Scourge Messenger

Chapter 272 Personal Expedition
Outside the city of Nevernight, eight hundred elite guards were ready to go. They were all clad in full armor, their faces covered with demonic masks, and wearing cloaks. They were armed with spears, scimitars, and bows. When they stood, the entire army was solemn, like hard tombstones. Even the most intense sunlight could not warm them. The whole world seemed to turn black and white.

The only color was Ying Le on the chariot. Today she was wearing a bright yellow robe, showing her royal nobility, but her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders. She sat on the chariot with her bare feet up, her toes swinging back and forth, which was quite cute. Her head was tilted as if she was sleeping, and she even stretched out her hand to block the sunlight from shining into her eyes.

But seeing Ying Le like this, Ying Rushi breathed a sigh of relief: at least she was properly dressed.

"Come on up," Ying Le said lazily.

There were seats on the chariot, with tiger-skin cushions, and Ying Le never skimped on pleasures. As soon as Ying Rushi sat down, Ying Le leaned to one side, completely disregarding her role as an aunt, and lay down on Ying Rushi's lap, saying, "Give me a massage." Her voice was sweet and coquettish, as if she were the niece.

Ying Rushi wasn't too surprised. Not to mention her, even during court assemblies, whenever Ying Le was in the mood, she would have the Chamberlain and the Minister of the Palace Attendants massage her feet. Over time, most of the high-ranking officials in the capital became proficient in this massage technique. After all, the emperor might not notice who gave a good massage, but he would definitely stomp on whoever gave a bad one and thoroughly humiliate their face.

“If that’s the case, you look much more haggard,” Ying Le said. “Is it because of what happened in Pingcheng? I’ve never blamed you.”

"...Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."

“You are my niece, and I will never blame you for anything you do wrong.” Ying Le reached out and stroked Ying Ru Shi’s face, saying, “In this world, only you and I are family.”

Ying Rushi placed her hands on Ying Le's temples and rubbed them back and forth: "Is it too strong?"

"Just right, you really know how to take care of people. I wonder which young man will be lucky enough to marry you in the future." Ying Le said casually, "You're not getting any younger, why don't you have children yet?"

“Aunt, aren’t you the same?” Ying Rushi forced a smile: “Everyone is waiting for the Crown Prince.”

“I don’t like children, and I especially don’t like taking care of them. I haven’t even grown up myself yet,” Ying Le said. “As for the throne, I’ll just give it to you when I get tired of it. Anyway, you’ve wanted to be emperor for a long time.”

Ying Rushi felt a shiver run through her heart, and the hairs on her back stood on end. Fear was like a venomous snake biting through her heart and crawling up her spine.

She paused for a moment, without denying it: "I just wanted to share my aunt's burdens. My aunt is a genius, and given time, she may very well be able to replicate the great power of our ancestor. Dealing with these trivial matters of state affairs is really a waste of my aunt's time."

"The Divine Martial Ancestor?" Ying Le suddenly sneered, his tone full of disdain.

Ying Ru was somewhat surprised. The Divine Martial Ancestor was undoubtedly the spiritual source of the Ying Clan. No one could surpass him in terms of strength, achievements, or even personal charisma within the next hundred years. Why would Ying Le be so contemptuous? There was even a hint of inexplicable hatred in his eyes.

“That’s right.”

"exist."

"Once I defeat the Golden-Clad Divine Constable and resume my Foundation Establishment path, I will entrust the Qi Kingdom to you." Ying Le said calmly, "A dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, lingering in the mortal world for ten years, which Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't consider me a joke?"

She suddenly sighed: "The reason I took the throne was only because I hoped to make a name for myself and my father and mother in heaven. Although I have held a high position since I was a child, I have never been interested in building a team. I just lead a group of people around to cause trouble. When I cause trouble, I hide back in the City of Never Sleeps and wait for my father to clean up my mess."

"Later, as I grew up, I became even less interested in managing things and spent all my time honing my skills in the secret realm." She suddenly smiled and said, "Back then, many people pursued me, and every day people would fight over me. So I would take them to the secret realm. You could see their character and temperament after just one battle in the secret realm. When I charged up to hold off the demons, these young heroes would hide in the back and watch helplessly as I, a little woman, protected a bunch of grown men."

