A Grand Wish to Unify the World, to Unify the Continent!

In the backyard of the Merchant Guild, an abandoned cellar had been temporarily converted into a torture chamber.

Black Cloud Crane, Zhao Quan, and Liu Shirong were nailed to wooden frames, their limbs pierced through, leaving them unable to move.

Blood seeped from their wounds, pooling into small puddles at their feet.

Yan Lingji leaned against the wall, twirling a pitch-black Venom needle between her fingertips.

Several puppet servants walked in, carrying large iron cages.

The cages were densely packed with snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, and spiders, along with swarms of ants and leeches.

Dark green venom dripped from scorpion tails, and the centipedes crawled against the cage walls, making a rustling sound.

Black Cloud Crane's pupils contracted violently.

"What... what do you want to do?"

Yan Lingji did not answer, merely waving her hand.

The puppets carried the cages to the center of the cellar and pulled off the covers.

The snakes, insects, and vermin poured out, slithering across the floor toward the three men nailed to the wooden frames.

"No... don't..."

Zhao Quan trembled all over, his voice thick with tears.

"Spare us! I beg you, spare us!"

Liu Shirong was so terrified he wet his pants, yellow liquid dripping down his trouser legs.

"Spare you?"

Yan Lingji walked up to them, looking down from above.

"I can spare you, provided you return the lives of those innocent civilians."

The three men turned deathly pale.

Those kidnapped civilians—

Hundreds of the elderly, weak, women, and children had long since been sent into the Dark Blood Alliance's alchemy furnaces.

How could they possibly be returned?

"That... that is something only the gods could do..."

Black Cloud Crane's lips trembled.

"The gods?"

Yan Lingji chuckled softly.

"Then I shall send you to meet them."

She turned and nodded to the puppet servants.

All the cages were opened, and thousands of venomous insects swarmed out.

Black Cloud Crane's scream was the first to ring out—a dozen leeches crawled onto his lower legs, burrowing into his wounds to greedily suck his blood.

Next came the scorpions, their tail stingers piercing his skin to inject venom, causing his flesh to swell and turn black.

Centipedes crawled up Zhao Quan's trouser legs, slipping into his clothes and leaving trails of red, swollen welts across his body.

Ants covered Liu Shirong's legs in a dense mass, gnawing at every inch of his skin.

"Ah—!"

"Help—!"

"Kill me! Just kill me!"

The screams echoed through the cellar, shaking the very walls.

Yan Lingji watched with an expressionless face.

"When you kidnapped those people, they screamed just like that."

Black Cloud Crane could no longer speak, his throat producing only incoherent whimpers.

A leech, gorged with blood, fell from his leg, its bloated body hitting the ground with a heavy thud and splashing a small puddle of blood.

Scorpions crawled onto his face, one after another.

Zhao Quan's eyes bulged as he watched a centipede crawl into his nostril.

"Mmph—!"

He thrashed his head wildly, but his limbs were nailed fast, leaving him unable to move.

The centipede burrowed into his nasal cavity, passed through his throat, and crawled deep inside.

Zhao Quan's eyes rolled back, saliva drooling from the corner of his mouth.

Liu Shirong had already fainted, but the ants did not care, continuing to gnaw at his eyelids, lips, and earlobes.

"Continue."

Yan Lingji sat to the side, lifting her teacup.

"When they die, that is when it stops."

At the entrance to the cellar.

Na'er stood by the door, her body trembling slightly.

She watched as snakes, insects, rats, and ants crawled all over the three men's bodies, and hearing their heart-wrenching screams, her stomach churned.

"Afraid?"

Jiang Ce's voice echoed in her mind.

The black silk bodysuit tightened slightly, gently wrapping around her.

Na'er shook her head, then nodded, and finally whispered, "A little..."

"Do not worry. Those are bad people, and they deserve their punishment."

He extended a tentacle to stroke her head.

Na'er felt that warmth, and her body slowly relaxed.

She looked into the cellar, where Black Cloud Crane's face was already completely covered by leeches and scorpions, with only his two eyes still blinking desperately.

"What... did they do?"

