Snake-Person City lay deep in the Tagor Desert. The climate was hot and unbearably scorching, and the city was constantly battered by wind and sand. Fortunately, its towering walls shielded the Snake-People inside. Whenever a sandstorm struck, Medusa, their queen, would occasionally step in and crush it.
Though the Snake-People, with their cold-blooded nature, had adapted to the desert heat, they still longed for the world beyond the desert.
The reason Medusa was so eager to break through to Dou Zong was that she wanted to lead the Snake-People Tribe out of the desert and find them a new home.
Under the blazing sun, Snake-People of both sexes dressed in remarkably skimpy clothing. The males were practically bare-chested, wearing only shoulder guards and skirt armor, with various snake patterns painted on their bodies. The snake women wore only breastplates and skirt armor, leaving their slender, alluring waists completely bare. Their bronze skin radiated a wild charm as they swayed.
Gu Shenge strolled along the street, with Yue Mei following behind him. He drew the attention of many Snake-People, who began whispering among themselves.
Some Snake-People looked at him with awe because he was the Wang Fu.
Some were resentful that their beloved queen had married a human, but they could do nothing about it because they couldn't beat him.
Others among the snake women were captivated by Gu Shenge's peerless good looks and heroic bearing, gazing at him with adoration and greed as they fluttered their eyelashes at him.
After walking around the city, Gu Shenge realized that the Snake-People Tribe was terribly poor, with pitifully few resources. No wonder Medusa wanted to lead her people out of the desert. It truly wasn't easy for the Snake-People to survive in such a harsh environment.
Gu Shenge sighed. "Yue Mei, your queen really has had it hard."
Although the Snake-People Tribe had six powerful Dou Huang experts—Medusa, the Four Great Elders, and the Great Commander—
they could only huddle inside the Tagor Desert under pressure from numerous forces, including the Jia Ma Empire, Chu Yun Empire, and Luo Yan Empire.
The Snake-People weren't human. Even though the three empires quarreled and clashed with one another, each wanting to destroy the others, they were remarkably united when it came to oppressing the Snake-People.
Now that Medusa had broken through to Dou Zong, once she finished merging with the Nine-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python's Origin Points, the first thing she would likely do was attack the Jia Ma Empire and secure a place for the Snake-People to settle.
As for why she wouldn't take over the Jia Ma Empire, Gu Shenge thought it was impossible for the Snake-People, with their small population, to swallow up all its territory. It made more sense to claim a fertile region rich in resources and build a Snake-People kingdom there.
When that day came, he would have no choice but to fight as the Wang Fu.
"Move your asses, all of you!"
Suddenly, a sharp shout interrupted Gu Shenge's thoughts. He followed the voice and saw several burly Snake-People from the Mo Snake Tribe lashing barbed whips as they drove a group of ragged humans forward.
The humans included men and women, old and young, even children. Iron collars encircled their necks and ankles, connected by chains that strung them together. Some bore several whip marks, even a dozen or more. Their flesh was split and bloodied, and every step left bloody footprints on the ground. It was a pitiful sight.
Whenever someone fell behind, one of the Snake-People would lash them.
At the sight, Gu Shenge's gaze instantly turned cold, a flicker of anger rising in his eyes. Yue Mei also sensed her Wang Fu's change in mood. Her expression shifted as she realized he was angry, and she hurriedly explained.
"Wang Fu, these are human slaves supplied by the Mo Snake Tribe. If you think there's anything wrong, I'll have them release the slaves."
"Human... slaves."
The words made Gu Shenge frown. They were all human, and seeing his own kind enslaved left a bad taste in his mouth.
At the same time, he realized that relations between the Snake-People and humans were far from friendly. Humans captured Snake-People as slaves, while the Snake-People captured humans in turn. They hurt one another and harbored deep resentment on both sides.
And as the Snake-People's Wang Fu, he found himself in an awkward position when it came to certain matters.
Gu Shenge instructed Yue Mei, "Tell those Snake-People to release the humans and take them back to the Divine Temple."
If they simply set the humans free and sent them away, they might be killed by desert magical beasts or Snake-People who didn't know what had happened. Even if they avoided both, they would still starve or die of thirst in the desert.
If you help someone, see it through to the end.
Rather than let them perish in the desert, he could take them in for a while longer. Once they had recovered, he could send them on their way.
It was only a small favor.
Gu Shenge wasn't some selfless saint. He was simply uncomfortable and couldn't put the matter out of his mind when he saw his own kind treated as slaves.
"Yes." Yue Mei nodded obediently and stepped forward, ready to tell the Snake-People of the Mo Snake Tribe to release the humans.
But just then, another figure appeared.
It was none other than Mo Basi, though from the look of things, his arrival was no coincidence.
Seeing Mo Basi, Yue Mei thought nothing of it. She pointed to the humans and said, "Mo Basi, you're just in time. The Wang Fu has ordered that these humans be released."
Mo Basi, however, didn't budge. Instead, he challenged Yue Mei in a rather aggressive tone.
"What if I don't release them?"
Yue Mei's brows furrowed. As a fellow leader, she wasn't intimidated by Mo Basi. Her voice turned cold, and her stance grew firm.
"If you refuse, you'll be held responsible when the Wang Fu takes you to task."
"Hmph! Why should I release these human slaves? Just because that guy is human too? Yue Mei, don't forget that humans have also captured plenty of our people and made them slaves! We're simply repaying them in kind."
Mo Basi's voice rose sharply, drawing the attention of many Snake-People. They, too, looked indignant.
Exactly! Why could humans enslave the Snake-People, but the Snake-People couldn't enslave humans? That was a ridiculous double standard!
The Snake-People around them now looked at Gu Shenge differently, their disgust and anger plain to see.
Feeling their gazes change, Yue Mei realized something was wrong and shot Mo Basi a furious glare.
That man was doing it on purpose. He wanted to exploit the Snake-People's hatred of humans so they would despise the Wang Fu and even come to hate him too!
Watching Mo Basi stand with his arms crossed and a mocking look on his face, Gu Shenge understood why he had happened to show up at just the right moment. Mo Basi must have planned this from the start.
But if he thought such petty tricks could corner him and ruin his reputation among the Snake-People, he was sorely mistaken.
BOOM!!
The overwhelming pressure of a Four-Star Dou Emperor erupted from Gu Shenge, instantly engulfing the entire street. Every Snake-Person felt as though a boulder had been pressed against their chest. They could barely breathe, and their minds trembled. As they watched the handsome man stride toward Mo Basi, they finally realized that their queen's husband was also a Dou Huang expert.
Mo Basi hadn't expected Gu Shenge to make a move in front of so many Snake-People. As Gu Shenge advanced step by step, a flicker of panic appeared in his diamond-shaped snake pupils.
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