Liu Qingi abruptly turned her head to look outside the hall, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.
She had never considered marrying. Gu Tianxing's strength was inferior to her own, and his flippant, irreverent attitude made him soone she would never take seriously. And now, she was supposed to marry him? She'd rather be killed and be done with it.
"It's not just about you marrying him," Liu Xuejun continued. "Even if you were asked to die, you should be prepared to do it! If you don't even have the awareness to make a small self-sacrifice, to face death with courage, how can you consider yourself one of us?"
A commotion suddenly rippled through the crowd. Many people exchanged covert glances and grew restless, seemingly preparing to voice their support for Liu Xuejun.
"Father, every minute we delay puts Red Lotus Valley in greater danger. How many more people have to die?" Liu Xuejun stood up, pleading earnestly with an elder seated at the head of the room.
Imdiately, several people chid in with their agreent, the selfishness of human nature on full display.
The elder, the Valley Master of Red Lotus Valley, spoke calmly, "Xuejun, if we needed to trade your life to survive this crisis, would you agree without hesitation?"
"Why should I agree? I haven't done anything wrong…"
Perhaps out of panic, Liu Xuejun almost blurted out her true feelings. Although she stopped herself in ti, her face turned extrely ugly, as if she had just swallowed a dead fly.
"Father, I…" Liu Xuejun wanted to explain, but she didn't know where to begin.
The elder, whose na was Liu Changzheng, shook his head and sighed. "Marrying Qingi to Gu Tianxing is no different from killing her. Besides, what has she done to deserve this?"
"If you are unwilling, what right do you have to ask Qingi to go in your place?"
At this, Liu Changzheng's fury erupted. The imnse anger surged from him, filling everyone present with a palpable sense of dread.
The rhetorical question made Liu Xuejun's face turn ashen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the very people who had just supported her now had their heads bowed in silence, afraid of being implicated. Realizing her mistake, Liu Xuejun quietly sat down and gulped several mouthfuls of tea to suppress the terror in her heart.
"Have you forgotten that Qingi is your niece?" Liu Changzheng's chilling gaze was like two sharp daggers aid straight at Liu Xuejun. "How could you, as her aunt, say such heartless things?"
Liu Xuejun was speechless.
"Father, I… I was only thinking of what's best for Red Lotus Valley! Perhaps my words were wrong, but at least my intentions were good. I don't think I was wrong."
"Slap her face!" Liu Changzheng ordered.
A butler, who had been standing at the entrance the entire ti, imdiately nodded and walked toward Liu Xuejun.
Paralyzed with fear, Liu Xuejun's face turned deathly pale. She fell to her knees and begged pitifully, "Father, I know I was wrong! I'll never do it again."
Liu Changzheng said indifferently, "I taught you from a young age: before you do anything, you must first learn to be a person of integrity and virtue. Have you never taken that to heart?"
As the saying goes, do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. How much more so when it involves a person's life or death?
Without a word, the old butler swung his hand.
SLAP!
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Liu Xuejun's mouth as she tumbled to the ground.
A deathly silence fell over the vast hall.
Though over sixty, Liu Changzheng stood tall and imposing. But compared to his usual self, he now carried an air of weariness, the deep exhaustion of a man at his limit.
"Even if they cut to pieces, I will not sacrifice a single one of my kin to save myself."
Having spoken, the old man stood, his hands clasped behind his back. His bearing was as unyielding as iron. Squinting, he commanded, "Hear my order! The entire valley will prepare for battle! Open the gates and et the enemy!"
His words resonated with force, bursting with killing intent.
"Furthermore, any who consider betraying our kin shall be executed."
The hall fell silent once more. The fear of death is human nature. They had thought that by claiming the moral high ground, they could manipulate the situation and force soone to their death. But this old man stood firm, his character and spirit unbroken.
Within minutes, ninety percent of Red Lotus Valley's experts had assembled under Liu Changzheng's command.
A cold wind blew through the fields of flowers.
Liu Changzheng took Liu Qingi's hand, a warm, loving smile on his face. "Are you scared?"
"Grandpa, I…"
Liu Changzheng waved his hand to stop her, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Say nothing. I won't agree to it. If I may say so myself, I've always been quite open-minded. When Liu Xu fell in love with that man from the secular world, didn't I let her leave the mountain?"
At this, the old man sighed to himself. But it only led to her ruin.
"Right, tell about that rascal, Chen Yang."
Liu Qingi, who had been disheartened, suddenly broke into a smile. "That guy is a genius! And just like you, Grandpa, he lives his life with pride and dignity. He started as an orphan and, through sheer effort, beca the War God of the State, commanding millions of soldiers. His glorious deeds are too many to recount in such a short ti."
Liu Changzheng chuckled. "So, hearing you describe him, the boy takes after , does he?"
He couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh.
Has this old man's skin grown thicker with age?
「Half an hour later, outside Red Lotus Valley.」
Watching nearly the entire force of Red Lotus Valley erge, the mbers of Biluo Sword Valley who had been waiting outside were first taken aback, then each began to radiate a fierce killing intent.
"Oh? It looks like you're prepared to resist to the death?"
Gu Shuheng's father, a middle-aged man nad Gu Tai, bared his teeth in a cold sneer. "Liu Changzheng, must you insist on displaying that pathetic integrity of yours in front of my Biluo Sword Valley? You should know that if this battle starts, your Red Lotus Valley will be wiped out, without so much as a chicken or dog left alive."
Gu Tai, who was already seething with rage over the news of his son's death, exploded when he saw Liu Changzheng's unyielding attitude.
"It is only death," Liu Changzheng said calmly. "Besides, even if I die, I'll be sure to flay your Biluo Sword Valley alive."
However, to everyone's surprise, Liu Qingi, who had been standing silently beside Liu Changzheng, suddenly took a few steps forward and stated woodenly, "I agree."
"I will marry Gu Tianxing."
Her face was expressionless, as if she were a walking corpse. While Liu Changzheng had his principles, Liu Qingi was also prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. She could not bear to watch everyone die one by one because of her.
In an instant, everyone froze. This was especially true for Liu Xuejun and the one-ard Gu Tianxing of Biluo Sword Valley.
Ecstatic smiles blood on their faces. Liu Xuejun was thrilled by her reprieve from death, while Gu Tianxing was naturally elated at finally winning the beauty.
"Hahaha!" Gu Tianxing roared with laughter, unable to contain himself as he stepped forward. "Qingi, you've finally co to your senses."
At that mont, Chen Yang reached the summit. He had heard their entire conversation clearly. The sudden sound of his footsteps caused everyone to turn.
CLANG!
Chen Yang reached out, and the Ancestral Sword flew from its sheath. With a gentle flick through the air, a resplendent ray of Sword Qi flashed across Gu Tianxing's neck.
A thin red line appeared on his throat.
THUD.
"From now on, if anyone dares to bully you, tell ."
Chen Yang's gaze was ice-cold as he stood, sword in hand.
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