"They abducted hundreds of civilians to give to evil Spirit Masters for refining medicine. Old men, women, children—all of them were tortured to death."

Jiang Ce spoke very calmly, but Na'er's pink eyes sank bit by bit.

She remembered the beggars, orphans, and little girls she had seen while wandering who were taken by bad people and never returned.

"Then they truly deserve to die."

Na'er's voice was very soft, yet carried a firmness she had never possessed before.

Jiang Ce was silent for a moment, then stroked her head.

"Good girl, don't look anymore. Let's go."

Na'er nodded and turned to leave the cellar entrance.

Behind her, the screams gradually grew faint, replaced by the soft, rustling sounds of insects and ants crawling.

An hour later.

Yan Lingji walked out of the cellar, brushing the dust from her skirt.

"My King, it has all been taken care of."

"Good."

Jiang Ce's voice emanated from Na'er.

"Have those puppets seal the cellar, then bring over a few carts of quicklime and dump them inside."

"Understood."

Yan Lingji went off to give the orders.

Na'er sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing at the sky.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I am thinking..."

Hearing her brother ask, Na'er paused.

"Why are there so many bad people in the world?"

"Because good people are too kind."

"Kind people are easily bullied."

Na'er thought for a moment, as if she had realized something.

"Then... is Brother a good person or a bad person?"

"What do you think?"

Na'er tilted her head, thinking for a while.

"Brother is... someone who is good to Na'er."

Jiang Ce let out a laugh.

Venom formed a hand above her head, gently stroking her long hair.

"Good girl."

Jiang Ce controlled Na'er's body, standing on the balcony of the Merchant Guild, overlooking the distant Heaven Dou Imperial City.

A breeze blew past, and her hair fluttered gently.

"Your Majesty?"

Yan Lingji walked over with a teacup, asking curiously as she saw him lost in thought for a long time.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jiang Ce didn't answer immediately.

He paused, then slowly said:

"This world is quite interesting."

"Those nobles we killed a few days ago, look at their mansions, resplendent and magnificent, even their toilets were inlaid with gold."

"Then look at the commoners they abducted, living in thatched huts, eating coarse food, and dying of illness if they got sick."

"People who eat and defecate the same way, yet the gap is so vast."

Yan Lingji blinked, not understanding why His Majesty was suddenly talking about this.

"Yesterday, when I was looking through those account books, the Heaven Dou Empire nominally used Gold Soul Coins, but the quality varied greatly among the privately minted coins in each territory. Iron City South's had low gold content, Star Dou North's was mixed with copper. Doing business required recalculations, which was incredibly troublesome."

"The weights and measures aren't unified either. A foot in this city is one length, but it's different in another city."

"The writing is also inconsistent. This marquis uses one style of writing, that earl uses another. Official documents even require translation."

"Do you think this broken empire can be any good?"

Yan Lingji nodded thoughtfully, "What Your Majesty says makes sense."

Jiang Ce paused and continued:

"I don't consider myself a saint, nor can I bear to see the suffering of the common people—those words are too hypocritical."

His tone was flat, as if discussing an ordinary matter.

"I am simply a villain. Using evil to combat evil, using killing to stop killing."

"But if I'm going to do it, I'll do it to the best of my ability."

"Yan Lingji."

Yan Lingji startled, "Yes."

"You are destined to be an empress."

"Unify the Heaven Dou Empire, unify weights and measures, unify writing, unify laws."

"Abolish all those messy rules and regulations, and implement one standard for everything."

"Prevent those nobles from arbitrarily abducting commoners for their own purposes."

"Prevent those merchants from cheating, deceiving, and swindling."

"Give those soul masters a framework to follow, so they don't act with impunity."

Jiang Che, though not exactly a good person.

He had, in a way, received some education.

He couldn't stand to see such dirty and foul events occur.

Since he had come to this world for a journey.

He had to do something.

Yan Lingji's pupils dilated slightly.

"Your Majesty... you mean, for this servant to..."

"Yes."

Jiang Ce, controlling Na'er's hand, pointed towards the distant imperial city.

"That imperial palace will be yours from now on."

"The Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire will be you from now on."

"This entire continent will be yours."

