Chapter 40: He Has the Qualities of an Emperor

Pang Xiong thrust his spear forward, piercing the Fire Lotus Cult centurion straight through the heart from behind.

With the centurion dead, the rest of the cultists were thrown into utter confusion.

Never had they imagined that Pang Xiong would prove even more ferocious than Jiang Yi and Wu Shimiao, able to press forward despite the desperate efforts of so many to block his path.

Could these people truly be mere villagers of Funiu Village? Each and every one of them was fiercer than the last.

Following a fierce skirmish, barely seventy cultists remained, and they fled in panic toward the east.

Jiang Yi led his men toward Shen Rong’s location to ensure she was in no danger.

If she remained secure, the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children of the village would likewise be safe.

Instructing Pang Xiong to take several dozen men in pursuit of the fleeing cultists and drive them away from the settlement, Jiang Yi hurried to the sanctuary where the vulnerable villagers had gathered. Fortunately, everything there was undisturbed.

He found Shen Rong surrounded by a group of strangers, while the villagers looked on anxiously from a distance.

Sensing these people might be there to harass her, Jiang Yi felt a wave of displeasure wash over him.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?"

Jiang Yi strode forward aggressively, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

His blade remained unsheathed, faint traces of blood still smudged across its edge.

Seeing Jiang Yi approach with a drawn weapon, the people surrounding Shen Rong scattered in fright.

"Rong, are these people giving you trouble?" Jiang Yi asked, his tone softening slightly.

"Not exactly trouble. They are members of the Shen family from Qu'an County, and they've come to ask for my help."

Shen Rong felt neither attachment nor any desire to assist them, having never been close to them.

Jiang Yi had already guessed as much. When Shen Rong was at her lowest, the Shen family had treated her with utter indifference.

Now that Shen Rong had achieved a degree of prosperity, the Shens had suddenly remembered her existence.

"The Fire Lotus Cult has been wreaking havoc across the counties lately. To travel out here in times like these—you must have a death wish, running straight into the jaws of danger."

One had to admire their sheer audacity in coming straight to Shen Rong to beg for assistance.

"Rong, our family estate was plundered by the Fire Lotus Cult. Many of our kin barely escaped with their lives. Please, for family's sake, lend us a hand."

Middle-aged Shen Nanyang had pleaded with Shen Rong repeatedly, but she had refused every time.

Shen Rong belonged to a distant branch of the Shen family, and their ties had long since frayed.

"If you are facing hardships, you should petition the local magistrates. My husband and I are hardly well-off ourselves."

Shen Rong had no intention of aiding the Shen family, and certainly not at the expense of her husband’s interests.

Through all the suffering of his childhood, had the Shen family ever shown him even an ounce of care?

Before the calamity struck, the Shen family had been the wealthiest clan in Qu'an County.

Now, with everything lost, they had caught wind that Shen Rong and Jiang Yi had recently earned a considerable sum of money.

Perhaps, they figured, this wealth could help the Shen clan weather the storm. Driven by desperation, Shen Nanyang had taken the risk of leading a faction of surviving family members to Funiu Village.

Upon inquiring, they learned that Shen Rong was currently staying at Niutou Mountain and had tracked her down.

They had been fortunate along the way not to cross paths with any roving cultists.

"You may stay at Niutou Mountain for a while. If you are willing to pitch in and work, you will be provided with daily rations."

Jiang Yi had no intention of lending money to the Shen family, primarily because he simply did not trust them.

When Shen Rong was struggling to survive, none of them had ever extended a helping hand.

"Auntie, stay here and keep Rong safe. I need to head back to the main village."

Jiang Yi was still uncertain of the situation at Funiu Village.

"We heard that the two of you have made a fortune recently. Surely you can spare some coin to help our family through this crisis?" Shen Nanyang pleaded, tears streaming down his weathered face.

Shen Rong remained silent. In these turbulent times across Hanyang, misplaced benevolence rarely brought a good reward.

"You heard from others that we've made a fortune? Do you really believe such rumors?"

Shen Rong had hidden the bulk of their earnings, keeping only a fraction within her tent.

"You claim you are in dire straits. Very well. Once my workshop is completed, you may come and work there. I will pay you honest wages."

There were many ways to help people, but lending money to the Shen family was entirely out of the question.

