Chapter 3

Shen Gong'ao, the Lord of Zhenhai City, had already reached the pinnacle of his life.

He was almost the strongest warrior within a thousand miles, undefeated for over a decade.

The entire Zhenhai City, along with dozens of affiliated islands, were his territories.

He defended the empire's borders, fighting against the Dali Kingdom's army, and won battle after battle, capturing over a dozen cities.

Whether in personal combat or on the battlefield, he had not been defeated in ten years.

Now, his family's territory had reached 13,000 square kilometers, most of which he had personally seized from the Dali Kingdom.

Over a decade ago, his fief was only one-tenth of that size.

He commanded a powerful navy and a formidable mountain corps.

His achievements in ten years surpassed what his ancestors had accumulated over several hundred years.

He had killed countless people, and within a thousand miles, he was known as the Bloody-Handed Butcher, a name that made children cry.

Over the past decade, he had become a rising star in the empire.

He had territories, an army, and industries.

But...

His son, Shen Wuxie, had been missing for eight years.

This matter had become a taboo topic within the Shen family.

...

Zhenhai City!

This was one of the southernmost cities in the entire Daxia Empire and one of the most important military strongholds in the south.

This city once belonged to the Ying family.

Nanzhenhai and Beiyinzhou were the two most important cities of the Ying family, with Yinzhou being the main city and Zhenhai the auxiliary.

For hundreds of years, Zhenhai City had been a major maritime trade hub, a city of gold and silver.

Now, Zhenhai City belonged to Shen Gong'ao, along with over 10,000 square kilometers of territory, all of which had been taken by the Shen family.

When Ying Que came to the gates of Zhenhai City again, he felt a mix of familiarity and strangeness.

His own memories and Shen Wuxie's memories collided, creating a very peculiar feeling.

As a child, Ying Que had always preferred Zhenhai over Yinzhou.

Yinzhou was too serious, while Zhenhai was bustling and lively, with all sorts of exotic people. He remembered that the Lord of Zhenhai City was his uncle, Ying Qu, a very interesting person who doted on Ying Que. His back seemed to hide an endless supply of gifts, always bringing surprises to Ying Que.

Then, Shen Wuxie's memories surfaced in his mind.

This city brought him bad memories, even very bad ones.

His father Shen Gong'ao's disappointed gaze and his dream lover's resolute turn away often appeared in his mind.

He shook his head, discarding his own memories as Ying Que, and let Shen Wuxie's memories dominate his mind.

From now on, I am Shen Wuxie!

Only when I kill all my enemies, reclaim my family's territory, and restore the glory of the Ying family, will I have the right to reclaim the name Ying Que.

...

This is strange!

Zhenhai City has always been bustling, so why is it so quiet now, and why are the soldiers on the city walls so meticulous?

"Either come in or leave, don't delay the grand ceremony," a voice suddenly shouted from the city wall.

Grand ceremony?

What special day is it today?

Wuxie quickly entered the city gate and immediately saw a grand scene.

The entire Zhenhai City was spotlessly clean, with dense crowds lining the streets, standing neatly.

The houses on both sides of the street were hung with lanterns and red paper.

Inside the city gate, countless official carriages were lined up neatly.

Several hundred civil and military officials stood behind the carriages, as if waiting to welcome someone.

"Quickly, join the crowd," a few warriors came in and dragged Wuxie into the crowd.

"Be quiet during the ceremony. When told to kneel, kneel; when told to cheer, cheer; when told to be quiet, be quiet." After giving the instructions, the officials left.

A moment later!

The sound of hooves echoed, and a rider carrying a flag with a large "Shen" character appeared.

"Grand Commander of the Southern Expedition, Lord Shen Gong'ao, is ten miles away!"

Immediately, a high-ranking official in a purple robe stepped out of his carriage and said, "Everyone, let's go out of the city to welcome the Grand Commander."

Several high-ranking officials got out of their carriages and led hundreds of civil and military officials out of the city gate in a grand procession.

They waited for another two hours.

The ground began to tremble, the sound growing louder and more intense.

This was the sound of countless warhorses galloping, a powerful cavalry force.

"Grand Commander of the Southern Expedition, Lord Shen Gong'ao, has arrived!"

"The grand victory ceremony is about to begin!"

