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Listening to Qi Ming’s frustrated words, Su Yu suddenly found the man somewhat ridiculous.
“When Qi Ming calls others ‘bastards,’ have you ever considered how you treat them yourself?” Su Yu coldly remarked, looking at Qi Ming.
“You…”
“During your time in the Qi army, do I need to remind you of what you did? You brought this upon yourself,” Su Yu stated, each word deliberate.
The thought of those around him treating him in such a manner left Qi Ming extremely irritated, especially Su Yu, daring to speak to him like this.
“Su Yu, I truly regret it. I shouldn’t have let you return to Xuan peacefully. I should have killed you directly. Then you would have obeyed and behaved, rather than opposing me,” Qi Ming said coldly, his eyes clouded with darkness.
Su Yu knew Qi Ming would regret not acting against him earlier, which made him somewhat angry when he heard these words.
A punch landed on Qi Ming’s shoulder, shattering his scapula with force.
Clutching his shoulder, Qi Ming looked at Su Yu with a hint of madness in his eyes. “Su Yu, you should have ended up like you did in the past, with everyone around you dead. You should have been crippled, locked in a small courtyard, and met a miserable end at the hands of your own parents.”
Upon hearing Qi Ming’s words, Su Yu stared at him sharply. “Well, I’ve disappointed you then. In this lifetime, it’s Yang Shanshan and Su Qin who have died, and of course, you.”
“Su Yu, I was right after all. You are the one who crawled out of hell seeking revenge. No wonder you changed so drastically a few years ago, lost control, and went to help Xuan Feiran,” Qi Ming recalled this vividly from a dream he had the previous night.
He spoke those words to probe Su Yu, unaware that he had indeed uncovered something.
Su Yu was truly a man who had died once before.
This time, Yang Shanshan and the others were truly worthless.
And Wang Jinhe, in his dreams, this person had died in front of Su Yu, yet in reality, she proved to be quite formidable.
Originally a village woman scorned by all, she had unexpectedly become Su Yu’s ally.
“So what if he willingly had me help him? You don’t have the right to ask for my assistance,” Su Yu stated each word firmly, looking at Qi Ming.
Hearing Su Yu’s words, Qi Ming burst into laughter. Su Jiu, upon hearing Qi Ming’s laughter, couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
Glancing towards where the two were, all that could be seen was Qi Ming recklessly attempting to harm Su Yu.
Su Jiu tried to break free from those around him to intervene but was stopped by Su Yu. “Big brother, don’t come over. This is between him and me.”
There were things Su Jiu could assist with, and others he could not. Just like the grudge between him and Qi Ming, this was something only he could resolve on his own, with no one else able to help.
“Xiao Yu…”
“Brother, leave this to me. You go handle other matters,” Su Yu turned to Su Jiu, making it clear that his decision was non-negotiable.
Qi Ming seized the opportunity to strike at that moment.
“Be careful…”
Su Jiu was about to step forward when he saw Su Yu’s sword piercing through Qi Ming’s chest.
Looking down at the sword in his chest, Qi Ming chuckled. “In your heart, I truly can’t compare to your own kin.”
“Su Yu, in reality, we are the same, equally ruthless.” The only difference was that Su Yu showed a bit more tenderness towards his family.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
Su Yu expressionlessly withdrew his sword as Qi Ming fell to the ground, watching Su Yu beside him and suddenly laughed, “Do you think you can rest easy without Qi or Ling empire?”
“You should… thank Wang Jinhe for introducing high-yield grain varieties, drawing the attention of all empires to Xuan,” Qi Ming said, his eyes gleaming as if he could already envision Su Yu meeting his end at the hands of others.
“I’ll be waiting for you on the road to the underworld,” Qi Ming finished, his eyes wide open, devoid of breath.
A truly unavenged death.
Su Yu coldly observed Qi Ming’s lifeless body, saying nothing.
With the matter resolved, why did he still feel a sense of melancholy and loss deep within?
“Soldiers of Qi, prince Qi is dead. Lay down your arms and surrender,” Su Jiu shouted loudly upon seeing Qi Ming’s demise.
The Qi soldiers, who already had little fighting spirit, upon hearing Su Jiu’s words, dropped their weapons to the ground.
The only surviving general witnessed this and exclaimed, “You traitors! This is treason!”
The soldiers nearby, upon hearing this, turned cold gazes towards him. “If we can eat well, dress warmly like the people of Xuan, not be oppressed, and not worry about being conscripted at any moment, then so be it, let it be treason.”
“That’s right. As long as we can live, as long as we can live like the people of Xuan, even if it’s considered treason, we’ll accept it.”
A twelve-year-old child, upon realizing he didn’t have to die, burst into tears. “I’m the only son in my family. You made me come here. If I hadn’t come, you would have killed my family. When leaving, you even took away what little food we had. While you’re well-fed and clothed, what about us? We can’t eat or dress properly, all of this is because of your coercion.”
“What’s wrong with us betraying the country? If only the ruler treated the people well like the Xuan Emperor, thinking of the people in everything, even if he asked me to go to the battlefield and die, I would willingly do so. But is he that kind of person? Is he worthy of asking us to willingly sacrifice ourselves?”
“I heard that when the first batch of high-yield grains was produced in Xuan, the Emperor only kept fifty acres of the seeds for the royal family, giving the rest to the people. Even the officials in Xuan couldn’t buy the high-yield seeds for their farms. Would this happen in Qi? Would these seeds be for our people as well?”
The passionate accusations of the young boy left all the Qi soldiers silent.
“Yes, that incompetent ruler cared nothing for the people’s lives and insisted on war. He never considered whether taking away the people’s food would allow them to survive.”
“You may have wealth and food in your homes, but we don’t. Every year, disasters strike, leaving our grain stores empty. Who has ever cared for us?”
“Did that incompetent ruler care? He only sent people to homes that hadn’t paid taxes to plunder recklessly, regardless of the family’s well-being.”
The boy’s words struck a chord with everyone, especially those forcibly conscripted into the army this year.
Their emotions ran even deeper.
“After arriving at the military camp, you eat well while we starve. Cold water with steamed buns—if we don’t eat, we go hungry. The training you impose seems more like an attempt to kill us all rather than prepare for battle, doesn’t it?”
Each accusation made the general’s face flush red.
He couldn’t even meet their eyes because everything these people said was true; they weren’t lying. These were all actions taken by the Emperor of Qi.
“Even so, you can’t betray the country. It’s a grave crime that warrants the execution of nine generations,” the general continued to speak up for Qi.
He even resorted to threats.