Chapter 61-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
"I can't send them to their deaths!"
Yu Tianming's expression twisted uncontrollably. He strode forward and grabbed the young man's collar, his voice low. "You! Be quiet!"
The panicked and restless crowd on the flat ground were quickly suppressed and driven back to their spots by the indifferent knights, where they sat down again, huddling together helplessly.
Bai Mulin's eyes were nearly splitting with rage. He gritted his teeth, his jaw trembling, but said nothing.
"If you don't want to go, there are plenty who will. I'm giving you this chance for your father's sake, you..."
"Please let go."
Yu Tianming suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist. He turned his head. The black-haired, green-eyed youth was smiling as he gripped the wrist that was holding the man's collar. Yu Tianming subconsciously let go due to the pain and shock.
"I am Zhao Mei of the Cloud-Soaring Squad. Tell us what happened. Perhaps I can help share some of your burden."
This youth who called himself Zhao Mei had a polite expression and words, but his actions and attitude exuded an annoying assertiveness. Yu Tianming narrowed his eyes slightly, finally remembering why this person felt somewhat familiar.
That vexing stubbornness was very similar to one of his teammates, and the foolishness of overestimating one's abilities to meddle in others' business was characteristic of the Cloud-Soaring Squad.
Yu Tianming withdrew his gaze from Zhao Mei, having no intention of engaging with him.
"Yu Tianming, tell me, what are you planning to do?"
Bai Muqing approached him. When her inhuman-looking white pupils locked onto someone, they were surprisingly intimidating.
As if to cover up, Yu Tianming pushed up his glasses. He could ignore the words of a nobody, but facing Bai Muqing, he still lowered his voice to speak.
"His Highness the Crown Prince was tricked by a woman and is now trapped in that man-eating forest over there."
Bai Muqing raised a slender white eyebrow slightly. "We've met that woman."
"Then you should know how dangerous that woman is. Even Sykes's ability was played with in the palm of her hand. Moreover, she is extremely familiar with this place. That forest doesn't even attack her!"
Yu Tianming recalled the scene, his tone growing more agitated.
"I suspect she isn't human, but a monster from this Demonic Domain that can shapeshift into human form. She's working with that forest, treating everyone in this domain as food on her plate!"
"We can only gather all the power we currently have to have a chance against this Demonic Domain. Miss Bai, if you are willing to help, you might be able to turn the tide."
Yu Tianming's words sounded righteous, but they were clearly inflammatory. Bai Muqing pressed her lips together. She wasn't as smart as Ye Zheng, but she wasn't that easy to fool either.
"When you say 'gather all power,' you mean bringing those ordinary people along too?"
"Believe me, I don't want to cause unnecessary casualties either..."
"Then you can go by yourself."
Bai Muqing cut him off coldly.
Yu Tianming rubbed his forehead, vexed, and led a few people to a more hidden tree.
"You all know about—the Blood Flower, right?"
When he spoke, a trace of confusion crossed Bai Muqing's and Bai Mulin's faces, not understanding why he would bring up the "Blood Flower" at this time.
Yu Tianming deliberately paused, his eyes sweeping over the three people before him. That tactless strange youth had also followed them, which displeased him. After all, this was not something a commoner boy should know.
Yet, the youth met his gaze and even gave a calm smile. That gentle appearance made him inexplicably nervous.
"Blood Flower? Everyone says this incident is related to the Blood Flower from ten years ago. Those children were... most likely it's revenge from the victims of the Blood Flower incident."
Bai Mulin said in a grave voice.
But Yu Tianming shook his head, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. "It's not revenge from the victims of the Blood Flower incident—"
"The Blood Flower has returned!"
His words fell in the silent forest. For a moment, no one spoke. Only the whining wind shuttled through the deep woods, like the echo of a distant cry.
"How is that possible."
A slightly hoarse voice broke the silence. "The Blood Flower from back then, wasn't it dealt with?"
"The dead don't come back to life. Could a Demonic Domain really make a comeback?"
The youth let out a light, ambiguous chuckle. "You must be joking."
The Bai siblings showed expressions of doubt, especially Bai Mulin. As a knight, he had dealt with Demonic Domains many times and had never heard of a dead one returning.
Yu Tianming didn't want to reveal too much, but this annoying kid kept disrupting his plans. The light in his eyes under his glasses dimmed. He thought to himself that he would just have him walk at the very front later.
"I've read the archives from back then."
"Do you know why that Demonic Domain was called 'Blood Flower'? Because the moment the domain disappeared, a sky full of blood burst out, like an exploding flower."
"A very vivid and romantic metaphor, isn't it?"
Bai Muqing's and Bai Mulin's faces darkened again. How could such a tragic event be called romantic? Even as a metaphor.
"Yes."
Someone suddenly agreed with Yu Tianming. The youth leaning against the tree narrowed her eyes slightly, a phantom light flickering in her green pupils, as if recalling something. "That's a very vivid description. Please continue."
