Chapter 15: Shame

Wang Shenyang could hear voices shouting in his ears, and he struggled to keep his consciousness intact.

Then suddenly, the world went black. Wang Shenyang woke up in a dimly lit cell. He was alone, and his surroundings were unfamiliar.

Wang Shenyang tried to stand up, only to find that his arms were bound together and fastened to a metal bar.

"Where am I? What the hell happened?" Wang Shenyang gasped.

"Who dares to imprison me?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, but nobody answered.

Instead, Wang Shenyang heard a voice tell him.

"It's no use, Your Highness" Suddenly, the darkness vanished, and the cell was flooded with a red light.

Wang Shenyang couldn't recognize the room he was standing in, but It seemed to be a royal chamber.

Two men wearing imperial robes entered the room and bowed respectfully toward Wang Shenyang.

"We apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Highness," said the older man.

He was bald with thinning gray hair and a wrinkled face that reminded Wang Shenyang of an old monk.

"But we needed to ensure your safety."

Wang Shenyang stood silently.

The younger man spoke again. "As requested, I present to you to her majesty, Queen Guling"

Queen Guling stepped forward and greeted Wang Shenyang. Her voice was soft and melodious, and it carried a hint of sensuality.

"Welcome to my humble palace, human. My name is Guling. How may I serve you today?" Wang Shenyang hesitated before answering.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty. May I ask what crime I've committed to warrant such punishment?" Guling laughed lightly.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. No matter how badly a person acts, they still deserve justice. If you wish to know the reason for your imprisonment, please look to the right side of the room." Wang Shenyang glanced at the spot indicated.

To his surprise, he saw that two guards were holding a box in their hands.

"Ah…" Wang Shenyang muttered.

The box was marked with a red seal that was marked with letters of an ancient known language.

"Your Majesty, I request to be allowed to inspect the contents of this box." Queen Guling nodded.

"Of course, my dear."

With great care and reverence, Wang Shenyang removed the lid and pulled out the item inside.

It was a small jade ring. Wang Shenyang examined the jade ring carefully and immediately knew that this was the piece that was missing from the golden sword.

"How much does it cost?" Queen Guling smirked knowingly.

"Nothing, if you're willing to become my consort." Wang Shenyang froze in disbelief.

"Consort?! I mean, yes, Your Majesty. I would love nothing more than to serve you, but I'm not worthy of the honor of becoming your husband!" Wang Shenyang protested indignantly.

Queen Guling scoffed. "That's quite funny. Why would anyone ever consider themselves unworthy of serving royalty? And besides, I didn't say anything about marriage. All I wanted was for you to become my servant. Think of it as a mate, if you prefer."

Wang Shenyang shook his head vigorously in denial. "No! I refuse to accept your offer. Please release me from this prison and let me go home."

Wang Shenyang pleaded. Queen Guling sighed deeply.

"Very well then, human. Since you seem unwilling to cooperate, I'll make things easy for you. I shall permit you to leave the island. But remember, I won't tolerate any attempts to escape. Do you promise me?"

Wang Shenyang paused for a moment before replying.

"Yes, Your Majesty, but if I may ask. Why would you want someone like me to be your consort? Aren't there other more suitable candidates?" The Queen smiled broadly.

"Why thank you, human. That is very flattering of you. But believe me when I say that you are perfect for the job. Considering you possess a suitable bloodline as well. Not to mention the fact that you also happen to be handsome and young."

Wang Shenyang felt his heart skip a beat.

"If that's true, Your Majesty, then why haven't you chosen one already?" Queen Guling shrugged nonchalantly.

"Because I wasn't sure whether or not you'd agree but that doesn't really matter any more does it. Besides, I didn't know that I would end up finding you here myself." Wang Shenyang was shocked to realize that the queen had known where he was.

This meant that she was responsible for kidnapping him and imprisoning him in the first place.

"Queen Guling, I beg you to reconsider your choice. I am not fit to serve as your consort." Wang Shenyang refused to give up though.

The Queen considered his proposal and then said "Your bloodline and temperment will allow me to give birth to an offspring with great potential. Perhaps one day, this child could even become a Spiritual Transformation Realm powerhouse".

Wang Shenyang was dumbfounded.

Could the Queen be planning on having children with him? Wang Shenyang couldn't imagine what sort of twisted mind could come up with such an idea.

Still, he had no choice but to obey the queen's wishes.

"Then I will gladly take your offer. But first..." Wang Shenyang signaled to the chains that restrained him.

The guards took out their keys and unlocked Wang Shenyang's restraints.

The Queen then walked over to Wang Shenyang and placed her forehead on his forehead. "May the blessings of this Queen shower down upon thee, Human. From this day forth, you shall forever be known as 'My Consort'." Wang Shenyang looked up at Guling as a great blinding red light appeared on his forehead.

"Wait a minute... Is this some kind of joke?"

The queen chuckled lightly.

"It isn't. This soul mark will allow me to track you anywhere you go. Now get ready. I'm going to send you back to the island."

Wang Shenyang shivered slightly at the thought of being trapped in this strange land once again.

"I must warn you though, human. Don't try anything stupid or else I'll cut off your head and feed it to my pet dog." Wang Shenyang was horrified by the Queen's words.

He knew that he had little chance of surviving another attempt to escape her palm, and yet somehow managed to muster a smile anyway.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will never betray you."

He swore to himself in his heart,"I Shall Never Act Like a Damned Simp Again Even If It Were To Kill Me!"

With that, Wang Shenyang disappeared in a flash of bright red light.

Wang Shenyang awoke to find himself lying on a bed of moss, surrounded by trees and flowers.