The Three Realms Thief Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Newcomer Contribution Award (Extra chapter for 1000 monthly votes!)

Imperial Capital.

Inside a palace in the mountain suburbs.

The black bed was like a cloud floating in mid-air.

Someone was weeping on the bed.

“Sister Qing.”

That person wept sorrowfully.

“I’ve been cultivating desperately every day, from dawn till dusk, without a moment’s rest. I haven’t eaten a single meal in three months, only relying on grain abstinence pills to sate my hunger.”

—Why am I still being questioned?”

A female voice rose, gently comforting him, even with a hint of flattery.

The person’s tone grew even angrier: “Sister Qing, I’ve put in so much effort, handling every matter so flawlessly that no one can say a word against it.”

“My cultivation has also been constantly improving.”

“But what’s the result?”

His voice suddenly grew louder: “I still can’t win against the Crown Prince!”

“It’s not your fault, no one in the world could have done better than you, First Royal Highness.” The female voice quickly soothed, her voice filled with an uncontrollable gasp and pain.

This was like adding fuel to the fire. “Sister Qing!”

“He actually brought up something from ten years ago, making others search for clues, trying to find my problems!”

“It’s fine if I’m not as good as the Crown Prince, but this is something from ten years ago! What exactly did I do wrong!”

“Is he even human!?”

The male roared.

A series of faint bone-crushing sounds followed.

Dead silence.

After a long while.

A naked female corpse fell from the cloud and crashed to the ground.

Her body was in a strange pose, making it clear at a glance that her hands and legs were broken, and her body was twisted into an inhuman posture.

Her eyes, though lifeless, were still wide open, beautiful as amber, and her face was unforgettable.

But her status was so humble.

Even if she disappeared from the world immediately, no one would remember her, and no one would inquire about this matter.

The female corpse suddenly moved.

As if pushed by an unseen force, she was moved under the black bed.

The person on the bed reached out, took a bell, and shook it a few times.

After a few breaths.

The door opened.

A graceful woman walked in, stepping delicately to the black cloud, and bowed: “First Royal Highness.”

“Sister Jing, you’re here.” The person spoke.

The woman was startled and quickly knelt by the bed, saying, “First Royal Highness, please don’t call me that, you’re humbling this servant.”

“No matter what, you have always served me, and as I enjoy your care, I should call you sister.”

The person’s voice held a trace of warmth.

He reached out and, with a gentle lift, placed the woman on the black cloud.

The woman was flustered and quickly changed the subject: “Your Highness, didn’t Qingyu also take care of you? Why isn’t she here?”

“Ah, Sister Qing, I sent her to Luyun Palace. The hot springs there are good for her health—just let her stay there. When winter comes, you can come with me.”

The person said.

The woman smiled and said softly, “Qingyu has lived in the Extreme North since she was a child, and the wind and cold have accumulated in her body for too long, making it hard to get rid of. Your Highness is truly thoughtful. This servant feels—”

She suddenly gasped, and her words trailed off.

“Sister Jing,” the person’s voice was extremely soft, yet it carried a feeling of discomfort and suppressed frustration, “I’ve suffered so much these past years.”

The woman trembled but said with difficulty, “Your Highness, I will always be by your side and serve you well.”

“Sister Jing is truly a wonderful woman.” The person said with delight.

His entire demeanor changed, and violent, cruel emotions surged out like a mountain torrent, about to erupt.

—It wasn’t like this before.

Before—

Killing one was enough to recover his emotions.

Now the pressure was too great.

One was not enough.

He thought to himself, about to forcibly twist the girl’s waist, when suddenly, a bell rang from the hall outside.

His movements suddenly froze.

The girl fell back, lying on the bed, panting heavily.

“Your Highness?”

The girl shyly spoke.

His face was cold and terrifying, but the next moment, he suddenly smiled and said warmly, “It’s nothing, an external minister has something to report. Don’t be afraid.”

The girl quickly got up from the bed, disregarding her disheveled clothes and aching body, first serving him by helping him dress and look in the mirror, quickly tidying up.

At this moment.

Something on the ceiling began to move.

It was about three meters long, silently and slowly crawling down from the ceiling, stopping in front of the large bed.

It looked like a scorpion.

But its tail did not have a sharp and venomous stinger.

—Its tail split into two, each growing a single-horned skull. One was trying to burrow under the bed, while the other was going towards the mirror, to eat the pair of living men and women.

The two heads were at a standoff.

Time was temporarily delayed.

“Sister Jing, you’re truly good.”

He spoke warmly.

The girl’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she stole a glance at him with bright eyes, whispering, “I pray for Your Highness every day, hoping you can be safe and well.”

His eyes immediately lit up.

Such words, such an expression, such a posture, made his desire irrepressible.

His chest heaved, almost uncontrollably gasping for breath, reaching out to caress the girl’s fair neck.

How fair and delicate her neck was—

He could crush it with just one squeeze.

Then lift her up, and before she drew her last breath, admire her rapidly changing expression and the pain before her death.

—It was like appreciating a perfectly choreographed performance.

Ding-dong!

The sound outside grew more urgent.

Boundless killing intent surged from his eyes, then vanished like steam in an instant.

That’s right.

He needed to tidy up.

He couldn’t let everything be exposed, or it wouldn’t be fun.

The royal family’s exclusive guardian array swept once every five minutes, clearing out all intruders.

By his estimation, it should be time.

He was thinking silently when suddenly a soft “hum” sound, and a gust of wind swept through the entire room.

The female corpse under the bed was instantly “swept” into dust.

