Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix - Chapter 461

Chapter 461: The First Prince Falls!
A dirty group of men staggered and walked through the busy capital markets of the empire. Shang Luo didn’t have time to bring any of his money, nor did he retrieve his proof of identity from Mu Yue before he left.

‘Damn… to think I would be treated this way!’

The mercenaries who accompanied him didn’t care whether he was the prince, a king or a god. Instead, he was forced to eat thin soup with few ingredients and sometimes watery porridge during the two-week travel.

For the prince used to luxury and expensive things, this was agony. However, over the long month to reach the capital, he actually began to change. A slight, ever-so-minute change, yet he no longer looked at the peasants and commoners like garbage.

Instead, they were just ordinary beings to him.

As he and the three mercenaries passed through a crowded area, Shang Luo finally couldn’t resist anymore, and his empty stomach grumbled, making his dirty face covered in mud and other mess from their travel redden with shame and anger. Yet soon, the anger faded as he saw a young woman in rags worse than him hanging close to the edge of the wall across from him.

‘She is so beautiful despite looking thin and close to death. Even her face is gaunt…’

“What are you doing?!” A mercenary shouted and pulled on Shang Luo’s arm before he collapsed to his knee, watching as the girl tried to sneak a piece of bread.

‘That girl… why is she… Oh…’ Shang Luo saw that in the back of the alley, the young woman seemed to protect a small group of children. Suddenly, a rough-looking man approached her, causing the young woman to flinch and move further into the darkened side street and away from the people.

When he realised they were heading for the slum district, Shang Luo didn’t speak but pulled away from the mercenary and staggered after the woman. It was a strange feeling. His chest hurt seeing the woman and children in such a state. The news of his kingdom losing the battle and then suffering from the enormous explosion at Behemoth drove his mind into a direction that seemed impossible in the past.

‘Even those children are my people… Why was I so focused on luxury and war when there are thousands, maybe millions of people suffering like this in my empire?!’

“How could father allow such things… An empire exists for its people, not the emperor…” Shang Luo’s muttered words vanished into the wind, yet the subtle changes in his heart over the past three months, thanks to Cil Mavis and her constant arguments with him about commoners and how they suffer, then seeing and experiencing it himself gave the prince a chance.

A change to step on a path no Shang had taken before. ‘However, my sins are too great to be simply forgiven… what must I do to make things right?’

“Where do you think you are going?! You damn bastard!”

Thud!

The other two mercenaries slammed Shang Luo into the wall, causing his lips to ooze blood. They had been feeding him drugs to damage and make it hard to use his abilities as a warrior by blocking off his mana. This didn’t mean Shang Luo was clueless.

He knew and realised that the merchant Ace tricked him the moment he helped them reach the Empire because they burned his face and used strange magic to make him look different. No longer did he have the image of the first prince but a filthy beggar with his left eye and face covered with a cheap mask.

“Haha… Kaha…” Shang Luo’s eyes widened after another blow to his abdomen before blood and a dark substance were vomited from his mouth, falling on his tattered cloak and pants, which became blackened because of blood and mud.

“Fuck! We are already late, thanks to this bastard!”

“What if he ran? This pathetic thing can no longer run. Even the emperor wouldn’t recognise him.”

“Stupid fool, where do you expect him to escape? He is just a dog for our leader. This empire will soon be ou–”

The sound of flesh being torn and blood oozing from a sharp blade that penetrated the mercenary chest, the lips of Shang Luo curling into a cruel smile as a green aura began to twirl around his left arm.

“Wh…?!”

“Uk…”

A scream came out from Shang Luo and the other mercenary as he slashed down. However, despite his weakened body, he managed to slice through the man’s shoulder, and his left arm flew into the air with his head. “You filthy cultists dare to seek my father’s head!” Two of the three mercenaries were down, with the last one drawing his curved scimitar and rushing at the prince with his black aura.

With a sharp flicker, the mercenary slashed Shang Luo’s chest, a burst of blood spraying from the wound as he thrust forward, trying to endure the pain stabbing the mercenary in his thigh.

“Gya… you…”

“Ugh… cultist scum…”

Shang Luo didn’t know if his mind was hazy or not because he lacked blood, food and sleep, and his body was like paper now, but for a brief second, he saw the young woman appear behind the attacker with her arms wrapped in a blue aura, a strange mark shining from her neck. The mercenary fell, his throat crushed by her palm strike.

‘Ah… it’s a delusion… How would a malnourished person manage to do that?’ However, in the fading moments of what happened, he heard the children calling her name. “Sister Mu! Sister Mu, that big brother won’t wake up!”

