My Beautiful Duchess Wife

However, the light shimmering under the white moon was made of genuine amethyst. How large of an amethyst must that be! Or how many amethysts gathered together would it take? Just this one statue alone could rebuild at least half of Darkmoon City.

He slowed his breathing as much as possible, and lightly licked his lips with his tongue. After a slight smile, he disappeared once again into the palace-like building.

Upon entering, Lin Peng even felt like a nouveau riche. At least, that's the feeling one gets in a house like this. The walls were covered with reliefs. Some depicted a clerk directing his subordinates, while others showed scenes of war. Moreover, these reliefs were all plated with dark gold. Under the illumination of the magic lamps, they had a magnificent, opulent feel.

Lin Peng's fists clenched so tightly they cracked; he felt an urge to punch someone. Those two idiots, Xia and Eileen—if only he had just confiscated their property back then! That way, perhaps they could have used their wealth to recruit more skilled fighters to work for them over the years.

He moved swiftly, and as he passed a room, a familiar sound reached his ears. He stopped abruptly, stood silently at the door for a moment, then the flames slowly died down, and with a snap, he entered the room. Of course, Lin Peng had burned the lock to get in.

However, the person in charge of the room seemed to be so engrossed in something that they didn't notice anything amiss. Moreover, upon entering the room, the first thing one noticed was an excessively large living room.

From another door next to the living room came heavy breathing and groans. A pungent, fishy smell permeated the entire living room. He gave a silent, cold laugh, then slowly walked towards the bedroom.

His eyes were already closed, and two warm, tangled figures appeared in his mind. He snorted coldly and then kicked the door open with a loud bang. The entire door was sent flying.

The object slammed heavily onto the two men, followed by another sharp crack. It sounded like… bones breaking. Before the two could even scream, Lin Peng had already grabbed them by the neck.

Before he could even speak, there was another cracking sound. Only when the two men were thrown to the ground did Lin Peng get a clear look at them. One looked to be in his fifties or sixties, his face covered in wrinkles.

Judging from the heat, he wasn't even a high-ranking demon. The other woman, however, was extremely alluring. Her fair skin was glistening with sweat, and her pink lips were stained with a milky white substance.

Her figure was curvaceous, and her bare body stirred up a desire in you to fantasize. He slapped his forehead hard, muttering, "Lin Peng, don't get the wrong idea! Today, we're here on serious business!"

As he spoke, he pulled open the French windows that were already letting in white light. Then, he rapidly drifted off in another direction.

When he came to attack another family, he was somewhat surprised. The entire family seemed to live in a rather small place, only half the size of the previous one, and with very few guards.

Moreover... overall, it even carries a sense of poverty.

Just as they were about to enter a house that looked somewhat dilapidated, a roaring voice rang out: "Die, all of you! Did you think our Anda family was extinct?! Hmph... As long as I have a breath left, even if I have to side with that seemingly treacherous Jess, I will rebuild this family! Hmph... you..."

Hearing the sound, Lin Peng looked in the direction it came from. A drunkard was staggering towards him. The guards initially wanted to help him up, but their hands were immediately slapped away. And so, the drunkard followed Lin Peng into the house he wanted to enter.

The white wall was now reflecting light. Lin Peng frowned, then seemed to have thought of a brilliant idea. He gave a strange smile and disappeared into the grove.

It disappeared into the moonlight once more without making a sound.

Chapter Forty-Three Suspicious Matters

The dappled sunlight streamed down, but what woke Lin Peng from his deep sleep was Mayor Rad's excited shout. Shaking his head and patting his forehead, he crawled out of the warm bed, quickly washed up, and went downstairs to see Rad's somewhat frantic antics.

He was laughing hysterically, jumping and gesturing wildly in his garden. His brow furrowed slightly, and after shaking his head helplessly, he turned to Nadas, who also wore a speechless expression, and asked, "What's going on? Have you gone mad?"

Nadas gave a wry smile, then laughed and said, "It was one of his old rivals. Last night, a drunkard broke in and killed him!"

