Chapter 314: My Mind Is Made Up
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"I hope the price offered by Your Lordship will repay the debt of nurturing these past years. Heh."
With that, Li Suyao slowly stepped back several paces and knelt.
Each movement seemed rehearsed a thousand times over.
The hem of her white skirt stained with mud, the sleeves dusted with dirt.
Her kneeling was fluid, yet one could see her profound reluctance.
Though her knees touched the ground, her spine remained unbroken.
Perhaps this too was a form of protest, though not the one Li Suyao desired.
Li Shiyu watched as her only blood relative, her sister, performed the grand ceremony for the Holy Maiden whose whereabouts were unknown.
"This humble maiden, Li Suyao, pays her respects to Her Holiness the Holy Maiden and to all the Elders."
Li Shiyu understood that Li Suyao was using her own method to embarrass the Holy Maiden.
It was like a child refusing to eat in hopes of gaining their mother's attention.
Li Suyao seemed intent on showing everyone that the Holy Maiden was a cold-blooded person who cared nothing for her kin.
It was as if she waited for the lofty Saintess to utter the words "Rise" or "You may rise."
"Hmph, Li Suyao, you dream of a good life? Dream on!"
Li Suyao's expression suddenly turned vicious, her eyes clearly revealing a deliberately unleashed killing intent!
"Dreaming of climbing the social ladder? Dream on!"
"Shiyu will trample you for the rest of your life!"
"Shiyao tells you this: not just this lifetime, but the next, and the next after that—Shiyao will never let you escape!"
Li Shiyu raised her arm and declared solemnly!
"By imperial decree, effective immediately, Li Suyao is expelled from the Sacred Mountain and banished forthwith!"
The elders stared wide-eyed. What the hell was this?
Though they could see Li Shiyu intended to help Li Suyao, they genuinely couldn't fathom why she was being expelled from the Sacred Mountain!
Not only did this offer Li Suyao no benefit whatsoever, but it likely made her situation even more perilous!
Without the Sacred Mountain's protection, Qi Huan wouldn't be the only one coveting the Sacred Blood!
Moreover, Qi Huan could simply have anyone seize the Sacred Blood—the Holy Mountain would have no grounds to reclaim it!
After all, Li Suyao had been expelled from the Holy Mountain—she was no longer affiliated with it!
This move caught not only the elders off guard, but even Ye Qinghan and Dongfang Jue were utterly surprised!
Indeed, Li Suyao harbored no hidden motives—she was simply taking a gamble.
She gambled that her sister would not disappoint her expectations.
What Li Suyao needed to do to gain freedom wasn't to enhance her cultivation.
She needed only two things: first, to leave the Holy Mountain; second, to shed the label of the Sacred Bloodline.
Li Shiyu had already assisted with the first.
The second, however, was beyond her power to assist with.
If Shiyu won the wager, she would be free from that day forward.
If Shiyu lost the bet, she'd merely swap one hellish existence for another. What difference would it make, really?
As for hating her? Li Shiyu didn't care. It was as if she thought Li Suyao would suddenly like her if she didn't do this.
"Your Holiness, Suyao is your blood relative. Please reconsider!"
"Indeed! Even if Suyao has erred, this is hardly the punishment she deserves!"
Listening to the elders' pleas, Li Suyao felt utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell kind of talk is this?
Damn it! What the hell do they mean Suyao deserves this even if she made a fucking mistake!
What the hell wrong did she do!
Blood ties? Fuck that bullshit!
Li Suyao felt like ripping off these elders' heads to see what the hell was inside them!
"Thank you, Holy Maiden!"
"Do your best and show me what you've got, my dear sister."
With that, Li Shuyao turned to face Qi Huan.
"Lord, I've already had my name removed from the Holy Mountain registry. This should make things more convenient for you, shouldn't it?"
"Shiyu, what do you mean?" Qi Huan honestly didn't understand.
He wondered if she was unwilling to bear the blame herself, so she was giving the world an explanation?
This way, she could tell the world it wasn't that the Holy Maiden was heartless, but that Li Shiyu had erred and been expelled from the Holy Mountain.
If so, whatever misfortune befell her would no longer be connected to the Holy Maiden?
It seemed plausible, yet it still didn't quite add up…
Would the Holy Maiden truly care about such matters?
Qi Huan preferred to believe another possibility: that the Holy Maiden, Li Shiyu, had simply given up.
Even if Qi Huan were a fool, he could see that Li Shiyu had no intention of handing over the Sacred Blood willingly.
But why must Li Shiyu deliberately oppose her? Why must she be stubborn at this very moment?
"What's the point? Defying the Holy Maiden—expulsion from the Sacred Mountain is already showing mercy beyond the algorithm's rules, isn't it?"
The elders were now utterly flustered, inwardly fretting, What the hell are we supposed to do now?!
Both sisters were completely out of control, both determined to go down in flames!
"Shiyu, won't you reconsider?"
The elders desperately hoped Li Shiyu would reconsider, but the figure before them was no longer the foolish Li Shiyu—she was the Holy Maiden of all people.
"My mind is made up. Elders, simply follow my lead."
Ignoring the elders' distressed expressions, Li Shiyu finished speaking and turned to Li Suyao beside her.
"Rise. Prepare yourself. Your miserable life is about to begin~"
Ye Qinghan, seated nearby, had already begun eating lunch, utterly indifferent to the current state of the Sacred Mountain.
On the table lay Li Shiyu's jade pendant. Ye Qinghan showed no hesitation, even generously sharing it with Dongfang Jue.
"Senior Sister, do you think this Sacred Blood might have other effects?"
Dongfang Jue asked while gnawing on a lamb leg.
Ye Qinghan answered casually, not giving it much thought.
"Other effects? Not sure. But it's said that the Sacred Maidens throughout the generations were all girls with pure hearts."
"Second Senior Sister and that Li Suyao—they're both so mature! Could it be because of the Holy Blood?"
"No, Jue'er, could you please…"
"Senior Sister, this is important to Jue'er!"
Ye Qinghan pursed her lips. "Fox demons don't suffer from body image or appearance anxiety. Besides, I'm naturally alluring—this face and figure are gifts from birth. I simply can't fathom Jue'er's worries."
"Senior Sister, I know you were born with a seductive bone, but isn't Shiyu human? Isn't the Holy Maiden half-human? And wasn't Second Senior Sister's mother human too?"
Ye Qinghan propped her chin on her hand and began comforting Dongfang Jue.
"I think Jue'er is just fine the way she is. Shiyu may not be born with a seductive bone, but she was born to be the Holy Maiden."
"Senior Sister, you didn't say Holy Maidens must have large breasts, but when you think of a Holy Maiden, it's definitely not that plump girl at the village entrance, right?"
To be honest, Dongfang Jue had no real concept of the plump girl at the village entrance. Having grown up in the imperial palace and military camps, she knew little about village life…
Still, she understood what the eldest senior sister meant…
The eldest senior sister possessed innate allure, the second senior sister was all bust and no brains, and then there was the succubus Su Muchan and Shangguan Rou, the bearer of Nüwa's blood!
Damn it, this championship tournament is full of busty women!
Now here comes Chu Youwei with her unique style—also a total bombshell!
At least Yu Lan was willing to be her friend, but Yu Lan… was already living it up night after night!
Compared to the girls around her, she has absolutely no advantages!
"Senior Sister, I heard Lord Gu Ai gave Shiyu a packet of medicinal powder last time."
Ye Qinghan frowned. "What are you trying to imply?"
"Senior Sister, do you think Little Ai might have… enlargement medicine?"
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