Chapter 362: A Lifetime of Embezzled Wealth, Gone in an Instant

Purple smoke rose from the incense burner, filling the private box with a faint sandalwood fragrance.

Behind a jade screen, two lightly dressed maids sat holding their lutes, their expressions tense. Their slender, jade-like fingers rested on the strings, but they dared not pluck a single note.

Three banquet tables were laid out as usual, covered with exquisite dishes. However, today, the food was meticulously arranged—untouched, not a single pair of chopsticks had disturbed them.

At the secondary table on the right, a group of Great Wu officials in their formal robes sat with gloomy expressions, sighing like they had just lost their mothers.

Before each of them lay an opened letter—some crumpled into balls, others torn to shreds.

The fragmented letters were clear proof of the readers’ state of mind after finishing them.

“Two days! Just two days! A lifetime of savings, gone in an instant!”

“How could it be so fast? How is that even possible? Even if you turned all the wealth into silver notes and burned them, it wouldn’t disappear that quickly!”

“Fifth Prince… Fifth Prince… Today, I finally understand the meaning of ‘Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger’… You had your eyes on us long ago, didn’t you? Otherwise, how could it have happened so fast?”

“Not a single coin! Not even a single copper coin left! This is worse than being stripped to the bone!”

One after another, the officials wailed in despair, looking utterly defeated.

Seeing this, Minister Ma and General Zhong, who sat at the main table, exchanged bitter smiles.

Even they hadn’t expected the Fifth Prince to act so swiftly.

Not just these officials—even the two of them—had lost everything. Their homes had already been sold off; they didn’t even have an empty house left to call their own.

However, compared to the others, their mindsets were far better. They had access to more information, could see the bigger picture, and understood just how deep and unfathomable the Fifth Prince was—especially his close collaboration with the great demon, the Flood Dragon Emperor.

According to reports from their informants, on the very night they signed the contracts, countless figures dressed in black cloaks, covering their faces and bodies entirely, arrived with those contracts in hand to collect their wealth.

Many household servants, while helping to carry the treasures, noticed something eerie—the black-cloaked figures had numerous densely packed eyes beneath their sleeves and masks. Some even reported that their voices would shift unpredictably, as if multiple voices were speaking at once, emerging from unseen mouths hidden beneath the robes.

Most terrifyingly, these black-cloaked figures could fly.

After witnessing such a scene, neither the officials’ family guards nor the government soldiers stationed at their residences dared to resist.

Had the intruders been human, they might have questioned the legitimacy of the contracts. But since they were clearly not human, an instinctive fear took hold, leaving them no choice but to comply.

Moreover, the sheer number of these black-cloaked figures was overwhelming. Their operations were precise and well-coordinated:

Gold, silver, and jewels were taken away directly.

Estates and mansions were either sold, mortgaged, or handed over to refugees.

Harvestable crops from farmland were personally collected, packed, and transported.

Through this ruthless and systematic “cleansing”, the “black-cloaked army” stripped the officials of everything in less than two days, leaving them utterly destitute.

“Enough,” Minister Ma finally stood up, looking at the defeated officials with a forced smile. “Wealth is just a worldly possession. You can’t take it with you when you’re born, and you won’t take it when you die…”

“Besides, we’re all here, and we’re not lacking food or drink. As for our families… well, if you made it here today, then that means you’ve already made your choice. It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

“So cheer up. Think about the rewards that await when the Fifth Prince ascends the throne—wealth, estates, and beauties will be ours once more. And more importantly…”

He paused, his eyes gleaming.

“…the cultivation path that we will likely embark on in the future. Immortality. True freedom beyond the heavens.”

“When you look at it that way… doesn’t losing a bit of wealth now seem like a worthwhile trade?”

Hearing Minister Ma’s grand vision, the officials finally looked less dejected.

After all, handing over their fortunes had long been an inevitable outcome. The only problem was that the reality of it sinking in all at once had been a hard pill to swallow.

Seeing the officials’ expressions relax, General Zhong also stood up.

“Enough of the gloom. In a short while, an important figure from Eternal Slumber City will be arriving to discuss business with us. If you all keep looking so miserable, it won’t be appropriate.”

“An important figure?”

“Besides the ever-elusive Void Emperor, who else in Eternal Slumber City could hold such a high status that even the owner of the Hunting Arena would call them important?”

A horse-faced county magistrate couldn’t help but ask, “General Zhong, may we ask—who is this important figure?”

General Zhong flicked his robe and replied meaningfully:

“One is the Void Emperor’s brother-in-law. The other… is the Void Emperor’s wife.”

As soon as these words fell, every official at the secondary table sat up straight, their eyes filled with shock!

The Void Emperor’s brother-in-law—that would be Magistrate Wei, the magistrate of the Judgment Office. They had all met him before, since the Judgment Office functioned somewhat like a government office. In fact, he had even invited them to observe his trials once.

Of course… those so-called “trials” had been utterly atrocious—barely even qualifying as actual legal proceedings.

But still… they had no choice but to flatter and respect him.

But as for the Void Emperor’s wife, they had only heard of her—they had never actually seen her!

Just the Void Emperor’s brother-in-law alone could walk through Eternal Slumber City with unchecked authority, wielding immense power. Let alone the Void Emperor’s wife!

If they could secure her favor, it would be nearly the same as securing the favor of the Void Emperor himself!

Just as everyone was indulging in this hopeful fantasy, the door to the private chamber slowly opened. A woman, best described as regal and elegant, stepped inside with measured grace. Slightly behind her was the ever-arrogant Magistrate Wei.

A group of demon soldiers clad in black armor, armed with sharp blades, surrounded them as they entered the chamber.

At the main table, the two high-ranking officials, along with Mi Youfu, hurriedly stood up to greet them. The officials and demon cultivators at the secondary tables also rose silently, lowering their heads as if they were in the presence of an emperor.

After eagerly flattering the Void Emperor’s wife as she took her seat, the gathered officials finally sat down again.

However, after sitting down, Madam Xu did not immediately state her purpose for coming. Instead, she turned her attention to the formation within the private chamber, which was displaying a live projection of the arena.

It was currently the “intermission” period of the battle. Numerous minor demons were rushing to clear away the accumulated sand from the arena floor.

As a result, the formation’s display now provided a broad view of the entire Hunting Arena, including the spectator stands.

With a casual glance, Madam Xu quickly spotted a certain man in white. She pointed at him and smiled.

“That Mr. Gu—I imagine none of you here are unfamiliar with him, correct?”

The gathered officials all took a look and immediately voiced their agreement.

Minister Ma clapped his hands in realization. “Ah! How could we forget to invite Mr. Gu to join us here? Would Your Highness like me to send someone to bring him in?”

“After all, he is quite the favored figure by the Fifth Prince!”

Upon hearing this, Madam Xu smiled. “I know… In fact, before coming to see you all, I sought him out first to discuss a potential collaboration.”

Hearing this, General Zhong quickly said, “Then we should immediately send someone to invite—”

“But he firmly rejected me,” Madam Xu interrupted.

The moment these words left her lips, General Zhong’s face turned ashen. He forced a strained smile and swallowed the rest of his sentence.