In the council chamber, Li Su pondered the events of the past few days. He vividly remembered the brave soldiers who had risked their lives alongside him. They were supposed to be resolute warriors, ready to sacrifice everything for their country. However, in just six short days, the number of those brutally killed and tortured to death exceeded a thousand.
Even those fortunate enough to survive were living a life worse than death.
This was no longer the disciplined and solemn military camp; it had transformed into a playground for the regent’s amusement. Li Su, originally a rough man, realized that his patience over these days had reached its limit. If things continued this way, he would rather die fighting than let the kingdom fall into ruin.
Recalling the glorious days when General Leng led them in bloody battles, Li Su marveled at their awe-inspiring strength. General Leng fell on the battlefield, and General Leng, fighting for his father, displayed unmatched military prowess, preventing the neighboring country from setting foot on Feng nations’s soil.
Now, it seemed the regent was tired of weak men and, for some reason, constantly summoned General Leng back to the capital with royal edicts. Reluctantly obeying, General Leng returned to report, only to find himself lost in silence upon entering the regent’s palace.
General Leng had already sensed the regent’s intentions, so before departing, he ordered the border soldiers to swear to defend the borders with their lives and not take a single step away.
Li Su, gripping his sword in one hand and clenching his fist tightly in the other, erupted in a thunderous roar, releasing all the pent-up anger from the past days in a domineering manner.
The other commanders remained silent, each with their thoughts, their expressions grave. Li Su, always straightforward, had endured for so long, reaching his limit.
Yesterday, when the regent was left alone and news of his attack reached the camp, there was no reinforcement sent. Instead, they enjoyed a sense of liberation, as if they had been granted amnesty. Just as they were about to celebrate, the regent returned on horseback, seemingly unharmed.
He was alive, indicating that the regent would not let yesterday’s incident go easily. The military camp was likely to turn into a bloodbath. It was a pity for these brave and loyal soldiers who pledged to die for their country. In the end, they might not die on the battlefield but at the hands of a tyrant. The thought sent a chilling feeling, and Li Su exclaimed that Feng nation was doomed.
Li Su’s words grew more impassioned, unaware that at this moment, outside the tent, the regent was hearing every word he shouted. Initially intending to continue, Li Su suddenly heard a cold sneer. His back went cold, a gust of cold wind blew by, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. In an instant, he was thrown five miles away, in the direction where the regent was attacked yesterday.
In an instant, Feng Aotian stood solemnly in the center of the tent. His thin lips pressed lightly together, and his phoenix-like eyes were as cold as the eagle in the night—aloof, clear, and imposing, exuding an overbearing dominance that seemed to scorn the heavens and earth.
The commanders and generals seated in the council chamber, aside from being shocked, were also bewildered. Why had the regent come here? This was the first time he had visited the council chamber in the past few days. They remembered the first day when the regent arrived at the military camp; he had entered the council chamber. However, since then, he hadn’t set foot in this place. Why did he choose to come today?
“Bold! Why aren’t you paying respects to His Royal Highness?” Si Xi, raising his voice to intimidate, shouted when he saw everyone standing still.
At this moment, the commanders snapped out of their daze from Si Xi’s sharp voice. They suppressed their doubts and collectively knelt on the ground, saying, “We pay our respects to the Regent, for a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand times over.”
Feng Autian remained silent. Perhaps what that person said just now echoed the sentiments of the soldiers and officers in the camp. Regardless of the heinous crimes Feng Aotian might have committed in the past, now that she had become Feng Autian, no one dared to show defiance openly.
Inside the council chamber, with Feng Autian’s arrival, the temperature plummeted instantly, as if entering the depths of winter. Everything came to a sudden halt, and a chilling sensation ran down the spines of the people present.
Feng Autian remained silent for a long time, not uttering a word. The longer the silence, the more it felt like enduring the bitter cold of the ninth layer of heaven. It was piercingly cold, and the hearts of the people seemed to wail. Today, it seemed they were inescapably trapped.
“What a phrase, ‘Heaven wants to destroy the Feng Nation’…” Feng Autian’s voice was as cold as breaking ice, piercing the ears of the kneeling commanders like an ice sword. Feng Autian stood unmoving, looking down disdainfully, “Why didn’t I know I had such a skill?”
“Your Royal Highness, forgive us!” The commanders were startled upon hearing this. It seemed that Feng Autian had heard every bold and resolute word Li Su had just spoken. It appeared that their time had come.
“Forgive you?” Feng Autian raised an eyebrow, and his thin lips curved slightly. “What crime have you committed?”
“Your Royal Highness, Lieutenant Li spoke without restraint, acted rashly, and caused a great disaster. We humbly request Your Royal Highness to consider the imminent need for personnel and grant him an opportunity to redeem himself through meritorious service.” The one pleading was General Jibai, who had been in charge of military affairs in General Leng’s absence for the past two years.
Feng Aotian’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed, and the coldness in his expression intensified. “Do you know how I dealt with that audacious creature from Qi nation yesterday, who spoke recklessly?”
Jibai had initially intended to plead further, but upon hearing Feng Autian’s words, he immediately fell silent. They had only heard rumors about the regent’s methods in the past, but these days, they witnessed it firsthand – cruel and horrifying.
“Si Xi, how should those who dared to disrespect me in the past be dealt with?” Feng Autian’s words fell, and he raised his right hand to snap his fingers in the air. Immediately, the two hidden guards, spirits or souls, flew away from their concealed positions.
“For lighter offenses, skinning and bone dissection, followed by the punishment of being exposed to cannons and branding; for graver crimes, dismemberment by five horses, then chopping the corpse into mincemeat to feed the royal wolves.” Si Xi, having grown accustomed to such matters in the palace, spoke of it as if it were commonplace. According to him, what he mentioned was just the most common, with even more horrifying methods left unspoken.
Jibai and the other commanders, despite being seasoned warriors accustomed to killing on the battlefield, faced countless bloody scenes and remains. Now, even they trembled with fear, their limbs cold and bodies shivering at Si Xi’s words. What he described was beyond the horrors they had witnessed.
With bowed heads and sweating profusely, the group heard a “thud,” and saw Li Su being thrown into the tent. His eyes stared blankly, face pale with terror. Despite his robust physique, he now lay sprawled on the ground, paralyzed with fear.
“Do you enjoy the scenery in the forest?” Feng Autian, standing proudly with hands behind his back, narrowed his phoenix-like eyes, coldly observing the terrified Li Su.
Li Su raised his gaze, his eyes momentarily fixated on Feng Aotian. He hastily climbed up from the ground, kneeling shakily, and pleaded, “Your Royal Highness, please grant this subordinate the punishment of death!”
In the forest, there were scattered remains of flesh and blood, mingled with countless white bones. Just one glance revealed the horrifying scene at the time. Now, Li Su’s seven souls seemed to have been frightened out of five spirits. If he were to die, he wished for a quick and painless death; he would rather not endure a life worse than death.
Jibai and the others raised their eyes, looking at Li Su with a momentary pause in their expressions. Li Su was known for his pride and arrogance, even in the face of bloodshed. Seeing him in this state, there must have been something shocking that he witnessed earlier.
With this realization, their hearts trembled even more. Li Su put on an act, pretending to embrace death, awaiting the regent’s judgment.
