Heavens' Laughter

"Ple—please spare me!" a man begged, his voice cracking as he fell to his knees, trembling.

His forehead nearly touched the blood-soaked ground, and crimson streaks smeared across his face and cheeks.

The man didn't care. Around him, countless bodies lay.

Feng Shen, towering like a shadow of inevitable death. He raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as if amused by the pitiful display.@@novelbin@@

"What's this? You want me to spare you?" he asked, his voice tinged with mockery as he yawned, stretching his neck lazily.

The man gulped audibly, his whole body trembling as he dared to lift his head, desperation burning in his tear-filled eyes. "I'll do anything—"

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The man's words ended abruptly, replaced by stunned silence. His face, still frozen in shock, now stared at the ground... from the wrong angle.

A fountain of blood erupted from his neck as his head hit the ground with a sickening thud, rolling to a stop.

Feng Shen stared at the decapitated head with a look of utter disgust. "Did I say you could lift your head?" His tone was cold, dripping with disdain.

Without sparing the corpse another glance, he sighed and turned on his heel, walking away with the same air of detached indifference.

"Now~ that should take care of the last group of rescuers," Feng Shen chuckled. His golden eyes glowed:

"It's time to find where all the survivors are hiding~."

Feng Shen grinned, hell-bent on ensuring no one drew another breath on these lands. Death would reign supreme, and life would be snuffed out entirely.

With that thought, he began spamming Shadow Step, his form blinking in and out of existence as he zipped across the ruined city.

In the blink of an eye, he had covered most of the area.

Eventually, Feng Shen's relentless pursuit bore fruit.

From atop a crumbling building, he spotted what he had been searching for: a large group of survivors camped just outside the city.

Makeshift tents and hastily erected barricades surrounded the area, the scene teeming with activity as people worked to fortify their refuge.

Feng Shen's lips curled into a wicked smile as he clapped his hands together in mock applause. "Perfect," he muttered.

As he leapt forward, closing the distance with each Shadow Step, his sharp eyes caught something intriguing. "Oh~?"

Among the survivors were figures clad in fine robes. Feng Shen's smile grew wider.

"Elites… the elite families of the Phoenix Empire," he mused aloud, his excitement palpable. He licked his lips, his gaze fixed on the prominent figures in the crowd:

"Ah~ it's my lucky day!"

However, Feng Shen halted before making his presence known.

From his vantage point, he observed chaos brewing within the refugee camp.

Inside the temporary refuge, heated arguments erupted between the elite families and the regular citizens.

The elites stood tall, their arrogance palpable, while the guards formed a barrier, keeping the commoners at bay.

"You fools! We're running low on food supplies! Only we, the elites, deserve the rations!" one man barked.

"My husband is right!" another elite, an elegantly dressed woman, added sharply. She pointed a manicured finger at the soldiers:

"Do not let these beggars near us, or you'll lose your heads!"

The tension thickened as more elites joined in, barking orders at the soldiers while sneering at the regular citizens.

But the commoners, desperate and furious, fought back with their words.

"This isn't fair!" one man yelled, his voice trembling with anger.

"At least feed the children!" a woman cried, clutching a frail child to her chest.

Voices overlapped, escalating into a cacophony of frustration and disdain.

The situation teetered on the edge of an outright brawl, when suddenly a gentle, commanding voice broke through the chaos:

"Everyone, please stop!"

The soft voice turned every head.

From one of the larger tents emerged a young woman. Her long, crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders, complementing her piercing red eyes.

Dressed in regal red robes adorned with golden accents.

As she came to a stop, the entire camp fell silent. One by one, every person knelt before her.

"Your Royal Highness!" they intoned in unison.

It was the 1st Princess of the Phoenix Empire.

Her eyes swept over the crowd, her expression calm but resolute.

"Everyone will get a share," the 1st Princess declared. "No matter how little we have, the children will be fed first."

