Chapter 549: Lost Memory Fragments—Yaston Gu Ai (VII)
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Only when her skirt was stained crimson, only when her small hands could barely grip the sword, did Xiao Ai tear off a strip of her skirt and bind her hands to the hilt.
The blade grew dull, occasionally even snagging in the corpses.
But Little Ai was already blinded by bloodlust. Only when she slipped in the sticky pool of blood beneath her feet did she snap back to her senses. She scrambled to her feet and continued hacking at the filthy scum.
Yet even as Xiao Ai exhausted her strength, the beasts showed no sign of diminishing.
Killing wasn't that simple. After all, she only had one sword. Even after a long time, Xiao Ai had only managed to kill a little over twenty of them.
No one dared run toward the gate, nor did anyone dare approach the princess, who seemed to have gone mad.
It wasn't until a fat man, fleeing in panic, kicked Xiao Ai violently aside that the others seemed to remember they could resist.
But Ye Qinghan noticed—or perhaps didn't even need to notice to guess—that the sword was nothing special.
What these people feared was only Xun Ye at the gate. As for this nine-year-old child, no one took her seriously.
After Xiao Ai was kicked to the ground, many seemed to glance back at Lord Xun Ye standing by the door.
Yet Lord Xun Ye merely leaned against the doorway, observing silently. He chose to stand by and watch coldly.
Seeing this, the crowd held nothing back. In an instant, they swarmed over Xiao Ai.
At first, Xiao Ai had thought these guys kept running, making them hard to kill.
But now they were all surging toward her…
She was only nine years old, not yet the Godslayer King wielding the authority of guardianship. She was merely a child who had practiced swordsmanship, while this theater held over three hundred savages.
When the chair swung high above came crashing down upon Xiao Ai, it marked the fall of the War God.
Those beasts seemed intent on trampling her to death, but Xiao Ai didn't care. She had earned her place.
Xun Ye felt the same—Xiao Ai had proven herself.
"Ah…"
When that long sigh reached Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao's ears with startling clarity, they finally realized the space had been tampered with.
This was the authority of the space—a power beyond their comprehension.
The armor had been treated to suppress sound; even walking produced no dull metallic clang. Yet the crisp echo of combat boots striking the wooden floor sounded like Death itself knocking at the door.
Those beasts knelt on the ground like puppets. With a wave of Xun Ye's hand, the obstructing scum were moved aside like chess pieces.
This wasn't a binding spell, but rather a series of invisible boxes, each containing a person, forcing them to kneel. Their space for movement was so confined they couldn't stand upright.
Xun Ye waved again. Xiao Ai seemed to be lifted by some unseen force, slowly floating up. She followed behind Xun Ye onto the stage.
Xiao Ai was tossed onto the floor like a dead dog. She felt certain her left arm was broken, her chest ached, her nose hurt, her ears hurt…
Truth be told, tears were unruly, but whether to let them spill over her eyelids was something Xiao Ai could still control.
"What are you laughing at? Showing off?"
Xun Ye plopped down onto thin air, crossing his legs with a casual flourish. As the holder of spatial authority, this was pretty damn cool, wasn't it?
Xiao Ai seemed to want to say something, but in her panic, she only coughed up a pool of blood.
Right now, her left arm was useless, and her right arm hurt like hell. Even straining every muscle, she could only manage to roll over.
"Compared to me, your price tag is pitifully low. There's nothing to brag about. My starting bid alone could equip three armored divisions."
Xun Ye's tone was flippant, as if competing with Xiao Ai over whose price was higher. But Xiao Ai wasn't stupid; she knew there was more to his words.
Just as any ordinary person would have reacted—with a counterquestion or a look of shock.
Was Lord Xun Ye also a slave back then?
But Xiao Ai lacked the energy to voice the question, and Xun Ye knew this as well.
"And I have the power to slaughter every last one of them. What about you?"
Your Highness, remember how helpless you were today. Even with a sword in your hand, you can accomplish nothing.
With that, Xun Ye rose slowly. To him, these beasts were no different from ants.
In an instant, they vanished entirely. As each invisible, translucent box shrank smaller and smaller, the people inside dissolved into clouds of blood mist, exploding the moment Xun Ye rose.
"I don't always happen to be passing by, so—"
Before she could finish, Xun Ye stood rooted to the spot. A small hand, covered in blood and with fingers crushed underfoot, was now clutching at her combat boots.
"You know what happens to those who soil my boots, right?"
Xiao Ai was clinging to life by sheer willpower now, but in Xun Ye's eyes, bringing back a corpse would serve no purpose.
Even if revived, it would only become a corpse again next time.
The Executioner's Blade wasn't a rescue center, and she wasn't some saint. If not for Pingji asking her to check if Chiyao was still alive, she wouldn't have come to a place like this.
Though Chi Yao had already been hung on the city wall, she unexpectedly heard news about Xiao Ai—apparently, Xiao Ai had personally killed Chi Yao.
She'd taken the opportunity to drop by, and it just so happened she'd stumbled right into her line of fire. First, she disliked the Effort Auction, and second, she had promised Pingji she'd come see.
After all she'd done, she'd essentially saved this princess's life. Even if she'd left her be, judging by her condition, she wouldn't have died anyway.
She had no desire to raise children, let alone someone else's.
"Xun… Ye… Master…" Xiao Ai practically clung to Xun Ye's combat boots, her desperate gaze leaving no room for doubt.
But what Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao hadn't anticipated was that upon hearing her words, Xun Ye's expression changed almost instantly!
He stomped his foot on the ground, unleashing a surge of powerful spiritual energy. His face turned icy as he said,
"You're no ordinary child. Knowing my name should tell you what I do! You'd best not try to beg for mercy—unless you want a quick death!"
Xiao Ai had certainly heard of the name Execution Blade—and that was precisely what she desired!
Ordinary blades would chip or break, but the Executioner's Blade would not!
"No… I want a… sword…"
Hearing this, Xun Ye visibly froze, seemingly realizing he had misunderstood Xiao Ai.
That moment was etched deeply into Xiao Ai's heart, one that would haunt Xun Ye with regret years later.
Xiao Ai never begged her. Even when the Execution Blade, forged from that authority, was pressed against Xiao Ai's throat—even as its overwhelming pressure threatened to snap her spine—Xiao Ai held firm. Even in death, she never bowed her head to beg for forgiveness.
"Trade your life for it. How about that?"
"Cough… fine." Xiao Ai agreed almost without hesitation. She had no choice—or so she believed. Freedom wasn't what she desired; what she craved was power and authority.
"I don't carry a stretcher with me. Head south along the main road. The Seventeenth Army will depart in two hours. Understood?"
With that, Xun Ye vanished.
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