The imperial physician rushed over, carefully examined Dongfang Heng's pulse, and sighed heavily, "Prince An has no heartbeat..."
"Heng!" Shen Lixue was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. Tears streamed down her face as she held Dongfang Heng's body and wept bitterly.
The civil and military officials looked at the lifeless Dongfang Heng and shook their heads and sighed. Dongfang Heng's suicide could bring peace to the people of Qingyan, but Qingyan also lost a war god who never gave up. The border of Qingyan would inevitably be somewhat unstable. If war broke out, the people of the border would surely suffer...
Qin Ruoyan appeared out of nowhere, gracefully walking over. The colorful vines on her dress swayed gently in the wind, exuding an indescribable mystery and eeriness: "Is Dongfang Heng really dead?"
The area in front of the Holy King's Mansion was solemn and dignified. Officials, servants, and guards all bowed their heads in grief, ignoring her. Shen Lixue's sorrowful cries echoed through the air.
No one answered her question, so she decided to see for herself. Qin Ruoyan's beautiful eyes narrowed as she peered through the gaps in the crowd:
Dongfang Heng collapsed into Shen Lixue's arms, his face pale, his eyes closed, a dagger embedded in his chest, the sharp blade completely piercing his chest. His white robes were stained crimson with blood. He had committed suicide, dying a quick and easy death, without suffering any pain. This was not the outcome she had desired.
“Princess Qin, the Prince has already paid for the Crown Prince's life. You should also spare the people of Qingyan.” Zi Mo looked up at Qin Ruoyan, his sharp eyes flashing with cold light, and his deep voice successfully drew everyone's attention to her.
They were so preoccupied with grieving Dongfang Heng's passing that they almost forgot their mission. A general stepped forward and said loudly, "Princess Qin, please keep your promise and spare the Qingyan people."
“That’s right, Princess, please spare the people of Qingyan.” The Prime Minister of Qingyan glared at Qin Ruoyan, his slightly aged voice carrying a hint of authority: Dongfang Heng has committed suicide, and Qin Ruoyan must release the unconscious people.
"Spare the people... Spare the people..."
With Zimo, the General, and the Prime Minister taking the lead, the other officials also started shouting and clamoring, vying to pressure Qin Ruoyan to release the people. Dongfang Heng had already given up. According to the agreement, Qin Ruoyan would definitely release the people. They already knew the outcome and had no scruples, which is why they dared to be so bold and presumptuous. Otherwise, even if they had a hundred times the courage, they would not dare to offend Qin Ruoyan.
Faced with the angry pressure from the Qingyan group, Qin Ruoyan remained calm: "I spent a lot of effort to create these puppets, and I haven't had enough fun with them yet. I don't want to release them for the time being. What should we do?"
The Prime Minister froze, his expression instantly changing, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Princess Qin...you just promised..."
"So what if I promised? I don't want to release them now, what can you do about it?" Qin Ruoyan held her chin high, looking at Prime Minister Qingyan with an arrogant air. The contempt in her beady green eyes was undisguised, which made the Prime Minister furious: "A princess of the Southern Frontier, how dare you break your promise? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"
Qin Ruoyan sneered disdainfully: "Once we wipe out you old bastards, Qingyan will cease to exist, and our vast land will be incorporated into the Southern Frontier. This place will become the Southern Frontier Kingdom, and I will be a great hero of the Southern Frontier, praised by the world. Who would dare to mock me?"
"You...you are a faithless, despicable, and shameless scoundrel..." The Prime Minister pointed at Qin Ruoyan, too angry to speak.
Now that things have come to this, what is there that he doesn't understand? When Qin Ruoyan poisoned the people of the capital, she never intended to save them. She used these officials and common people to force Dongfang Heng to his death, so that Qingyan would lose its protector. Then, the Southern Frontier would have nothing to fear and could march north to eliminate Qingyan. Her plan was truly ingenious, making these court officials run wild.
