Chapter 108 King Chen’s Worries
After quenching his carnal desires, Wang Jian departed from Mei Yan’s dungeon chambers. He felt no remorse for violating her, for he knew she was not a heroine.
She lacked the potential to earn him Destiny Points, and her luck was inferior to his own, meaning that the World’s Essence would not provide her with any significant assistance.
Wang Jian had more than one reason for engaging in this depraved relationship with Mei Yan.
In addition to her irresistible and alluring figure, she was the influential leader of the Celestial Dragon Sect, a powerful organization within the Windhaven Kingdom.
Despite his disdainful words towards her, he was well aware of the prestige and influence that came with the position of a branch leader, although it paled in comparison to his own status.
The manner in which Wang Jian had treated Mei Yan was not conducive to a peaceful or amicable relationship.
Rather, it had set the stage for a coercive and dominating relationship, where Mei Yan would remain seething with resentment towards Wang Jian but would be unable to defy his orders due to the leverage he held over her.
Wang Jian had some unfinished business to attend to before making his way to the Royal Palace of Windhaven Kingdom in Solterra.
Chen Yiyan, who was taking care of her father, was surprised not to find Wang Jian in the palace the previous day.
However, she assumed he must have been occupied with an important matter.
When Wang Jian returned to the palace, he encountered Chen Yiyan and quickly began to speak, offering an excuse, “My subordinates informed me that they spotted someone matching the description of Zhang Fei in a nearby district. Unfortunately, that despicable man had already fled by the time I reached the location.”
Chen Yiyan readily believed his excuse as she spoke, “Father has been asking about you. He’s been quite unwell lately.”
Wang Jian’s expression softened, “I will go see him immediately.”
As Wang Jian entered the king’s chambers, he was greeted with a smile from King Chen, “Seventh Prince, it’s good to see you. I trust everything is going well for you?”
“The plan is proceeding splendidly. However, it’s crucial that you continue to maintain your fa?ade and ensure that Yiyan remains oblivious to any discrepancies,” Wang Jian responded.
The king nodded gravely, then proceeded to address a more pressing matter. “Your Highness, as you instructed, I took control of the Kingdom. I ordered all the associations and factions that owe allegiance to the Windhaven Kingdom to pay their annual tribute.”
“Unfortunately,” he continued with a hint of distress, “most of these organizations have disregarded my command. Some have cited recent looting of their treasuries, while others have simply ignored me. Due to years of subservience and mismanagement, the Royal Family’s treasury is now depleted. If this trend continues, our authority will crumble within a few months,” the king concluded with a grim tone.
Wang Jian’s brows arched inquisitively as he absorbed King Chen’s words.
His mind immediately considered the possibility of Wang Lan’s involvement in the treasury’s depletion.
However, he quickly dismissed the thought as improbable, for he knew Wang Lan was no fool to cross him so hastily.
Wang Jian surmised that Wang Lan would first secure the aid of a potent King Realm expert to ensure his safety before attempting any subversive actions against his plans.
This situation suggested that either the avarice of these associations was the root cause, or there was someone else behind the scenes pulling the strings.
Wang Jian, however, devised a plan to tackle this situation expeditiously by generating a sudden surge of the Royal Family’s impact in the Windhaven Kingdom.
As the saying goes, to make the greatest impact often requires significant sacrifices.
Wang Jian informed King Chen, “Give me names of the associations and factions that refused to pay tribute. I will handle them.”
King Chen’s eyes twinkled with gratitude as he heard these words. He spoke, “I will order my subordinates to reorganize the information and provide you with a list.”
“Alright,” Wang Jian nodded.
There was a brief moment of silence before King Chen spoke again, “It is dusk now. Why don’t you go and get some dinner in the dining hall?”
Wang Jian smiled and replied, “Thank you. I will take you up on that offer.”
With that, Wang Jian left the king’s chambers and headed towards the dining hall.
As Wang Jian made his way to the dining hall, the aroma of cooked food filled his senses.