"what?"

Lin Peng blinked, genuinely puzzled. He'd just killed someone, and that person was Rad's old adversary. So… at the very least, that person was someone in power within that family.

In other words, the person he casually killed yesterday turned out to be the patriarch of that family or something similar.

While somewhat surprised, he was also filled with a sense of joy. It seemed his luck was actually quite good. At least, he hadn't been chased by magical beasts or powerful opponents since arriving here.

And... well... the sunshine seems pretty good today!

I was just about to experience the so-called "sunlight" when I heard the clanging of metal coming from ahead. Judging from the sound, it must have been soldiers or something similar entering.

The current Rad mansion is deserted, with no guards, not even a single servant or family member. Rad wasn't originally from here. And... he didn't have many servants either.

After what happened last time, most of them either fled or sought refuge with others.

When Lin Peng saw Capa enter with a squad of soldiers, some thoughts formed in his mind. He figured they hadn't left any evidence, right? So what were they doing here? Were they going to invite him for breakfast tea?

Clearly, this idea was untenable. Kappa first looked at Lin Peng with a suspicious gaze, and after a long while, he said coldly, "A murder has occurred. As my assistant, aren't you going to come with me to see what's going on?"

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow provocatively. It seemed to say, "If you don't go, then you really deserve to be messed with."

Unfortunately, Capa was a pure-hearted warrior, not a cunning businessman like Paglis. Therefore, he unfortunately chose to go with Lin Peng, rather than go alone and then frame Lin Peng.

Of course, he can be quite domineering at times. But perhaps he's too confident in his abilities!

When the three arrived at the excessively luxurious mansion, Lin Peng glanced at Kapa and smiled faintly: "Hehe... I really didn't expect that with such a good opportunity, Chief Kapa wouldn't bother to deal with me?"

Kappa snorted coldly, giving the man who had recently risen to prominence under the Duke a sharp snort. He then turned and entered the house, saying, "Who am I, Kappa? I wouldn't stoop to such tactics. Just like this time, I'm in control of this town honestly and fairly, not through any underhanded schemes!"

Lin Peng, following behind, paused slightly, then gave a strange laugh. Come to think of it, Kappa had truly taken over the town honorably. At least, he hadn't used any underhanded tactics against him.

I gave a wry smile, and suddenly thought, how wonderful it would be if this person were on the same page as me!

Looking at the room, now littered with the remains of the fight, the bodies had been collected, and only the chaotic aftermath remained, Kappa frowned. After glancing around, he sneered, "Your Gael family guards are truly a bunch of useless trash. Such a fight, and no one even noticed. Hmph..."

The burly, somewhat gentle-looking high-ranking demon following behind twitched his lips, but remained silent. After all, he was just a high-ranking demon; offending such a demon king-level expert would truly be courting death.

Moreover... as one of the major powers in Darkmoon City, the family represented by Kappa is not so easy to mess with.

After searching for a while, Lin Peng started touching the scratched walls. He chuckled and pointed to the scratches and damaged tables and chairs, saying, "Clearly, this was the killer's last addition. Heh... If you ask me, maybe your deadbeat was just defeated in one move. Hmm, maybe his neck was broken!"

The high-ranking demon behind him visibly trembled, and under Kappa's serious gaze, nodded slightly: "That's right, the chieftain was killed by having his neck snapped in one blow. We believe that the broken bone marks on his body were added by the murderer later!"

Lin Peng almost burst out laughing inside. The broken bones were indeed put there before he died. It's just that you didn't have the technology to discover it.

Capana's thick eyebrows seemed to be furrowed as he looked at Lin Peng and said, "How did you know! If such a fight scene was added later, they couldn't possibly not know!"

Lin Peng smiled faintly, picked up a broken piece of wood, and snapped it sharply. The sound was crisp and clear. Then, he used the shattered piece of wood to scrape against the wall.

"You see, someone with extremely strong strength could easily crack them. And these scratches aren't deep at all, so... that's how they were made. As for the ceiling above..."

