Chapter 165: Chapter 149: This Is Our Territory

Ye Wen Ni was dressed in a long black gown, her hair elegantly swept up to reveal the long, delicate line of her neck. Her waist was so slender it looked as though it could be encircled with a single hand. The dress was sleeveless, baring arms as fair and smooth as polished jade. Reaching her knees, the skirt revealed a pair of pale, shapely calves that would dazzle any onlooker. A brilliant smile lit up her devastatingly beautiful face as she held a parasol, snuggling sweetly against Ling Xiao’s side.

The tall and slender Ling Xiao strolled through the streets of Penzes City, a relaxed smile on his young, handsome face. Whenever something new caught his eye, a hint of curiosity would appear, and Ye Wen Ni would be right there to explain it to him. Uncle Fu followed at a respectable distance, while Meng Li was even farther back, his eyes warily scanning the crowd.

Uncle Fu watched the perfect couple, a happy smile gracing his face.

Passersby were drawn to the couple’s good looks, often walking a long way before they couldn’t resist turning back for another glance. Most of them would never have guessed that the handsome young man was, in fact, the Lord who ruled over Penzes City.

The walls of Penzes City were somewhat dilapidated. From high on the gate, the guards spotted the young couple from afar. The more sharp-eyed among them also noticed Uncle Fu trailing behind and couldn’t help but scrutinize the legendary new Lord, Viscount... Ling Xiao!

"These walls look rather dilapidated," Ye Wen Ni said, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she stared at the crumbling ramparts. She paid no mind to the heated gazes directed her way. "Why haven’t they been repaired in all these years? Penzes was supposed to be well-off, wasn’t it?"

"Perhaps they felt it gave the city a more profound, historic feel," Ling Xiao said, his tone teasing. "Don’t nobles with deep roots just love that sort of thing?"

Ye Wen Ni stifled a giggle, then declared with playful ferocity, "Well, it’s our domain now, and we can’t just let it fall apart, can we? I like new things—the newer, the better! To hell with its ’historic feel’!"

Ling Xiao asked, "Financially speaking, can we even afford it?"

"..."

Ye Wen Ni faltered, then said sulkily, "Can’t a girl dream?"

Once outside the city walls, the sight of the open fields lifted their spirits. They had been cooped up in the manor for days, and it was starting to feel suffocating.

The area around Penzes had few mountains and many plains. To the Northwest, it bordered the Mesopotamia Grassland. A dozen or so miles to the south lay the endless sea, and dozens of miles to the east was the Penzes Swamp.

Penzes Harbor had existed for many years. Every day, merchant ships from several neighboring countries docked there to load and unload cargo. Its throughput was immense, making it one of the largest seaports in the Lanyue Empire!

It was this very harbor that made the territory so coveted by the nobility. No one could have imagined that such a prize would be awarded to a previously obscure young man—one whose reputation, if he had one at all, was mostly negative. Fortunately, the looming threat of the Beast Race had tempered their jealousy. Otherwise, Ling Xiao’s claim to this land would have been met with furious opposition from the other nobles.

The two wandered east, coming upon an endless expanse of rice paddies. "All of these paddies are under your name," said Ye Wen Ni, who had spent the last few days sorting through exactly these kinds of records. "But in reality, they’re all controlled by the four great noble families in the city."

"The four great noble families?" ’Those must be the ones Uncle Fu had Meng Li teach a lesson to,’ Ling Xiao thought.

Ye Wen Ni nodded. "That’s right. The ones whose concubines died, hehe. First is the Cui Family. The Patriarch, Cui Ze, is a greedy and miserly man—the most notorious noble in Penzes City. He isn’t powerful himself, but he’s a Hereditary Viscount. Even without his own fiefdom, he’s incredibly wealthy. I’d estimate his assets at over ten million Gold Coins! Then there’s the Huang Family, a Hereditary Baron. The Patriarch is Huang Qiang, a hot-tempered Tier Three Sword Master. His assets are conservatively estimated at over five million Gold Coins! Next is the Li Family, another Hereditary Baron led by Patriarch Li Nan. He’s extremely intelligent, the ’smiling tiger’ type. He acts humble and courteous to everyone and is the most low-key of the four patriarchs. His personal strength isn’t high, but I suspect he was the strategist behind the assassination attempt on you. The last is the Mo Family, a Hereditary Baron. The Patriarch, Mo Qing, is quite formidable, with the power of a Tier Six Great Sword Master. In his youth, he joined an Adventurer’s Guild and traveled all over the continent, so he’s seen a great deal."

Ling Xiao gazed at Ye Zi’s vibrant, beautiful face, feeling a wave of affection. He chuckled. "You’ve worked hard, gathering all this information in such a short time."

Ye Wen Ni smiled, a little bashful. She blinked her pretty eyes and said playfully, "This is all information that Meng Li fellow dug up. I may not like him, but... I’m not about to steal his credit!" She finished with a delicate sniff, putting on the air of a pouting young lady.

Ling Xiao glanced toward Meng Li in the distance, then said to her, "Still, you’ve worked hard these past few days."

