Chapter 178 A prisoner treated them like dogs and pigs in front of me...
A sudden gust of wind arose in the square in front of the main hall.
Xiao Daozun's disheveled hair danced wildly in the wind, and his once solemn and dignified imperial robes were now covered with splattered blood and dust, making him appear exceptionally deranged.
Blood droplets were dripping from the blade of his long sword, falling one by one onto the stone slab—a horrifying sight.
Before him stood his eldest son, Xiao Zonggan, who was only ten years old.
The child's small body trembled violently with fear.
Xiao Daozun looked at his son, but felt no pity.
With the empire already ruined, he felt that the Xiao family bloodline should not be treated like pigs and dogs, begging for survival under the enemy's feet.
After thinking it over, he raised his sword and stood up.
"Your Majesty, stop!" A hoarse roar pierced the air as Xiao Chengyan staggered forward, covered in blood, tightly cradling two young princesses in his arms, his eyes bloodshot: "Zonggan is still a child, how could you lay a hand on him!"
Empress Luo was holding Xiao Zonggan and weeping uncontrollably, begging Xiao Daozun to show mercy.
Xiao Daozun abruptly stopped his knife, turned his head and shouted sharply: "If we don't kill them, are we going to let them surrender and live a life of shame, thus disgracing the Xiao family?"
Xiao Chengyan placed the two children in his arms behind him and stepped forward: "Since the founding of our Xiao clan, when have we ever slaughtered our own flesh and blood in the face of a powerful enemy? Zonggan is only ten years old this year, and now you want to kill him with your own hands?"
Then, Xiao Chengyan kowtowed heavily: "Your subject is willing to swear on his life that as long as he has a breath left, he will protect them and fight his way out of the encirclement. If he ever sees them kneeling before the enemy, he will personally end their lives!"
"Please, Your Majesty, show mercy!"
Xiao Daozun let out a cold laugh: "Cheng Yan, you are too naive. Do you think I care about whether they will surrender? What I want is for everyone to remember that the Xiao royal family would rather die without descendants than live a life of dishonor!"
The blade grazed Xiao Chengyan's ear, pointing directly at the two trembling princesses behind him: "If we let them go today, what will future generations of history write? They'll say that the Xiao family is greedy for life and cowardly, that even ten-year-old children know how to survive!"
Xiao Daozun's voice suddenly rose: "I would rather the Xiao family line die out than live as a broken jade than as a whole tile."
Just as Xiao Daozun raised his sword, a loud crash came from the distant palace gates as they collapsed. Shouts of battle nearly shook the entire palace, and the heavy sounds of soldiers and armor clashing filled the air.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of heavily armored imperial guards rushing into the courtyard. The general in charge was none other than Sang Yueshi, who had betrayed Yan Yue on the northern frontier battlefield a few months ago.
"Your Majesty!" Sang Yueshi knelt on one knee and said urgently, "The North Gate has been breached, and the rebel army will arrive soon. We are willing to risk our lives to protect you and the princes as they evacuate!"
The soldiers behind him knelt down in unison, the clanging of their armor resounding solemnly: "Your Majesty, please withdraw!"
Xiao Daozun paced back and forth angrily, his blade pointed directly at Sang Yueshi: "Withdraw? Do you know what you're saying?"
Sang Yueshi stood ramrod straight: "I know Your Majesty will blame me, but at this moment the garrison at the North Gate is using their flesh and blood to delay the enemy. If Your Majesty insists on dying, then the blood of those soldiers will have been shed in vain!"
"Shut up!" Xiao Daozun kicked him over: "Today I will show the world what it means for a monarch to die for his country."
"Your Majesty!" Xiao Chengyan couldn't bear to see him so stubborn: "You may not think of yourself, but think of the ancestors enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! If the Xiao family bloodline is severed today, how will we face them in the future?!"
