“As the Defense Commissioner of Qinglong City and Commander of Zhen Dong Army, I believe there are still compatriots who need me. I cannot easily die,” Qiao Xiaoxian replied, head bowed, still respectful.
“No, you should die. Dying for the country is the best way to protect your compatriots,” the Demon Lord said with a cold sneer on his plump face.
“Now die. If you want to protect your clan, die here and prove your sincerity.”
Qiao Xiaoxian found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
It was as if she had returned to the days when she was dispatched to Xiao Kingdom, left with only the desolation of walking toward hell.
“Eh? Where did this piece of fat come from that’s turned into a spirit?”
The annoyingly cheeky, infuriating voice suddenly floated up into the air, drifting into the Demon Lord’s thick ears.
“Are you all preparing to eat Lizhuang white meat tonight? This dish is my specialty!” Jiang Ke’er gave a confident thumbs up.
“But this piece of meat is too fatty, not tasty—I suggest rendering it for oil! Let me tell you, fried lard bits with vegetables is really delicious!”
Zhuang Ren, as the monarch of the Demon Kingdom, had never had anyone dare speak to him like that.
So his psychological tolerance could be considered negative; upon hearing Jiang Ke’er’s words, it was like a triple critical hit on the spot.
“Fatty meat in power, no wonder you have no brains,” Jiang Ke’er showed a look of sudden realization.
“I was just saying, how could a sapient being possibly come up with a method like ‘protecting the people by killing meritorious ministers’… Turns out you think with fat. That explains it.”
Qiao Xiaoxian’s mind was in turmoil, and considering her clan, she didn’t dare to fall out with the Demon Kingdom’s monarch.
But Jiang Ke’er believed that given this lump of a monarch’s nature, if he were going to make a move against the Dragonkind, he would have done so long ago.
No amount of fawning would change the outcome.
“How dare you! What does a little girl like you understand? His Majesty has his own considerations!” A minister pointed at Jiang Ke’er’s nose and cursed angrily.
“This is no place for you to speak! Qiao Xiaoxian, control your servant!”
Servant? Jiang Ke’er pursed her lips and remained silent for now. She wanted to see how things would develop.
Qiao Xiaoxian glanced around at the surrounding Demon soldiers. Under her gaze, those soldiers involuntarily shrank their heads.
The heroic bearing of General Qiao would never be forgotten by any soldier who had seen it.
Not just her strength and fearsome reputation, but also her loyalty and protection of her subordinates.
Becoming one of General Qiao’s men had always been the dream of the Demon Kingdom’s soldiers.
They still remembered the slogan that circulated in the army before General Qiao left: “Better a foot soldier of Zhen Dong than a general of Zhen Xi.”
Not a single soldier wanted to lay hands on General of Zhen Xi Qiao Xiaoxian.
If even a general like this had to die… then who in this world was worth following? A traitor? Even if the emperor betrayed the country, she would never betray it. Everyone knew this.
But at this moment, they had no choice but to point their weapons at Qiao Xiaoxian.
They lived here, and like Qiao Xiaoxian, they had families they had to protect. If they didn’t kill Qiao Xiaoxian, the Demon Lord would annihilate their entire families.
“I don’t want to fight you,” Qiao Xiaoxian said softly to the surrounding soldiers. “But if we must fight… don’t hold back.”
“General Qiao…”
The soldier’s hands trembled.
Qiao Xiaoxian no longer maintained any outward respect for the Demon Lord. She simply stood proudly.
“I don’t regret any choice I’ve made. If you think I’m guilty, then go ahead,” Qiao Xiaoxian looked at Demon Lord Zhuang Ren.
“If you want to kneel, then kneel. No one’s stopping you. But I want to stand.”
“Why don’t you understand?!” The Demon Lord’s plump face was full of pain and anger, he roared.
“We are the Demon Race! From birth, we can only kneel! To survive, we must kneel! What’s wrong with kneeling?”
“It’s just kneeling. What could be more important than living?” The Demon Lord looked at Qiao Xiaoxian in disbelief, feeling she was completely a hopeless fool.
“You are always like this, clamoring for dignity… What dignity is there? What right do we have to dignity? We are inherently inferior to others, so why should we have dignity?”
“Where are we inferior?” Qiao Xiaoxian clenched her fists and glared at the Demon Lord.
“Where exactly are we inferior to them? It’s twisted you to this point!”
“Talent! Wisdom! Civilization! Which of these can compare to theirs?” The Demon Lord’s angry spittle flew.
“Open your eyes and look! Numbing yourself is useless! There is a gap like heaven and earth between us and them—that is the truth! Your actions will only lead to the extinction of the Demon Race!”
“Who is the one who should open their eyes?”
Jiang Ke’er really couldn’t listen anymore.
She hadn’t been this angry in a long time.
The last time she was this angry was when she saw the envoy from the Northern Beijia Demon Kingdom in the Kingdom of Dasi.
These guys always managed to successfully infuriate her until her head ached.
“Jiang Ke’er’s Sword Discourse at Hanye Island! In one breath, she broke through White Pass, frightening the Divine Palace into personally intervening to subdue and kill her!”
“The Taiming Sect Immortal-Mortal War! She fought her way up to the Divine Palace, cut off the path of ascension, and hacked a big hole in the Immortal Realm’s bottom line!”
“The Bagpipe Squad fought through the competition! With only a year of training experience and scarce cultivation resources, they fought into the finals and forcefully snatched the championship!”
“The Eastern Victory Demons invaded the Kingdom of Dasi, taking multiple cities: Jing City, Jiangdu, Lujiang, Guangling, Puyang! Now they dominate Dong Shen, occupying one-third of Dongsheng Shenzhou’s territory! Impregnable, with no defeats!”
Jiang Ke’er angrily slapped these reports of victory one by one onto the Demon Lord’s face. The surrounding demons listened in stunned silence…
They hadn’t even heard of these events! These… these unbelievable things really happened? Too fake! Impossible! How could the Demon Race be so powerful?
“Even the epidemic poison ravaging Shenzhou! The Human Clan was helpless, and just as Shenzhou’s civilization was on the verge of extinction, it was our Demon Race that researched the antidote and saved Shenzhou from crisis!”
Jiang Ke’er’s gaze slowly swept over the demons present.
“What the Human Clan could do, we have done. What they could not do, we have also done. I truly don’t understand, in what way are we weaker than others?”
The surrounding Demon soldiers trembled all over.
The information Jiang Ke’er revealed was unheard of to them, making their minds buzz with confusion.
“What you said… is it true?” If this is true… No, how could this be true?!
“Where is this little thief from? How dare you talk nonsense here and demoralize the army?” The courtier beside the Demon Lord immediately grew anxious and angrily rebuked Jiang Ke’er.
“Not to mention you’re just a servant, you have no right to speak here… Even if you were someone important, it’s not your turn to talk! This is a private matter between us and Qiao Xiaoxian. What business does an outsider have blabbering? Shut your stinking mouth!”
“Huh? Qualification?”
Jiang Ke’er sneered and stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qiao Xiaoxian. She cleared her throat loudly and lifted her head high.
“I am a beginner sword cultivator who cleared the Myriad Blades State, the originator of the great chrysanthemum in the sky, the captain of this year’s Shenzhou Cup overall champion Bagpipe Squad, the world’s best medical cultivator, strategic advisor and financial backer of the Dongsheng Shenzhou Demon United Uprising Army…”
She paused, then continued.
“…And Qiao Xiaoxian’s fiancée, Jiang Ke’er.”
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