Chapter 7: Chapter 440: The Fierce Tiger

A gust of wind blew past, lifting the strands of hair by Helian Mingshuo's ear and letting them drift in the air, blurring his vision.

"You want to use my Imperial Mother to exchange for our Great Qin's Pingcheng?" Helian Mingshuo narrowed his eyes slightly, looking coldly at Wu Hao.

Seeing Helian Mingshuo's cooperation, Wu Hao laughed three times. "Correct! It is merely a city, not the entirety of Great Qin. As long as the First Prince yields Pingcheng, I guarantee the Noble Consort will be delivered to your hands unscathed!"

Ye Jinxi gave a cold smile.

Wu Hao made it sound so easy—merely a city. If it truly were just a city, what harm would it do to give it to him? He could simply take it back later!

But, he was going to such great lengths to obtain Pingcheng; could it be simply because Pingcheng was the capital of Great Qin?!

What a joke. It was because the Immortal Pavilion was in Pingcheng!

The world-renowned Immortal Pavilion was located within Pingcheng!

Without the Immortal Pavilion, Great Qin would have no protection left.

It was precisely because the Immortal Pavilion never interfered in any of Great Qin's affairs that Wu Hao felt emboldened to lead this group of soldiers—some with low cultivation, others with none at all—to dare attack Great Qin and dare to press upon Pingcheng!

Ye Jinxi looked up and exchanged a glance with Bu Feichen. What the two of them had thought of, Helian Chuchu and Helian Mingshuo would surely have thought of as well.

Ye Jinxi turned her head to look. She saw that Helian Chuchu had a calm expression, seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation, but the determined look in her eyes revealed her current thoughts. Helian Mingshuo, however, was clearly conflicted; his handsome face had turned somewhat gloomy due to his internal struggle, a look of sorrow etched between his brows, and his thin lips were tightly pursed, as if he found it difficult to make a decision.

Ye Jinxi sighed softly. The Noble Consort was Helian Mingshuo's mother, and the bond between them was very strong. It was indeed difficult to ask him to make such a choice now. However, this was not the time for him to act on emotion, for behind him stood the entirety of Great Qin.

Sensing two gazes falling upon her, Ye Jinxi turned her head. What met her eyes were Bu Feichen's deep eyes; a gaze that should have been devoid of emotion actually carried a hint of a smile at this moment.

Bu Feichen took a step forward. His tall stature loomed over Ye Jinxi like a mountain pressing down from the heavens. Ye Jinxi looked up at him, feeling a heavy sensation in her heart, yet it was a very grounding one.

Bu Feichen took Ye Jinxi's hand, and the two of them gazed at each other in silence for a moment.

Looking at Bu Feichen's somewhat unusual expression, those powerful large hands seemed to be telling her that she must believe in him.

Ye Jinxi suddenly understood. This scene reminded Bu Feichen of many years ago, when Granny Aojun had also been captured and then used to threaten Helian Jian. At that time, Helian Jian had been just like Helian Mingshuo, caught in a dilemma, until Granny Aojun eventually broke free from her ropes herself.

Bu Feichen was telling her that if one day she were captured and he was told to surrender Great Qin, to surrender the Demon Sect, or even to surrender his own life, he would hand them all over without hesitation!

In his life, the most important thing was her.

"Mommy!"

Yuanbao was being held in Bu Feichen's arms. He looked at Bu Feichen on his left and Ye Jinxi on his right. Seeing that the two had been staring at each other for a long time without moving, it was clear they had forgotten about him, such an important figure!

Yuanbao pouted, attempting to reclaim their attention.

The two were startled awake by Yuanbao's cry. Ye Jinxi's face flushed red, and she coughed awkwardly. "What is it?"

Yuanbao curled his lip but said nothing.

At that moment, Deng Ling'er tugged at Ye Jinxi's clothes. "Auntie Ye, look below!"

Ignoring Yuanbao, Ye Jinxi looked down from the city tower. Beside the prisoner carriage where the Noble Consort was held, there was actually another carriage. The difference was that this carriage was covered from top to bottom by a large piece of black cloth, making it impossible to see who was being held inside, giving it a mysterious and eerie appearance.

Ye Jinxi immediately frowned. Wu Hao would never do useless work; so, who was inside that carriage?

While Ye Jinxi was still wondering, Bu Feichen's fingers moved, and a stack of silver notes was pinched in his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuanbao saw this and instantly beamed with joy. He reached out, snatched the silver notes from Bu Feichen's hand, and stuffed them into his own bosom. Along the way, he gave Deng Ling'er a look of praise. As expected of his Ling'er sister, the tacit understanding between them was growing higher and higher; only by diverting Mommy's attention could he privately hoard these silver notes!

Deng Ling'er's small face lit up with a smile. She still remembered the conversation between her and Brother Yuanbao when he had pulled out his hidden savings to show her.

"Sister Ling'er! I want to save lots and lots of silver!"

"Why do you want to save lots and lots of silver?"

"...Uh... so that I can marry you! Don't you know that marrying you costs a lot of silver?"

"Is that so? Then Ling'er will definitely help Brother Yuanbao save lots and lots of silver!"

"Good girl, Ling'er..."

Looking at the two children with perfect chemistry, Bu Feichen raised an eyebrow but did not speak to expose them.

