A group of elders stood in the corner of one of the Dragon Race’s guest rooms, their backs laden with medicinal incense. Su Liu’er sat on the bed, her gaze devoid of will to live
She was still in her true form, a nine-tailed fox. Her nine tails draped over the floor, bleeding profusely. The entire floor was stained red with blood.
Her breathing was shallow, her face pallid.
Even so, she glowered coldly at the elders and refused medical a.s.sistance.
A middle-aged man stood before her, his face unsightly and somewhat anxious as he tried over and over to persuade her.
“Fox Empress, please cooperate while we treat your wounds. We can’t afford to delay treatment.”
“Go save Yuan Hong” she said Su Liu’er flatly, then lowered her head.
“General Yuan Hong is…….” the man started to speak, but stopped himself.
Su Liu’er’s head shot up. Her pale, bloodless face was terrifying, especially her eyes. They still glinted with brilliant, blood-red light. “What about Yuan Hong? Tell me, what’s wrong with him!”
No one answered her.
“Surely you aren’t trying to tell me he’s dead? That’s impossible!” she shouted, her voice growing progressively higher. “He was just pierced through the chest, that’s all. A sky immortal’s self-recovery far surpa.s.ses a mortal’s; it’s a relatively major injury, nothing more. You dragons are always flaunting your abilities. You consider yourselves the pinnacle of the Beast Region, yet you can’t even heal him?”
Facing her rapid-fire interrogation, none of them quite knew what to say. They simply took it silently.
“Fine, if you can’t heal him, I’ll take him back to the Nine-tailed fox clan for treatment.”
Su Liu’er stood and started walking away. However, due to her heavy injuries, her gait was unsteady. Worse, as she walked, her wounds started bleeding even faster.
“Fox Empress, you can’t leave.” One of the men, who’d been silent this whole time, frowned and blocked her path. His tone left no room for argument. “The Clan Head entrusted you to our care. Furthermore, given the severity of your injuries, you mustn’t move. Please cooperate while we treat your wounds. Don’t make things difficult for us.”
“Get out of my way!” she knit her brows and roared. “How dare you try and stop me? Step aside! If not, don’t blame me for causing a disturbance in your territory.”
She’d already started acc.u.mulating energy.
Energy circulated around her body, her dark hair billowing in the resulting wind. She glowered coldly at the man who’d tried to stop her. Her gaze implied that, should he continue blocking her way, she’d end him here and now.
Even so, the man didn’t flinch at all. He stood there unwaveringly and looked intently into her eyes. “Fox Empress, you can’t leave.”
“Fine. In that case, don’t blame me for being impolite”
As she spoke, she prepared to strike. At that very moment, the door opened. Xia Keke and Ye Zichen stepped inside.
“Miss!” When he saw Xia Keke, the middle-aged man immediately bowed in greeting, then cupped his hands at Ye Zichen. “Emperor Ye.”
Ye Zichen nodded indifferently. The instant he entered the room, he got a rough sense for what was going on. He glanced at the man, signaling for him to step aside, then walked up to Su Liu’er.
“Big Sister Liu’er.”
Fierce as she was, the moment she saw Ye ZIchen, Su Liu’er’s icy exterior vanished, replaced with heart-rending vulnerability.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she knelt to the ground.
“Big Sister Liu’er.”
Ye Zichen hurried to her side. She looked up at him, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes in a non-stop stream.
“Yuan Hong is dead.”
By now, her expression was so fragile, anyone who saw her would pity her. Ye Zichen’s heart shook as well. Yuan Hong was dead. Images of his first encounter with Yuan Hong surfaced in his mind. It seemed like just yesterday.
Yuan Hong’s death was a perfect example of the cruelty of war.
Ye Zichen clenched his fists and bit his lip. He reached out and wiped away her tears. “Big Sister Liu’er, don’t worry. You still have Su Yan and Big Sister Su Zhu, and us too…..”
“That’s right, Big Sister Liu’er. You still have us,” chimed in Xia Keke.
“It’s not the same.” Still kneeling on the ground, Su Liu’er shook her head repeatedly. “You aren’t Yuan Hong. If he’s dead, I don’t want to live either.”
“Big Sister Liu’er….”
“Did you know? He’s been chasing me since he was little,” said Su Liu’er. Her lips curled upwards into a bitter smile. “Back then, I was already empress of the Fox Clan, while he was still just a little monkey. That year, he and the Great Sage visited our clan. From that moment on, he came and visited every single day. He’s always been thick-faced…..”
Su Liu’er smiled as she recounted memories of their shared past. Ye Zichen and the others listened in silence.
After a while Su Liu’er finally relaxed her guard. Ye Zichen had been waiting by her side. Now, he tapped against her neck. At the same time, he sealed several of her pressure points.
“Big Sister Liu’er, I’m sorry.”
Su Liu’er was still reminiscing. As his fingers landed, the light in her eyes dimmed. She closed her eyes and crumpled to the ground.
Ye Zichen reached out and lifted her onto the bed, then turned to the Dragon Race clansmen and said, “you have to treat her wounds. If you can’t, you’ll answer to me.”
He left the room, then stood before the doorway and gazed up at the vast sea of stars. Before long, Xia Keke exited the room as well. She was just in time to hear him say, “Yuan Hong’s death was far too great a shock for her.”
“I know. I’ve never seen her act like this before,” said Xia Keke with a frown.“Is Yuan Hong really dead?”
Ye Zichen nodded silently. Before checking in on Su Liu’er, he’d gone and paid Yuan Hong a visit.
There was no hope of bringing him back to life.
“Then, Big Sister Liu’er……”
“I am confident that Big Sister Liu’er will get through this.” Ye Zichen smiled, then said, “don’t forget, she still has her sisters, and us, too.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” Xia Keke nodded in agreement. “Hurry up and get some rest. You’ve spent all this time taking care of others, but in truth, your injuries aren’t much better.”
“Mmhm, it’s true. I’d best get some rest. I’ll leave Su Yan up to you, then.”
“Alright.”
They went their separate ways. Ye Zichen returned to his room; the dragons had prepared sleeping quarters on his behalf. However, as soon as he opened the door, he sensed a presence within.
“Who?” Ye Zichen stood in the doorway and roared. Before long, he saw Lil’ Tiantian walk out of the room. When he saw her, a smile flashed across his face.
He approached her, completely unguarded, only to see her cute little face suddenly turn incomparably cold.
“Die!”