The maids had laid out an assortment of dishes on the table, each one looking more delicious than the last.
Soon after, Chen Yiyan entered the dining hall and greeted Wang Jian warmly, taking a seat next to him.
She was wearing a beautiful silk gown in the shade of pale pink, with intricate floral embroidery adorning the bodice and hem.
The delicate fabric flowed gracefully as she walked, and her hair was styled in a loose braid that fell elegantly over her shoulder. Her presence brought a fresh, youthful energy to the room.
Wang Jian leaned in towards Chen Yiyan as he spoke, his eyes glinting with a sense of pride. “King Chen appears to be fine now,” he said in a low voice, “I have given him a set of medicinal pellets and herbs. Feed him one daily, and he should recover quickly.”
“Thank you. I will make sure of that,” Chen Yiyan responded softly.
The two begin to talk as they asked each other about how their day went.
As they continued to talk, time seemed to fly by. Before they knew it, they had finished their meal, and the maids came to clear the table.
As they got up to leave, Wang Jian said to Chen Yiyan, “It was a pleasure having dinner with you. I hope we can do this again sometime.”
Chen Yiyan smiled at him and replied, “I would like that very much.”
After Wang Jian finished his dinner, a servant approached him and handed him a note that contained a list of all the factions that refused to provide tribute to the Royal Family.
Putting this list in his pocket, Wang Jian departed from the Royal Palace on the back of his griffin, flying towards the Black Castle.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ling was going nearly insane with overthinking about what Wang Jian had told her. She couldn’t stop replaying his words in her mind and was consumed by anger and worry.
If Wang Jian’s words were true, she couldn’t forgive herself for becoming a servant to Zhang Fei’s clan, the ones who have had a hand in the downfall of her clan.
At the same time, she feared being deceived by Wang Jian’s words and wrongly placing the blame on Zhang Fei. 𝒷𝓮𝒹𝓃ℴ𝓿𝓮𝓁.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Mei Yan was disgusted with the situation, but deep down, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated and resentful that she was forced to endure such pain and humiliation just because Xiao Ling was hopelessly in love with Zhang Fei.
If it weren’t for her disciple’s feelings, she would not have cared even if Wang Jian had torn Zhang Fei apart limb by limb.
Bixi Shuyan and Lady Zhuoran were overcome with pure dread, knowing that Wang Jian had yet to come to meet them.
The anxiety they felt was only compounded by the fact that they were being held captive and had no control over their situation.
The only solace they had was in the maids who brought them food at regular intervals, for if not for this, their bodies would have already been depleted of energy by this point.
And finally, there was Zhang Fei, who harbored the most profound dread in his heart. He felt as though his entire existence had been upended by the sudden arrival of Wang Jian.
Everything he held dear had been taken away from him in an instant.
His clan was destroyed, his master was captured, and all of the women who had come to save him were now locked up.
This was the first time in his life that he had experienced such overwhelming despair, and it left him feeling completely numb.
On this day, Wang Jian had resolved to pay a visit to Zhang Fei.
With a nonchalant air, Wang Jian strode into the cell and laid his eyes on the enchained figure of Zhang Fei.
“…Yo!” Wang Jian greeted, his eyes fixed on the captive warrior.
Zhang Fei’s eyes glinted with rage as he struggled against his restraints, attempting to break free from the chains that bound him.
But the fetters were unyielding, their grip on him as tight as ever, leaving him immobilized and helpless.
“You must be wondering why I would visit you today,” Wang Jian spoke.
“…No,” Zhang Fei responded coldly.
“I just have a few questions. Answer those, and I will let you go,” Wang Jian spoke with a smirk.
Zhang Fei’s eyes widened as he heard this offer. He clenched his fists and decided to endure for the time being. He was counting on Wang Jian’s arrogance to truly let him go if he did as he asked.
Well, that was just his wishful thinking, though. Wang Jian obviously wasn’t going to do that.