Ye Wen Ni gave Ling Xiao a soft, alluring look. "I actually enjoy it," she murmured. "It gives me a sense of belonging. I like doing these things!"

Ling Xiao looked at her shy expression and asked softly, "Ye Zi, do you find this life difficult? The conditions here are much worse than in the Imperial Capital."

"Difficult?" A bitter smile touched Ye Wen Ni’s lips. She lifted her head, gazing directly into Ling Xiao’s eyes. "Could any place be more difficult than where I came from? Speaking of which, Ling Xiao... when you have time, I’d like to go back to Wutang Town for a visit. And then... I’ll come back here and never leave again. All right?"

Ling Xiao had never asked about Ye Zi’s past. He figured if she wanted to talk about it, she would have. Her silence meant she had her reasons, and Ling Xiao wasn’t the type to force the issue. Still, he didn’t want anyone he cared about to get hurt.

"Will it be dangerous?"

Ye Wen Ni frowned in thought. "It shouldn’t be," she said. "I don’t owe him anything anymore. I just want to go back and see... I can’t stop worrying about the children."

Ling Xiao said, "If it’s not urgent, wait a while, and I’ll go with you."

"Really?" A joyous light flashed in Ye Wen Ni’s eyes, but then she puffed out her cheeks, looking troubled. "No, you can’t. How could you get away? Everything here needs you."

"Heh, I’m the most useless person here," Ling Xiao said with a self-deprecating laugh. "With Uncle Fu and you around, I’m sure everything will be fine." ’I’m clueless about most things, so don’t try to comfort me with flattery.’

Ye Wen Ni covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, the moisture welling in her enchanting eyes slowly receding. "Who said you aren’t needed?" she said. "If it weren’t for a certain someone, who would ever come to a place like this?"

The two continued walking and chatting, soon spotting a large group of people in the rice paddies up ahead, apparently at work.

The workers were dressed in rags, all able-bodied men between twenty and forty years old. Some still wore shackles on their wrists. With sallow, malnourished faces, they toiled under the bellowed curses of an overseer. Anyone who slacked for even a moment would feel the heavy crack of a whip across their back.

Though it wasn’t yet noon, the sun was already scorching. These poor souls weren’t like the new recruits being brutally drilled by Ling Wu. At least those soldiers were fed well, ensuring their bodies had the nutrients to recover from the intense physical exertion. These laborers, on the other hand, likely couldn’t even get three full meals a day, yet they were forced to do such back-breaking work. It would be a miracle if they could work quickly!

Ye Wen Ni couldn’t bear to watch. "Let’s go back," she said softly. "These people... sigh. They’re all slaves belonging to the noble houses. Their lives and deaths are in their masters’ hands."

Ling Xiao was taken aback. "But doesn’t the Empire prohibit the buying and selling of slaves? How can so many of them still exist?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

A bitter smile touched Ye Wen Ni’s lips. "You were born into wealth, so of course you wouldn’t know the sorrows of the common folk," she said softly. "People like them have no other options. They voluntarily sell themselves into slavery to noble houses so that their families can have enough money to live for years. The younger and stronger the slave, the more they’re worth. As for the Empire prohibiting the slave trade? That’s a joke. Is there any city that doesn’t have a black market for slaves? The one here in Penzes City is actually quite large, and it’s controlled by the four great noble families. That’s a big reason why they’re bold enough to cause trouble for you—they’re afraid your arrival will cut into their profits. Prisoners of war also become slaves. See the ones in shackles? They’re most likely the ones with some martial training. They’re chained up to prevent them from rebelling."

Her tone was flat, yet it carried a deep sadness. The lower classes always have the hardest lives, no matter the era—and this was especially true in an age ruled by nobles.

Ling Xiao nodded, saying nothing more. He knew this was a long-standing issue, not something he could change with a few words. "We’ve seen the fief," he said coolly. "I think it’s time we took these lands back. We can give them to any commoner willing to farm them. Each year, they’ll just have to give me a portion of their harvest."

Ye Wen Ni was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up. "That’s a great idea! Many nobles do that, but I hadn’t thought of it. You’re really something! But... if you take back all this land at once, won’t that cause a major backlash from the noble families?"

Ling Xiao gave a faint smile. "This is our territory. Besides, we still haven’t settled the score with them for what they did before. If they want to come knocking, that’s fine by me. I’d welcome it."

Ye Wen Ni felt a slight shiver, and it wasn’t from the cold. The smile on Ling Xiao’s handsome, seemingly harmless face was so natural, but the iciness hidden behind it made her silently mourn for the nobles.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing, skulking around over there? Get lost!"

Just as they were about to leave, the burly overseer on the other side of the field bellowed at them.

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The kid was fussy and didn’t go to sleep until late. Xiaodao is feeling pretty drained from the ordeal. But don’t worry, the updates won’t stop, I just couldn’t post on time. *Sob sob sob*, having no stockpile of Chapters is such a tragedy! (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available. Please support the author and read the legal version!)