His words enraged Xiao Daozun so much that the veins on his forehead bulged. But before he could speak again, smoke and dust billowed at the palace gate, and the character "Yan" embroidered on the flag was glaringly bright in the firelight. A large number of Beiya soldiers filed in.
In an instant, they surrounded everyone in the square in front of the palace—princes, concubines, eunuchs, and maids.
The atmosphere instantly became solemn and tense.
In the deathly silence and under the intense gaze of countless eyes, Huan Xun rode his warhorse and slowly stepped in.
Wherever he went, the generals of the Northern Cliff Army silently parted to the left and right.
After sweeping over the mess on the ground, Huan Xun reined in his horse and stopped, finally landing on Xiao Daozun's blood-dripping blade.
The moment Sang Yueshi saw the banner with the character "严" (Yan), he was completely rooted to the spot.
He unconsciously tightened his grip on the knife hilt; he was too familiar with this flag, and he was too familiar with the man.
They, who once fought side by side on the snowy border, have now reunited in this way.
When Huan Xun's gaze swept over him, a chill ran down Sang Yueshi's spine. He looked at them as if he were assessing a group of livestock waiting to be slaughtered.
Sang Yueshi realized that today, neither the Xiao royal family nor their generals could escape death.
However, he could not allow the Xiao royal family to be destroyed.
Thinking of this, he suddenly ripped off his helmet and threw it heavily to the ground. He staggered out of the ranks, tumbling and crawling to Huan Xun's horse, kowtowing repeatedly: "General! General Huan! Please have mercy and let my emperor leave!"
Huan Xun sat high on his horse, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Sang Yueshi's terrified face without lingering.
At this moment, Xiao Daozun looked at Huan Xun, took two steps forward, and put on a disdainful and mocking smile: "I thought you would arrive earlier, but I didn't expect you to be so late."
The wind grew stronger, and the sun had long since disappeared behind the clouds.
Twelve years later, the two met again.
When Xiao Daozun led his army to slaughter the Red Falcon tribe, Huan Xun was only six years old, but his appearance had already changed drastically.
Even if he didn't remember his face, Xiao Daozun could still see the hatred that had been brewing for twelve years in his unfathomable black eyes.
He didn't need to ask; he was certain who was sitting on the horse.
Looking at the person opposite him whom he had remembered for twelve years, Huan Xun dismounted with a steady and deliberate movement.
Seeing that he remained silent, Sang Yueshi knew that he, like Yan Yue, had no forgiveness for traitors.
But the mistake had already been made, and he could only kowtow again, pleading for Xiao Daozun: "General, all the blame lies with me, I beg you..."
“A traitor.” Before he could finish speaking, Huan Xun finally spoke, his voice low, interrupting him: “What are you still yelling about here for?”
Before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light appeared.
Sang Yueshi's eyes widened suddenly. He looked at the person in front of him in disbelief. The bloodline in his throat expanded rapidly, and blood gushed out.
He futilely covered his wound with his hand, trying to say something, but could only utter broken gasps of "hoarse, hoarse..."
Then, he swayed and fell heavily into a pool of blood, his eyes still fixed on the direction where Huan Xun was.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
There was not a single interrogation, nor a single process of conviction.
In Huan Xun's view, whether or not to investigate was meaningless; it was only natural that the traitor would pay the price with his life for what he had done.
Fan Tian and Guan Zheng, two veteran generals of the Northern Cliff Army who had fought alongside Sang Yueshi, stood to the side and their faces showed undisguised shock upon witnessing this scene.
Even Xiao Chengyan was so shocked by this cold and decisive strike that he forgot to breathe.
They were colleagues once, so it's hard not to be moved to see the other person end up like this.
Huan Xun acted as if he had done something insignificant, expressionlessly stepping over Sang Yueshi's warm corpse, walking through the bloodstains towards Xiao Daozun, and stopping about twenty paces away from him.
He raised his hand and waved. The soldiers behind him immediately escorted a large number of members of the Xiao royal family forward. Amidst cries and struggles, the group knelt down in rows.
