Chapter 35 Deception "Yours is all yours back." The poison needle is...

Jia Qianyang squinted, looking at the army with a hazy gaze.

Even after years in the immortal realm, he remained captivated by the overwhelming power of this weapon of mass destruction. This was the power of the Human Emperor, enough to crush all people.

The black-armored cavalry of Yong Kingdom made a silent appearance.

The people of Liyue Village were horrified to discover that the entire sacrificial site had been surrounded by an army that had infiltrated at some unknown time.

These intruders, clad in black armor, were all encased in heavy helmets, obscuring their faces. At first glance, they all looked the same; each one was merely a weapon.

Jiang Liuyun curled his lips slightly and said sarcastically, "What a grand display. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Why should a mere mountain stronghold require your country's iron cavalry to be mobilized? You are giving my Liyue Stronghold far too much credit."

Jia Qianyang slowly shook his head. "The High Priest probably doesn't understand what Liyue Village means. For the Qin family, what they want is not only the Earth Blue Stone, but also the land of Liyue Village. More importantly, they want a mineral deposit that is completely under their control. Just like cultivating wasteland, you always have to remove the weeds before you can plant crops. And you have to pull the weeds out by the roots. Doesn't the High Priest agree?"

Jiang Liuyun closed his eyes weakly. "If my people withdraw from Liyue Village now, is there any way for them to survive?"

Jia Qianyang's lips curled into a helpless smile. "Does the High Priest think this is possible? What will the Qin family gain by letting you go? But if you stay, from now on, no one in the world will know the secret of the Earth Blue Stone, and the Liyue Village will cease to exist."

"This is outrageous! I'm going to kill you heartless bastards!" A tall, middle-aged man next to Jiang Liuyun rushed forward and swung his knife at Jia Qianyang.

But his hand, which was wielding the knife, remained suspended in mid-air, not falling for a long time. He looked down and saw an arrow piercing through his heart.

Not far away, an unnamed soldier put away his bow.

Almost at the same moment he retracted his bow, the middle-aged man collapsed to the ground, like a rotten vegetable leaf no one wanted.

That was Wu Hu's father, the clan chief's nephew, and a renowned warrior in Liyue Village.

"Black Iron!"

"Black Iron!"

...

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing their people die, the people of Liyue Village could no longer bear it. They picked up their weapons and rushed forward to fight the Xuanjia cavalry.

Chaos erupted at the scene, but the Liyue villagers, long out of practice, were no match for these battle-hardened soldiers. More and more Liyue villagers fell, while the Xuanjia cavalry suffered negligible losses.

Gradually, some people tried to escape home, but before they could even leave the sacrificial ground, they were cut down by the Xuanjia cavalry. Some swung their scythes and made a desperate attack, but before they could even touch the enemy, their crude weapons and the men themselves were cut in two by the well-equipped Xuanjia cavalry.

The sacrificial ground, ablaze with blood and fire, echoed with cries of agony. On this night of worship for the Feather God, the people who believed in him were suffering a one-sided massacre.

Jiang Liuyun looked up at the night sky. The bright moon hid behind the clouds, as if it did not want to see this human tragedy.

From the moment the sky was shattered, he vaguely sensed that this was a doomed situation.

Those who go to great lengths to break through the barriers of Liyue Village will never miss the opportunity to eliminate the people of Liyue Village.

But he never expected it to be so tragic. Without the sky, Liyue Village was like meat on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.

With no way to break the deadlock, the high priest closed his eyes in despair.

As Jiang Liuyun closed his eyes, two dim stardust particles silently streaked across the night sky and landed in the mountains not far from the sacrificial site.

Two people dressed in white robes stood on the cliff, silently watching the battlefield below where blood and fire mingled.

The young man looked at the old man with pity and asked, "Elder, should we lend a hand?"

The old man's expression was indifferent. He raised only one hand to stop his disciple and said in a deep voice, "Once the Wheel of Fate begins to spin, no force can resist it. Even if we stop it this time, this stronghold will be destroyed in another form in the future. The information captured by the star chart is that the sect leader is here. So our mission is only one: to take the sect leader away."

The young man turned his gaze away from the sacrificial site, bowed his head humbly, and listened to the admonition, saying, "The elder is right; it was I who was too attached to appearances."

*

The inn was quiet; the sounds of fighting and wailing from the sacrificial site did not reach here.

Qin Yuqi sat by the bedside, watching over the unconscious Xiao Jiang.

There were no lights in the room, only a few luminous pearls glowing faintly in the darkness.

This was originally Qin Yuqi's habit: when falling asleep, he didn't want it to be too bright or too dark; the soft, dim light of the luminous pearl was just right. To him, it was merely an object for illumination. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he would reward his servants with the pearl, and whenever this happened, the servants would be moved to tears of gratitude.

But now, he prefers to stay in such a dark space, whether he is sleeping or awake, the environment is very similar to the mine that day.

After he returned, he often dreamed about what happened that day.

They were fleeing for their lives in the mine, and she held his hand tightly the whole time. In the dark, seemingly endless mine tunnels, they were close to each other, the closest people in the world. Sometimes she would struggle and resist, making him anxiously search for an exit; sometimes she would become weak and languid, glancing sideways at him as he approached. But no matter what she was like, every morning when he woke up, he would tidy himself up, leaving him in a mess.

Therefore, the emptiness in my heart is even greater.

Even though she was lying peacefully in front of him, the emptiness in his heart still made him feel unsatisfied.

He forcefully inserted his hand between her fingers, then lay down beside her fully clothed, listening to her soft breathing and inhaling the faint scent of her neck.

After tonight, they will begin their return journey. When she wakes up, he will tell her where they are going. Doesn't she also yearn for the world beyond the village? She will surely love it.

