Ultragenic Warlord

Chapter 712: An Uninvited Guest

"You're unbelievably pretty, Miss Qianqian!"

"You shine like the night sky."

"I'm sure his highness will be thrilled!"

After countless hours of makeup and then dress-up, her makeup artists and attendants were all very satisfied with their handiwork. They pronounced her the most beautiful young woman they had ever laid eyes on.

Although it was the day of her wedding, Li Qianlin couldn't summon up any joy. As though she were a girl walking to her execution, Li Qianlin had lost all hope in the future.

She had seen Duan Gen quite a few times before. The lecherous look he had thrown her way during their first encounter left an indelible impression on her mind, and she felt disgust whenever she saw his appearance.

He was strong, of that there was no doubt. There was no one who could best him among his generation in either the east or the west, and he was widely lauded to be the strongest person aside from the kings of the realms themselves.

However, strength was often negatively correlated with niceness, and Duan Gen was no exception. That only made him more dangerous and more detestable.

Upon coming to the realm of the east, he had played cruel tricks on almost all the talented youth of his generation, showing off his strength and proving his dominance.

Even so, this odious man would become her husband. That was her fate, a fate that couldn't be changed.

She was hailed as the goddess of the east, but despite her fame, she too knew how it felt to be a young girl. She had dreamt that, in her time of need, a prince would show himself and save her from the cruel grasps of tyranny—or that she would be attracted to another person and, overcoming whatever trials came their way, end up together with him. It was an impossible daydream, but she still couldn't let it go.

Li Qianlin was intelligent, and she had accepted her place in life since she was a young girl.

Even if she were to marry a repulsive husband, she would play the role of virtuous wife to the best of her ability.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from outside the doors to her chamber. They swung open violently, and a man forced his way inside despite the protests of Li Qianlin's guards.

"Oh? I suppose this get-up… is acceptable." The man looked her up and down as though she were an object, then gave her a rather lackadaisical evaluation.

"Prince Duan Gen, I must express my heartfelt admiration at how brazenly you force your way into an unmarried maiden's chambers," Li Qianlin retorted.

"Ah? I'm your husband, aren't I? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Just my fiance, if you please," Li Qianlin corrected him.

Duan Gen hadn't changed from before. He'd act like a gentleman in front of his betters, but rough, coarse, and brutish to anyone else, as though he were an undisciplined hound. He looked Li Qianlin up and down again as though he wanted to lick her all over, causing her to shudder.

"All of you, get out," Duan Gen commanded, smiling lecherously as he commanded her attendants and guards.

None of them knew how to react. Only when Duan Gen repeated himself did the attendants rush out. The guards, of course, were unwilling to let the princess go unsupervised.

Duan Gen's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Worried that Duan Gen would target them in the future, Li Qianlin commanded them to leave the room.

Duan Gen scowled and called out toward their backs, "You're all untrained dogs—looks like I'll have to break you in in the future myself!"

"They're not dogs," Li Qianlin protested, "but my loyal subordinates."

"You're still bickering with me? I remember how you looked at me the first time we met—and I knew then that I wanted you to become my plaything."

Duan Gen sneered as he glanced at Li Qianlin's stubborn face, then suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Ouch!"

Duan Gen's hand, like a steel pincer, made Li Qianlin yelp in pain. He grew excited at seeing her pained expression. "I must say, your disgust is ravishing. How about we consummate our marriage in advance?"

"You dare?!"

"Dare? What don't I dare to do? Cry out as loudly as you want—the louder you are, the more excited I'll be. I've tested the soundproofing in this room, you know. I had my fun with one of your attendants in here, and no one could hear anything from the outside."

"You! You were the one who killed Tao?!"

Li Qianlin's eyes widened in disbelief. Her closest attendant, the girl she had grown up with since childhood, was more like a sworn sister to her than a servant. Half a month ago, she had died of mysterious causes. Her body was found thrown into a well, and she had clearly been brutalized before her death.

Because Li Qianlin's marriage was nigh, the king of the realm had sealed off all information regarding the affair, and Tao was given a quiet burial. Duan Gen had visited the palace the night before Tao's corpse was found.

"For a servant to stare at me so brazenly—well, I couldn't let that slide. I have to say, I did enjoy myself. I dug out her eyeballs, and she was moaning piteously as blood dripped out of her sockets."

