CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 120: THE FINAL NEGOTIATION

Disgrace, indeed a great humiliation.

General Zhan BeiAo’s face turned ashen, the rage in his eyes almost bursting forth. If looks could kill, the young girl sitting casually on a dead tree would have died a thousand times over.

Princess Sha Fei was in dire straits, hanging beneath the tree with blood stains on her limbs and her palace gown disheveled, long lost was her former appearance as a noble concubine.

She was bound with strange threads, akin to a mosquito caught in a spider’s web.

"Who are you? You’ve got some nerve, kidnapping a noble concubine, endangering the heir, such crimes warrant a thousand deaths," hiding an affair in front of his subordinates would not leave anyone’s complexion looking good, General Zhan BeiAo struggled to restrain himself from killing the girl immediately.

"Not a bad cultivation, just not very bright. The saying ’simple-minded with developed limbs’ certainly applies to you," Yue Jinghua glanced at General Zhan BeiAo.

General Zhan BeiAo was so infuriated he almost burst, with fists clenched so tightly they creaked.

With a light tug on the thread in Yue Jinghua’s hand, immediately red marks appeared on Sha Fei’s body; the threads wrapped around her were like iron yet not iron, extremely flexible. With a forceful pull from the girl, Sha Fei screamed like a slaughtered pig.

General Zhan BeiAo’s clenched fists unwillingly loosened.

"It doesn’t matter who I am, what matters is who you are to speak to me in such a manner," the girl leapt down from the tree, and General Zhan BeiAo was dazzled, unable to discern her movement technique.

It seems her movement technique was exceptional and without absolute certainty, he shouldn’t act recklessly.

General Zhan BeiAo’s cultivation had reached Heavenly Dark Realm, and his Blood Lion Storm Fist was fierce and powerful. However, every strength comes with a weakness; his own movement technique was quite mediocre. If he were to engage in a competition of movement techniques, he wouldn’t have much confidence in rescuing Sha Fei while ensuring the safety of the fetus in her womb.

He could only suppress the anger in his chest, glaring furiously at the mysterious young girl.

"Dragon War Empire and Shang Kingdom are neither master-servant nor allied nations. General Zhan, as the Viscount of Dragon Battle, without military orders, without a royal decree from the monarch, without an invitation from the late monarch of Shang Kingdom, recklessly led troops into Polo City. On what basis do you question me," Yue Jinghua sneered inwardly, her eyes slightly squinted as she nonchalantly issued her rebuke.

Her words, though light, struck like thunder, silencing Sha Fei’s cries, leaving General Zhan BeiAo in silent brooding.

In Dragon War Empire, where military discipline rules, there is no room for personal feelings for soldiers who violate discipline.

"Moreover, as far as I know, General Zhan is the frontier guard of Dragon War Empire. Without an imperial order, abandoning his post should, according to military law, result in execution! Not to mention the stale scandal with Princess Sha Fei, I couldn’t be bothered to clarify each and every detail," the girl’s eyes sparkled maliciously, each statement cutting deep like a knife with those piercing eyes.

"Princess Yue Jinghua, stop threatening Bei Ao. If it comes to it, I would rather die," Sha Fei, driven to desperation, struggled fiercely.

"Sha Fei, I advise you to save some worries, the ’Soft Finger’ on your body, which is forged with Star Falling Iron a hundred times, cannot be unlocked without my special technique. It does not matter if you die, but it is unfortunate for Princess Xiu Rong in the palace. Once a proud child favored by heaven, she fell overnight into a plight with no parents, her birth mother committing adultery, and her birth father killed by the adulterous couple. I fear the Sha Family will not shelter her either. Sha Fei, I have told you the story of Empress Wu Zetian, but it doesn’t imply everyone can become an Empress; you’re not ruthless enough," Yue Jinghua sighed gently.

Yue Jinghua only learned later that Sha Fei had a twin-target scheme after listening to her words during the examination for Imperial Alchemists. She feigned poisoning, spread news of a miscarriage, and secretly paid a high price to hire the remnants of assassins to assassinate Fa Xiaoyun.

She also considered it not secure enough, specially contacting the adulterous Bei Ao, waiting for the chaos to erupt, to wipe out all ministers and noble families.

The so-called ultimate poison of a woman’s heart; such a series of manipulations intended to let Fa Xiaoyi carry the notorious name of slaughtering the king. Consequently, her child in the womb would rightfully become the future Monarch of Shang Kingdom and herself, smoothly ascending as the Regent Empress Dowager of Shang Kingdom.

Unfortunately, Yue Jinghua appeared halfway, and Fa Xiaoyi being a rare Demon Summoner in a thousand years, the event took an unexpectedly drastic turn.

Upon hearing this, Sha Fei remembered her young daughter, and looking at Bei Ao, who was forced to defy military orders and risk his life, she burst into tears.

"Miss Yue," Bei Ao sighed longingly, stepped forward, gave a solemn bow, and spoke emotionally, "You and I are considered as martial siblings, both originating from the Outer Court, you surely understand my suffering. Sha Fei and I are childhood sweethearts, sadly I was a useless man despised by the Sha Family back then, and eventually, I had to defect from Shang Kingdom. Today, if you spare Sha Fei and keep the secret, I, Bei Ao, will be eternally grateful."

His words were sincere, and his eyes shone with sadness; a tough man’s tender emotions, enough to cause most people to feel sympathetic.

Unfortunately... Bei Ao’s aura surged violently, and his iron fists stormed towards Yue Jinghua, only a few steps away.

At the same moment, a surge of white fiery-shaped Dark Energy erupted.

In the forest, a small Dark Power hurricane arose.

"Bang," Yue Jinghua’s Dark Energy fluctuated, a tide-like killing aura surged towards him, Bei Ao felt his whole body stiffen, trapped in a familiar yet icy Dark Energy.

This feeling, a chill in Bei Ao’s heart, he realized she too had ventured to the Senluo Sea.

"Drop your hypocritical face. If I hadn’t known that your conscience had long been sold to Jue Shang, I might have been tricked by your story," Yue Jinghua coldly cut off Bei Ao’s words. The latter’s heartfelt narration could indeed tug at one’s heartstrings, but unfortunately, his confidante was Yue Jinghua, who was even more heartless and thick-skinned than him.

"What exactly do you want?" Bei Ao retracted his Dark Energy. He had never told anyone about Senluo Sea’s existence, and he had learned this set of martial techniques from Jue Shang.

This girl practiced the unique Killing Flames of Jue Shang, and given she was willing to impart all of Killing Flames, it was highly likely she also knew the secrets of his martial techniques.

"It’s simple, just follow the conditions I just stated one by one. I am also very understanding. Once everything is done, I will leave Shang Kingdom, Sha Fei can continue to be Sha Fei, and nobody will ever know that Bei Ao had been to Shang Kingdom," Yue Jinghua snapped her fingers, and the "Soft Finger" on Sha Fei retracted.

Sha Fei, with a sorrowful look, glanced at Bei Ao and nodded.