Unable to escape the barrier and unwilling to disobey Qi An's orders, the merfolk had no choice but to continue watching the live stream.
For five consecutive days, Lingyue was bled out at set times each day.
His body was covered in blood and covered in knife wounds.
Those small bottles filled with blood were all sent to the emperor.
After the bleeding was finished, Zhao Cheng would order someone to stop the bleeding and then force-feed her a large amount of blood-replenishing medicine, and have someone watch over her to make sure she didn't die.
There were breaks during the blood draw, but the tears never stopped.
Excessive blood loss can be fatal, but I've never heard of someone dying from crying, so Zhao Cheng showed no mercy.
Only when Lingyue could no longer shed a single tear and had cried herself blind did Zhao Cheng reluctantly order the removal of the tear-inducing incense from the cage.
By this time, the pearls had filled more than a dozen large boxes.
Zhao Cheng thought happily, "Now even if I rebel, I'll have money to recruit soldiers and horses."
Moreover, the mermaid blood he sent had remarkable effects, greatly pleasing the emperor.
The position of crown prince is within easy reach.
On the sixth day, the emperor, no longer satisfied with just drinking blood, issued an imperial edict ordering Zhao Cheng to present the elixir of the shark.
Zhao Cheng entered the palace and told the emperor about his plan to use Lingyue to wipe out the Merfolk in one fell swoop.
"Father, one mermaid pill is too little. What if it doesn't actually add a hundred years to one's lifespan like the legends say? Where are we going to find a second one?"
Merfolk live in the deep sea and almost never appear in front of humans.
Having finally found such a ready-made bait, of course we have to make the most of it.
The emperor indeed became nervous upon hearing this, and Zhao Cheng continued:
"Why not use her as bait to lure out the merfolk and wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"
"At that time, even if a single mermaid pill only adds ten years to one's lifespan, Father Emperor can rest easy."
The emperor's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Good, we'll do it your way. If this succeeds, you won't need to be the crown prince anymore; I'll pass the throne to you directly."
Zhao Cheng was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Father Emperor. I will gladly die for you."
Upon seeing this, the merfolk trembled with rage.
Human beings are more treacherous and vicious than they can comprehend.
Capturing Lingyue wasn't enough; he even wanted to use her to lure them out and capture them all in one fell swoop.
"He's dreaming. Lingyue would never betray us," the merfolk exclaimed.
Qi An looked at their confident expressions and shook his head with amusement.
Ata, with his short legs crossed, cracked sunflower seeds with great enthusiasm: "A major face-slapping scene is about to unfold, stay tuned."
Soon after the bloodletting, Zhao Cheng pretended to order people to dig out Lingyue's merman core.
Lingyue was terrified. She thought Zhao Cheng only wanted her blood and wouldn't kill her.
She climbed to the edge of the cage, groped her way to grab Zhao Cheng's boots, and pleaded desperately:
"Ah Cheng, no, Your Highness... please, don't kill me, please, spare my life for the sake of the time I saved you."
Zhao Cheng remained silent, so Lingyue racked her brains to prove her worth to him:
"My blood is very useful. Don't you want my blood? Don't kill me, don't kill me."
Seeing their revered saintess so pathetic, wagging her tail and begging for survival like a dog before her enemy.
The merfolk's expressions grew increasingly grim.
Zhao Cheng enjoyed watching her submissive posture and said slowly, "Letting you go isn't out of the question..."
Sensing a glimmer of hope, Lingyue quickly seized it: "As long as you don't kill me, I'll do anything for you, really."
Upon hearing this, the merfolk immediately felt a bad premonition.
Zhao Cheng said slowly and deliberately, "I know that you merfolk have your own secret methods for transmitting messages."
"If you send a message to your people and lure them ashore, I will spare your life, how about it?"
Lingyue's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. What was he going to do?
The merfolk watching held their breath, waiting for the answer.
Zhao Cheng adopted an indifferent attitude: "Fine, if you don't want to do it, then men, get to work."
"I promise, I'll do it."
Hearing footsteps, Lingyue abandoned her last bit of hesitation.
She didn't want to die.
She wanted to live.
She wanted to go home.
These past few days, Lingyue has been filled with regret every single moment.
He regretted not listening to the clan leader.
He regretted saving Zhao Cheng.
She regretted believing his sweet words and vows of eternal love even more.
She really regrets it!
Hearing her agree, Zhao Cheng was pleased, but he also felt even more contempt and disdain for this woman.
To survive, they would even betray their own people; they are truly cold-blooded and selfish.
Zhao Cheng didn't consider himself a good person, but if he were captured by the enemy on the battlefield...
He would rather die than betray his motherland.
The Crystal Hall was completely silent. The merfolk were pale-faced and filled with immense disappointment.
She actually agreed?
She couldn't possibly be unaware of what Zhao Cheng was planning.
They also knew what might happen to their tribesmen who were lured ashore.
But in order to save her own life, she chose to deceive herself.
Ata chuckled: "Even if we did it all over again, she would still be this stupid."
Although he didn't know what happened to Lingyue in her previous life.
But Ata knew perfectly well that Zhao Cheng would not let her go.
Her people went to their deaths in vain.
Qi An sneered: "Believe it or not, even if we did it ten or a hundred times, she would still make the same choice."
Ata wholeheartedly agreed.
A leopard can't change its spots.
Zhao Cheng left the capital with Lingyue and headed towards the sea, accompanied by 30,000 imperial guards.
Even the Imperial Guards were dispatched; the old emperor really spared no expense.
Three days later, the merfolk in the Crystal Hall received a distress message from Lingyue.
It can only be transmitted through a secret method that damages the merfolk's core, and merfolk will not use it unless absolutely necessary.
"Lingyue knows she was wrong. I am seriously injured and will soon die. Please, everyone, save me."
To lure them ashore, she specifically emphasized that she was not far from the beach and that she was all alone.
The merfolk were still trying to find excuses for her, wondering if it was a delaying tactic to appease Zhao Cheng before telling them the truth.
Upon receiving the news, even the last glimmer of hope was extinguished.
At the same time, they were filled with lingering fear.
If the clan leader hadn't arranged for them to watch beforehand, they would have rushed to rescue her without hesitation after receiving the news.
Then he stepped into the intricate web meticulously laid by humankind.
The consequences are predictable.
The time had come, and Qi An appeared in the Crystal Hall.
He asked, "How does it feel to be betrayed? Is there anyone else who wants to save her?"
Seeing their chieftain, the merfolk finally found their leader.
They all looked at him with red eyes and helpless expressions.
Qi An sat down at the head of the table, propping his head up with his hand:
"You feel wronged and sad already? Do you know what would happen if we just went to save her like this?"
The merfolk looked at each other, unsure how to answer.
They only knew that the outcome wouldn't be good, but they couldn't really say exactly what would happen.
Looking into those bewildered eyes, Qi An was utterly speechless.
He felt it was time to let these naive and innocent people experience the wickedness of human nature.
"Come on, all of you, look up, open your eyes wide, and see what will happen to you."
A moment later, the live stream screen flickered and switched to something else.
That was the death and extermination process that the merfolk had actually experienced in their previous lives.
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