Below the city tower.

Wu Hao looked up at Helian Mingshuo, his eyes filled with smiles, yet those smiles gave off a chilling sensation. "First Prince, do you truly refuse to yield the capital?"

Helian Mingshuo narrowed his eyes slightly but remained silent.

Helian Chuchu turned to look at him, her expression solemn. "Brother, if it were just a single city, you could give it to him, but Pingcheng is not merely the capital of Great Qin!"

Hearing Helian Chuchu's words, Helian Mingshuo slowly lowered his head, seemingly finding it difficult to decide.

"Hahahaha..." Standing below the city tower, Wu Hao laughed loudly again, as if this scene atop the tower made him very happy. "First Prince, why don't I help you find the answer in your heart?"

Having said that, without waiting for Helian Mingshuo's reaction, he slowly raised his hand and then gave a wave. The black cloth on the prisoner carriage next to the Noble Consort was pulled down with a "whoosh!"

*Roar~!*

The sudden roar of a beast made everyone present tremble in their hearts!

One could tell the ferocity and savagery of this beast just from that sound alone!

Everyone's gaze instantly fell upon the carriage from which the black cloth had been pulled, feeling shocked once more!

The carriage was still made of iron bars, but what was held inside was not a human as people had initially guessed, but a ferocious beast as tall as a person!

Ye Jinxi couldn't help but blink. She looked closely; the beast's appearance was like a tiger, but this tiger was far too large!

The great tiger was entirely white with streaks of black across its body. Its large, amber eyes were wide open, and the way it stared at everyone was as if it were looking at a delicious meal, filled with ferocity and greed. Its large mouth was open, revealing sharp teeth on both sides, and saliva dripped downward. If not for this massive carriage blocking it, anyone would believe it would pounce out without hesitation and bite the person closest to it to death!

Bu Feichen tightened his grip on Ye Jinxi's hand, his brow furrowing.

Ye Jinxi was staring wide-eyed at the great tiger and did not turn her head, so she did not notice Bu Feichen's expression. She merely thought he was comforting her because he was worried she would be afraid.

Ye Jinxi patted the back of Bu Feichen's hand casually, signaling that she was fine.

"What kind of thing is that?!"

"Why does it look so much like a tiger?"

"How can a tiger be this big?!"

"..."

The various generals on the city tower pointed and discussed as they investigated the beast below.

Turning her head, Ye Jinxi saw that Helian Chuchu's face was somewhat pale. Clearly, Deng Ling'er's medicine had begun to lose its effect, but she still held firmly to the city wall, remaining composed.

She stepped forward, supporting Helian Chuchu's arm, and once again channeled a stream of pure spiritual energy into Helian Chuchu's body, while saying, "Princess, do not be afraid."

Helian Chuchu felt the sharp pain in her chest gradually ease. She finally caught her breath and turned to look at Ye Jinxi's worried expression. She struggled to force a calm smile and nodded.

In the eyes of the surrounding generals, this would naturally be taken as confirmation that the Princess had been frightened by the beast.

Helian Mingshuo did not notice this. His eyes kept darting between the great tiger and the Noble Consort, and an ill omen gradually rose in his heart...

Hearing that roar, Wu Hao also couldn't help but turn to look. Seeing the Noble Consort's pale, terrified face in the carriage, a momentary sense of pity rose in his heart. At this moment, the Noble Consort was no longer the strong and cold woman from before; she was originally a carefree princess of the Tianqi Kingdom, a delicate white flower. In the face of danger, this delicate flower was trembling...

He turned to look up at the city tower. The pity and anxiety in Helian Mingshuo's eyes fell into his view, and the trace of sentiment in his heart instantly vanished!

"First Prince, do you see? This is a beast I obtained from the Wind Bell Sword Sect. It is said that once, when the person guarding this beast fell asleep in the middle of the night, the beast actually broke free and swallowed over a dozen people with its bloody maw before it was recaptured! I was puzzled for a long time when I heard about it—how could this beast's belly hold over a dozen people?"

Wu Hao spoke with an air of self-satisfaction. He paused intentionally at this point before continuing, "Later I learned that this beast possesses a type of venom in its mouth. Once a person is swallowed into its belly, they are immediately digested, leaving not even... bones behind."

*Roar~!*

As Wu Hao finished speaking, the great tiger quite cooperatively opened its mouth and let out a loud roar.

Everyone's hearts trembled again, as if they could already imagine being swallowed by that great tiger unscathed, only to be turned into a puddle of liquid immediately after...

Helian Mingshuo suddenly clenched his fists. What was Wu Hao bringing this beast here for? Could it be that he wanted him to watch with his own eyes as the Noble Consort was swallowed by this beast?!

Wu Hao clearly had many ways to kill the Noble Consort, yet he chose this most torturous method to make her die!

He had wanted to be a filial son since he was a child. He had known since childhood that his Imperial Father did not like him and was always cold and indifferent toward him, but he never knew the reason, so he had always strived to be a filial son, hoping that one day his Imperial Father would look at him a little more.

But, his Imperial Father passed away, and he was imprisoned by him!

During those days of imprisonment, he had always wondered, what exactly had he done wrong?!

Even his Imperial Father's funeral, he was not allowed to attend!

And now, was he truly going to be forced to continue watching his Imperial Mother die right before his eyes?!