Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

"The Earl of Glamorgan will vouch for me."

The soldier instinctively wanted to act tough, but seeing Chen Ming raise his palm again, he immediately had the wisdom to suppress his self-destructive urge and instead put on the expression he used when facing a noble lord.

"That bastard Earl of Glamorgan, he's trying to rebel!"

The soldier's first sentence left Chen Ming momentarily silent.

The Earl of Glamorgan is rebelling?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Chen Ming had never even heard of who the Earl of Glamorgan was back when he was hanging around Heaven Dou City. How did he suddenly become a rebel?

Are you stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire's soldiers? Is your territory larger than the empire's? Do you have some high-level soul masters backing you up?

No matter how weak and corrupt the Heaven Dou Empire might be, it's still an empire. Although decadence has turned it into a bloated, sluggish giant, it's not something a mere stray cat baring its claws can compare to.

At best, a stray cat might leave a few superficial scratches on the giant's body, but the giant would just crush it with brute force.

Though Chen Ming had many skeptical thoughts, he refrained from questioning the Earl's brainpower for now, given that there seemed to be interference from the powers of the God of Asura and the Goddess Rakshasa.

"Tell me everything in detail. There are plenty of soldiers here who can answer my questions. If I find out you've lied, your head will no longer stay on your neck."

"Oh, and… here's a little gift for you, just in case you get any bad ideas."

Chen Ming lightly pressed his palm against the soldier's chest. A unique poison-attribute soul power passed through the soldier's chainmail and leather armor, infiltrating his body.

With a slight mental command from Chen Ming, the poison began to stir within the soldier. The soldier opened his mouth wide, his eyes almost bulging out, screaming with all his might as he felt his internal organs being torn apart repeatedly.

Initially, Chen Ming didn't think much of it, merely observing the soldier's wailing. But he suddenly realized something was wrong.

This isn't right—he only intended to give the soldier a warning, to deter him from lying. How did it escalate into such a severe punishment?

This wasn't a warning anymore; it was pure torture!

Chen Ming quickly adjusted his mental state, calming his soul power. Though he remained expressionless, his heart was now filled with caution.

He was aware that there was a special force here inciting malice in people's hearts, and it seemed that he had been subtly influenced as well, causing his actions to veer toward excessive aggression.

"It seems that one must always think carefully before acting."

Chen Ming muttered softly as he injected some life force and soul power into the soldier, who had already rolled his eyes back.

With the infusion of life force and soul power, the previously unconscious soldier quickly regained his senses. Staring at the composed Chen Ming before him, the soldier was now consumed with fear.

If his body weren't paralyzed, he would have knelt immediately, banging his head on the ground a hundred or eighty times, and even licking Chen Ming's boots to show his utter submission.

Heavens have mercy—he had only hesitated for a moment about whether to lie and lure this terrifying man into a trap. But he ended up being tortured like this. If he were caught lying, it wouldn't matter what happened to this murderous man in the future—he would probably be tortured to the point where even suicide wouldn't be an option.

"My lord, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."@@novelbin@@

"That Earl of Glamorgan started preparing for rebellion years ago. He's been raising various taxes in his territory while reducing the taxes submitted to the Heaven Dou Empire. Over the past few years, he's been expanding his military significantly, even forcibly conscripting lowlifes like me into his army."

"Ten days ago, my superior told me that the Earl—Earl Glamorgan, that damned bastard—was going to seal off the cities and roads in his territory. Officially, we were told it was to intercept a spy from the Star Luo Empire."

"But in reality, Earl Glamorgan's tax evasion had drawn the attention of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who came to investigate. To cover up his rebellious ambitions, the Earl sent people to attack the prince's convoy."

"According to a relative of mine, the Earl has a mysterious accomplice—an evil one of some sort—who is terrifyingly powerful. With just a lift of his hand, he can summon blood mist and evil ghosts. Prince Xue Qinghe had some strong protectors and managed to escape from that bastard Earl."

"The Earl, fearing that the prince would return with the Heaven Dou Empire's army, ordered us to pay extra attention to any unfamiliar outsiders dressed in luxurious clothing."

The soldier spilled everything he knew in one breath. As someone who wasn't particularly articulate, it was the first time in his life that he discovered he had this kind of memory and eloquence.

"My lord, we, truly, absolutely don't know anything about the prince's whereabouts. I'm just a dog under that bastard Earl's command—no, the dog of a dog—this has nothing to do with me! My lord, please have mercy and spare me!"

"Where is the prince likely to be?" Chen Ming asked, gripping the soldier's throat.

"I-I don't know. I'm only responsible for blocking the perimeter and making some extra money on the side," the soldier stammered, almost in tears, repeatedly explaining that this matter had nothing to do with him as he was just a lowly soldier.

After confirming that the soldier wasn't lying, Chen Ming casually tossed him to the ground. Looking at the small town incapacitated by his colorless and odorless paralytic poison, Chen Ming felt a headache coming on.

He didn't know who his enemies were, nor did he know where the person he needed to rescue was.

Even if he revealed his strength and searched the area with brute force, it wasn't certain he'd gain anything under these circumstances.

After all, the one pulling the strings behind the scenes was the Asura God. Who knows what else might happen? Qian Renxue should logically have at least one Titled Douluo-level protector by her side, yet she was being hunted to the point of fleeing. It was hard to make sense of it all.

Chen Ming sighed, interrogated a few more soldiers, and obtained a map of the defenses before leaving the market.

Looking at the map in his hand, Chen Ming fell silent. He then pulled out a pendant imbued with the divine power and faith of the Angel God from his chest.

"Angel God above, if you truly exist, please give me guidance."

Placing the map on the ground, Chen Ming spun the pendant over it. After several rotations, the pendant stopped, its tip pointing to the northern part of the map.