My Beautiful Duchess Wife

Looking at his trembling soldiers, weapons in hand, he sighed helplessly, "Friends, why did you ambush us? What do you need? I can give you anything right now..." Before he could finish, Daniel sneered, "Shut up!"

His eyes were practically spitting fire as he stared at Lin Peng, then he sneered a few times and said, "Lin Peng, as long as you can't kill me in an instant, I can escape. Heh heh... If I can escape, then... you'll just have to wait for the revenge of the Chris family!"

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his pocket and coldly stared at the dead Lin Peng.

After staring at Frans for a while, Wass suddenly shouted, "Francs, I didn't expect it to be you... Hmph... Could it be that you betrayed Young Master Jess!"

Although Wass said those words, his heart was ice-cold. Even Frans was here, so... could things be alright at the mountain stronghold? Besides... after fighting here for so long, he hadn't even seen a single person.

Anyone who isn't deaf should be able to hear some of those shouts of battle!

Somewhat frightened, he looked back at the stronghold, but in the distance, it seemed shrouded in fog, obscuring the entire area. Ahead, Lin Peng coldly glanced at the three: "Francis, is this guy one of Jess's men?"

Frans nodded and laughed, "Waas, why don't you just surrender like me? Hmph... Under Jess, in terms of strength, I should be much stronger than you! But... why do you have such a good position, while I don't? Hehe... When it comes to flattery, I'm really no match for you! However, if you surrender to us, then... at least you'll be the leader of my men!"

As he spoke, he stuck out his tongue and lightly licked his lips. Drops of bright red blood dripped directly down the back of the knife. The earth seemed to turn red, and a gentle evening breeze blew, causing the branches of the trees on the mountainside to sway slightly. Hua Si, unexpectedly, shuddered all over.

Lin Peng's eyes narrowed. His fingers curled slightly, and he coldly shouted, "I really can kill you in an instant!" As soon as he finished speaking, five dazzling beams of light shot out from his fingers.

The intense light pierced through several of the guards and was right in front of Daniel.

In an instant, Daniel tore open the scroll. A faint white light shone forth, enveloping him entirely. But the scorching rays of light, like a tracking missile, pierced right through the white light.

A flash of white light disappeared in an instant. At the same time, Reed cursed, "Damn it!" and took out an even more exquisite scroll. Just as he was about to tear it open, a black light ripped through space and instantly appeared on Reed's back.

Reed, lacking Daniel's strength, didn't even have time to react before his entire chest began to split open. Slowly, he saw his body seem to fly up. Then... he lost consciousness.

Hua Si was stunned and stood there dumbfounded. When he looked at Lin Peng, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Those who surrender will not be killed. Your master has already fled, what are you still fighting for?" Lin Peng glanced at the rear of his family soldiers and shouted loudly. At this moment, a black light flashed again, and Princess Eileen appeared next to Lin Peng.

She glared coldly at Lin Peng and shouted, "Put down your weapons, or... you'll be killed without mercy!" Her imposing aura spread out in an instant. Hua Si was so frightened that he immediately threw down his weapon. Seeing their only leader drop his weapon, the other soldiers also threw down theirs.

“I told you, let’s fight when we get to the gates of the stronghold! Hmph… This time, if it weren’t for you, Daniel would definitely be dead here too. If he had told Jess and the others when he went back, then… the secret here would have been revealed!” Eileen glared at Lin Peng, her face full of resentment.

Upon seeing Frans's obsequious expression, he snorted coldly and then slapped him across the face. Thump... Dust billowed a dozen meters away, and Frans groaned in pain.

Upon witnessing this, Hua Si shuddered. It seemed he almost wanted to strangle himself. He thought to himself: "Looks like the knockoff is already someone else's. Sigh!"

Lin Peng's lips twitched, and he chuckled, "Not necessarily. Even if you kill them all, if you don't go back for a long time, things will be the same. Besides... hehe... Daniel might not even survive!"

Turning to look in the direction of Darkmoon City, Lin Peng's eyes were somewhat cold.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Cutting Off the Roots

The valley was now a patchwork of blood red and charred black. A night breeze carried the stench of blood, a smell Lin Peng found unbearable. Howard and Frans, however, seemed to be enjoying it, smiling broadly.