"Play the music!"

Immediately, a grand symphony played, performed by a large orchestra of over a hundred musicians.

A majestic carriage, pulled by six magnificent warhorses, slowly approached.

Shen Gong'ao pushed open the carriage door and slowly stepped out.

The carriage was massive, and he stood on it like a pillar supporting the sky.

Hundreds of officials bowed and said, "We congratulate the Grand Commander on his victorious return."

Then, a eunuch stepped forward, followed by dozens of junior eunuchs.

"By the grace of the Emperor!"

Immediately, all the officials, tens of thousands of soldiers, and tens of thousands of civilians knelt in unison.

"Grand Commander Shen Gong'ao, in his armor, does not need to kneel," the senior eunuch called out.

Shen Gong'ao stepped down from the carriage and knelt like a pillar of jade.

Several eunuchs tried to stop him from kneeling but failed.

Shen Gong'ao knelt halfway.

All the officials, including the governor, knelt, except for Shen Gong'ao, who knelt halfway.

"By the grace of the Emperor, the Grand Commander of the Southern Expedition, Lord Shen Gong'ao, has achieved remarkable success in the southern campaign, capturing over a dozen cities and expanding the territory by hundreds of miles. He is a model for the empire's generals. He is hereby ennobled as the Marquis of Zhenhai, with the title to be inherited perpetually. So decreed!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand, ten thousand years!"

Immediately, countless envious gazes.

Shen Gong'ao was directly ennobled as a marquis!

It was well known that, except for the founding of the empire, ennoblement as a marquis had been the highest honor for the past few hundred years, unless one had achieved immortal feats.

Several eunuchs came forward and immediately changed Shen Gong'ao into a marquis's robe and presented him with the new seal of the Marquis of Zhenhai.

After completing this, the governor of Tianshui Province stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Brother Shen Gong, you have had a long journey. This battle was a rare great victory for our dynasty."

Shen Gong'ao: "Thank you."

Governor Fu Jianzhi: "Marquis of Zhenhai, please get on the carriage, I will hold the reins for you."

Shen Gong'ao: "I dare not."

Governor Fu Jianzhi: "Dare, dare, dare!"

Shen Gong'ao did not refuse and directly climbed onto the carriage. Governor Fu Jianzhi really got into the driver's seat and took the reins, driving the carriage into the city for Shen Gong'ao!

Immediately, the music changed to "The Emperor's Grace."

Hundreds of civil and military officials ran behind the carriage.

Thousands of cavalrymen controlled their horses, marching in unison, escorting Shen Gong'ao into the city.

Such glory, such brilliance, such honor!

This was truly the pinnacle of life.

A true man should be like this.

As Shen Gong'ao's war chariot passed, the people on both sides of the road knelt down.

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!"

"Marquis of Zhenhai, valiant and mighty, Marquis of Zhenhai, valiant and mighty!"

The voices echoed through the sky!

This was partly organized, but also partly out of genuine respect.

Shen Gong'ao's name had been like thunder in recent years, even making people tremble with fear.

Countless people knelt on both sides, looking up at Shen Gong'ao, who was majestic and radiant, like a god of war.

Everyone knelt, except for one person!

That was Shen Wuxie!

His refusal to kneel made him stand out, especially with his flawless beauty and graceful demeanor.

Several officials saw this and were angry, kneeling and moving forward to force Shen Wuxie to kneel.

Shen Gong'ao turned and saw Shen Wuxie, his expression stunned, and even his facial muscles twitched slightly.

This... This is Wuxie.

Is this his son, Shen Wuxie, who had been missing for eight years?

He... He has returned?

Not only Shen Gong'ao, but even the governor driving the carriage, Fu Jianzhi, noticed, his eyes narrowing slightly before quickly returning to normal.

The magnificent war chariot soon passed by Shen Wuxie.

Shen Gong'ao's gaze remained on Wuxie's face for about five seconds before turning away.

But Shen Gong'ao's gaze was enough to make all the officials dare not touch Wuxie.

Shen Gong'ao's war chariot would pass through the entire Zhenhai City and enter the Sea Cliff Fortress, the new residence of the Marquis of Zhenhai.

The true grand victory ceremony was about to begin.

This was the shining moment for the entire Shen family.

...

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