These desperate faces all showed fear.
“Your family is all here,” Huan Xun said calmly. “They are here today because of you. And of course, they will die because of you.”
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; you should be very clear about this principle."
Even at such a critical moment of life and death, Xiao Daozun showed no fear on his face.
He glanced at the trembling members of the Xiao clan and a twisted smile appeared on his lips.
His face was a mixture of blood and madness, making him look like a demon crawling out of hell.
"Huan Xun..." he said with a smirk, "You must have been so angry with me all these years that you couldn't sleep. You climbed from a lowly commoner to this position today, just to be able to stand before me. It wasn't easy for you. It really wasn't easy for you!"
These words enraged Guan Zheng, who glared at him and shouted, "Xiao Daozun! Watch your words! How dare a prisoner spout such nonsense here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huan Xun stopped Guan Zheng from saying anything more.
"Let him speak." Facing Xiao Daozun's provocation, he remained calm and said indifferently, "The wail of a defeated dog is the most melodious."
Upon hearing the news, the smile on Xiao Daozun's face suddenly froze.
"Defeater?" His eyes suddenly sharpened. "Huan Xun, do you really think I don't know why you've come?"
As he spoke, he reversed the long sword in his hand, the tip of which was pointed directly at his group of terrified children.
He didn't even glance at the kneeling relatives, but spat out the resolute words through gritted teeth: "They can kill me if they want, but I will personally end the lives of all my direct descendants, not a single one will be left to you!"
Before he finished speaking, a fierce glint appeared in his eyes, and he swung his sword at a prince who was frozen in fear.
"Royal brother—!" Xiao Chengyan's roar rang out at the same time as the sound of a blade cutting through the air.
He was closest, and almost instinctively lunged forward, shoving the prince aside with his shoulder and raising his right hand to block.
The sound of a sharp blade cutting into flesh was dull and terrifying, and Xiao Chengyan's sleeve was instantly stained red.
He used his own arm to block the fatal blow.
The pain forced him to clutch his arm, stagger and kneel down, desperately shielding his nephew behind him: "Brother, I beg you! The child is innocent!"
Immediately, he looked up at Huan Xun and said, "Huan Xun, I beg you to show leniency. I'm willing to risk my life to guarantee that I'll kill myself on the spot if you spare these children!"
Almost simultaneously, Empress Luo also broke free from her support, her phoenix crown tilted completely, and her pearls and jade scattered all over the ground.
Disregarding her dignified bearing as an empress, she rushed to Huan Xun's horse, tears streaming down her face, ruining her makeup: "General, my son Zonggan is only ten years old, and my two daughters are only eight. They are so young and innocent! Please, for the sake of these innocent children, spare them! I will bear all the blame!"
Faced with this heart-wrenching plea, Huan Xun's eyes remained completely unmoved.
He simply raised his hand to signal the soldiers to forcibly drag the distraught queen away.
After a moment, he spoke: "Today, I am only asking Xiao Daozun to repay the blood debt he owes. Your lives and your current predicament are all the evil consequences he sowed in the past. I am merely repeating what he did in front of him."
"But General, do you really intend to follow the example of a tyrant and harm innocent children?!" the Empress cried out, struggling.
Seeing that the Empress was still pleading, Xiao Daozun shouted angrily, "You vile woman! Get out of here!"
Seeing Xiao Chengyan kneeling on the ground, he became even more enraged and kicked the other man in the chest.
The kick was delivered with all its might, sending Xiao Chengyan tumbling several meters away before crashing into a broken stone pillar and vomiting blood.
"I, a man of the Xiao family, would rather die standing! Who gave you permission to kneel before this traitor!" Xiao Daozun's eyes were bloodshot, and his hand holding the long sword trembled.
The two little princesses were so frightened that they ran to help Xiao Chengyan, who was vomiting blood. The scene was extremely tragic.
