Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]-Chapter 95: Zopyra — XXIV

The nine-tailed fox bit back a sigh, teeth worrying at the inside of his lips as he bowed his head once more, choosing to remain silent.

When his gaze moved away from them, the crowd collectively let out a sigh of relief. Under his gaze, they’d felt a pressure beyond their endurance. Cold sweat had broken out of their skin as they swallowed but when the fox spirit looked away, they were finally able to breathe.

Quiet murmurs rose among the masses, their anticipation for the impending execution could not be anymore apparent.

The sun and its warm light rose, travelling down the towering mountains to the wasteland of what were the pitiful remains of the dragon clan’s territory. Serene yellow rays, trailing down the trees, caressing their rustling leaves as they fell over the people.

The one who stood on the platform amidst the gathering of his captors and the spectators of his demise kept his head bowed, the sunlight of morning of the solstice falling on his head, lending his hair an amber shine.

No matter what noise rose, no matter what whispers spread, Hu Lijing kept his head bowed, hands bound in front of him, wrists joined together, the chains wrapped around his person and restraining his being.

The people had much to say, the authorities too but the criminal himself did not want to listen as he bowed his head, squinting his eyes as he pursed his lips, his heart heavy and aching as though someone was squeezing it inside his chest.

The one person he had wanted to meet, to see for the last time, had not deigned his execution worthy of presence.

What a pity.

The oppressive silence was then broken by a crier who stepped forward, scroll in his hands as he rolled it open and lowered his head to look at it, reading it to the en masse in his irritably loud voice.

The nine-tailed fox showed no reaction as a strong hand pressed on his shoulder, pulling him back as the crier spoke, his voice thick and trembling with something.

Hu Lijing couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was but it was something, certainly.

The tremble in the crier’s voice was perhaps from the shock he received upon realising extent of Hu Lijing’s crimes.

"Hear us, people of spirit realm!" He swallowed thickly, hands trembling as he took a deep breath, his face pallid as he continued. "This man, Hu Lijing, the nine-tailed fox of flames, stands before you, with his head bowed in shame, condemned for crimes so heinous they will shake your soul. In the war waged against his Clan of Fox Spirits by our Dragon Clan, the late Clan of Tigers, Clan of Monkeys and several other honourable clans that helped realise the will of heaven and the command of the O-oracle.

"This man who stands before you, the leader of his clan has committed innumerable and un-unforgivable crimes over the course of years wherein this war had been waged..."

As he stood in front of the male dared not breathe too loudly, his body stiff and back rigid, with how taut his shoulders were so apparent even if Hu Lijing was not watching his back, he would have been able to sense the rigidity in them.

Then again, maybe his back was as rigid as it was solely because of Hu Lijing’s eyes on him.

Or the nine-tailed fox was reading too much into the bleak situation and giving himself too much credit.

Who could say for sure? Moreover, even if Hu Lijing were to ask this question, the chances of him getting a tangible answer were next to none.

Removing his gaze from the man’s back, Hu Lijing then bowed his head, choosing to amuse himself with the progressively derisive spiral of his own thoughts. Now that the threat of his execution was looming over him like the shadow of sure death, the nine-tailed fox found himself rather calm and had long since come to terms with his death.

His destined doom.

His death was a spectacle, a glorious — pathetic — show of the dragon clan’s powers. Or at least what remained of it as the aftermath of Hu Lijing’s rampage. Gaude in nature, his death was a sacrifice to the heaven that stood above them all, looking over the realm and overlooking the atrocities committed in it.

The gods that resided in the one heaven remained on their high and mighty chaise, perhaps even drinking the oh so unfathomably sweet nectar — perhaps ambrosia — as they observed and took pleasure in the sufferings of those lowly beings below them.

Mortal and immortal sufferings alike were their twisted from of entertainment to keep them occupied in the mundanity of their eternal existence.

Oracles their stories and lowly beings their puppets, lives a puppet show and death an amusing play.

This was what those abhorrable gods stood for.

The nine-tailed divine fox spirit scowled, taking a deep breath as he stood with his lips pursed listening to the crier list his crimes one after the other.

"... Arson, massacre of young and old, women and children. He’s tortured most of our comrades to the point of insanity and made our warriors weep tears of blood!" The crier paused, his complexion paller than ghosts as he gulped silently. In a bout of paranoia, he couldn’t help but glance at Hu Lijing’s head over his shoulder before continuing. "The list of his crimes goes on and on and on. For his loathsome deeds, Hu Lijing has been sentenced to death by beheading—"

Uproariously, the crowd protested, their voices mixing unintelligibly and deafening as they yelled and jeered, hurling abuses towards the nine-tailed fox.