Under the horrified gazes of her guards, who were nearly bursting with fear, Eileen remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "It seems that's really the case. Anyway, war is inevitable. We might as well prepare and wait for them! Well, in that case… I'll head to Darkmoon City first. Um… you are…"

Pointing towards Darkmoon City, then towards the mountain stronghold, Eileen's alluring yet slightly smiling gaze made Lin Peng's heart skip a beat.

However, when he saw Angelina walking past the guards towards him, he smiled slightly and said, "I'd better go back! If that Daniel really did escape alive, then... we really need to make some preparations. Well, that's settled then. Howard, Ray... and... you, Frans!" Pointing to Frans, who had just gotten up, Lin Peng continued, "You all stay, Frans, you absolutely must stay. After all, you were originally Jess's man. Hehe... I really didn't expect that Jess, with just this one stronghold, would actually be both a Demon King and a Great Demon. Hehe... it seems he's the strongest in Darkmoon City!"

Eileen was taken aback, then nodded slightly. She realized she had truly underestimated Jess. If he hadn't been distracted by other obstacles, perhaps even more powerful figures would have gathered around him.

Looking in the direction of Darkmoon City, Eileen's eyes held a hint of worry. Of course, Lin Peng saw this. He pursed his lips and shook his head slightly. One could imagine the immense pressure Sia was under.

……

Unlike Lin Peng, Kappa sensed a fluctuation of magical energy and immediately flew towards his own garden. However, what happened next almost drove Kappa mad.

Although Daniel had been teleported back, the huge black hole on his forehead had robbed him of all life. It seemed that a wisp of smoke was still faintly rising from that bloody hole.

He rushed forward and hugged Daniel tightly, tears welling up in his old eyes.

"Who...who? Who? Who killed my son...ah? Who! Step forward!" The tears streaming down his face seemed unusually murky, and his once relatively handsome square face was now contorted with rage. He looked like a gluttonous demon.

A strong, muscular arm gripped Daniel's neck tightly, as if he were merely tired and might wake up at any moment. A hint of fear lingered in Daniel's unclosed eyes.

"what!"

Boom boom boom...

After a scream, Kappa's power seemed inexhaustible, and he coldly destroyed the entire garden. Immense power erupted, and streaks of crimson demonic flames engulfed the garden.

Suddenly… a sound that shook the earth resounded, causing the stewards and soldiers who rushed to the scene to die instantly. It seemed… they were destined to be buried with Daniel.

They sped directly towards the Furen family compound, where old Furen seemed to be quietly sipping the bitter tea brought from the Moon Demon Realm. Pagris was slightly taken aback when he saw Capa's tiger-like eyes, which still faintly bore traces of blood.

"The same three squads, why did my son die, but what about your son?" Capa's words were somewhat incoherent, and filled with hatred.

However, when Paglius saw the bloody hole in Daniel's forehead that Capa was holding, his heart seemed to clench. A bad premonition filled him as he said, "Reed hasn't returned yet... this..."

Pointing at Daniel, Pagris was speechless.

“How should I know… how should I know! Daniel suddenly used the directional scroll I gave him, but it appeared like this. How—how—should—I—know!” Kappa uttered the last five words directly using the power of demonic flames.

The shockwave made old Frenpagris's entire study tremble. With a creak, cracks appeared in the carved ceiling, which resembled a garden. The walls of the entire study also trembled violently.

"Find...find Jess! See if his great demon's henchmen have returned!" Paglis was now feeling guilty, and that bad premonition was growing stronger. It seemed like it was about to become a reality.

As the two rushed towards Jess's mansion at breakneck speed, Jess was just leaving with his new butler. Seeing the two hurrying towards him, Jess paused for a moment, then, noticing Daniel being held by Kappa, his lips twitched slightly, and he was speechless.

"Has Wasn't back yet?!" Kappa asked immediately, his face full of anxiety. Jess paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Didn't... they all accept those crystal mines?"

The old butler behind him rolled his eyes, seemingly wanting to slap Jess to death. Looking at Daniel, it was clear something was definitely wrong.

