CHAPTER 209
The Holy Maiden's Decision
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"Did I do something to upset you?"
"No, I simply dislike you. I think you deserve to die."
As she spoke, she slowly rose to her feet, glanced at her senior sister beside her, then stomped her foot.
Ye Qinghan complied by summoning his sword case to smash it nearby, then hurried to intervene.
"Senior Sister, did he do something?"
Li Shiyao, however, looked puzzled. Couldn't her senior sister see that she deserved to die?
"Are you questioning me?"
Ye Qinghan froze. This was the first time Li Shiyao had ever spoken like this. Truthfully, the intensity of her tone startled even Ye Qinghan!
"As the bloodline of the Demon Emperor returning to the Northern Realm, Senior Sister must show kindness to the people. Impulsive actions are absolutely forbidden."
Li Shiyao wore a look of utter disdain. Yet Ye Qinghan could discern no emotion on her own face—it seemed perpetually blank.
"I'm not acting impulsively. He, and that one, and that one over there in red, and the one crouching down—they all deserve to die."
Not just Ye Qinghan—Dongfang Jue was stunned too!
This wasn't in the script!
Seeing Second Junior Sister approach, Li Shiyao explained.
"I just feel they're not good people. If they live, my people will suffer. I don't want these kind souls to endure hardship."
Her gaze swept over Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue. In an instant, she snatched the Chaos Bell from Jue'er's embrace!
This murderous intent was undeniable!
"Shiyu, Jue'er, are you going to stop me?"
Heh. If Li Shiyu wanted to kill someone now, no one could stop her—except perhaps her master and the two Immortal Lords.
Ye Qinghan smiled helplessly. She knew her junior sister wasn't suddenly overcome by murderous intent. She knew her junior sister well.
Without concrete evidence, Li Shiyu wouldn't kill someone on a whim!
Ye Qinghan turned to the guards standing by and spoke coldly, "Didn't you hear my senior sister's words? Take him away and behead him!"
Li Shiyao proceeded to point out over a dozen heads. Upon inquiry, Ye Qinghan learned they were all relatives of that man—his younger brother-in-law, younger sister-in-law, and several distant kin. The entire family!
Hearing this, Ye Qinghan couldn't help but marvel. Did Li Shiyao possess such extraordinary abilities?
This meant that when she first sought her master, declaring her affection, she had genuinely recognized her master as a good person? That her professed love was also genuine? That she truly believed her master to be the most virtuous person in the world?
But Ye Qinghan didn't expect these ignorant commoners to understand. She didn't care. All she wanted was for Shiyu to be happy!
It didn't matter!
She never intended to play the virtuous role anyway. Li Shiyu, who had rarely made decisions her entire life, now demanded the execution of over a dozen people at her first command.
Fine, she wouldn't dwell on being kind to the people. She might as well embrace being the villain. Hadn't she always been known as Ye Yanwang?
Standing beside "Ye Qinghan," watching people dragged out to be beheaded at "her" command, Ye Qinghan couldn't help but marvel at how Shiyao always managed to come up with something new!
But what Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue never expected happened. After all, in their minds, this Demon Emperor fan meeting had already ended in failure.
Such a brutal Demon Emperor would strike fear into anyone who heard of him. Any notion of being kind to the people was completely out of the question.
Yet, as one criminal after another was forced onto the execution block and heads rolled one after another, a scene unfolded that defied their expectations!
Even as these individuals were seized and blades pressed against their necks, the weak subjects remained utterly silent.
But the moment they witnessed the beastly head of their oppressor roll to the ground!
Those ignorant subjects all shouted in unison, "Well done!" or "Long live the Demon Emperor!"
If their earlier submission had been born of fear of the Demon Emperor's blood-soaked tyranny, their current worship sprang from genuine, heartfelt gratitude!
Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue were unaware, as was Shi Yao, but the Demon Clans living here understood it all too well.
As the supplies meant for the troops were distributed among these "ignorant masses," the people began chanting the Demon Emperor's name. The Demon Emperor who could bring them happiness had truly returned!
"Don't shout so loudly—you startled me!" Li Shiyu was bewildered by this crowd, thinking they'd been frightened by her. She hurriedly spoke up.
"There's no need to fear. I favor the kind-hearted and won't harm you. Rise now—it's only those others I dislike."
Only now did Ye Qinghan realize that compared to Li Shiyao, she, as the Demon Emperor, still had much to learn.
What her subjects truly needed wasn't a benevolent ruler, but a Demon Emperor who could deliver tangible results—one who could genuinely bring them a life of happiness.
Kindness to the people?
How many times in their lifetime would they ever see a Demon Emperor?
Yet even as Li Shiyao spoke, the shouts did not cease. Like fervent fans, even the children joined in the chant!
Li Shiyao exchanged a few words with several elders before being escorted away by two junior sisters. Any more conversation risked exposing her physical limitations!
"Shiyu, how did you tell they were villains?"
The three sisters found a quiet spot and began chatting.
When asked by her senior sister—for the eldest sister is like a mother—Li Shiyao slowly knelt before Ye Qinghan. Fortunately, no outsiders were present, so she needn't fear frightening passersby.
"Shiyao just… really, really hates them. Shiyao thinks they deserve to die!"
Ye Qinghan watched as Li Shiyao knelt before her, her body pressed to the ground, lost in thought.
"Shiyu, rise. I do not blame you. But Shiyu, could you tell me in detail? Why do you hate them, and why do you think they deserve to die?"
Despite the senior sister's words, Li Shiyu remained kneeling. She only answered when asked.
"They stink. Their eyes are evil. Their hearts are filthy. Shiyu knows she shouldn't have done this, but Shiyu didn't want to let them go. Shiyu was afraid they'd go harm others."
Stink? Is that a smell?
Evil in their eyes—that must refer to their gaze.
Their hearts are filthy—how could one see that?
"I trust you, Shiyu. You're a good girl. You wouldn't do something without evidence, would you?"
Li Shiyu nodded. She couldn't explain it clearly, only trying her best to make sense of it.
"If we don't eliminate these villains, they'll keep harming the good. Then the good will turn bad, and villains will multiply—it's terrifying!"
Ye Qinghan now understood why the so-called Holy Maiden held decision-making authority that superseded even the elders.
Though she was often overlooked in daily life, she was well-fed and well-cared for. When crisis struck, everyone on the Sacred Mountain had to obey the Holy Maiden's decisions.
It didn't matter whether Shiyu could explain the situation clearly, nor whether others could understand. In that moment, Shiyu's words were the Holy Maiden's revelation—beyond question.
But Dongfang Jue was utterly dumbfounded, especially upon learning that Li Shiyu couldn't produce any evidence. She had assumed Shiyu had uncovered some hidden scheme!
But now she was genuinely stunned. This was a real cheat code!
She was already a先天极品圣体, a divine vessel born to bear children! Now with this cheat code too—was this even fair?
[She is the seed of goodness. Though the seed may not always bloom, it will always break through the soil, bringing the sprouts of kindness to the world.]
【Her eyes were veiled, her ears muffled—so she might perceive the hues of goodness and hear its whispers.】
【A noble soul remains unstained by blood, a sacred countenance untouched by worldly taint—this is Li Shiyao.】
Honestly, Dongfang Jue was numb after reading the system's description of this special ability.
Are you kidding me? Writing fairy tales?
Is this even right?
After all, Li Shiyu's personal records never mentioned anything like this.
"Shiyu, rise. Shiyu did nothing wrong. Shiyu was right—if we don't kill them, they'll harm others again."
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