At her command, her guards — all women clad in armor — nodded and began moving toward a section of the camp where boxes of food were stacked.

The guards carefully opened the boxes and started distributing the food to the children.

The 1st Princess's presence seemed to restore a fragile order, but the elites were not pleased.

Their expressions soured, and they gritted their teeth in barely concealed anger. Still, they held their tongues, unwilling to challenge her authority outright.

Feng Shen watched this unfold, an amused smile creeping across his face. "Interesting…" he muttered to himself.

The situation had just become far more entertaining than he had anticipated.

'Ah~ I've got a good idea!' Feng Shen thought.

Without hesitation, he used Shadow Step, disappearing in a blur and reappearing where the little girl was trembling.

Before she could react, Feng Shen grabbed her by the arm and whisked her away with another Shadow Step, returning to his original vantage point near the refugee camp.

The little girl, startled and exhausted, couldn't muster the strength to cry anymore. She stood there, rigid and pale, the sight of this demon-like man making her body tense with fear.

"What do you want from me now?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Feng Shen smirked and reached out, patting her head as if she were a pet. "You're my daughter for now," he said casually, nodding as though it were a perfectly natural thing to say.

His finger tapped his chin in mock thought, his expression almost playful. 'This will be too funny~.'

Before the little girl could process his words…

Feng Shen started walking toward the entrance of the refugee camp, dragging her along by the arm. Her feet shuffled awkwardly as she tried to keep up, too terrified to resist.

As they approached the camp's entrance, two guards stationed at the gate spotted them immediately. Their swords were drawn in an instant, pointing directly at them.

"Stop!" one guard barked.

Feng Shen halted, raising his hands in surrender:

"Woah~ calm down, gentlemen. I'm just trying to survive, like the rest of you!" His tone was light, almost teasing, but beneath it, his suppressed laughter and killing intent lingered.

Subtle, the guards felt a chill down their spines, as if they were being silently hunted.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ways to dispatch these two crossed Feng Shen's mind, each more brutal than the last. Yet, he held back, choosing to play along for now.

"Turn around and leave," the first guard ordered, his grip on the sword tightening.

The second guard chimed in, his voice firm. "This refugee camp is full."

Feng Shen frowned, tilting his head in exaggerated disbelief. "Really!? What about my daughter?" He gestured dramatically to the little girl, who flinched at the sudden attention:

"She's just a child! Are you really going to turn her away? She hasn't eaten in days!"

Tears began to well up in Feng Shen's eyes, his acting impeccable:

"How could you be so cruel?"

The guards exchanged uncertain glances.

Feng Shen's display of "fatherly concern" was convincing enough to give them pause, though they didn't lower their swords.

The little girl, confused and terrified, didn't dare to speak. She only stared at the ground.

After a few moments of tense silence, one of the guards finally spoke, his tone firm but apologetic. "No. I'm sorry, but it's still no."

He shook his head, gripping his sword tightly as if to reinforce his resolve. "If we make an exception for you two, then we'll have to make it for others. And we simply can't do that."

The second guard nodded in agreement, lowering his blade slightly. "It's for the greater good. Now, turn back and try to find another refuge. Stay safe until everything is cleared by the officials."

Feng Shen wiped the fake tears from his eyes with exaggerated motions, his expression twisting into something unreadable.

His patience was running thin. 'These two ants dare to deny me?' His hands twitched, the desire to crush their skulls building by the second.

But just as Feng Shen was about to give in to the urge—

"Hey! What's going on here?"

Feng Shen's eyes darted past the guards to see a young woman approaching.

The 1st princess was flanked by a single guard.

The guards at the entrance froze, their faces paling as they quickly stepped back and dropped to their knees.

"Your Highness!" they exclaimed in unison, lowering their heads.

The first guard stammered, "W-We are only doing as we were ordered, Your Highness. We were ensuring no unauthorized entries to protect the camp!"

The second guard nodded furiously:

"Yes, Your Highness. We were following the protocols to maintain the number!"