"What exactly happened... Dan... what happened to Daniel?" Kappa seemed too lazy to answer, suddenly aging as if he had aged decades. Tears of blood welled up in his tiger-like eyes and slid down his cheeks. He collapsed to the ground, his gaze vacant.

Paglius almost fell to the ground as well.

"Something's happened! Has something happened at the crystal mine?" The old butler reacted very quickly, pointing directly at Kappa's forehead before anxiously asking Pagris.

Paglius gave a wry smile, then nodded slightly. Looking at Jess's helpless and resigned expression, he realized his son might not even have time to tear open the scroll.

Moreover, he was well aware of Reed's strength. Even Daniel tearing the scroll resulted in this, so... it was quite inevitable... Reed should be... dead!

In Jess's study, looking at Daniel's unseeing eyes, filled with fear and resentment, the old butler nodded slightly: "It seems that it was an extremely powerful being, one that even Daniel couldn't resist. Sigh... just who could have known about that crystal mine!"

"Sia and Eileen...it's definitely those two bitches. I can't believe it! Last time, the bandit gang sent me a letter saying they encountered some exceptionally powerful guys while robbing a caravan. And...that caravan should be Brook's! I can't believe it..." Jess looked utterly regretful. He slapped his forehead, wishing he could just storm into Sia's palace.

Upon hearing this, Kappa nearly flew into a rage and killed Jess. Staring intently at Jess, he demanded, "Why didn't you say anything back then? Huh? Why didn't you say anything back then?" His voice, filled with barely suppressed grief, sent a chill down Jess's spine.

The old steward shook his head and sighed again: "Chief Kapa, ​​it's no use saying anything now. Besides... if it really was Sia who did it, we need to find evidence! Otherwise... sigh!"

After letting out a deep sigh, Paglis also shook his head helplessly. Sia represented the imperial power and the Grand General; if they were to take direct action, it would only give the Grand General a pretext.

Moreover, and most importantly... it seems that in Darkmoon City right now, they've been constantly on the defensive!

"Lin Peng, ever since this guy came, it seems we've suddenly lost all our benefits. And... he always manages to create some negative news. Now... in Darkmoon City, our reputation is so bad we're practically rats in the street. If it weren't for our strong strength as a guarantee, perhaps we would only have death as our fate now!" Jess said bitterly, his teeth clenched.

Meanwhile, a glint of shrewdness flashed in the eyes of both Kappa and Pagliacci, as if they had found a scapegoat. The old butler beside them frowned deeply. Lin Peng… such talent, and seemingly quite capable as well. I wonder if he could be brought over online…

……

In the palace's council chamber, Brooke anxiously awaited Sia's arrival. When the doors opened, he became even more excited.

Shea frowned slightly as she looked at the somewhat agitated Brooke and asked, "What's the matter? Did Lin Peng ask you to do something for me?" Although Brooke was captivated by her stunningly beautiful, cold face, he dared not look at her for even a second.

“I just received news that Chief Chris Capa, carrying his son Daniel, went to see Jess. Also there was Paglis from the Furen family. It seems... something major has happened! And last time, judging from the three teams that went out from those three families, it seems that Lin Peng directly killed their successors or wiped out a group of experts!” Brooke became excited again as he said this.

It seems the choice made back then was correct. Unexpectedly, Jess's side has already fallen into a disadvantageous position so quickly. And... judging from the current situation, they will definitely gradually erode Jess's power.

Sia was also taken aback, and even the icy expression on her face slowly softened. Having already grasped the situation, she nodded slightly and said, "I understand. Thank you for your trouble!"

Brook nodded repeatedly, not daring to say anything more. After Sia left, Brook overheard something shocking.

"Shouldn't we give Lin Peng even more benefits?" Xia asked, frowning slightly. However, Brooke was overjoyed. His ally was benefiting, so why shouldn't he benefit too?

Hehe... those bastards in the house, just you wait!

Chapter Forty: Jess's Revenge

Elvi's Shop was currently the most popular and best-selling shop in Darkmoon City. Looking at the endless stream of customers, Brooke almost couldn't stop smiling. This single business trip might equal his previous six months' worth of sales.