‘Mu…? People from the Mu Clan… ah…. what irony for my saviour to be a member of that clan.’ Shang Luo lost his will and fainted as the young girl in ragged clothing began to inspect him, trying to figure out who or what he was.

A young man, close to death of starvation and suffering from malnutrition and a lack of aura considering his powerful presence.

“Let’s bring him back to our base, take the money these bastards have. I saw people in this armour killing villagers when we fled to this city… They cannot be good people.”

“Ah… sister, his face… it’s ugly…”

“Oh… you poor thing.” The female’s beautiful voice was like a songbird; her face would look familiar to Asura or Mu Xue, as she looked a little like her and Mu Yue. Not a direct relative, but maybe a cousin or distant relative. “Let’s take him back; thanks to him, we have enough money to feed everyone for a long time. Take their swords too, Mu Cheng!”

“Y-Yes, sister!” The small boy with black hair and red eyes nodded before swaying with three heavy scimitars in his arms.

She watched the children pillage everything possible before fading into the darkness to their hidden base while Mu Lan watched in silence. Her gaze narrowed at the distant people who seemed clueless about the hardships of those outside the city walls.

“I must find a way to contact the Féng clan… and make a plan to meet with the Clan Misstress Mu Yue.”

***

Meanwhile, in the city of Arachneas, Mu Yue and Mu Xue were sitting with Asura after a long night of dealing with the relief workers and planning the new city that would be ruled by Silvara but would accept monsters as residents.

“Asura, there is something we need to do…” Mu Xue’s eyes were filled with concern. “There is someone you need to meet and speak to properly. Her name is Féng He Ran… a distant member of our Mu clan and the guardian who protects the next Mu Clan Head.”

“I will meet with her, don’t worry. However, the situation with this war and what the emperor is trying to pull is making me concerned for the future…”

“Mu Yue thinks that the best way to continue is to meet up with the Féng clan in the capital and build a resistance to take over the empire, rather than all-out war… I agree because the people have suffered greatly already.”

Asura wanted to accept his beloved Fiancée’s feelings and thoughts and nodded. He looked at the shy Mu Yue, who began to avoid his gaze a few days ago—for the first time, he felt that Mu Xue was jealous. ‘Well, if I were to sleep with her sister, wouldn’t it be a little too much… although we have already kissed.’

“Okay, let her in. We should try and make a plan before things get too out of hand.”

Mu Xue’s face became brighter when hearing Asura’s words, as she leaned against his chest, leaned closer to his face and kissed his cheek. A soft blush spread across her face as a peaceful feeling came into her heart.

‘Such a beautiful woman… I am so happy I met you…’

The moment this thought appeared, Mu Xue looked away with shame, covering her pretty blue eyes. “He Ran, please come in!” A soft sigh could be heard from outside as the beautiful woman in light, red robes entered the hall, her expression cold but her eyes filled with a strange nervousness.

Mu Yue and Mu Xue looked happy to see her and couldn’t help but call out.

“Cousin Hera!”

“He Ran, you look so pretty!” Mu Xue was a little distant or rather spoke with a more dignified tone.

‘Well, Yue’er was so close to He Ran when they were younger…’ Mu Xue smiled as the beautiful blonde-haired Féng clan heiress moved to the centre of the room, a table full of snacks and steaming tea waiting for her.

“Féng He Ran greets the family head and her beloved!”

Before sitting down, Féng He Ran placed her sword down, and bowed before the pair as Asura inspected her with curiosity and noticed that the Féng heiress seemed scared of him.

The strange feeling didn’t disappear as the woman sat and sipped her tea, trying to hide her trembling hands.

“I am happy to meet you again, Mu Xue! Though Mu Yue was trapped by the damn prince, to think you were alive in Silvara… My heart feels at ease.” As she finished talking, He Ran’s warm voice sounded once more in the room, but despite her expressionless look, it was obvious she cared for both women in different ways.

“Thank you for taking care of the princess… Lord Asura!”

Her eyes glared at the man, her killing intent spiking out of terror before it faded, and she finally seemed to adjust after a few seconds.

She was very nervous, so much so that her hands trembled slightly as she tried her hardest to keep up appearances and remain as calm as possible. “Forgive my rudeness, that day… when you became overwhelmed with sadness, it was…”

“I understand, Lady He Ran. You don’t have to explain why you are uneasy and terrified of me.” Asura gave a warm smile but pulled away his aura to let her feel at ease.

“Maybe one day, we will forget that horrible incident.” He continued while looking at the worried face of Mu Xue, who picked up on the issue.