NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173.2: Ruthlessness
Xiao Li lightly twisted her finger around her hair, looking at Yao Ye with a faint glimmer in her eyes.
This Crown Princess of the Royal Family truly felt sadness for Xiao Yan’s passing.
Xiao Li had long heard that, in order to train the Crown Princess, the Jia Ma Royal Family had entrusted her with commanding a military unit at an early age, using it to temper this future queen.
Under such conditions, Yao Ye shouldn’t feel too much sadness or guilt for the passing of someone unrelated to her.
After all, as a member of the Royal Family, she should be accustomed to sacrifices.
Yet now she was genuinely feeling guilty for Xiao Yan’s sacrifice.
Even though the two had only spent a few days together.
This was the infectious power of Xiao Yan.
In Xiao Li’s heart, there arose a sigh for her brother.
She dared not claim this for the entire continent, but at least she could assert with confidence that, among all the people she had encountered so far, no one could match Xiao Yan’s integrity, including herself.
That integrity meant Xiao Yan would lose far more than he would gain.
Not many people could willingly accept the loss of their own interests.
Xiao Li’s way of dealing with things was to firmly believe in the correctness of her path and then use any means necessary to reach the end.
But Xiao Yan was different. While firm in his belief of his path’s correctness, he never resorted to any means even slightly tainted with despicableness. He faced difficulties head-on and defeated them head-on.
In Xiao Li’s view, Xiao Yan might be a bit foolish.
There were other, easier ways, but Xiao Yan had never used them.
Yet precisely because of this, Xiao Yan’s influence on those around him was something Xiao Li could never hope to achieve.
This pure integrity was truly rare on the entire continent!
Straightforward and unwavering!
Xiao Li was certain that, from now on, when Xiao Yan finally succeeded, no one could mock him for any aspect of his life experiences as a moral stain!
Looking at the sorrowful expression of Yao Ye before him, Xiao Li glanced sideways at the door, seeing the faintly shimmering red seal.
It should be fine to speak about it. Anyway, Yao Ye couldn’t leave.
Having confirmed this, Xiao Li looked at Yao Ye, about to say something, when she sensed a slight movement from the bed.
Turning her head, he saw Qing Lin, who was lying on the bed, slowly sitting up, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her tiny hands.
“Qing Lin, you’re awake?”
“Eh? Captain Xiao Li?” Qing Lin stared blankly at Xiao Li as he approached her, tears welling up in her eyes once again. “Am I… not dreaming?”
“Alright, alright~ If you keep crying, little Qing Lin will turn into a little kitten~”
Xiao Li bent down slightly, gently wiping away the tears from Qing Lin’s eyes, then reached out to lift her up from the bed.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, Qing Lin’s heart gradually calmed down.
But then she remembered something, and her face immediately filled with sadness. She reached out and gently grasped Xiao Li’s collar.
“Captain Xiao Li… Young Master Xiao Yan…”
“Don’t be sad, I’m just about to tell you about that.”
Xiao Li interrupted Qing Lin’s words gently, carrying her back to the seat amidst her puzzled gaze, then looked at Yao Ye seriously.
“Your Highness Yao Ye, actually, Yan’er should still be alive.”
“Alive?!”
“Young Master Xiao Yan isn’t dead?!”
With Xiao Li’s words, both Yao Ye and Qing Lin were stunned, their faces filled with urgency.
“But that report—”
Yao Ye’s words halted halfway as she suddenly froze, seeming to understand something, and Xiao Li immediately chuckled.
“Forget about Yan’er for now. Yue Mei is one of the Tribe Leaders of the Snake-People Tribe. Executing her without the consent of Her Majesty the Queen is a serious abuse of power. If there are no remains left, it will only make all the Snake-People feel that the other Tribe Leader is untrustworthy. Tribe Leader Yin understands this better than anyone.”
Xiao Li spoke, and Yao Ye also quickly reacted.
The report stated “no remains,” and indeed, it’s written as that, but what about the truth? Were they truly gone? Or were there no remains to begin with?
“But, if that’s the case, why would Tribe Leader Yin do this?”
Yao Ye’s eyes were filled with confusion, and Xiao Li replied calmly.
“There are people in the Jia Ma Empire who stir up trouble for their own benefit, and naturally, there are some in the Snake-People as well,” Xiao Li said, her eyes narrowing slightly with a hint of hostility.
“I had my suspicions when those unidentified individuals first attacked the Snake-People’s Tribe. After the Snake-People increased their defenses and there were several subsequent attacks without any attackers being caught, I became certain that there were spies among the Snake-People.”
“After all, apart from Her Majesty the Queen, who is currently in seclusion, the only high-level combatants the Snake-People can mobilize are the 8 Tribe Leaders. As for the others, those unidentified individuals can handle them.”
“So, the spy only needs to inform the other side of the whereabouts of the 8 Tribe Leaders at any time to avoid encountering them and launch attacks on tribes farther away from the 8 Tribe Leaders.”
After hearing Xiao Li’s words, Yao Ye suddenly understood.
Yes, that’s it!
If it weren’t for Xiao Yan’s sudden intrusion yesterday, those white-clothed people would have surely left immediately after the massacre! They wouldn’t have encountered Mo Ba Si at all!
If it’s only once or twice, it could be considered a coincidence.
But after so many consecutive incidents, there must be someone secretly informing them!
“In that case, Xiao Yan is still alive! He’s not dead!”
Yao Ye’s eyes were filled with excitement, but Xiao Li furrowed her brows and spoke slowly after a while.
“Not necessarily.”
“What I said just now was that Yan’er ‘should’ still be alive.”
“As for whether he is truly alive, I’m not entirely sure either. Tribe Leader Yin hasn’t revealed any details to me.”
Yao Ye was stunned again, staring blankly at Xiao Li.
“Then… then why are you…”
“Since Yan’er’s death hasn’t been confirmed, I will continue to do what I should do and not let emotions interfere with my judgment,” Xiao Li said softly. “If Yan’er is indeed alive when everything is over, then naturally it’s the best outcome.”
“But if Yan’er is really dead, then…”
In Xiao Li’s gentle eyes, there was suddenly a surge of killing intent.
“I will hold each and every one of those who had a hand in his end accountable and make sure they accompany my brother in the afterlife, even if it means destroying the newly established peace between humans and the Snake-People.”
Xiao Li’s tone was so calm.
And yet, it was also so… ruthless.