Standing beside him was Lin Peng, who was smiling with his eyes narrowed. Brooke nodded with a faint smile. This time, he really had to thank Lin Peng. He never expected that after the financial officer and the city affairs officer had created such a "financial crisis," he would be the biggest beneficiary.

Joyce stood hunched over beside Lin Peng, his rugged, square face showing a hint of respect. This leader, since his return, had not only changed the wandering knights' encampment, but also... it seemed he had even been given an official seal.

As long as one remains within Darkmoon City's jurisdiction, they always seem to receive the best treatment. Furthermore, they are not subject to suppression from sheriffs or city guards. It seems... life is getting better and better!

"Brook, to be honest, your business acumen is really not that great!" Lin Peng shook his head slightly, looking at the overcrowded shop with a hint of exasperation. It seemed that the minor nobles and some commoners were all vying to buy something. Although several burly men from the city guards stood at the entrance, the minor nobles weren't afraid of them. Therefore, the entire shop was always in chaos.

Brooke paused for a moment, looking at Lin Peng with some confusion.

At this moment, the group was standing in the corridor on the second floor, looking down at the noisy scene below. Although it wasn't a pleasant sight, at least the business was booming.

Lin Peng crossed his arms and chuckled, "It seems that the entire business world of Darkmoon City has gone to extremes. Either it's become too aristocratic, or... it's become too populist!"

"Heh, I've visited both Chris's and the Furen family's shops. They're more popular with the nobility. Yours... is far too common! If this period really passes, then... the Furen family's shops will definitely catch up with yours. At least... your financial resources are no match for theirs, am I right?"

Lin Peng stared intently at Brooke, already having a general idea in mind. At least, within that so-called family, Brooke didn't seem to have many resources to acquire. That's why... he was assigned to this place as a merchant.

Brooke paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment. If things calmed down, the Furen family would have many more shops like this, and... they would also have even better noble shops.

The profit is definitely several times that of their own.

Lin Peng pursed his lips and nodded, then continued, "If it were me, this wouldn't happen. Hehe... Whether it's the human world or the demon realm, they all value face. Even those minor nobles, if you give them enough face, they might even treat you like their own father! Hmph... We... can... do this... do that..."

After whispering a few words in Brook's ear, Brook instantly seemed to have received a priceless treasure. He immediately took out an extremely thin piece of parchment, a magical item that would be difficult to possess without considerable wealth.

The reporter, who was writing rapidly with a quill pen, kept nodding. The way he looked at Lin Peng was as if he were a true god.

After a long silence, when the two finished whispering, Brooke laughed heartily: "I never imagined that Lord Lin Peng would have such a talent for business. Hmm... I'm really starting to wonder if you're one of those succubi, because only those kinds of succubi could have such high intelligence. Or perhaps you're a fallen royal?"

Lin Peng was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile. Looking at this guy who was almost as fat as a pig, he muttered a curse under his breath before saying, "Well... commercially, we are absolutely superior to the Furen family right now, but... in terms of strength, we can still cooperate better. Darkmoon City lacks a lot of magical items and some alchemical materials, you should know that!"

Brooke pondered for a moment, then immediately nodded: "I can find all of these things for you. If you need any further assistance, I will definitely do my best within my capabilities!"

Looking at Brooke's serious face, Lin Peng smiled and felt reassured. At least... if a real clash of strength were to occur in the future, his side could at least suppress him once again.

Darkmoon City has been unusually quiet lately, even the Chris family seems unusually quiet. There's been no extra activity, and not a trace of sadness. It's as if Daniel wasn't their successor at all.

Of course, only Lin Peng knew that the undercurrents in Darkmoon City were growing increasingly intense. It seemed... the tide was about to rise. Perhaps, even a single conflict could ignite a riot.

Walking back to the palace, Lin Peng kept his head down in deep thought. What important matter could they possibly have that made them remain completely inactive under such circumstances?

However, as he reached his lakeside cabin, a premonition immediately arose within him. It seemed as if something was about to happen.

The lake, thirty or forty feet wide, emitted a faint mist after being bathed in the red moonlight. This gave Lin Peng a cool feeling, which further enhanced the coolness of his black warrior attire.