Xiao Yang clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Ning Hongye, bending at a ninety-degree angle.
A formal bow of respect!
The Great Xia Dynasty valued etiquette. Usually, even when facing elders or superiors, a slight bow was enough.
Such a profound bow was reserved for only three occasions.
First, to honor the emperor.
Second, to honor one's parents.
Third, to honor a Saint.
Although Xiao Yang held no official position, he was, after all, Ning Hongye's fiancé. To offer such a profound bow...
Wouldn't that make him a laughingstock and disgrace the entire mansion?
For a moment, King Zhenbei's face darkened like ink. He was clearly displeased.
"Haha! Could Ninth Brother be afraid of Miss Ning, so he's groveling like this to beg for mercy and save his own skin?"
Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The other princes reacted the same way, delighted by the spectacle.
"So... he's nothing special after all!"
Ning Hongye gave a slight shake of her head, her eyes still cold.
But in the next instant, Xiao Yang spoke again, and his words shattered the shell around her frozen heart.
"Generals guard the nation's borders; nobles die for their country."
"Soldiers are buried on the battlefield; men lay down their lives for the realm."
"Miss Ning, you've risked your life for Great Xia since childhood. Though you ordered a massacre in the Southern Wilderness, you spared the old, the weak, women, and children. You killed only able-bodied men!"
"If you hadn't killed them, they would have become enemy troops bent on revenge, turning into blades aimed at Great Xia!"
"To kill one is a crime; to slaughter ten thousand is to be a hero. In Great Xia's eight hundred years of history, which hero hasn't killed?"
"You're a woman who would rather bear the blame and endure humiliation than abandon your duty to protect these vast lands!"
"How is that any different from the deeds of a Saint who saves the world?!"
Xiao Yang's words rang like thunder, echoing in every direction.
The Vermilion Bird Army soldiers present were deeply moved. One after another, they followed Xiao Yang's example and bowed to Ning Hongye.
"Thank you, General Ning!"
"Thank you, General Ning!"
"Thank you, General Ning!"
Even many of the servants from King Zhenbei's Mansion clasped their hands and bowed. It was a magnificent sight.
Seeing this, Ning Hongye felt an emotion unlike any she had ever known.
It wasn't that Xiao Yang had spoken up for her. For the first time, she felt that someone in this world understood her!
Could this... be what it meant to find a kindred spirit?
"Xiao Yang, since you're willing to marry me, I accept this Marriage Contract," Ning Hongye said.
[ Ding! Ning Hongye's Affection +5. Total: 5. ]
Seeing the system notification, Xiao Yang quietly rejoiced.
It seemed his words had struck a chord with her.
A decisive female general like her couldn't be stopped if she was determined to break off the engagement!
Even if Xiao Yang offered her the Kirin Golden Light Armor, she wouldn't accept it, and he wouldn't be able to trigger the system's return...
But now that he'd earned her Affection, surely she wouldn't refuse.
"Miss Ning, there's something I..." Xiao Yang began, about to offer her a gift.
But Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin cut him off. "General Ning, I heard you were wounded in the Outer Regions this time—and that you lost sight in your left eye?"
At that, Ning Hongye fell silent, but a hint of bloodlust seeped through her armor.
"Junlin, mind your manners!" King Zhenbei scolded.
You didn't hit someone below the belt or expose their sore spots!
Ning Hongye had already been disfigured, and now she was wounded and blind in one eye. Bringing it up to her face was like ripping open an old wound.
"Father King, you misunderstand! I only brought it up because I have a suggestion that could help General Ning restore her left eye and see again!" Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin explained.
"What do you mean?" King Zhenbei asked.
"Father King, have you forgotten?"
Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin continued, "Ninth Brother was born with a Spirit Eye. And among the three thousand retainers I've gathered, there happens to be someone skilled in transplantation. He could transplant Ninth Brother's Spirit Eye into General Ning!"
What?!
At his words, everyone present wore strange expressions.
What kind of brotherly affection was this?
So cruel and cold-hearted. He didn't treat his own younger brother like family at all...
And if Ning Hongye really took her fiancé's eye and had it implanted in herself—
She'd have another scandal to bear!
"General Ning, since you and Ninth Brother are about to become husband and wife, you're family. There should be no distinction between you. What do you think?" Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin asked.
"Clang!"