Xiao Daozun stopped looking at them and turned to look coldly at Huan Xun, his eyes resolute: "I will never let you have your way!" After saying that, he did not hesitate and swung his sword at the terrified crown prince.
"Brother, no—!" Xiao Chengyan screamed hoarsely, struggling to rush over, but his injuries made it difficult for him to move.
Just as the gleaming blade was about to touch the prince's throat.
With a "whoosh," a sharp arrow pierced the air, and with a sharp sound, the sword in Xiao Daozun's hand was struck by the arrow, the enormous force causing the blade to break apart.
The broken blade grazed the prince's pale cheek before crashing to the ground.
Everyone looked on in astonishment, only to see an archer putting away his bow in the ranks behind Huan Xun.
Huan Xun picked up his sword, ran his thumb along the blade, and raised his eyelids to speak: "Xiao Daozun, you may not understand the situation yet. Now, I'm in charge here."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he bent his arm and wiped the blood off his sword.
He then casually took a knife from the waist of a captain. With a flick of his wrist, the knife landed at Xiao Daozun's feet.
“Let’s start with you.” His voice was low but clearly audible in the wind: “Let me see if Emperor Xiao’s bones are harder than a knife.”
His actions were less a duel and more like a cat playing tricks on a mouse before eating it.
He wanted Xiao Daozun to personally experience the despair and helplessness the Red Falcon Clan felt when facing the butcher's knife in his hand.
He intends to repay them in kind.
Xiao Daozun stared intently at the knife at his feet, then suddenly let out a maniacal laugh: "Fine! Fine! I'll grant your wish!"
He grabbed the knife from the ground and charged at Huan Xun with a roar.
This strike, imbued with all his hatred, was aimed straight at Huan Xun's face.
Xiao Daozun also possessed martial arts skills, and the killing intent brought by this strike was immense.
Huan Xun slightly turned his body, and the blade grazed past him.
Before Xiao Daozun could stop his attack, he struck Xiao Daozun's wrist hard with the back of his blade.
Enraged, Xiao Daozun unleashed a flurry of slashes, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Huan Xun's clothes.
Like toying with a trapped beast, Huan Xun would add a wound to his body with each block, and then leap into the air, kicking and shattering his kneecap as he landed.
He didn't give Xiao Daozun a chance, and with a backhand slash, he cut a bloody gash on Xiao's cheek, and then the hilt of his knife followed up, striking Xiao's abdomen heavily.
Xiao Daozun suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole body seemed to have been ripped out of its bones, and he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth, quickly forming a glaring pool of blood beneath him.
He struggled to raise his head, his resentful and venomous gaze fixed on Huan Xun.
Xiao Chengyan and the Empress rushed forward in alarm, frantically supporting Xiao Daozun's swaying body amidst cries of distress.
Huan Xun didn't even glance at Xiao Daozun, and went straight to the young prince who was so frightened that he forgot to cry.
He grabbed the frail child, like lifting a lamb to the slaughter, the blade pressed against his neck.
The young prince was so frightened that he froze, too afraid to move.
"Do you remember?" Huan Xun turned his head and looked at the dying Xiao Daozun, his eyes were terrifyingly calm: "Twelve years ago, you did the same thing, grabbing those children by the collar and killing them all in front of me like dogs and pigs."
“You don’t want me to kill your direct bloodline? I’ll show you.” With that, he fell silent, his arm muscles tensed, and he raised the knife in his hand, the blade reflecting a chilling light.
Just as he raised his sword to strike, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out from outside the palace gates:
"Huan Xun—!"
Outside the palace gates, a heart-wrenching, almost distorted scream suddenly rang out.
It pierced through all the noise and stabbed the eardrums of everyone present.
Huan Xun's arm, which was about to strike, paused slightly upon hearing the sound.
Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.
A slender figure in plain clothes was seen rushing towards him through the dust and smoke at the palace gate.
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