselves—who were Great Knights—and then strictly guarded, with no chance of escape.

And the most terrifying thing was that the criminals of the Southern Region discovered in horror that this was not the act of a single territory going mad, but that all the Viscount lords had gone mad!

Arresting them was one thing, but these lords were even giving away the grain in their castles for free to the famine-stricken villages in their territories, as if their brains had been kicked by a cow!

At the same time, the name of the Sage Xia Mingyu gradually spread throughout the entire Southern Region during this great purge.

All the lords, perhaps out of flattery or perhaps out of fear of breaking their word, unanimously attributed this prestige to the Prince.

With the blessing of massive prestige and the brand-new environment of the Southern Region, Xia Mingyu once again felt the opportunity for promotion.

(End of chapter)