Chapter 36 Slaughter "How about I use this fine knife you gave me to kill you..."
"Tell me, who...did I kill?"
Qingdai remained silent, only staring at Xiaojiang with her red eyes, large tears streaming down her face.
Xiao Jiang's voice was hoarse as she recalled the enormous monster lying in a pool of blood, such a ferocious and violent monster.
How could it be... the mountain god?
The mountain god taught her magic through birds, and she always regarded the mountain god as her master. The mountain god asked the birds to bring her a green jade stone to protect her life.
Green jade...
She used the elixir given to her by the mountain god to kill him...
She killed her own master...
Xiao Jiang suddenly felt all her strength drained away, and her body had to hunch over. She remembered the mountain god's last look at her, his gaze kind and sorrowful, like an elder looking at a disobedient child.
She slit its throat with her own hands. The heat of the blood that had splashed on her body had not yet dissipated, and the smell of blood seemed to still linger in her nose. That sticky, hot sensation returned, like a nightmare that soaked her from head to toe.
"The mountain god is dead, and the heavenly protection of Liyue Village is gone."
Qingdai's words rang in his ears, but Xiao Jiang could no longer quite understand them.
She couldn't understand why this was happening.
Why didn't you tell me?
Why did no one ever tell her what the mountain god looked like? If she could recognize the mountain god, why would she have made that slash...?
Xiao Jiang closed her eyes. The image of the mountain god's final fall lingered in her mind, stubbornly imprinted there, causing her pain as if it had taken root deep within her.
“No one can tell you, no one has ever seen it.” Qingdai took a breath, her tone gradually regaining its calm.
The existence of the mountain god was a secret of the temple, known only to a few shamans, let alone those who had actually seen him. Yet Jiang Yuhuo killed him.
Qingdai knew perfectly well that Jiang Yuhuo had fallen into a trap and been used by Jia Qianyang, but when Liyue Village had to bear the consequences, she still couldn't help but hate her.
She knew perfectly well that she should hate Jia Qianyang, and hate the executioners of the Qin family who had personally murdered her clansmen, but when she saw Jiang Yuhuo still completely oblivious, innocent and pure like a child, she felt it was unfair—
She wanted to stain her with darkness, to atone for her wrongdoings and sins, so that her heart would forever bear the shackles of morality.
Qingdai spoke slowly, her tone calm yet cruel, "Do you know? The Qin family knows the secret of the sky above Liyue Village. Now that the sky barrier is gone, they have no scruples. Right now, they are slaughtering the people of the village on the sacrificial site! They want to bring Liyue Village completely under their control! And the High Priest sent me back to find you, to take you to the mountains and forests, so that we can leave this place and live out our lives in anonymity."
"Tell me, what wrong did those who stayed behind to wait for death do?"
Xiao Jiang couldn't utter a single word. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks and dripped quietly into the soil. She turned her back, her eyes fixed on the blazing fire of the sacrificial altar. She wiped her face with her sleeve and walked straight toward the altar.
"Stop right there!" Qingdai suddenly shouted at her. "Don't you understand what I'm saying? Going there will only be a pointless death for you!"
Qingdai didn't want her to have an easy time. She hated Jiang Yuhuo, but she didn't want her to die.
Xiao Jiang stopped, her back ramrod straight, and glanced back at the people behind her. "How do you know it wasn't them who died?"
Qingdai was startled by the glance that swept over her. Those eyes burned with a fierce intensity, carrying an aura that seemed ready to ignite a wildfire. The oppressive aura emanating from him was just like that of a wild beast dominating a mountaintop.
This look reminded Qingdai.
She could not forget that the person in front of her had once killed the mountain god with his bare hands as a mortal. Even though she had received the blessing of that old cultivator, she was still just a thirteen-year-old girl, a mortal who killed a god at the age of thirteen.
But was she really just an ordinary person?
Jiang Yuhuo's figure grew farther and farther away.
"The priest and my father went through so much trouble to create this chance to escape. You'll only let them down if you go!" Qingdai roared from behind.
Xiao Jiang paused briefly. This time, she didn't turn around, only leaving behind the words, "Take the other children and go. Even if I die, I want to die with my loved ones."