He pinched his chin with two fingers, as if deep in thought.

Kappa chuckled coldly, then suddenly leaped onto his tiptoes. He lightly drew his knife and slashed it across the ceiling, instantly creating a deep scratch. And the entire movement was completely silent.

With just this one move, at least in terms of controlling power, he has almost reached the level of a true grandmaster.

Lin Peng's mouth gaped open, and the wooden plank in his hand turned to ashes. The still-burning flames shone brightly, making him squint: "Chief Kapa, ​​you didn't kill him, did you? Haha... If it were a demon like me who has comprehended the elements, I couldn't wield such power. Hmm... you're much stronger than me!"

Kappa snorted coldly, staring directly at the high-ranking demon who actually believed it to be true, and said, "Do I have a reason to kill him? Hmph, if I wanted to kill him, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble!"

He then glared at the high-ranking demon and said, "Go and bring that 'murderer' up here! I want to see where he can escape to under my interrogation!"

As he spoke, he casually sat down on the sofa.

Soon, the drunkard was brought in. However, he wasn't drunk at all. His face was just frighteningly pale, as if he was about to faint.

That thin, pitifully long body lacked even the strength to walk. A large bruise covered his forehead, and a trickle of blood clung to the corner of his mouth. It seemed he had been tortured before I arrived.

Kappa stared intently at the "murderer," who looked like a dazed chicken with a blank expression. Suddenly, an aura of demonic power filled the entire room. The high-ranking demon beside him immediately knelt on the red carpet.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain. And the "murderer" had already fainted.

Lin Peng watched Kappa's interrogation with interest, then shook his head somewhat boredly: "Judging from this, this guy is definitely not a master. So... he can't possibly be the real murderer. Hmm... by the way, does your clan leader have any enemies? I think he might have been murdered in a revenge killing! Or, is it possible it was a crime of passion?"

"Huh?" The moment Kappa withdrew his aura, the high-ranking demon easily plopped down on the ground. His soft armor was completely soaked.

However, upon hearing Lin Peng's question, he shook his head slightly, somewhat annoyed. Then, as if he had thought of something, he nodded sharply: "Well... if we're talking about the biggest enemy, it's definitely Mayor Rad!"

Pointing to Rad, who was looking somewhat excited, he said, and Rad immediately looked flustered.

Lin Peng shook his head: "Rad doesn't have that kind of strength. Although he could ask me, I... I have absolutely no control over that kind of pure power." Kappa nodded slightly, skipping over Lin Peng.

However, Nadas behind him almost burst out laughing. Lin Peng has no power? Only the undead would believe that! This is simply… fraud!

"As for a crime of passion, then... it should only be that... this... um... the patriarch of the true native family here, the Skolly family. I heard before that back in Aaron City, the two of them attended an auction. At the auction, the patriarch bought the female slave that Patriarch Skolly liked the most. In the end... in the end, that female slave became the current patriarch's wife. Last night... it seems she also died!"

At this point, a fat man standing next to the high-ranking demon let out a heavy snort. It seemed this was utterly humiliating for them. These guys were mostly high-ranking demons, about three or four in total. They appeared to be the chieftain's younger brothers or direct relatives. So… to have someone who was originally a slave riding on their backs was clearly something they resented.

Lin Peng smiled and nodded, then after a moment's thought, exchanged a glance with Kappa: "Well, it seems this matter is a bit complicated! But... hehe... all the officials in Kurau Town are currently in your prison. Shouldn't... you release them for a thorough investigation? Although the Skelli family members are your people, but... um... are you really up to the task?"

Kapa suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table. The mahogany table shattered instantly. He glared at Lin Peng and said, "Those officials were just locked up under a pretext. Besides... this Kulau Town is mine now! Heh heh, you want them released? No way. I can handle this myself. This is our own business, no need for you to worry about it!"

With that, he strode out of the room. Lin Peng narrowed his eyes, chuckled inwardly, and followed him out.