For the first time in his life, the once-noble and privileged Crown Prince of the Yong Dynasty was in such a state of utter confusion that he lost all sense of order.

Xiao Jiang's consciousness struggled for a long time; she was very uneasy in her dream. One moment she saw a giant frog covered in blood, its eyes filled with sorrow; the next she saw a sea of ​​fire, with people wailing. She wanted to see clearly who was in the fire, but she couldn't move at all. An invisible hand gripped her consciousness, rendering her immobile.

But no, she couldn't stay trapped here any longer. Even in her dreams, she could clearly feel the ominous approaching.

Xiao Jiang suddenly opened his eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is the bed curtain with its intricate patterns.

This is not her room.

She was about to get up when she met a pair of clear, dark eyes.

The owner of the eyes was so close that she had to lean back slightly to recognize Qin Yuqi.

"What do you want to do? Are you trying to run away again?" Qin Yuqi asked her, but did not give her a chance to answer.

Xiao Jiang saw him pull out another silver needle from beside his pillow. Glancing down slightly, she was surprised to find an open cloth bag beside the pillow, filled with silver needles of various sizes.

Even though she hadn't seen it before, she now understood why she had felt the stinging pain and suddenly fainted.

Unexpectedly, Qin Yuqi was so worried about her that he placed so many silver needles by her pillow after she fell into a deep sleep.

Xiao Jiang subtly moved back a little, only to find that her hand was also being held by him. Normally, she would have easily broken free, but now, she didn't know which movement would anger him and cause him to give her another injection.

"Where am I?" she asked, feigning weakness as she pressed her forehead.

"What's wrong? Where do you feel unwell? I'll call the physician."

"No, don't call for help. My head hurts so much, what did you do to me?" Before she could finish speaking, her body slumped limply to the side of the bed.

Qin Yuqi instinctively reached out to catch her, but accidentally pulled her into his arms. By the time he realized what had happened, her body heat was already seeping through his clothes, her figure and flesh pressed against his chest. Beneath his palm was her shapely back, and beside her neck was her fluffy head. Suddenly, truly holding the person he had held countless times in his dreams, Qin Yuqi's mind went blank for a moment.

Xiao Jiang's original plan was to fall to the inside of the bed, and when he leaned over to check, she could take the silver needle from his hand and subdue him. Unexpectedly, he hugged her instead, but this was even better. She hugged him back, and secretly reached for the silver needle beside the pillow with one hand.

"It's alright, you woke up too early. The medicine hasn't worn off yet. Just sleep a little longer, and the pain will go away." Qin Yuqi hugged the person in his arms tightly, gently comforting her with a voice more tender than ever before.

Qin Yuqi was immersed in the embrace, his long-empty heart finally feeling filled. He gently brushed his cheek against her hair, not daring to utter a single word, afraid of breaking this beautiful moment. He didn't notice that the person in his arms had already pulled out a silver needle and quietly held it to the back of his neck.

"The pain will stop soon..."

Xiao Jiang heard Qin Yuqi whispering in her ear.

Without hesitation, she inserted the silver needle into the back of his neck.

She let go, and the person holding him fell backward uncontrollably.

Qin Yuqi stared at her in disbelief, his eyes flashing with anger, resentment, and madness. But he could only watch helplessly as she stepped over him, unable to move, simply because he had believed her once again.

Xiao Jiang said, "I'm giving it all back to you."

Poisoned needles are one thing, deception is another.

Qin Yuqi forced his eyes open in despair, watching through his distorted vision as she swiftly leaped and vaulted out of the window. He tried to call for help, but his consciousness was fading too quickly; he could do nothing but watch helplessly as she disappeared without a trace.

After leaving the inn, Xiao Jiang ran frantically, her heart pounding so hard she felt like she was going to vomit. She finally arrived at her small courtyard, but the house was empty, even the bathtub was empty—

Xiao Hai has also disappeared.

He had made a promise with her before he left, saying he would wait for her to come back.

A strong sense of unease enveloped Xiao Jiang. She remembered the contract Xiao Hai had mentioned before—that as long as she moved a finger, he would sense her and respond to her.

Xiao Jiang tried moving his little finger.

There was no response.

A suspicion began to surface, but Xiao Jiang tried to suppress it. No, Xiao Hai said he wouldn't leave; something must have happened.

Xiao Jiang tried to calm herself down, but looking out from her house, flames were shooting into the sky in the direction of the sacrificial site, and she could faintly hear shouts of killing in the wind. She didn't know what was happening, but her heart was racing.

Apart from the firelight at the sacrificial site, there was no other light around Xiao Jiang. The houses in the village stood silently like dead objects. She didn't see a single person on her way to the sacrificial site, but she encountered someone who shouldn't have been there by the river.

The priestess Qingdai.

Qingdai stopped Xiaojiang as soon as she saw her.

"Don't go over there, don't go any further."

Qingdai grabbed Xiaojiang's arm, her red eyes filled with an unyielding determination.

Xiao Jiang asked, puzzled, "Shouldn't you be at the sacrificial site?"

Qingdai's eyes flickered slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "I've come to find you."

Xiao Jiang's bad premonition suddenly intensified. "We'll talk about it later. I'm going over there. Don't stop me."

"There will be no future!" Qingdai suddenly roared, tears welling in her eyes. "Jiang Yuhuo, you know nothing! Liyue Village has been destroyed by you! From the moment you killed the mountain god, Liyue Village was finished!"

The roar was like a thunderbolt, striking Xiao Jiang and leaving him rooted to the spot.

She was stunned, her mind a complete mess. "Tell me, who...did I kill?"