"The good deeds that Martial Soul Hall does—free spirit awakening, subsidies for commoner soul masters—these must continue, and be done even better."

"What Martial Soul Hall cannot do—unifying weights and measures, unifying writing, rectifying the bureaucracy, establishing order—these you will do."

"Martial Soul Hall is not an enemy; they have their strengths. But ruling an empire cannot rely solely on Martial Soul Hall."

"Martial Soul Hall without an empire, and an empire without Martial Soul Hall... then let you have both an empire and Martial Soul Hall."

"Let soul masters have rules, let commoners have a way to live, let merchants have laws to follow."

"This is what true unification is."

Yan Lingji's eyes turned red.

She had thought His Majesty was merely speaking casually, but she never expected him to have thought so much.

"Your Majesty..."

"What, are you scared?"

"I am not afraid."

Yan Lingji bit her lip.

"This humble one just... did not expect that My King had thought so far ahead."

Xiaomeng had approached at some point and was standing quietly to the side.

She looked at Yan Lingji, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke:

"Do you know of the Qin State?"

Yan Lingji tilted her head: "The Qin State? I have heard of it. It is very powerful; it seems they wiped out the Six States."

These were things My King had mentioned to her before.

Otherwise, she would never have known that the Qin State was so formidable as to have annihilated the Six States.

"It was not just the annihilation of the Six States."

Xiaomeng said indifferently.

"The King of the Qin State—who styled himself the First Emperor—standardized weights and measures, standardized the script, standardized the currency, unified the gauge of carriages, and unified the written language."

"For thousands of years, no one had ever achieved this, yet he did."

She looked toward Jiang Ce.

"You want Yan Lingji to become the First Emperor of this world."

Jiang Ce did not deny it.

"The First Emperor used harsh laws and severe punishments, using evil to control evil, to sweep across the world."

"I am also a villain."

"Therefore, this filthy world needs to be controlled by evil."

"I am training an Empress, letting her stand at the forefront. She unifies the world, and I enjoy the process."

"It feels good."

Humanity is diverse.

Jiang Ce could not deny that he was a man of carnal desires.

When a woman of high status and position is trained by him, he cannot help but feel a sense of gratification.

But while training her, making this world change according to his own will—

This is also a thrilling desire in the heart of every man.

Xiaomeng's gaze flickered.

"A transformation unprecedented in the ages... If it can truly be done, she will stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Emperor."

She looked at Yan Lingji, then at Jiang Ce.

"And you—you are the one manipulating all of this from behind the scenes."

"You are even more terrifying than her."

Jiang Ce smiled.

"What, are you afraid?"

Xiaomeng shook her head, "I am merely... impressed."

"The Taoist school speaks of 'governing by doing nothing,' but that is a luxury reserved for times of peace. In a chaotic world, someone needs to step forward."

"You... are that person."

Yan Lingji's eyes were glistening with tears.

"My King..."

"What virtue or ability does this humble one possess to deserve such dedication from My King..."

She was originally nothing more than an assassin from Baiyue.

Now, how much had her King sacrificed to cultivate her?

All she did was offer her body to serve Jiang Ce.

Na'er's eyes were filled with adoration.

"Big Brother..."

She spoke softly, her voice sweet and delicate.

"Although Na'er doesn't quite understand... but Na'er thinks Big Brother is amazing."

"A hundred times, a thousand times more amazing than those dukes or marquises!"

"Big Brother wants Big Sister to be the Empress, then what about Na'er?"

Jiang Ce extended a tentacle and gently rubbed her head.

"You? You will be the Empress's sister, the Princess Protector of the State."

"Really?"

"Really."

Na'er nodded vigorously, her pink eyes lighting up.

"Then Na'er needs to get stronger quickly so I can help big sister!"

"Na'er will do her best."

Na'er clenched her small fists and said firmly.

"However, Na'er must first learn how to serve your big brother."

Yan Lingji immediately whispered into Na'er's ear.

"Ah—"

"Use my mouth?! And from behind too?!"

Na'er's face flushed instantly, her heart racing as she let out a startled cry.

[Shao Siming guards the post.]