Chapter Forty-Four: People from the Crimson Demon Territory

In the mines near the abyss in Kulau Town, the mining of some extremely rare ores was in full swing. Looking at the somewhat empty mountains and the loads of ore being transported out, Lin Peng felt a little bored.

These strong, capable men were working diligently in their trades; it seemed impossible for him to join them! Beside him, Rad listened with a smile to the report given by the mining official.

Since the death of the Gale family patriarch, Rad seems to have gone from old age to a state of frailty. He's unusually energetic in everything he does. In particular, he's come to this mine in this weather to see if Capa has made any moves on it.

Of course, Kappa hasn't yet deployed his forces to the mine. And… based on that incident alone, Lin Peng is absolutely certain that Kappa couldn't possibly resolve it in just three or four days. After all, he himself was the real culprit in that matter.

He smiled faintly and looked up at the gloomy sky.

The crimson moon seemed to have been replaced by a white one, and swirling vortexes, like dark clouds, filled the sky. An unnamed wind blew, making Lin Peng feel somewhat uncomfortable. The crimson moon was always the strongest moon.

When Lin Peng glanced outside the mine, the person who had arrived surprised him. Jess was dressed in a magnificent aristocratic robe, with what appeared to be some sparkling gems adorning the high collar. His hair was styled in a bun, with a few strands falling loose, making him look extremely dashing and debonair.

Lin Peng looked at his samurai outfit and smiled faintly: "Jess really knows how to dress. Hmm... I wonder how I would look if I dressed up?" Thinking of this, he glanced at Rad, who was dressed more formally.

His official robes looked a bit bulky, but he looked incredibly energetic.

He wore tight leather pants, a white pleated shirt, and a stand-up collar ceremonial uniform. Combined with his current demeanor, Rad even appeared more dashing than Jess, who was wearing an extra aristocratic robe.

Nodding slightly, Lin Peng almost burst out laughing when he looked at his black samurai outfit again. This black samurai outfit clearly looked a bit like a suit!

Looking at the beautiful woman next to Jess, Lin Peng was even more surprised. She was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, a black top and tight pants, practically a leather outfit for nighttime activities! She just had a pink cape draped over her shoulders.

The woman's curvaceous figure was on full display. To Lin Peng's surprise, Jess seemed quite polite to this woman.

Her fair skin carried a faint fragrance, so strong that even from this distance, it made one's nose tingle. Her large eyes seemed to speak volumes, her delicate nose was exquisite and straight, and her lightly lined eyes watched Lin Peng's every move.

He was half a head shorter than Jayce, yet he seemed exceptionally tall and proud.

When the two approached Lin Peng, Rad glared at Jess with some resentment, completely unmoved by the beautiful woman. He didn't even glance at her twice. Lin Peng's lips twitched; this guy really had gotten old.

The beautiful woman, however, looked towards Lin Peng.

Jess smiled elegantly and extended his hand: "Miss Abel, this is the newly appointed Chief of Staff. And this... you should know him. He is Mayor Rad, who serves under the Duke!"

Rad snorted and turned his head away.

Lin Peng extended his hand and smiled faintly, "Hello, Lin Peng!" His simple yet elegant demeanor was comparable to Jess's. Of course, in the original world, Lin Peng's family background was truly on par with the top few.

Such etiquette is something we are forced to learn from a young age.

The beautiful woman was taken aback for a moment, then her lips curved slightly, revealing a few pearly white teeth: "Hello, Abel!"

The two touched hands lightly and separated, causing Jess to frown slightly as he watched. Then, he laughed heartily, "Well then... Miss Abel, you can personally select this kind of obsidian. Hehe... as long as obsidian is added to the weapon, then... it can definitely be forged into a top-quality weapon. Haha... how about it, isn't our Darkmoon City pretty good!"

Rad, listening nearby, frowned, snorted coldly, and said sarcastically, "What... when did Darkmoon City become yours? Heh heh... City Officer Jess, you don't seem to have the right to come here and select the ores! These ores belong to His Highness the Duke!"