"They forced the current Peony Flower Lord—the mother of Lady Lana He—to lead all the Hundred Blossoms into surrender. When she refused, the bandits slaughtered the entire Peony clan!"
"And then what happened?" Lucia Lu asked.
"After that, Bifang took Lana He back to his family home. My eldest brother sent me back to the Silver Clementine Kingdom," Ethan Fang said. "Later, my father passed away, I inherited the throne, and couldn't travel freely anymore."
"But I couldn't stop worrying about Lana He. A few years later, I went to pay respects in the High Kingdom, and the route passed near my second brother's home, so I deliberately took a detour to visit him."
He smiled, "Lana He had just given birth to a baby, but it was a bird egg! My timing was perfect—after years of incubation, the egg hatched right as I arrived. I witnessed the birth myself; it was an exceptionally beautiful little bird."
"Bifang and Lana He were thrilled to see me. They even asked me to name the child. Since their home was near the Huai River in Huainan, I named him Bi Huai."
"Normally, the birth of a child would be a happy event," Ethan said. "But I sensed something strange between them—a heavy, uneasy atmosphere. I had a bad feeling."
"Sure enough, they entrusted little Bi Huai to me, asked me to take him to our eldest brother, and then the two of them went to Hundred Blossoms Paradise."
Lana He said she was the Peony Flower Lord of Hundred Blossoms Paradise, and couldn't abandon the Flower Fairies. She said it was her duty!"
Ethan Fang's eyes reddened, "Later, I heard from my eldest brother that the entrance to Hundred Blossoms Paradise was sealed with a special barrier. Once Lana He went in, she couldn't get out and suffered endless humiliation. Bifang tried everything to rescue her, but was caught by those bandits. His fate is unknown."
"And it didn't stop there. Later, my second brother Bifang's entire family was wiped out by those people!" Ethan said. "Only then did I learn that my eldest brother Baxa is actually a powerful overlord in the demon-beast Wildlands, commanding many fearsome beasts."
"Oh! I just remembered—" Snow Yuan suddenly exclaimed.
"Shut up!" Xiao Chen sent her a voice transmission. "If you say Baxa is a wanted criminal in Drake Abyss, do you think he'll keep talking?"
This place was so remote, news barely reached it.
Ethan Fang probably dared to mention Baxa's name because he didn't know about that.
Snow Yuan struggled to keep quiet, forcing herself not to say another word.
"My eldest brother went to demand they hand over my second brother and third sister. But those people were so arrogant and vicious—they refused, and even invaded my brother's territory, occupying, slaughtering, and pillaging! My brother was furious and attacked their stronghold. The fighting was brutal."
"And what about you?" Jinming Ju asked. "What did you do to bring about your kingdom's downfall?"
Ethan Fang shed tears, speaking in agony, "I... I was so stupid! Truly stupid! I doomed all my people!"
"Did you file a petition about this with the High Kingdom? Ask them to help and complain to the Divine Race?" Xiao Chen asked.
Ethan Fang nodded, "You guessed it, Immortal Master! That's right. I thought—even if my Silver Clementine Kingdom was small, it was still a nation under the Divine Race's protection.
So while I was in the Southern Mystic Empire, offering birthday congratulations to their Empress Dowager, I asked them for help! I pleaded for justice!
Who could've guessed those bandits had connections everywhere! My petition didn't spark the slightest reaction—instead, they framed me for treason and collusion, and destroyed my Silver Clementine Kingdom!