“Your Majesty!”

Tian Chen and other high-ranked military officers in the meeting tent stopped their discussion upon the sudden interruption by one of their soldiers. He knelt down and urgently informed.

“The Empress is still alive. She is being held hostage at Qi Ming’s wall. They demanded your presence, threatening to sacrifice her life to their deity for their victory.”

The air stilled at that moment. They all waited for Tian Chen’s call.

Tian Chen wasn’t surprised. When his spies reported their disgraceful failure to him, he had expected this possibility of an outcome.

At least he knew now that Huang Xieli didn’t betray him.

After a moment of silence, the people stepped aside to make way for Tian Chen’s exit.

Outside, all the attention was on Qi Ming’s fortress wall. The bare terrain made it perfect for a frontal battlefield and both sides could clearly see one another.

Tian Chen and 2 generals mounted their horses to approach the wall. They could see Huang Xieli restrained by Qi Ming soldiers right above the gate with Qi Ming’s Prime General, Guang Pei, next to her.

Seeing Tian Chen coming for her, Huang Xieli’s eyes brightened. She was so frightened when she woke up from her sleep to find herself locked up inside a barrel. It was very narrow that it barely fit her size.

When she was released, she realized that she was kidnapped and sent to Qi Ming camouflaged as a supply cargo. She almost thought she was going to die from suffocation.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the deceitful Emperor,” Guang Pei mockingly said. “You accused us of assassinating your Empress yet lo and behold, she is as safe as she is sound! What is the meaning of this, Emperor of Qian Jin?”

“How dare you talk to the Son of Heaven himself like that!” one of Tian Chen’s generals rebuked.

“Playing tricks again, are we, General Guang?” the other spoke up as well. “How is she safe and sound when she is in the danger of your clutches? Did you not kidnap and torture her all the same? Heaven knows if you did other despicable things to her.”

“Your so-called heaven also knows which one between us did despicable things,” Guang Pei spatted. “Our Crown Prince and Third Councilor graciously accepted your invitation yet left without their heads intact from your hospitality. Moreover, you tarnish our nation by accusing us of violating our peace treaty when it is you people who did so.”

“His Majesty showed your nation mercy by agreeing to your offer of peace. Sooner or later, Qi Ming is bound to fall to Qian Jin’s hands.”

“But not today,” Guang Pei unsheathed his sword and pointed it to Huang Xieli. “Leave our sacred land or your Empress will pay for it. We will also spread the truth to the whole world about how untrustworthy Qian Jin is. How do you think your allies will react to this?”

The generals looked hatefully at Guang Pei.

The East Continent didn’t solely belong to Qian Jin. They weren’t some mindless territory-hungry people and instead kept good relationships with their neighbouring country. There were also some countries from other continents that they had business with.

Relationships such as these were built based on trust and integrity. Although the effect wouldn’t be immediate, they were bound to have some apprehension, doubt, and suspicion towards Qian Jin after this if the truth about the second war was spread.

Tian Chen’s expression was dark.

Seeing his face, Guang Pei laughed cockily.

Letting Yuan Zhi go to Qian Jin was definitely one of his best decision. He was sent to find the items Xue Nian and Jiang Wei searched for and although he hadn’t found them yet, he sent the best package for their current situation.

A cold and sharp pain halted his laughter. He stiffly lowered his gaze to see a long blade sprouting out of his abdomen, glinting with his blood mixing on the sharp metal surface.

Instead of just pulling it out, the blade twisted and slashed half his torso.

Huang Xieli couldn’t react when the blood splattered on her. She watched as the Prime General struggled with the last bit of his life to bring his killer down to hell with him.

Just as she thought that Tian Chen must’ve hidden someone to save her, one of the two soldiers restraining her plunged in a dagger into her heart.

“Let it be known,” Huang Xieli heard Tian Chen’s voice in her daze. “Not only Qi Ming faked the Empress’s death to mock Qian Jin, they also defiled, tortured, and sacrificed her to their deity. Qian Jin shall avenge her for her humiliation and rest her soul in peace.”

Xiao Hu’s roar blared to the whole sky from Qian Jin’s camp and thousands of soldiers forged ahead to take the entire land.

Huang Xieli collapsed as the soldiers holding her released her to fight against real Qi Ming soldiers around them. Her dimming eyes were streaming with pained tears as they reflected the back of the man he loved for more than a decade.

Not even once did he turn around to see her one last time.

She knew.

She knew that Tian Chen didn’t love her despite the nights they spent together. She knew that Tian Chen gave her the Empress position because she was obedient to him and couldn’t bear any children, making her the perfect bed partner. She knew that Tian Chen only appreciated her beauty and respected their childhood memory.

She spent hours learning how to pleasure him in bed better than any consorts and concubines.

She never demanded to have any baby with him.

She took care of her appearance every second of the day and did every task he gave her.

But how could she stay obedient and suppress her envy and jealousy when deep love surfaced in those bottomless eyes towards someone other than her?

How could he so easily throw her away for a man?

“Tian Chen…”

Huang Xieli crawled to the edge of the wall, desperate to reach the man he called. The physical pain in her chest hurt less than the bleeding in her heart.

“Come back...Don’t leave me...”

Unfortunately for her, her pleadings didn’t reach his ears, much less his heart.

She unwillingly breathed her last and fell down the wall.

Far from the battlefield, Yuan Zhi lowered his telescope and galloped away.

After Tian Chen poisoned Qi Ming’s water source, this war was bound to end earlier than the one in his last life. Fortunately, he accomplished the task in time.

Who would’ve expected there was a hidden area behind the newly-founded waterfall?

If it wasn’t for the construction plan hidden in the Prime Minister’s house, he would’ve never found her. Just finding that took him 3 days.

Hopefully, Xue Lan wouldn’t be too disappointed that Huang Xieli didn’t die painfully as a sacrifice. He could only sigh in admiration of how thoroughly Xue Lan occupied Tian Chen’s heart.

Contrary to his worry though, Xue Lan was satisfied with the outcome. Either way, she still got sacrificed. Only by different hands.

And this certainly inflicted more pain to her than dying in Qi Ming’s hands.

“Yuan Zhi has finished his side of the job then,” Xue Lan looked up from his dinner. “Tomorrow is the last day.”

Mo Shen waved his hand and the small black bird on his finger vanished into smoke. He refilled Xue Lan’s water with a profound smile, “It sounds like you don’t wish for me to fail.”

“Why would I wish for you to fail the task I require you to accomplish?”

Mo Shen leaned to Xue Lan’s ear, “I would misunderstand that you look forward to rewarding me, My Lord.”

Xue Lan turned to refute Mo Shen’s words when the other suddenly crashed their lips together without any warning. He was slowly pushed down to lay on the couch as the air was forcefully taken away from his lungs.

Above him, Mo Shen’s eyes turned into their demonic form, making him involuntarily shudder. The length of the tongue entangling in his mouth gradually elongated and split its tip like a snake. His lips were sucked hungrily as if the demon wanted to extract blood and dew from him.

It was the first time Mo Shen kissed him so possessively. He could feel his soul being entrapped by the demon’s seal, rendering him helpless like the mortal he was.

As tears spilt onto the cushion, Mo Shen hissed with a dangerous glint, “It irks me how someone other than me has satisfied you. A puny mortal nonetheless. I had expected that he would fail miserably. It seems like luck is really on his side.”

Xue Lan almost couldn’t hear his own voice through the beating of his chest, “Then do your job right.”

“Oh, I did,” Mo Shen’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to have to reward me tonight.”