*
"You old thief, die!"
The chieftain of Liyue Village swung his knife at Jia Qianyang with all his might. His powerful muscles burst forth with the fierce strength he had honed since his prime. Anyone would have died under that knife.
But just as the knife was about to fall on him, Jia Qianyang suddenly vanished mysteriously, turning into a wisp of smoke that dissipated in the air, only to reappear as a solid entity a short distance away in the next instant.
He still had a smile on his face, but it gave people the feeling of shivers down their spines.
The clan chief's slash missed the person, but instead split the table in front of Jia Qianyang in two.
But Jia Qianyang was already far away, making it even more impossible for his second strike to hit him.
A small squad of armored knights rushed up to protect Jia Qianyang, and the weapons of both sides clanged as they fought.
"Clang—"
With a crisp clang, the Xuanjia cavalry's saber cleaved the clan chief's sword in two.
The chieftain of Liyue Village was slightly stunned. This was already the knife made by the best blacksmith in the village. He did not expect that it was so far inferior to the weapons of Dayong.
In the life-or-death struggle, a moment's hesitation can be fatal. The Xuanjia cavalry, fresh from the battlefield, naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. The leader of the Xuanjia army seized the opening and immediately swung his blade again. Leng Feng drew a graceful arc in the air, cleanly and decisively severing the opponent's head.
The old but still powerful body lay sprawled on the ground, its head flying a distance through the air before rolling down beside the still-burning fire.
The firelight illuminated the head, blood obscuring his face, and only half of his eyes could be seen in the light and shadow, wide open in disbelief, resentment, and unwillingness to rest in peace.
With the slightest gust of wind, the flames licked at the head's disheveled hair.
"Qinglian!" Jiang Liuyun roared, struggling with his last remaining strength to retrieve his old friend's head.
In the legends of Liyue Village, the dead, who have no heads, become eyeless spirits who cannot find their way home.
Jiang Liuyun brought the head back to his old friend's side, knelt on the ground, and futilely tried to put the head back together with his body, grieving silently.
His name was Qinglian. In his youth, he was the eldest son of the Qing family. Later, he became the clan chief of Liyue Village. He spent his whole life protecting his homeland, but even if he died for it, he could not stop the massacre that wiped out his clan.
"Your Excellency, is it truly necessary to slaughter civilians who are powerless to resist?"
Liu Dan closed his eyes and looked up at the sky helplessly. He couldn't bear to watch any longer. He knew he shouldn't ask, but he still couldn't help but speak.
The original plan was to formally take over Liyue Village on the day of the festival, with His Highness the Crown Prince and Jia Qianyangzai completing the handover at the ceremony. He had set off for Cangwu County a few days earlier to lead the Xuanjia Cavalry, which had already gathered in the county seat, into the village. On the day of the festival, anyone who disobeyed or disobeyed would be executed on the spot.
But no one knows what Jia Qianyang said to His Highness, which made His Highness agree to order the complete eradication of the entire Liyue Village.
Liu Dan originally thought that after so many years as an official, he had developed a heart of stone. But when he witnessed so many innocent men, women, and children lying dead on the spot, and so many lives lost before his eyes, he realized that he still couldn't do it. He could never become a ruthless executor of orders.
For example, right now, he desperately wanted to stop all of this, to halt this absurd act of violence. Unfortunately, he was just a civil official, without military power. The highest authority on this mission, besides His Highness the Crown Prince, was Jia Qianyang. Without His Highness the Crown Prince's order, the Xuanjia Cavalry would not listen to him at all.
Damn it, where did His Highness the Crown Prince go?!
Jia Qianyang paid no heed to his colleague's words. He was completely absorbed in the scene at the sacrificial site. Blades fell, blood splattered, and roars and howls wove together into a dense net, gripping his spirit. To him, this was the true feast.
Seeing that Jia Qianyang was feigning death and not responding, Liu Dan became even angrier. He strode up to Jia Qianyang, only to be horrified to find that Jia Qianyang's eyes were filled with fanaticism, and he couldn't see him at all.
The usually unassuming imperial advisor's sallow face was now flushed with a sickly redness, and his eyes held the greedy excitement of a wolf eyeing blood as he watched the massacre.
