Chapter 1138: Chapter 1138: Deep Hatred Like a Sea of Blood
Li Li took one last deep look at Jiu Ge, then suddenly pressed her lips together and smiled faintly. She lifted the longsword and aimed it at her own neck.
The sharp sound of a "clang" rang out, and Li Li’s wrist trembled, causing the longsword to drop to the ground.
Li Li looked up in shock, only to see Qin Sisi stepping slightly closer toward her, her face filled with worry.
"Qin Sisi, mind your own business," Li Li coldly reprimanded. Her heart was heavy with guilt toward Jiu Ge, and she had already resolved to die. She had no need of anyone’s pity or assistance.
Qin Sisi slowly approached. She glanced at Jiu Ge, then at Li Li, and with a resolute voice said, "Everyone knows you are Jiu Ge’s most trusted servant. But now, his most trusted servant has not only betrayed him but has also killed his mother. If word gets out, people might say that Mei Ji’s evil deeds finally brought retribution. But they will also ridicule Jiu Ge for being blind to the truth, for trusting the wrong person."
Li Li’s body trembled as she stared at Qin Sisi in shock, her eyes moving slowly back to Jiu Ge.
If death were the end of all things, she could bear any insult, any cruel judgment. None of it mattered. But she couldn’t let the one she most admired, the one she cared for deeply, suffer even a shred of humiliation because of her.
"Young Master..." Li Li’s lips moved faintly, and suddenly her eyes brimmed with tears.
It was the first time Qin Sisi had seen Li Li cry. In the three years at Heavenly Magic God’s Castle, apart from showing ferocity in battle, Li Li had always maintained an icy demeanor—never crying, never laughing, without sorrow or anger.
But Qin Sisi, with her sensitive nature and long-time companionship, had still perceived the faint kindness buried deep in Li Li’s heart. So, when Li Li tried to end her life in atonement, Qin Sisi chose to save her.
Jiu Ge, too, was witnessing Li Li cry for the first time. He paused slightly in surprise, although the coldness in his gaze did not fade.
Qin Sisi spoke gently, "This matter is too significant for me to believe you acted on a whim. Surely, you have your reasons. Can you tell us?"
Li Li lowered her head, staring at the ground, not saying a word.
Qin Sisi pondered briefly and continued, "The hatred of a mother’s killer is irreconcilable. Even if you were to die, Jiu Ge would despise you for a lifetime. You may be willing to bear his hatred, but do you know? Holding on to such hatred is its own kind of torment."
Li Li’s tears, which had just ceased, began flowing anew. She looked at Jiu Ge through misty eyes and choked out, "Young Master, my name is not Li Li."
"What?" A single baffling sentence from Li Li made Jiu Ge look puzzled.
Li Li took a deep breath, quickly suppressing her emotions. In a low voice, she explained, "My real name is An He. ’An’ as in peace, ’He’ as in harmony."
An He—this name embodied her parents’ deepest wishes. They did not aspire for her to wield great mana nor live in opulence; they only hoped their child could grow up safely and soundly, in a family full of warmth and harmony.
But alas, Mei Ji’s arrival turned this name into a tragic joke.
"Mei Ji had a younger sister named Liang Han. My mother used to be Miss Liang Han’s servant, and my father worked as a guard in the Chief Mansion. They fell in love and hoped to leave the Chief Mansion to live an ordinary, peaceful life. Miss Liang Han, kindhearted as she was, pleaded with her father—the previous Clan Leader of the Changkong family—on their behalf. The Clan Leader granted Miss Liang Han’s request and allowed my parents to leave the Chief Mansion."
The story began beautifully: a truly loving couple, a benevolent lady, and a reasonable Clan Leader led to a smooth start.
Later, the couple settled down among commoners, built their own little family, and birthed a little girl, living a life of happiness and contentment.
After Liang Han’s tragic death, the Chief Mansion’s official statement was that she succumbed to a sudden illness. Sad for her fate, this couple would light incense late at night every year on her memorial day to repay her kindness.
Ten years later, while capturing small low-level demonic beasts on a mountain with their ten-year-old daughter, they encountered Mei Ji, who was wandering aimlessly. That’s when tragedy struck.
After experiencing betrayal by her own husband, Mei Ji grew to resent all blissfully loving couples. Why could ordinary women receive genuine love and care from men while she—beautiful and exalted—was humiliated and harmed by them?
Seeing the happiness of Li Li’s family of three, Mei Ji was consumed with jealousy and rage. She injured Li Li’s mother and abducted Li Li’s father.
Initially, Mei Ji thought Li Li was lovely and wanted to take her as a sacrificial offering. However, upon realizing how young Li Li was, she dismissed the idea, guessing she wouldn’t have much blood to offer.
Li Li’s father struggled desperately. Mei Ji, considering his looks and that she hadn’t had the chance to sleep with him yet, didn’t want to kill or harm him. She threatened, "Come with me willingly, and I will spare your wife and child. Otherwise, I will kill them immediately."
To ensure the safety of his wife and daughter, Li Li’s father reluctantly followed Mei Ji.
Li Li’s mother was devastated. Despite her grave injuries, she resolutely decided to go to the Chief Mansion to recover her husband. Unable to enter through its gates, she brought Li Li to Soul-breaking Cliff.
She initially wanted to leave Li Li with neighbors for care, but Li Li clung to her mother’s leg, refusing to let go and insisting on accompanying her to find her father.
Li Li’s mother, helpless, brought Li Li along.
As a child, Li Li’s mother used to play at Soul-breaking Cliff with Miss Liang Han. Together, they accidentally discovered the Heaven Ladder. Blood Eagles wouldn’t harm them, as Liang Han was from the Changkong family.
But this time was different. Without anyone from the Changkong family to protect them, every step they took teetered at the edge of death’s abyss.
Halfway up, Li Li and Yun Cheng alike were frightened by large insects crawling past them, letting out shocked cries that attracted the Blood Eagles.
Seeing this, Li Li’s mother realized there was no other solution. In a voice only audible to Li Li, she said, "Child, remember—no matter what you hear or see, do not make a sound. That’s the only way to survive. You must live. You must."
Saying this, she leapt outward into the Eagles’ view.
Spotting food, the Blood Eagles immediately swarmed forward, savagely tearing at and devouring the body until nothing was left.
Li Li trembled where she lay, almost falling off the cliff. She wanted to cry out, to jump and follow her mother. Yet her mother’s final words echoed in her ears.
Do not make a sound. Live. You must live...
The Blood Eagles assumed the earlier commotion originated from the woman they had consumed. After feasting, they dispersed one by one, allowing Li Li to escape unscathed.
The ten-year-old Li Li lay there for what felt like an eternity, her limbs nearly paralyzed, before she remembered to start climbing upward again—to enter the Chief Mansion of the Changkong family and search for her father.