Ying asked curiously, "Isn't there anyone who can pass the test?"

"Of course there is. His name is Yuan Hong. At that time, he was just a first-level messenger. He said he would rely on his own strength to comprehend advanced cultivation techniques. He was not tall, thin and small. Standing next to me, he looked like a little brother, but he was very brave and stood with me to fight against demons." Ying Le's face showed a nostalgic expression: "One year, I strolled around the Lantern Festival with him in the City That Never Sleeps. We walked back and forth on the street hand in hand. He looked very handsome when he smiled. I realized that he had already grown taller than me."

"You only held hands?" Ying asked.

Ying Le suddenly blushed slightly: "He even kissed my dimple." "Then...Auntie, do you like him?"

"Nonsense, otherwise why would I let him kiss me?" Ying Le said irritably, "Do you think I'm some kind of fickle woman? We've been seeing each other for two or three years, and we almost got married."

"Then why don't I have an extra uncle-in-law?"

“Because my father was ill,” Ying Le said softly. “He survived for two years with the help of blood-replenishing pills, and I also successfully took charge of the government during those two years. Naturally, we spent little time together in between.”

"So he fell in love with someone else and married someone else?" Ying guessed.

"Don't think so badly, he's just dead."

"died!?"

"During the battle in the secret realm, due to a mistake by the team members, they were killed by the Demon King," Ying Le said calmly. "Perhaps someone also plotted against us, but I'm not sure, I haven't investigated."

It took Ying Rushi a while to come to her senses: "So, Auntie, you never fell in love with anyone else?"

“I still like handsome men, but I’ve never felt that same flutter of the heart I had when I was sixteen and fought alongside him.” Ying Le said, “That’s why I told you to find a good husband as soon as possible. Even if you don’t end up together, at least you’ll have had a happy moment… Even if decades have passed and you’re old and gray, you’ll always be the happy young person you were in that moment.”

My aunt actually had a crush on a boy her own age when she was a teenager... and it was a serious relationship, she would even get shy if he kissed her on the cheek...

Ying Ru looked down at the sleeping beauty on her lap, her hands still rubbing her temples. It was as if Ying Le was truly the aunt who doted on Ying Ru the most, but in reality, she was just a somewhat childish older girl who would be happy to receive flowers from her niece, happy to act coquettishly with her niece, and could expose her vulnerabilities to her niece without any suspicion.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally mustered her courage and said, "Aunt, let's stop here. Enough people have died. If you want to kill people to gather your fortune, I can help you kill them in the secret realm."

"The Disaster Heir did this because he couldn't stand your behavior, Aunt. If you're willing to stop, you might be able to subdue him. In that case, he might become a sharp weapon for our Qi Kingdom."

“Aunt, why don’t we go and persuade them to surrender, while you stay at Nightless City for the time being?”

Suddenly, a messenger ran to the side of the chariot.

"The people brought by the natural disaster have already reached twenty miles outside the county town."

Ying Le opened her eyes, stood up, grabbed the railing of the battlefield, and swung her whip forcefully. The chariot immediately charged out, her long hair flying in the fierce wind, as free and unrestrained as a celestial being.

"The cat is dead," she suddenly said out of the blue.

Ying was taken aback, then immediately realized: "How did he die?"

"I tried to tame it after a few days, but it still wouldn't tame it. It even tried to scratch me, so I dropped it and it died," Ying Le said calmly. "I gave it a chance, but it didn't appreciate it."

Ying Ru fell silent, and the guards silently mounted their horses and followed the emperor's chariot. Ying Le's personal expedition was so simple yet awe-inspiring—eight hundred fully armored cavalry surged past, shaking the earth like a black tide sweeping everything away!
"Your Majesty, humans are not beasts."

Ying Rushi suddenly raised her head, her pale and haggard face full of determination: "Please give me a chance to persuade the descendants of the natural disaster to surrender!"

(End of this chapter)