The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

In the end, Chen Dong's gamble paid off. Hundreds of soldiers were slaughtered by their own comrades, all to keep the two of them alive.

Ten days later, Li Wang awoke. Chen Dong held her tightly and said, "I will never forget the sight of your red figure shielding me. I won't allow you to die. I want you to protect me forever!"

From that moment on, Li Wang always wore red, as if her clothes were stained with blood.

Later, Chen Dong took the old Chancellor as his adoptive father and married the Chancellor's youngest daughter. His entire life fell under the Chancellor's control.

He lost his freedom, but in return, he and his sister gained a life of privilege.

With these newfound resources, Li Wang's martial arts advanced with incredible speed. Even the fraction she revealed was enough to shock the old Chancellor.

To control Li Xu completely, Li Wang was a formidable obstacle. The Chancellor knew he couldn't allow her to grow any stronger. She had to be eliminated.

Chen Dong—also known as Li Xu—was keenly aware of all this.

Kingdoms across the land vied for supremacy, and Jing Country was wracked by constant internal strife. Even the Chancellor's hidden mountain villa was rife with peril. No matter how willing they were to be someone's pawn, there was no safe haven in the world for the brother and sister.

Chen Dong secretly contacted the Second Prince, annihilating the Chancellor's faction in a preemptive strike before the Chancellor himself could make a move.

He killed his own wife with his own hands. Even though he had not a shred of feeling for the woman, who was merely a chain used to bind him, when the hidden villa was destroyed in a raging fire, Chen Dong still threw himself into Li Wang's arms and sobbed his heart out.

Li Wang gently comforted him, "Brother, you could have..."

Chen Dong roared, "No! Leaving her alive would only have made the Second Prince more suspicious! We have no other way out now! Only by seizing real power can we control our own destinies. Obeying the Second Prince is just a temporary measure!"

Li Wang held Chen Dong. "Brother, just like when we were children, I will be the sword in your hand. I will protect you forever!" Her tone was as firm as ever.

In the days that followed, the Second Prince held great power. Chen Dong and Li Wang became his henchmen, constantly forced to turn on their own kin. The Second Prince understood the depth of the siblings' bond; as long as he controlled Chen Dong, Li Wang could become the strongest warrior in the world, and she would still be nothing more than a weapon in his hands.

A year later, the Old Li King died of natural causes, and all of Jing Country fell under the Second Prince's control. The only ones left of the royal bloodline were the Second Prince and the siblings, Chen Dong and Li Wang.

The Second Prince ascended the throne, as was expected.

On the day of his coronation, the Second Prince sat upon his lofty throne. 'Today,' he thought, 'is the perfect time to eliminate the last lingering threat.'

Below, a bowing Chen Dong was surrounded by countless Imperial Guards. The Second Prince used Chen Dong's life to threaten Li Wang, saying, "If you are willing to take your own life with your sword, this king is willing to spare your brother's life!"

However, all of this was just as Chen Dong had expected. What the Second Prince didn't know was that Chen Dong had used the prince's own resources to cultivate a considerable force. While the Royal Palace was filled with the Second Prince's die-hard loyalists, the grounds outside had already been surrounded by Chen Dong's men.

Chen Dong had dared to come alone for one reason: he had Li Wang.

On this day, Li Wang's sword shocked the world.

With a single sweep of her sword, she tore through an army of Imperial Guards and impaled the Second Prince on his throne. Even as he died, the Second Prince couldn't believe that this seemingly delicate woman in red possessed a power that transcended the mortal realm.

With the Second Prince dead, the entirety of Jing Country submitted to Chen Dong and his sister.

Chen Dong took the throne, renamed the kingdom Fuyuan Country, and established the reign title of Wangxu.

Years of internal strife had left Fuyuan Country severely weakened. Shortly after Chen Dong was crowned king, three nations launched a simultaneous invasion.

Li Wang, who had just a moment ago been a stunning sight in red beside the throne, immediately donned her armor and marched to war.

One victory dispatch after another flowed into Yuan City, sending the people into a frenzy. It was a kind of triumph they had not tasted in many years. Ever since the Old Li King had fallen ill, the former Jing Country's policy had been to surrender at the first sign of conflict and pay tribute, a practice that had brought untold suffering upon the populace.

With the might of her sword, Li Wang not only saved Fuyuan Country from the threat of annihilation but also conquered three nations in an extremely short time. This caused her reputation in Fuyuan Country to reach unprecedented heights.

Upon her triumphant return, Chen Dong went ten li out of the city to welcome her, and the two siblings embraced when they met.

Back in the palace, Chen Dong unexpectedly proposed finding a husband for Li Wang. The sole reason: everywhere he went, all he heard was the overwhelming, deafening praise for "General Li Wang."

Li Wang shook her head. "Brother, there are still seven great powers across Kyushu. It's too early to talk about such things. I am the sword in your hand, and I will surely fulfill your wish to unify the world!"

Seeing the resolute look in Li Wang's eyes, Chen Dong started to speak, but then thought better of it. He didn't mention the matter again.

When the time came to reward the meritorious officials in court, Li Wang was no longer the only one by Chen Dong's side. There was another woman, one wearing a phoenix robe.

Li Wang refused all titles and rewards, asking only for command of the army. When every civil and military official in the court objected, Chen Dong granted her request.

After a rest of barely half a month, Li Wang found that Chen Dong was spending less and less time with her. Besides being busy with government affairs, he spent most of his time with the Queen.

A little over a month later, Li Wang once again led her troops into battle. This campaign lasted a full seven years. Following her strategy of sustaining the war with the spoils of war, Fuyuan Country unified the world at a minimal cost.

Seven years later, the siblings met again. Chen Dong rode a hundred li out of the city to welcome her. Li Wang, in her red attire, was as beautiful as ever, while Chen Dong's temples were threaded with silver, and wrinkles had formed at the corners of his eyes.

Chen Dong did not embrace her as he had before. Instead, a flash of dread crossed his eyes as he said formally, "You have worked hard, General!"