Chapter 1182: Chapter 1182: The Empress’s Punishment
"Jing Jing, is that you?" Qing Xun’s voice became excited, and his fingers reached out again to touch the leaves of the Mimosa. Those symmetrically growing small leaves quickly folded again, just like the timid and shy Jing Jing.
Tears slipped down Qing Xun’s cheeks once more: "Jing Jing, was it worth it for me?"
The Mimosa swayed gently in the wind, and after a while, those folded leaves reopened, piece by piece, as if whispering the tangled and heartfelt stories of sadness and regret.
Brother Qing Xun, when Meng Yu bullied me, you were the first to stand up for me. From that moment on, you became the faith in my heart.
I know you have feelings for Sister Ya Ning, but it’s okay. I can watch you from afar, quietly and peacefully, without asking anything of the future.
Later, when Sister Ya Ning was gone, I thought I might have a chance. Once, when I had just upgraded to a Third Level Alchemist, I gave you the newly crafted elixir, hoping to share my joy and achievement with you.
You refused to accept it. I could see the alienation in your eyes. You turned away, intending to leave, but seeing my tearful face, you reluctantly told me that you have only one heart and will love only one person in your lifetime. You said I was a good girl and would meet someone better in the future.
But Brother Qing Xun, did you know?
I also have only one heart, and will love only one person in my lifetime.
I don’t know if what I’m doing is worth it. Love, for me, is not about questioning its worth.
Qing Xun wiped his tears with his sleeve and carefully dug out the soil beneath the Mimosa, collecting the soil along with the Mimosa transformed from Jing Jing into the storage ring.
She loved him and saved him with her life, and he certainly couldn’t let her wander alone on the streets.
Just then, the crowd suddenly erupted into chaos. Mrs. Hong Ji, her daughter Qing Yang, and the twins Qing Yuan and Qing Xiang, having recovered somewhat after a period, were now in slightly better physical condition.
After being thrown far away by Qin Sisi during the earlier injuries, Mrs. Ying and Qing Pu’s self-destruction did not harm them, allowing them to narrowly escape death.
Now, having witnessed the death of their kin, their hearts were filled with anger and hatred, and they began to unite in accusing Qing Xun, using the crime of murdering his uncle.
Qing Xun did indeed kill his second uncle Hong Ji, which was seen by many people. But it happened after Hong Ji first betrayed Qing Xun and after Mrs. Ying’s tragic death. When it initially happened, people might have found it not too abrupt, since Qing Xun was forced into a corner.
It must be said, these four women were quite articulate, with coordinated singing and harmonizing, playing the roles of good cop and bad cop. They cried and screamed, pounding their chests in grievance. Coupled with the public’s natural sympathy for widows and orphans, the surrounding atmosphere was soon stirred.
Everyone began to believe that even if Hong Ji was wrong first, Qing Xun, regardless of his reasons, should not kill his own uncle.
Surely, when Qing Xun was young, Hong Ji held him and guided him in magic skills; these were ties of kinship and kindness!
Qing Xun disregarded family bonds, defied moral principles, showing that his conduct was improper. Even with the tragic deaths of Hong Ji and Hong Yuan, even if Tian Yu the Sage Ruler once designated Qing Xun as the next clan leader, he had no qualification to inherit the position.
Many within the Zhulu family also started fanning the flames, having once followed Hong Ji. If Qing Xun were to become the clan leader, they feared he would seek revenge in the autumn, and now the only plan was to stop Qing Xun from becoming the Zhulu family leader.
The crowd grew larger and more agitated, shouting demands to expel Qing Xun from Seven Pearl City, never allowing him to return.
Some newcomers, unaware of why Qing Xun killed Hong Ji, began shouting along with the crowd.
Qing Xun looked at his people with a pale face; their angry, distorted faces seemed like evil spirits from hell.
He didn’t know what he did wrong. Hong Ji led the Zhulu family in betraying the Jiuxi Royal Family and poisoned him. Hong Yuan had ill intentions towards his mother and publicly humiliated her; shouldn’t they deserve to die?
Qing Rouhen hid behind Yun Wang, looking at the people who wanted to expel them, with an expression of fear and a sudden sense of disappointment towards Seven Pearl City, where she had lived for years.
Qin Sisi’s brows furrowed tightly. Could these people be swayed so easily? Hong Ji’s malice and betrayal, Hong Yuan’s vileness and shamelessness, were they so easily forgiven and forgotten because of their deaths?
Qin Sisi’s face darkened. She couldn’t allow things to continue developing this way; Qing Xun must become the clan leader of Seven Pearl City. Not only because they were friends, but also because if someone else became the clan leader, Seven Pearl City would surely be coerced by Tian Xiaozi again and become a traitor to the Jiuxi Royal Family.
She summoned the Wings of Rainbow and flew up, ascending high into the sky, attracting a lot of attention with her brilliantly colored wings.
Her attire was black, cold, and fierce, with gems embedded in the collar, waist, and hem, low-key yet luxurious.
Amid the crowd’s exclamations, Qin Sisi closed her eyes, using magic power to communicate with the Water Spirit Pearl in her body, as the water attribute magic power slowly gathered, enveloping her in a soft green glow.
"Rise, deep-sea giant wave!" With magic power gathered, Qin Sisi abruptly opened her eyes, spreading her arms to her sides, slowly raising them.
Seven Pearl City was composed of seven islands, surrounded by vast oceans, a stretch of blue.
Having received the Water Spirit Pearl’s power, Qin Sisi had upgraded to become a Demon Emperor, her magic power strong enough to control seawater over a certain area.
Under the shocked and terrified gaze of billions of people, the seawater surrounding the seven islands surged with towering waves. After surging in the sea for minutes, they finally reached the coastline, raising waves hundreds of meters high.
However, these waves seemed to be held back by some force, only fluctuating around the islands without truly crashing onto the land.
The seven islands were surrounded by a cage of waves so high they were beyond sight, seemingly waiting to descend, turning all of Seven Pearl City into a vast ocean, possibly disappearing from the world forever.
Qin Sisi’s figure was transmitted via the massive water walls to everyone across the seven islands, her Rainbow Wings visible to all.
Simultaneously, her sharp and decisive voice reached every ear in Seven Pearl City.
"I am the fiancée of Prince Yeyou of the Jiuxi Royal Family, the future Holy Queen of the Demon Sacred Realm. The Wings of Rainbow are my proof. The former clan leader of the Zhulu family, Hong Ji, his conduct unprincipled, his ambitions treacherous, colluded with the Devil’s Skylord who killed his brother and usurped power, betraying the Jiuxi Royal Family. As Holy Queen, I impose punishment, to submerge Seven Pearl City in seawater, to never again see daylight."