To spare Shen Rong any further distress and out of consideration for her, he would at least offer the Shen clan employment at the workshop.

"Husband, we already promised the villagers that once the workshop is built, they would be given priority for all positions."

The couple had indeed made that pledge to the villagers. Bringing in the Shen family members might mean there simply wouldn't be enough openings for the locals in the short term.

"The workshop will operate on a three-shift rotation, which requires a large workforce. Since the village might not supply enough hands, I intended to recruit from elsewhere anyway."

Shen Nanyang felt that such an offer offered no immediate relief, especially given the large number of displaced Shen relatives.

"It's not as if we're asking for handouts; we intend to pay it all back with interest."

Growing impatient, Jiang Yi made it clear that he had no desire to cater to strangers.

Given their current plight, it would take the Shen family years to recover on their own.

"This is all the assistance I am willing to offer. Do not come bothering Rong again. Were it not for her sake, I would have had you driven out of Funiu Village by force."

Had the Shen family ever shown Shen Rong kindness in the past, Jiang Yi might have been more generous.

Instead, they had looked down upon her and offered nothing when she needed it most.

Swallowing their pride, the other members of the Shen family held their tongues, knowing they were in no position to argue while dependent on Jiang Yi's goodwill.

"You may reside here temporarily, provided you abide by our rules. Once the Fire Lotus Cult is defeated, you are free to return to Qu'an County."

Jiang Yi chose not to cast them out, unwilling to invite accusations of cold-blooded ruthlessness.

Should the Shen family break the rules, however, eviction would follow swiftly.

Noticing the fresh stains on Jiang Yi's blade and clothing, Shen Rong's expression turned worried.

"Husband, are you injured? Did something happen on your way here?"

"A band of cultists attempted to raid this area, but we intercepted them. After a fierce battle, we put them to flight."

Outnumbered and facing a formidable foe, Jiang Yi and his men had triumphed, driving the remnants back toward the village.

Only then did Shen Nanyang take note of the blood-stained sword and garments, realizing just how many lives the young man had taken.

"Xiaoyi is formidable indeed! Those cultists stood no chance against him—he cut them down one by one."

Even Wu Shimiao remained awestruck by Jiang Yi's prowess, conceding that his martial arts far surpassed her own.

"I picked up a few skills during my time in the capital. It seems they finally came in handy today."

Jiang Yi offered the only plausible excuse he could; his true combat training had been forged in the military of the twenty-first century.

"Auntie, your martial arts are equally impressive, especially your lightness skills."

Wu Shimiao had moved across the ground with the speed of the wind, leaving virtually no pursuer a chance of catching her.

"I was concerned you might be in peril, so I hurried over. Seeing you both safe and sound puts my mind at ease."

Jiang Yi left a contingent of guards behind to guarantee the safety of Shen Rong and the vulnerable villagers while maintaining order.

"Order must still be restored back at the village, so I cannot linger here."

Having wiped out over a hundred cultists and captured twenty horses, Jiang Yi had set his sights on a fine bay stallion among the spoils.

Mounting the steed, he rode back toward the main village, leaving the rest of the horses behind.

"Be careful when fighting the enemy, Husband."

Risking one's life against ruthless adversaries was perilous, and Shen Rong desperately wanted him to stay out of harm's way.

"I will. While I'm gone, do not blindly trust strangers, lest you place yourself in danger."

Jiang Yi cast a sharp, warning glance at Shen Nanyang and the others before leaving.

Wiping the residual blood from his blade with a rag, he sheathed it, mounted the bay horse, and galloped back toward Funiu Village.

It was the first time Shen Rong had ever seen her husband on horseback, and he cut a heroic, commanding figure.

"With a mount like that, my husband looks every bit a commanding general," Shen Rong murmured in quiet admiration.

"Should he ever win the court's favor, his achievements will be boundless."

Wu Shimiao was well aware that Jiang Yi was an imperial prince stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, yet she wondered if he might one day reclaim his birthright.

Should he ascend the throne of Great Liang, it would surely be a blessing for the common folk.

Wu Shimiao smiled softly at Shen Rong, knowing that if Jiang Yi became Emperor, Shen Rong would stand beside him as Empress.

"You possess a destiny that brings prosperity to your husband. Boundless wealth and honor await you in the days to come."

Wu Shimiao rarely misjudged a person, and she longed to see this couple standing at the very pinnacle of power.