Jia Qianyang caressed the dove-shaped staff in his hand with abandon. The staff was originally jet black, but now, the blackness on the staff seemed to have a life of its own. Some kind of substance surged and undulated inside the staff, slowly moving towards the dove carved at the top of the staff, making the original jet black of the dove even shinier and smoother. Two dots converged at the dove's eyes, emitting a captivating gaze just like a human's.
This ghostly thing seemed to be greedily drawing power from the slaughter, almost like a living being.
Liu Dan felt a chill run down his spine, but he still had to pull Jia Qianyang out of the bloody feast. He raised his voice and said, "Have you seen enough? Can we end this now? This massacre has been enough!"
Jia Qianyang's fanatical gaze quickly turned cold at his words, and he finally shifted his attention to the angry fat man.
People who are steeped in traditional ethics and morality always seek moderation and believe that maintaining stability is the only correct path. These people will never understand the pleasure that destruction brings.
Only after the deaths of these people from Liyue Village can this land be filled with people from Dayong.
Only destruction can bring about new life; destruction and rebirth are the laws governing the operation of all things.
What is human life compared to the will of Heaven?
Jia Qianyang smiled contemptuously, "It's just a few enemies dying. Does a dignified official like you have to sympathize with the enemy?"
"Lord Sicheng, have you seen those people lying under the food table? Those are all soldiers of Dayong who were poisoned by this group. They followed you all the way to this barbaric land. Did they come here to die? If even the people who are the leaders of Dayong don't want to avenge them, how disappointed they must be. They will not be able to die in peace."
Jia Qianyang's gaze shifted, and he raised the dove-shaped staff he had been holding. "Black Armor Cavalry, listen to my command! These barbarians are treacherous and have harmed my brothers. Their entire clan must be exterminated. Not a single one should be spared!"
Jia Qianyang's voice was loud and calm, and could be clearly heard in every corner of the sacrificial site.
"Someone, Lord Si Cheng is tired. Take him away to rest."
No sooner had he finished speaking than two soldiers came up and subdued Liu Dan from the left and right, taking him back.
Unable to break free, Liu Dan could only point at Jia Qianyang's nose and curse, "Jia Qianyang, you treacherous villain, how dare you treat me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll go back and report to His Majesty? Where is His Highness the Crown Prince? I want to see His Highness!"
With a flick of his staff, Jia Qian sent a beam of light shooting out from the tip, sealing Liu Dan's mouth and rendering him unable to utter another word.
"idiot."
Although Jia Qianyang did not take Liu Dan's threat seriously, he also disliked his nagging, which disturbed the beautiful sounds of this bloody feast.
Liu Dan was dragged away, but another person quietly approached him.
Jiang Liuyun, who had been kneeling on the ground on the verge of death, stood up at some point. Jia Qianyang and the soldiers of the Xuanjia Cavalry around him were all drawn to Liu Dan, and no one paid any attention to the dying man.
Jiang Liuyun knew he wouldn't last much longer; his breath was extremely weak, yet his gaze remained fixed on the neck of the old man whose back was to him. Jia Qianyang was short, while Jiang Liuyun was thin but tall; he could see the faint pulsation of the veins on the side of Jia Qianyang's neck...
Suddenly sensing something, Jia Qianyang was about to turn around when a cold dagger pierced his neck.
He instinctively tried to use magic to stop the wound, but found that he couldn't mobilize his spiritual power. The life force of this body was rapidly draining away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the knife stuck in the side of his neck—it was jet black with a line of dark blue.
"How about I use this fine knife you gave me to kill you?"
Jiang Liuyun let out a soft sneer, blood gushing from his hand. If he had drawn his sword now, Jia Qianyang's blood would have splattered everywhere, but he didn't.
He used all his strength to plunge the blade deep into Jia Qianyang's neck, then cut from one side to the other. Under the deep and clean cut, Jia Qianyang's blood gushed out like a fountain.
Jia Qian's throat was completely severed, and blood kept gushing from his mouth. He couldn't utter a single word anymore, only hearing Jiang Liuyun say:
"I learned this from my daughter."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
