Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT) novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Demon King has two mouths to feed

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow over the landscape, Han Xin and his party finally found the person but the sight that greeted them was a grim one. The mercenary lay sprawled on the ground with foam in his mouth. He was lifeless with no markings or identification to reveal his identity. From the look of it he had crushed a capsule and poisoned himself to death. Han Xin stared at the body coldly. It was yet another dead end.

He had them take care of the body before turning back towards the camp. Han Zhan wanted to ask his cousin what he planned on doing next but Han Xin’s cold expression was all telling. Thus, the journey back was shrouded in silence. In fact, Han Zhan had a lot more questions, but he knew better than to ask, especially now. When they arrived at the campsite it was already dark.

The night was cool, and the stars twinkled in the dark sky. Inside the campsite the soldiers were chattering happily the mood more jovial than usual. Dismounting his horse, Han Zhan’s keen eyes caught sight of a group of soldiers gathered near the campfire. They were chatting loudly and in the centre of their attention was someone, though from this distance he couldn’t make out who it was.

"What’s going on there?" Han Zhan asked, turning to Jun De, who was already moving towards the group to find out. Jun De approached the soldiers, his presence commanding immediate attention. The soldiers parted, revealing Princess Xiu sitting at the centre.

Her hair was tied up in a high knot and her legs spread apart in a stance that exuded confidence and defiance. For this era, it was extremely unladylike but she looked like she could give a rat’s arse what people would think.

The soldiers around her were engrossed in the dice game, their faces a mix of excitement and despair.

Xiang Yu had amassed a small fortune, his pile of silver coins growing with each victorious round. He had two mouths to feed. Everything in his household came in doubles. He had to buy clothes, shoes, hair pins and jewellery in pairs which was very expensive. As the demon king he didn’t have to worry about money but now he was so broke and it wasn’t a good feeling. This demon king could only resort to gambling.

Lian and Mei stood behind him, their voices loud and mocking as they cheered him on. They were excellent sidekicks baiting others to give it a try and go against their master. "Come on, is that all you have got?" Lian taunted, while Mei added, "Our Highness will clean you out before the night is over! Who was it that said women can’t be good at this?"

Some soldiers, having lost their hard-earned salaries, sat dejectedly, tears of frustration glistening in their eyes. They wanted someone to teach the princess a lesson but they were also afraid that their fellow men would suffer the same fate.

Xiang Yu’s smirk grew more pronounced as he faced his next opponent, a brawny soldier known for his mastery of the dice game. Most had lost to him in the past. The reason why he didn’t intervene earlier was because he underestimated her.

A game under a weak opponent wasn’t of interest to him, but when he saw that she kept winning, he decided to wait until she had won a lot of silver coins and then challenge her. After defeating her he would have a lot of winnings without putting in a lot of effort. It would be like stealing candy from a baby.

"Are you sure you can take the heat?" Xiang Yu asked, his voice dripping with challenge.