How could they be willing to see the man who was the cause of their sufferings meet his head so easily and peacefully? In one single strike to his neck?

They should at least sentence him to Ling Chi and if not Ling Chi, they the dragon clan should allow them to at least stone him to death before decapitating his body.

A spirit like him deserved no respect nor an honourable death! Even his cold corpse ought to be desecrated and his flesh fed to rats and fishes! This was simply unacceptable!

The crier snapped his mouth shut for a moment, his head snapping to the side as he looked behind himself, his gaze helpless and requesting for help as he pursed his lips, lowering the scroll in front of him.

Meeting his pleading gaze, the two dragons — clad as a representation of the white and black ghosts of impermanence — sighed and stepped forward, the white ghost removed his hand from the nine-tailed fox’s shoulder and stepped to the front—but not before shooting a dark glare at him in warning.

Hu Lijing ignored his gaze and flicked his eyes to the side, not wanting or having any particular interest in watching the riotous ruckus unfolding in front of him.

The white clad dragon simply raised his arm to the crowed, his palm facing the masses as he shook his head, fingers curling inward as he pointed at the heaven and spoke in a deep, booming voice that sent shivers down the spectators’ spine.

"Silence."

With a single word, the man dispersed the riot and calmed the conflict, even if temporarily. His dark gaze observed the silent people before he looked away and started talking.

"As the last surviving member of the Spirit Foxes, Hu Lijing — the divine fox of flames — shall be given to the one heaven and its benevolent gods as a sacrifice in order to appease the displeasure they might hold for Spirit realm." He looked behind himself and saw Hu Lijing standing still. "As an atonement for this grave sins, the nine-tailed fox must face the emperor of heaven and accept his punishment. For that, Hu Lijing shall be beheaded 9 times, as long as breath remains in his body and his soul in his heart, the fox shall be beheaded."

With that, he stepped back, not saying another word. Giving the nine-tailed fox a simple gesture, the dragon acting as the white ghost of impermanence indicated for him to say his final words.

Perhaps they wanted his words to be of atonement, but what was there to atone for if the fox spirit did not regret even a single speckle of his actions?

Upon being promoted, the fox spirit stepped forward, his head held high and eyes hooded as though this was not his execution but merely a public occasion. Before long, Hu Lijing felt a hand press on his shoulder once more, promptly forcing him on his knees.

As his knees buckled, the sound crisp as it resounded. Even so, not a single wince left his lips as Hu Lijing continued to hold his head high, directly staring down at the crowd in a manner that could be described as nothing but—

—Condescending, extremely condescending.

"I will neither beg for forgiveness nor express a word of remorse," he began, his words eliciting more than a handful of gasps and cries of outrage. "Why must I atone for something I do not regret in the slightest?"

Despite himself, Hu Lijing let out a dry scoff, his eyes cold as ice. "You all... A worthless bands of puppet who can only be manipulated by the treacherous hands that hold their strings, that is what you are. All I did was fight against the fate bestowed upon me. All I did was defend my clan and myself from a ruthless seige—" he sneered, amber eyes flashing towards the dragons around him "—for all I have done in my defence. No, I shall not beg for your measly forgiveness."

His voice was firm and extremely decisive as he turned his head to the side, a low snort escaping his nose, the sound full of disdain and contempt.

The reaction to his words was intense, so much so that the fox’s ears hurt. He almost felt grateful when he was dragged towards the executioner and had his head forced into the position ready for beheading.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes, back stiff as he pursed his lips. Even until now, he didn’t find Long ZhenHai even in the crowd which meant that the said dragon truly wasn’t there.

The burly execution scowled as he raised his dull blade. But before he could swing it down to chop off Hu Lijing’s neck, the crowd suddenly fell silent—

—Only for a shrill scream to break out from behind them. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"AN ENORMOUS WAVE IS SPEEDING TOWARDS US!!!"

Immediately after the words fell and before anyone could have the time to react, a deafening and thunderous roar tore through the sky followed by a powerful flood of saline water to crash on them, ruthlessly sweeping away everyone in its disastrous wake.

In the chaos of unceremoniously flood and gigantic waves tearing everything and everyone down, Hu Lijing left a pair of strong but cold arms wrapping around his shackled body as he was swooped into an embrace, colliding with a hard chest.

Before he could muster up enough clarity to react while completely submerged in water, the divine fox of flames head a deep and magnetic voice drilling into his ears—

"I’m here, Jing’ge."

Hu Lijing squeezed his eyes shut, sinking into the embrace as the man whisked him away while riding the waves.

･༓☽ ☾༓·━━━·༓☾ ☽༓･･༓☽ ☾༓·━━━·༓☾ ☽༓･

—END— (Volume 2)