Chapter 500 - 411: You Promised Me, You Promised
Chapter 500: Chapter 411: You Promised Me, You Promised
Beneath a sapphire sky, spring had arrived.
Winter had passed. Migrating birds flew back and forth across the city, perching on treetops to sing their crisp songs.
The weather grew warmer, and the shopkeepers’ calls from their doorways grew a little louder.
In the pleasure quarters, the women had once again returned to their lighter attire.
Carriages bustled to and fro as many young noblewomen took their children out for a spring outing, eager to stroll beyond the city walls.
Just then, children began running through the streets, shouting with joyous expressions:
"Victory! Victory!"
"The Qi Army is crushed on the plains of Canghai Pass! The Sovereign of Qi is dead!"
"A great victory for the Qin Army!!!"
"A great victory for the Qin Army!!!"
In the Qin Kingdom, these children were known as "Word Criers." Whenever there was major good news, the Imperial Court would have them spread the word throughout the city as quickly as possible.
But the news they delivered was always curated by the Court.
They typically reported the good and omitted the bad.
"Kid! What did you just say?"
A burly butcher grabbed one of the criers by the wrist, his voice trembling with excitement.
"The great battle at Canghai Pass was a major victory for the Qin Army! The Qi Kingdom has fallen!"
"And that good-for-nothing Zhao Kingdom is gone too! The Sovereign of Zhao is preparing to surrender."
"Let go, uncle! I have to keep spreading the news."
With that, the crier shook off the butcher’s loosened grip and continued running forward, shouting loudly:
"A great victory for the Qin Army! The Qi Kingdom is destroyed! The Zhao Kingdom surrenders!"
"A great victory for the Qin Army! The Qi Kingdom is destroyed! The Zhao Kingdom surrenders!"
The burly butcher stared blankly ahead, unable to believe his ears.
The Qi Kingdom...
The Zhao Kingdom...
’Have they really fallen?’
The World of Ten Thousand Laws...
’Is it... truly unified...?’
...
「Chief of the Palace Guards’ Manor.」
Lian Li, Chief of the Palace Guards and commander of the Imperial Guard, was reading the battle report in her hands.
The report detailed the course of the battle on the plains of Canghai Pass.
In the battle at Canghai Pass, casualties for both armies had been extremely heavy.
It had even seemed as if the two sides were fighting toward mutual annihilation.
Finally, as the Sovereign of Qi set up an array, the Frost King entered it.
The Sovereign of Qi was beheaded.
The Qin Kingdom had narrowly defeated the Qi Kingdom.
The Qin army broke through Canghai Pass and marched straight to the Imperial Palace. Seeing that the tide had turned, the generals and Dukes of the Qi Army surrendered to the Qin Kingdom one after another.
Thus, the Qi Kingdom was destroyed.
Upon hearing the news, the Sovereign of Zhao’s vision went black, and he fainted.
When the Sovereign of Zhao awoke, he knew the situation was hopeless. Further resistance would be meaningless, only adding to the casualties.
However, the Sovereign of Zhao also knew that as a member of the Human Race, his collusion with the Demon Race to interfere in the affairs of the World of Ten Thousand Laws was a grave taboo, a crime punishable by death.
The Sovereign of Zhao wrote a letter of surrender, taking all responsibility upon himself. He then abdicated the throne to the Crown Prince, ordering him to lead the Zhao Kingdom in its surrender.
As for the Sovereign of Zhao himself, he slit his own throat upon his throne.
For the Qin Kingdom, this was a monumental victory.
After several thousand years of turmoil, the World of Ten Thousand Laws was about to be unified!
But as she looked at the victory report, delivered by a Flying Sword from the Desolate Tower...
Lian Li couldn’t feel a shred of happiness.
She stared numbly at the last six words on the report, her mind a complete blank.
She tried to stand, but all the strength seemed to drain from her body, and she collapsed back into her seat.
Leaning on the table, Lian Li slowly managed to get to her feet.
She walked step by step toward the door, finally leaning against the threshold before sinking to her knees.
