"Aunt Silver, just how far are you going to push us? If this is how it’s gonna be, then kill me now! Otherwise, I swear I’ll lead every single soldier from Endless Indulgence Kingdom to attack Soaring Phoenix!" Caleb Miles finally couldn’t hold back and roared in pain at the scene before him.
But Silver Consort just looked unfazed by Caleb’s roar. "Endless Indulgence doesn’t even have a third as many people as Soaring Phoenix. What are you going to fight with? You want your father and mother to throw their lives away for this?"
"Medicine... medicine..." Adrian Night used all his strength to stretch out his hand, clutching the antidote bottle tight in his blood-soaked grip. But he was already completely spent, unable to move forward.
Ivy Shen watched him, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t tell him that the antidote was already useless for her—she couldn’t control herself anymore...
Wiping her tears, Ivy stubbornly lifted her head and stared at Silver Consort. "Isn’t it my life you want? Fine, you can have it. But you have to let them go!"
Silver Consort snorted, her voice full of disdain. "You think you’re still in any position to bargain with me?"
"Oh really? Without the Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal, can Song Zhijue still take the throne smoothly?" Ivy said coldly, enunciating every word.
"Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal?" Silver Consort was briefly stunned by Ivy’s words. After all this chaos, the commoners and martial artists would definitely slam Jue’er with bad press, making his accession nearly impossible. But if she had the Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal, then even if everyone opposed, it wouldn’t matter—this was the one thing needed for the throne.
"Never thought that old geezer actually gave you something so important. Fine—hand over the Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal and I’ll let them go!"
"No—!" All the husbands shouted at once. That thing was way too important; their lives weren’t worth such a price.
"Ha! You think I’m a three-year-old? If I hand over the seal now, you’ll just kill them the moment you get it, won’t you?" Ivy sneered at Silver Consort’s impatient face.
Silver Consort just smiled—clearly, this woman wasn’t stupid. She asked, "Then what would it take for you to trust me?!"
"The Dragon-Phoenix Jade Seal’s been hidden for ages. Each of them carries a secret letter, and only by combining all the clues can you find the seal. But you’ll have to heal them first—otherwise, I can’t guarantee they’ll even remember where it’s stashed!"
"You really think I’d buy that?" Silver Consort’s meaning was clear—she doubted Ivy wasn’t just making excuses to keep the men alive.
"Suit yourself. But I promise you, after this mess, Song Zhijue’s road to the throne will be like climbing to heaven—he’ll drown in spit from the commoners alone!" Ivy fought to hold back the blood in her mouth; she was nearly at her limit...
"It’s just six months, right? If they haven’t given you what you want by then, with your martial arts, you’ll have no problem controlling them. You can kill them then and send them to hell to find me!" Ivy knew Silver Consort wouldn’t let her go, and she herself was doomed. She just wanted to do whatever she could to keep them alive. Who knew what could happen in six months? All she could hope for was that her master would return and protect them...
"Deal!" Silver Consort had to admit the offer was tempting. Six months wasn’t long, and even all their martial skills combined couldn’t beat her. If she didn’t get what she wanted, she could just kill them then!
"Adrian..." Ivy staggered over to his side. Seeing this, Silver Consort slyly drew her sword, ready to go for his hand—since he held the antidote. Even if it was probably useless now, she couldn’t risk it. After using her strongest move, her inner strength was drained; if Ivy recovered, she’d be dangerous again. Silver Consort couldn’t afford to let that happen.
"Stop!" Ivy shouted just as Silver Consort’s sword was about to strike, halting her action.
"You don’t need to do this. What good would the antidote do me now?" With that, she looked painfully at Adrian Night—she knew she couldn’t hug him, couldn’t hold him close, because Silver Consort could chop off his hand at any moment. Adrian’s hand was already soaked in blood, so much so you couldn’t even tell where his fingers were anymore...
Seeing this, Ivy Shen stood up and faced Silver Consort. "Go ahead—take my life!"
"No—!" Everyone cried out at once, and with the sharpness of their screams, blood spurted from their mouths.
Clang! Silver Consort pulled a dagger from her belt and tossed it to the ground in front of Ivy. "Stab yourself in the heart!" With her inner power drained, she figured it was safer to let Ivy finish herself off.
At her words, Ivy staggered over and picked up the dagger, then let out a helpless, bitter laugh. Step by stumbling step, she thought: Mom, Dad, I’m sorry... Xin’er couldn’t save big sis. I’m useless. I’ve let you down...
"Xin’er..." Caleb Miles’s terrified shout jolted the dazed Butterfly Rogue awake. But the first thing he saw after forcing his eyes open was Ivy standing at the edge of a bottomless cliff, her long hair flying in the wind, smiling the most beautiful smile—except this one was tinged with death.
"Xin’er..." Butterfly Rogue turned his head to look at her, struggling to call out, hoping she could hear him. But with his injuries, even his loudest cry was barely a whisper.
"No—you promised me—you wouldn’t abandon Mei—" Lucian Vane forced himself to roll over, but as soon as he did, blood poured from his mouth. Still, he didn’t care and tried to crawl forward. She can’t just leave him...
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more!)
"You have to live! All of you, you have to really live, do you hear me?" Ivy Shen shouted with everything she had left.
"No, Xin’er, don’t—!" Those who could crawl kept dragging themselves toward her; those who couldn’t, struggled to turn over. Caleb Miles was pinned down by Black Ink, desperate to break free, but he’d been hit with an acupoint strike and was badly wounded—there was no way he could undo it.
"Hurry up! What are you stalling for?" Silver Consort was starting to lose her patience.
Ivy Shen took a deep breath and smiled at everyone. "Thank you for loving me so much, but that love nearly cost you your lives. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry... Promise me, you’ll all live well..." With that, she plunged the dagger into her own heart without hesitation.
Seeing this, Silver Consort rushed forward and shoved the dagger in even deeper, sending Ivy staggering back several steps from the force.
Silver Consort finally smiled; her intervention had driven the dagger straight into Ivy’s heart.
"Xin’er—!" Everyone screamed, hearts torn to shreds.
"Promise me... live well... until... until you find my body, you have to keep living. If... if there’s another life, I’ll... love you all for real... lay your eggs with you..." With those words, she spread her arms, closed her eyes, and fell straight backward...
"Ah—!" The crowd screamed; Caleb Miles shouted like a madman. In the next second, his acupoint was released by the sheer force of his shout, and he stumbled to the cliff’s edge—only to see nothing but swirling white clouds below.
"Why? Why did you do this to her? Why?" Caleb Miles grabbed Silver Consort’s shoulders and roared.
"Look at yourself! Are you even worthy of being a member of the Silver family?" Silver Consort snapped back at his questioning, furious that he’d go this far for a woman.
At her words, Caleb Miles collapsed to the ground, dazed. But the next second, he suddenly broke into a grin. "Xin’er said... said until we find her body, we have to live... Our Xin’er isn’t dead, she can’t be dead..."