"I am not a scoundrel, nor do I stoop to those petty, self-serving acts that compromise my word for others." Seeing the officials' gloomy faces, Qin Ruoyan was in high spirits, almost floating on air. What a useless bunch of good-for-nothings! A few words were enough to completely fool them.
Looking at Dongfang Heng again, she sighed softly, her eyes flashing, her tone both mocking and sarcastic: "My elder brother, the Crown Prince, is already dead. Even if Prince An were to pay with his life, he wouldn't be able to come back to life. I spoke casually in a fit of anger, but I never expected Prince An to take it seriously. It's truly... Alas, the mighty God of War of Qingyan didn't die at the hands of a powerful enemy, but was forced to commit suicide. What a pathetic death."
"Qin Ruoyan, don't go too far." Shen Lixue suddenly looked up at Qin Ruoyan, her dark eyes brimming with tears, but deep within them reflected two cold glints, like sharp arrows piercing straight into one's heart, the chilling coldness instantly reaching every limb.
Even though Qin Ruoyan was calm and composed, she couldn't help but shiver inwardly. She quickly looked away, not daring to meet Shen Lixue's gaze. Shen Lixue had just lost her husband and was furious; it was best for her to avoid provoking her and deal with her later.
"Alright, alright, I won't comment on Dongfang Heng anymore. I'll just talk about your Qingyan court officials. They're all weak scholars, powerless to even kill a chicken. They run away faster than anyone else when trouble comes, but they're more eager than anyone else to claim credit. Such useless trash are just a waste of food to live in this world. I'll do a good deed and send you to the underworld to save Qingyan some money."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Ruoyan did something that made all the unconscious passersby open their eyes, slowly stand up, and a cold glint flashed deep in their eyes. They roared like wild beasts and viciously pounced on the conscious ones...
"Run!" someone shouted, and the shocked people instantly snapped out of their daze, screaming and scattering in all directions. But they were normal people, and how could they escape the people who were being controlled and moving at incredible speed? They had only run a few steps before they were grabbed by the people, and a barrage of fists rained down on them. Each punch was like a heavy hammer blow, tearing their skin, breaking their bones, and causing their piercing screams to echo in the gloomy sky for a long time. The peaceful street was instantly transformed into a living hell.
The tyrannical people were utterly inhuman, beating anyone they caught alive to death. The Prime Minister and his men were filled with regret. Had they known Qin Ruoyan would break her promise, they would have stopped Prince An from committing suicide no matter what. He was the God of War of Qingyan, invincible and unbeatable. Under his leadership, they were certain they could kill Qin Ruoyan and save the people of Qingyan.
But now, Dongfang Heng is dead, their protector is gone, Qin Ruoyan runs rampant, the people are controlled by her, they are helpless and can only be slaughtered, it's too late, it's all too late.
The Qingyan civil officials were no match for them and were quickly swallowed up by the crowd of people. Qin Ruoyan laughed triumphantly: "Oh dear, these are all high and mighty officials of Qingyan. They usually put on airs, each one more noble than the last. But when faced with death, they show their true colors and are terrified. Tsk tsk, their screams are pitiful, but they sound like pigs being slaughtered. It's so annoying. Prince An is much braver. He committed suicide with a sword without uttering a sound. People are really different."
Qin Ruoyan turned around leisurely, only to find that the place where Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng were was empty, without a single person in sight. Looking at the chaotic crowd, neither of them was there either. Could they have been torn to pieces by those enraged people?
Tsk tsk, the mighty Azure Flame War God, so glorious in life, yet he didn't even have a complete corpse after death, how tragic. And Shen Lixue, more than seven months pregnant, if she were to be cut open, it would be very bloody, very tragic, very exciting. I wonder what that seven-month-old child looks like. If it falls to the ground, it will probably be trampled to pieces.
