novelraw Chapter 19 The Duchess's Bounty!
Chapter 19 The Duchess's Bounty!
"Twin Martial Souls..." Zhu Yue murmured, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper killing intent. "That bitch actually gave birth to such a terrifying bastard... If Dai Hao finds out, will he..."
She didn't finish speaking, but Zhu Fu understood.
If Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger Clan knew that he had a son who possessed the strength of a four-ring Soul Master at the age of twelve and had twin martial souls, what would he do?
They will take him back to the Duke's mansion, give him a title, provide him with resources, and groom him to be the heir of the White Tiger Duke's mansion.
Would they suppress her and her two sons because of this illegitimate child?
No, absolutely not!
"Where is that bastard now?" Zhu Yue's voice was as cold as ice.
Zhu Fu shook his head: "I don't know. There are traces of people leaving north at the scene, but the trail ends after leaving the Star Dou Great Forest. I have already sent people to investigate along the possible directions, but... the Heavenly Soul Empire is too big. Finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Zhu Yue closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently, as if she was forcibly suppressing the anger that was about to erupt.
After a long while, she opened her eyes again. Her eyes were devoid of any warmth, filled only with pure, naked killing intent.
"Those bastards... those vile, filthy, unfit bastards... why can't they just die peacefully?" she whispered, her voice soft yet like the flick of a viper's tongue.
"Why resist? Why live? Why... block my son's path?"
She walked to the window and looked at the meticulously tended flowers and plants in the Duke's garden. The sun was shining brightly, and the flowers were blooming vibrantly, but she found the colors so glaring they were nauseating.
"Pass on my orders." Zhu Yue turned around, looked at Zhu Fu, and spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.
"Issu a continent-wide wanted notice in the name of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and the Zhu family. The reward is... one million gold soul coins for that bastard's head. Life or death is irrelevant; as long as it is confirmed, the money will be paid immediately."
Zhu Fu was startled and looked up abruptly: "Madam, one million gold soul coins? This... this will alarm the entire continent! Even titled Douluo might..."
"I want to make a scene!" Zhu Yue interrupted him sharply, her eyes flashing with a crazed light.
"I'll make all the outlaws, assassins, and mercenaries on the entire continent hunt him! I'll make sure he has nowhere to run, nowhere to go! I want him dead, the more gruesome the death, the better! Ideally, he'd be torn to pieces, chopped into mincemeat, and..."
She couldn't continue, because anger was almost suffocating her.
Zhu Fu looked at the almost deranged woman before him and sighed inwardly, but still bowed and replied, "Yes, this old servant will take care of it immediately."
"Wait a minute." Zhu Yue called out to him, walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out a token. The token was pure gold, with a roaring white tiger engraved on the front and the character "Zhu" engraved on the back.
"Take this and mobilize all of the Zhu family's hidden contacts in the Heavenly Soul Empire. Find that bastard at all costs. Live or dead."
Zhu Fu took the token; it felt heavy in his hand, like holding a red-hot branding iron.
"This old servant...yes."
He turned around and quickly left the study, his back view showing a hint of panic.
Zhu Yue stood alone in the study, looking at the mess of broken porcelain and spilled tea, and suddenly smiled.
The laughter was soft and cold, echoing in the empty study like the hooting of an owl.
"Dai Hao, do you see this? This is the price you pay for your womanizing. You ruined my life, so I will destroy all your bloodlines that should not exist."
"We'll see...we'll see."
……
……
Tianhun Empire, outside Tiandou City, Bailipo.
Dai Tu stood under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, looking up at the dried corpse hanging on the tree.
It was a male corpse, who looked to be in his forties and was wearing coarse cloth clothes. He was probably a villager from this village.
His neck was suspended by a hemp rope, and his body swayed gently in the wind, like a human-shaped wind chime. The corpse's eyes were still open, the pupils dilated, filled with fear and despair.
His face and body were covered with tiny wounds, as if he had been repeatedly cut by something small, so deep that the bone was visible, but there was no blood in the wounds—the blood had all drained away.
The village was very quiet.
No, it was deathly silence.
"We're too late." Long Aotian stood beside Dai Tu, looking at the corpse with a furrowed brow.
"These beasts have slaughtered another village."
Dai Tu didn't speak, he just watched quietly.
His expression was calm, as if he were looking at something that had nothing to do with him.
But Long Aotian noticed that Dai Tu's hands, hanging by his sides, were trembling slightly. It wasn't fear, but something deeper, something repressed.
"Junior Brother," Long Aotian turned his head to look at Dai Tu, his amber eyes filled with confusion.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Evil Soul Masters deserve to die, but our Body Sect... generally doesn't get involved in these kinds of things. Our teacher said that as long as they don't mess with us or go too far, we'll let them be. Douluo Continent is so big, and countless people die every day; we can't possibly manage them all."
Dai Tu remained silent.
That's right, in the end he asked Long Aotian for help to take him to find the evil soul master, which would save time.
Long Aotian stared at Dai Tu for a long time, and finally sighed and nodded.
"Alright, since you insist, I won't ask any more questions. Remember, if things don't look good, retreat immediately. I'll be watching from the sidelines and ready to intervene at any time."
"Thank you, senior brother."
After saying this, Dai Tu turned around and walked towards the village.
Long Aotian followed behind him, the two of them passing through the village entrance and entering the desolate village.
The village wasn't big, with only about thirty households. But at this moment, almost every household had a corpse at their doorstep. There were elderly people, able-bodied men, women, and even... children.
Most of the corpses were mutilated; some had their hearts removed, some had their blood drained, and some had been skinned. The blood congealed on the ground, turning into dark red stains that gleamed eerily in the sunlight.
Then, he heard a sound.
The sounds of unrestrained laughter and suppressed, tearful pleas for mercy came from the direction of the ancestral hall in the center of the village.
Dai Tu and Long Aotian exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and headed towards the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was brightly lit.
A dozen or so people dressed in black robes and hooded hats were forming a circle, with several surviving villagers kneeling in the center. The villagers, both men and women, were all bound with ropes, kneeling on the ground trembling, their faces and bodies covered in wounds.
The leader was a tall man in a black robe. He removed his hood, revealing a pale, thin face with deep-set eyes. He looked to be in his thirties, with dark purple lips and fine black lines at the corners of his eyes that spread like a spider web to his temples.
"Please... spare my daughter... she's only eight years old..." a middle-aged man cried out, his forehead hitting the ground until it bled.
The black-robed leader, a four-ring Soul Master and the evil Soul Master "Blood Hand" Li Hun, grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed, sharp teeth.
"Let them go? On what grounds?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.
"It is an honor for you lowly people to become resources for my cultivation. Rest assured, I will be gentle and will not cause your daughter too much pain."
As he spoke, he stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and his eyes gleamed with a greedy and cruel light.
The black-robed figures behind him also laughed, their laughter sharp and piercing, like a pack of owls howling.