Li Qianlin had expected that she would be able to grow out of her dislike of him, that Duan Gen would ultimately turn a new leaf with her careful guidance, but it looked as though that had only been a childish fantasy.

Some people would never change.

Li Qianlin's eyes grew resolute. She couldn't let herself be married to such a nightmare.

"Let go!" With a scream, the young woman kicked at Duan Gen's groin as she began to resist.

The unexpected kick caused Duan Gen to loosen his grip, freeing Li Qianlin from his grasp. As the only heir of the king, she could hardly just be a pretty face. Genetic energy filled her body in an instant.

"You wretch, you kicked me!" Unfortunately, her opponent was far too strong. The king of the west had heaped his son with all sorts of treasures. With a roar, darkness consumed the entire room, trapping Li Qianlin in an airless cage.

Li Qianlin bit her lips. Only now did she realize just how strong her new husband would be—as strong as a king of the realm, far stronger than the rumors had claimed.

Duan Gen drew closer and closer, but even as Li Qianlin's face grew pale, her eyes remained resolute.

"Your eyes are very pretty, and I do like how you continue to resist me. I want to dye them in the colors of pain and despair— to play with my prey, to force them to submit to me." Duan Gen cackled as he drew even closer. "Li Qianlin, the first time I met you, when you stared at me just like that, I swore to myself I'd drown you in the depths of despair."

The last sliver of light winked out as Duan Gen continued fanning Li Qianlin's fears. He reached out to her with a hand, thinking to grip her lower jaw tightly and force her to look at him.

Li Qianlin despaired.

"Li Qianlin, how do you think it'll feel to have lost your virginity before the wedding banquet? Bearing with the pain of your loins while you greet the wedding guests—just what sort of expression would you make, ?I wonder?"

"You damned bastard! I, Li Qianlin, will never submit to you, even in death!" Genetic energy roiled around her body, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before she could do anything more, however, the space in the room suddenly seemed to freeze up.

"Haha! You don't think I'd let you commit suicide, do you?" Duan Gen's lecherous hand finally made its way to Li Qianlin's lower jaw, but it suddenly vanished the moment it did so.

Li Qianlin had never expected that someone would stand up for her in her time of need, saving her from her misery and vanquishing the bastard in front of her.

As darkness overwhelmed her, she had prayed for salvation—but that lasted only an instant before cold logic and rationality took over. They were in the world of the east, in her father's palace!

Except for her father, no one would be able to stop this man, and no one would have expected him to be right here in her rooms. Her father would be very busy preparing for the wedding, and there was almost no chance she would be found.

Even so, when Duan Gen's hand disappeared, her eyes lit up in hope.

A man appeared behind Duan Gen.

The next moment, as Duan Gen's techniques shattered, she found herself able to move again.

She tilted her head and stared at her savior. Among the men she had seen, the man's face was hardly better than ordinary, but his warm gaze made her feel safer than anyone else to date.

His deep, profound eyes seemed to have a story to tell; she felt suddenly as though she knew him, even though she was certain she had never met him before.

He reminded her of the king of the east.

How had this man made his way in here?

They were in her personal chambers, on the eve of her wedding! All those who were rich and influential enough had secured an invitation to her wedding, and the security presence from these combined personages, along with the heightened security from both kings of the realms themselves, made this palace all but a fortress.

Even so, this mysterious man had somehow made it into her chambers. Furthermore, he had even managed to creep up behind Duan Gen, a man as strong as a king of the realm, while evading his notice entirely. None of the guards from outside seemed to have noticed his presence, either.

In other words, he had to be far stronger than even Duan Gen himself—he had to be on another dimension of strength entirely.

His face was rather youthful, but Li Qianlin was sure she knew everyone of note around her age in the worlds of east and west.

Duan Gen trembled subtly. "As a guard that the king of the east assigned to Qianqian, you're not bad—"

Zhang Lie clarified Duan Gen's misunderstanding with a simple action. He kneed Duan Gen's groin from the back, crushing Duan Gen's testicles like persimmons.

Before he could react, Duan Gen found his head crashing into the ceiling. He slammed back down to the floor, a patch of blood forming by his pants. He clutched his groin and yelled out in pain, curling up into a ball.

Zhang Lie kicked him and slammed down hard with one boot over his stomach, remarking leisurely, "Indeed, the soundproofing in these chambers is excellent."