CHAPTER 460
The Disgusting Choice
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She… was carrying the Lord's child?
Before she could process it, another brutal stomp crushed her abdomen. The metallic taste of blood flooded her vision.
The agony felt like her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets…
Ye Qinghan couldn't even scream. She watched as saliva mixed with blood trickled from the corners of her mouth…
This happened too fast. The information overload was overwhelming. Lord Gu Ai's plan was too meticulously crafted. Even now, she still couldn't fully grasp why.
【The Master's affairs must proceed without the slightest deviation.】
【Even the slightest risk carries consequences neither the Master nor Xiao Ai can bear.】
Xiao Ai slowly sat down on the bed, already seeming like a different person.
"Do you think I'm a fool? That I couldn't have thought of the same solution you did?"
"Do you think I envy a lowly creature like you?"
"Don't you think before you act? How could the Master keep someone untrustworthy by his side?"
Savoring Ye Qinghan's disarray, Xiao Ai's words lashed at him like merciless steel whips.
"This… is the Master's will?"
"Pfft~ What else could it be?"
Xiao Ai chuckled. The fool before her, still clinging to the hope that her master would rescue her, was truly amusing.
"If this is the Master's will, then you could simply kill me. Why… go through all this trouble?"
"Our Master has a compassionate heart. Out of old affection, she cannot bear to kill you. Besides, I still have some questions to ask you."
"Ask away." Ye Qinghan felt utterly hopeless now. If her Master had abandoned her, there was little point in living.
"Where was the final location pinpointed by the Void Blueprint?"
Ye Qinghan froze for a moment before her mind raced.
Hearing this, Ye Qinghan finally understood. This was why it had all happened.
"Heh~ Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"I knew it, I knew it~"
From the military order issued in the Master's bedchamber, to that pathetic performance by Crane Light in this den of wolves!
Everything was nothing but a self-directed and self-acted play orchestrated by this little Ai before his eyes!
First, to completely sever her ties with the Master. Second, for this very coordinate.
"Lady Gu Ai, I must admit, even Qinghan—ahem—never doubted your loyalty."
Xiao Ai remained silent, merely gazing at Xiao Ai with a smile.
"I suppose you've already decided on my crime, haven't you? How much longer do you think I'll live? Once my master grows accustomed to my absence, you'll kill me without hesitation."
Xiao Ai remained silent, her expression unreadable as she stared at Ye Qinghan before her.
As the Godslayer King, he naturally adhered to certain principles. Losing his temper with a prisoner beneath him would be utterly beneath his dignity.
"The one who betrayed the Master is you, Lord Gu Ai."
From the moment Xiao Ai stepped into this cramped cell until now, Ye Qinghan had seen only one flicker of emotion on her face—at those words.
"That is not so. Xiao Ai remains the most outstanding personal attendant. The traitor cannot be Xiao Ai. The betrayal lies solely with the Master."
"It is the Master who betrayed Xiao Ai, who betrayed those fallen heroes."
"As a personal attendant, exercising royal authority is also part of my duty. I will take the Lord's place and bring this war to a complete end."
Ye Qinghan laughed so hard she trembled like a flower branch. What a fine excuse—acting on behalf of the sovereign.
"Lord Gu Ai, do you truly believe the words you speak?"
The conversation ended there. Xiao Ai turned and left, instructing the guards outside to be vigilant—Ye Qinghan might well attempt suicide.
Main Building, Second Floor.
Su Cheng sat impassively on the sofa, his long legs stretched out on the coffee table.
As Xiao Ai entered, Su Cheng spoke.
"How is she?"
"He's awake now. At least he's not clamoring to see you anymore."
"Is this really necessary?"
"Master, it seems you don't trust the young lady that much either, right?"
All of this was orchestrated by Gu Ai, though it differed slightly from Ye Qinghan's expectations—Su Cheng had also been involved.
Su Cheng was speechless. He trusted Ye Qinghan, but the interrogation at Fuyue Hall wasn't something that could be resolved by trust alone…
"What did you ask her? Since it was interrogation, there must have been questions, right?"
"The final coordinates of the Void Blueprint."
"How did she respond?"
Xiao Ai sat beside Su Cheng, leaning against his shoulder, her expression utterly calm.
"The interrogation hasn't begun yet. Despair needs time to settle. Xiao Ai will give her time to clearly understand that she's merely a sacrificial pawn. Keeping meaningless secrets won't earn her anyone's gratitude."
"Xiao Ai, were you like this back then?"
Xiao Ai glanced at Su Cheng with a hint of confusion, then smiled bitterly. "To be honest, so far, the young lady's performance has been too impatient. She hasn't passed the test."
"Xiao Ai, you don't hold much hope for Qinghan?"
"If the Master fears her, Xiao Ai can bring the young miss back immediately."
Su Cheng fell silent. When despair settles, fear begins to spread, consuming willpower until it crumbles.
Frankly, it was rather sickening, but it was her choice.
The ritual of rebirth through fire was not a path every personal attendant had to walk.
Yet to draw near this exalted one, it is an indispensable tempering and forging—a chess match with the divine, demanding absolute purity in every pawn.
Not just anyone could address her as "My Lord."
Imagine if a single white piece placed on the board turned black—ten white pieces might not suffice to compensate for the loss of that one.
On the battlefield, such an occurrence would spell the destruction of the entire world, reducing countless lives to ashes in an instant.
Seven days later…
Another transfer order slammed onto Ye Qinghan's desk. Yet Ye Qinghan now resembled a walking corpse, a mere shell devoid of life.
Ye Qinghan wasn't particularly curious. Xiao Ai could write as many of these as she pleased—all she needed was a pen and paper.
Frankly, her master's gaze no longer rested upon her. Xiao Ai was preparing to transfer her elsewhere.
Under the watchful eyes of He Guang and Yu Meng, Ye Qinghan had no room to resist, not even the chance to take her own life.
Escorted by the two Valkyries and a thirty-strong heavy infantry unit, Ye Qinghan was brought back to the inner city.
It was exactly as Ye Qinghan remembered. She had lived in the inner city for a year, passing the Council Hall and turning right, with the Fuyue Hall identical to her memories.
Her hands were cuffed behind her back, and the full set of collar and shackles was in place. Countless black-armored warriors surrounded Ye Qinghan, leaving her no chance of escape.
Within the main hall of the Fuyue Hall, Xiao Ai stood before the entrance to the ant nest, awaiting Ye Qinghan's arrival.
"Miss Qinghan, out of old affection, Xiao Ai can give you one more chance. Once you enter the Fuyue Hall, there will be no chance of leaving."
Ye Qinghan ignored Xiao Ai's humiliation, merely curling her bloodstained lips into a smile.
"Lord Gu Ai betrayed our master. To Qinghan, that means there is no longer any old affection."
Xiao Ai smiled back. By this point, the opulent golden birdcage had already slammed shut its prison doors. Staring at each other through the dazzling bars, the two had long since reached a point where not a single word passed between them.
"Xiao Ai knows what Miss Qinghan is thinking, but once you're here, even death requires my permission~"
"Lord Gu Ai, you don't understand. Before meeting our Master, Qinghan never saw any difference between this world and hell."
Xiao Ai sneered coldly: "Well then, Miss Qinghan, welcome back to hell."
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