Thinking smugly to herself, she suddenly caught a glimpse of white robes out of the corner of her eye. A young man appeared before her, his familiar handsome face startling her. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped open, and she couldn't close it for a long time. Her pupils were filled with shock and disbelief: "You...you're not dead..."
She clearly saw the dagger pierce his heart with her own eyes, and she also secretly confirmed that his breathing and heartbeat had stopped, and there were traces of blood on his chest. How could he not be dead?
"You're not dead yet, so how could I be?" Dongfang Heng's gaze was icy, and a long sword suddenly appeared in his hand. Qin Ruoyan was shocked and quickly retreated. The sharp sword drew a sharp, cold light in mid-air and pierced straight into her heart. Bright red blood seeped out from the wound, staining a large area of her clothes.
Qin Ruoyan paused, and a sticky, metallic taste of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, slowly sliding down her cheek. The world fell silent instantly; everything around her vanished, leaving only her and Dongfang Heng: "You held your breath...you lied to me..."
Now that things have come to this, she roughly understands that Dongfang Heng's suicide was fake, a show specifically for her. If she really releases the Qingyan people as promised, she will have fallen for Dongfang Heng's trick.
Dongfang Heng's gaze was icy: "Princess Qin also broke her promise, provoking me to commit suicide, yet she did not keep her word. If I really commit suicide, I will have nowhere to seek justice."
"You harmed my Crown Prince brother, is it wrong for me to make you pay with your life?" Qin Ruoyan said indignantly, gritting her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her slender body trembling slightly.
Dongfang Heng frowned slightly: "I've said it before, I didn't kill Qin Junhao..."
"Soliciting lies! The mighty God of War of Qingyan is nothing but a shameless villain who dares to do things but not to admit them." Qin Ruoyan had seen plenty of people who appeared righteous but were actually despicable. Qin Junhao's letter clearly stated that Dongfang Heng had seriously injured him. How could he be wrong? She was not like those foolish ministers of Qingyan who would rather trust outsiders and doubt their own people in order to save their own lives.
With a cold glint in her eyes, Qin Ruoyan, drawing strength from who-knows-where, suddenly took a step back, distancing herself from the longsword. With a leap, she soared into the air and quickly fled into the distance.
That damned Dongfang Heng! How dare he lie to her! She will never forgive him. She is seriously injured right now and it is not advisable to fight him head-on. She should leave here first, recover from her injuries, and then come back to Qingyan to settle all the old and new scores with him.
The slender white figure gradually disappeared into the distance. Dongfang Heng remained calm and composed. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp longsword flew out of his hand and stabbed towards Qin Ruoyan. She was single-minded and convinced that he had killed Qin Junhao. No matter what he said, she would not believe him. She was determined to kill him. If she were allowed to leave, Qingyan would surely be devastated and there would be no peace.
The longsword flashed coldly in mid-air, piercing straight into Qin Ruoyan's back. She coughed up blood and fell from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Her eyes were wide open, staring intently ahead. Was she going to die? She was unwilling, unwilling!
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the sharpness and ruthlessness in his eyes slowly faded, turning into a deathly ashen.
The people, who had been killing like wild beasts, suddenly stopped their ferocious actions. The coldness and viciousness in their eyes gradually faded, and a layer of mist filled their pupils. After a moment, their eyes cleared, and they looked at the chaotic scene, the disheveled crowd, and then at their own disheveled clothes, and wondered:
"What happened? How did I get here?"
"What's going on here? Did a fight break out?"
"I remember it was morning just now, how did it turn into evening in the blink of an eye?"
One by one, the people who had been held captive woke up. Looking at the wounded scattered all over the ground, they looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion.
The Prime Minister and the general, who were seriously injured and on the verge of death, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The people had woken up. That was good. They wouldn't be beaten to death. With a long sigh of relief, their tired eyes pierced through the gaps in the crowd and saw Dongfang Heng. They were instantly stunned. Prince An, was he a man or a ghost?