The scorpion was also enveloped by the power of the array and instantly disappeared, transferred to the “Five Elements Burning Earth Array.”

—Although no one saw the monster, it was destined to be annihilated this time.

Top-tier defensive arrays were no joke.

The Five Elements Burning Earth Array was precisely a defensive array that refined all dregs and removed intruders!

In the room.

The two were oblivious to this.

With the female corpse cleared, the man felt at ease and began planning the evening’s entertainment.

“Sister Jing—remember to wait for me here.”

His hands ceaselessly kneaded the woman’s delicate neck.

He was truly struggling to contain himself—

Unfortunately, there could be no commotion at this time.

The ministers’ cultivation levels were all very high, and although the array generally wouldn’t have problems and would surely conceal everything—

But what if?

Acting meticulously was the foundation of the royal family.

He could not make a mistake!

Nor could he bear the consequences of making a mistake!

Dealing with Lu Yiyi seemed foolish, but it was actually insignificant, and even the Crown Prince wouldn’t step forward to criticize him.

Who asked her to have such a status?

His thoughts churned, and he finally reluctantly removed his hand from her neck, then smiled and pressed her head over, kissing her lips.

She tilted her head back, eyes closed, her face full of shyness and happiness.

He savored the fragrance of the fruit, and the anticipation of what was to come created a good emotional effect in his heart.

A moment later.

Their lips parted.

“Thank you, Sister.”

He smiled, turned, and strode out of the room, through the long corridor, down the steps, past the pavilion, turning through the red pavilion, and into the council hall.

“His Highness arrives.” The two eunuchs announced in unison.

“Greetings to the First Royal Highness.” Several loyal advisors bowed together.

“No need for formalities, everyone, what is the matter?” Lu Chenzhou asked with composure and a calm demeanor.

“First Royal Highness, the Demon Race is ready to formally negotiate peace.”

An advisor said excitedly.

“What! Is the intelligence reliable?” Lu Chenzhou immediately demanded.

“Three hidden agents simultaneously sent identical intelligence, so it should be accurate.” Another advisor said.

The Demon Race actively seeking peace with the Human Race.

This was a major event worthy of being recorded in history!

The earlier desires had long been cast to the winds.

Like a hunter, he began to seriously ponder what this peace negotiation was all about and what he could do.

“What did the Crown Prince say?”

“He has already gone to see His Majesty.”

“Then I’ll go too!”

Suddenly.

He remembered something and mused, “That child in Jiangbei who helped Yiyi—”

“Your Highness, His Majesty has just paid attention to this matter, there’s no need to rush.” An advisor said.

“That’s right,” another advisor said, “a mere commoner cannot stir up trouble.”

“The Demon Race matter is the most important right now, Your Highness.”

He thought about it.

Indeed, that was the case.

Like a fly—

If you paid attention to it, you gave it a stage to speak.

After a while, when things calm down—who would care about the survival of a single fly?

If one wanted to swat it, a single glance was all it took for someone to grab a swatter and kill it.

He was being foolish for dwelling on such a matter.

“You’re right.”

He nodded, indicating that he humbly accepted their advice, and then said, “Please, everyone, explain the specific matters of this Demon Race peace negotiation, based on the information you possess.”

“Once I understand the full situation, I will immediately go to see His Majesty and the Crown Prince.”

“Yes!”

The advisors spoke one after another, quickly analyzing the current situation.

Lu Chenzhou listened intently, occasionally asking questions.

Time passed by bit by bit.

The long night.

The east gradually whitened.

Alas, deep within the hall.

The diligently waiting girl.

Would probably survive.

Morning.

The alarm clock rang on time.

Xu Yuan opened his eyes, meditated for a while, then got up to wash up.

He kept dreaming of climbing over countless corpses at night.

He didn’t sleep well.

He wondered if this counted as post-traumatic stress.

He hoped he could forget these things quickly.

“Hmm?”

—

He brushed his teeth while glancing at the void.

Gold Coins: 300.

I didn’t do anything, so how did my financial situation improve?

Accompanying his thought, a corresponding prompt quietly appeared in the void: “You obtained extremely important intelligence during the training match, revealing the true situation of the destruction of Border Town during the Border Town Incident ten years ago.”

“This intelligence has touched upon the true historical timeline, causing the current situation to begin to change.”

“You have received the Newcomer Contribution Award.”

“This Newcomer Contribution Award will be exchanged for 250 Gold Coins worth of physical rewards.”

“Current total Gold Coins: 300.”

He could even win an award!?

It felt like someone handed him a trophy on a basketball court before the game, and then he realized, “What? I’m a rookie!”

Xu Yuan silently noted this, then felt there was no point in remembering it.

He had faced life and death, been cursed, only to uncover a truth no one knew!

And all that was exchanged for 250 Gold Coins!

—Does that mean I have to climb mountains of corpses every day from now on?

He decided against it.

However, having 300 Gold Coins in hand was indeed delightful.

—How can a cultivator survive without good equipment?

Especially in this world, with the skills of Qi Refining (Artifice Refining), alchemy, array arrangement, and talisman crafting, many powerful items could be created.

Every aspect required money!

Xu Yuan began to ponder what to do with these Gold Coins.

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

That’s right.

The shop was now stationed in the “City Destruction War” event of ten years ago.

He could buy things from that event!

“Shop.”

Xu Yuan silently called out.

Illusory light and shadow condensed, forming his personal shop.

“I hear that the shop can now randomly feature all equipment and items from the ‘City Destruction War’ event?”

He asked.

“Yes, but please note, there are no services for human trafficking or the like.”

A goods sign stood up, giving a response.

—It still remembered the last incident.