"How could this be..."
"How is this even possible..."
...
At the same time, most of the officials in the Imperial Court had learned of the battle’s outcome at Canghai Pass through their own channels.
Unlike the Word Criers, who only delivered good news, these officials received the complete battle report.
But when they saw the report, they doubted its authenticity.
After multiple confirmations, however, they had to admit that the report was real.
"Teacher... what should we do now?"
An official named Zhang Qin had come to Prime Minister Li’s residence, his spirits low.
The Qi Kingdom had been destroyed, leaving only the broken Chu Kingdom, which had already sent a letter of surrender. The unification of the world was now a foregone conclusion.
And yet, he couldn’t feel happy at all...
Li Ge shook his head. "We do nothing. We just wait for Her Majesty’s decree."
"But Her Majesty... can she truly bear it?" Zhang Qin asked.
Li Ge didn’t answer. He only looked toward the Imperial Palace and let out a deep sigh.
...
「Qin Kingdom Royal Palace.」
A woman sat atop Wangtian Tower, a broken drumstick lying beside her.
For four days, the woman had been sitting there on the tower in a daze.
Her tears had long since run dry. She was perfectly still, like a statue carved by the heavens themselves...
TAP, TAP, TAP...
The sound of footsteps came from the top of the stairs to Wangtian Tower.
Hua Sheng climbed the stairs and approached the woman.
"Miss, this is the battle report from the front line." Hua Sheng gazed at the girl she had watched grow up, her heart aching. "Would... would you like to see it..."
As Hua Sheng’s words faded, Qin Siyao didn’t respond.
On Wangtian Tower, there was only the sound of the wind gusting by.
After a long while, Qin Siyao’s lips parted. The sound that emerged from her throat was heart-wrenchingly hoarse. "My husband... he’s... gone... isn’t he..."
Hearing Qin Siyao’s question, Hua Sheng pressed her thin lips together and finally nodded.
"The armies of the Qin Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom fought a bloody battle for two days and two nights.
More than half on both sides were killed or wounded.
The Sovereign of Qi personally transformed himself into an array, powered by the Mountain and River Fortune, for a final, desperate struggle.
The Young Master led the grand army into the array to break it and slay the Sovereign of Qi.
The Sovereign of Qi was slain by the Young Master.
But the Young Master was also gravely injured, his Life Fire flickering precariously.
Seeing the situation was lost, two Immortal Realm Cultivators from the Flowing Fire Kingdom and Stream Valley Kingdom deployed the Immortal Soldier, the Soul-Shattering Jade. They tried to use the Blood Qi from the battlefield to form an array and bury our entire Qin army, thereby severing our kingdom’s Qi Fortune.
The Young Master led the Upper Three Realms Cultivators to break the array once more.
In the end.
The array was broken.
The Demon Race Cultivators were all slain. Not a single one survived.
The Immortal Realm Tributors Bai Wei and Xing Can, and the Jade Realm Tributors Tian Ya, Chen Yiran, and Wu Bowei all died in battle.
The Young Master...
Not even his bones remain..."
When Hua Sheng finished, Qin Siyao gripped the hem of her dress tightly, her face drained of all color.
After a long moment, Qin Siyao spoke slowly, "I understand... Sister Hua Sheng, you may go. I want to sit here a while longer. And... don’t let my mother-in-law know about this."
"Yes... Miss..." Hua Sheng curtsied and withdrew from Wangtian Tower.
’Husband, promise me you won’t leave me, okay...?’
’Husband, I’ll dance for you for the rest of our lives! You’re not allowed to get tired of it!’
’When you come back, Husband, we’ll get married.’
’Husband, you will come back, won’t you...?’
After Hua Sheng left, Qin Siyao curled her legs up, her pale arms wrapping tightly around her knees.
Scene after scene replayed in her mind.
She hugged her knees tighter and tighter, burying her face between them. Her shoulders trembled as she let out hoarse sobs.
"You promised me."
"You promised..."
"Liar..."
"You big liar..."