Suddenly, Ning Hongye drew the War Saber at her waist, moving as fast as lightning.
Everyone's vision blurred. Her blade was already at Xiao Junlin's throat.
The blade sliced through his skin, and blood trickled out.
One inch deeper, and it would sever his carotid artery!
"Ning Hongye, what are you doing?"
"I was kindly trying to help you, and you turn your blade on me? You heartless, ungrateful curse, the bane of your father and mother!!!"
Xiao Junlin gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury, but he remained frozen in place.
Though he possessed a Supreme Bone and had cultivated to the Fifth Grade Vajra Realm, he was no match for Ning Hongye, the Female God of Slaughter. He didn't dare move a muscle.
"Presumptuous!"
King Zhenbei finally lost his patience. A vast aura surged from within him. "Ning Hongye, this is King Zhenbei's Mansion. You will not run amok here!!!"
The force of his voice swept through the hall, unstoppable. Some of the soldiers with lower cultivation even felt as if they were about to be blasted unconscious.
"Your Highness, I'll let this pass for your sake today. But if there's a next time, my blade won't return to its sheath without drawing blood!"
Ning Hongye sheathed her blade and stared at Xiao Junlin. "Even with just one eye, I can still kill thousands of enemies. I don't need to borrow anyone else's!"
Xiao Junlin immediately touched his neck, shaken with fear, though resentment still glimmered in his eyes.
Damn you, you foul-mouthed woman. Just wait!
Once I've mastered my divine art, I'll grind you under my heel!
Just as it seemed the commotion was about to end—
"Wait!"
Xiao Yang suddenly stepped forward again. "Father King, I have something to say!"
"Jiu Lang, what is it?" King Zhenbei asked.
"I think Eldest Brother's suggestion is excellent! I'm willing to give my Spirit Eye to Miss Ning!" Xiao Yang declared.
"What did you say?!"
King Zhenbei furrowed his brows, utterly baffled.
Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin and the other princes were just as dumbfounded.
What was this supposed to mean?
As the overlooked Ninth Young Master, Xiao Yang had been left penniless, with no maternal family to support him after his mother died young.
The only thing of value he had was his innate Spirit Eye, and now he wanted to donate it to the Female God of Slaughter?
Had he gone mad?
"Why would you help me?"
Ning Hongye fixed her gaze on Xiao Yang too.
Even she found it hard to believe.
They had only just met, yet Xiao Yang was treating her like this. Did he have some grand ulterior motive?
Of course it's because of the system!
That was what Xiao Yang thought to himself.
But aloud, he spoke with righteous conviction. "Miss Ning, on me, the Spirit Eye is just a pearl hidden in the dust!"
"But in your hands, you'll be able to shoot an eagle from a hundred li away, spot enemies a thousand li away, see through every direction, and command an army with your gaze!"
"If you truly want to thank me, just kill a few more enemies on the battlefield someday. That will be more than enough!"
Ning Hongye was silent for a long while before finally nodding. "All right. I accept."
[ Ding! Ning Hongye's Affection +5. Total: 10. ]
Perfect!
He'd earned more Affection!
"Since that's settled, Junlin, have your retainer prepare for the procedure at once!" King Zhenbei ordered.
Half an hour later.
At Eldest Prince's Estate.
An old man clad in a black robe, his whole body steeped in a sinister aura, approached Xiao Yang step by step, holding a thin knife.
"Ninth Young Master, this transplant requires me to dig out your Spirit Eye. Please bear with the pain!"
His name was Ghost Hand, one of Xiao Junlin's retainers. He specialized in transplanting limbs and organs.
Once wanted by the authorities in Central Province, he had fled to the Northern Territory and entered Xiao Junlin's service.
"I'm ready. Go ahead," Xiao Yang said.
"Shhk!"
The next instant, Ghost Hand got to work. He forcibly dug out the Spirit Eye, then used a secret art to transplant it into Ning Hongye beside him.
Even during the procedure, Ning Hongye never removed her armor or the Asura Mask she wore.
A few minutes later.
An exhilarating voice rang in Xiao Yang's ears.
[ Ding! The host gifted a "High-grade Spirit Treasure" Spirit Eye and triggered a First-Release Reward! ]
[ Ten-Thousand-Fold Return: "Immortal King Grade" Invincible Twin Pupils (The Only One in This Era)! ]
[ Extract now? ]
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