"According to the survivors' accounts from back then, the internal space of that Demonic Domain was very small, and the monster was just a single, giant Exotic Plant that fed on humans. At the time, no one could do anything about it. It just kept eating... and the people outside, to preserve the greater good, could only keep sending people in."
Yu Tianming became vague towards the end, but everyone present understood what a cruel choice the "people outside" had made back then.
"The archives state that the Exotic Plant was a flowering tree. It started as a light red, and as it fed, its color deepened, and it grew more and more branches. This is exactly the same as the situation with that forest!"
"Most importantly, no one destroyed that Exotic Plant back then. It seemed to have self-detonated after eating its fill, and with its explosion, the Demonic Domain disappeared."
Bai Mulin was incredulous. "I've never heard of a destroyed Demonic Domain returning!"
"Perhaps it was never destroyed."
The youth lowered her eyes, analyzing calmly. "When a Demonic Domain is destroyed, everything within it disappears along with it. But that day, when it vanished, a rain of blood fell from the sky."
"It might have just escaped in an extremely weakened state, and then one day, the wandering alternate space descended upon this land again."
"Like a curse."
After hearing the youth's words, everyone fell silent again. Bai Mulin spoke with difficulty, "If it really is the same Blood Flower that once brought the entire empire to its knees, and it's even bigger than it was back then, do we really have a way..."
"Of course we have a way. His Highness Sykes is our hope. He's a once-in-500-years SSS-rank genius!"
"His ability, [Destruction], can eliminate anything."
"If it weren't for that strange woman, we might have been out of here already!"
Yu Tianming's expression turned annoyed as he mentioned the blonde girl.
In the shade of the tree, Bai Muqing listened expressionlessly. She nodded and said, "What you said makes sense."
"As long as I go find Sykes, this matter can be resolved."
Yu Tianming looked at her as if she were a lunatic. Bai Mulin also became nervous, grabbing his sister's shoulder to try and dissuade her.
"Muqing, it's too dangerous! This is the Blood Flower from back then, the Blood Flower that buried so many people!"
"The Cloud-Soaring Squad will go too."
The black-haired, green-eyed youth gently pushed away the young knight's hand and placed her own on Bai Muqing's shoulder. The two young and determined faces seemed to silently mock the cowardice of the others.
Bai Mulin stared blankly and let go of his sister's hand.
Yu Tianming squeezed out a disdainful chuckle from his throat, as if laughing at a fool. "You guys... Agh!"
He was suddenly grabbed by the throat and slammed against the rough tree trunk, only able to make a wretched, gagging sound.
The quiet-mannered youth leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I advise you not to even think about it."
"You want to use the same method as back then? Follow the Pope's path? Believe me, you'll be the first one sacrificed for Sykes."
"There have been constant riots in the middle and lower districts these past few years. The empire doesn't want to suffer the scandal of another Blood Flower. However, if you, a noble confidant, were the first to be sacrificed, this incident might even become a fine tale."
The youth's smile widened, as if the idea made more and more sense. She tightened her grip excitedly. Yu Tianming couldn't even let out a whimper. His glasses fell to the ground, and the whites of his eyes began to show, completely devoid of any aristocratic grace.
Bai Mulin instinctively tried to stop the youth's actions but was blocked by Bai Muqing. For the first time, he found his sister's slender, fair arms to be surprisingly strong.
"You're not willing? I can make you willing. Your ability is no threat to me. If I sacrificed you, who would avenge you?"
"The fiercely competitive Yu family? The Crown Prince you loyally serve? The royal family? The Sei Curia? You know full well, if you were that important..."
Ye Zheng released Yu Tianming's neck and grabbed the boy's right hand, her fingers brutally crushing his mutilated finger. The ugly wound became engorged and swollen.
"If you were that important, your finger would have been healed long ago."
The youth's last syllable rose slightly, tinged with cruel mockery.
After being released by the youth, Yu Tianming gasped for air. When he felt the pain from his finger, even his rapid breathing paused for a moment. After a moment of silence, he burst into a scream!
No one had ever dared to mention this wound in front of him, let alone blatantly mock it! How dare this commoner! How dare he look down on him!
"Do you understand? If you plan to do that, the next Wen Jian won't be you. It will be me."
Yu Tianming looked up and met the youth's gaze, which seemed to hold both mockery and pity. He realized with some despair that she was right.
As the Prime Minister's son, he sounded noble, but in reality, he held no real power in his competitive family. Those knights only listened to him because he was with Sykes.
If the youth before him wanted to emulate the Pope from back then, using human lives to satisfy this Demonic Domain's appetite, as long as she sacrificed him, the Crown Prince's close aide, first, then the sacrifices of the other commoners would also seem justified—
His clansmen would immediately replace him as the heir, the heartless Sykes would only think his sacrifice was deserved, the empire would be glad for his sacrifice to soothe the boiling public opinion, and the person who killed him would instead be rewarded for rescuing Sykes!
This youth would be even more successful than Wen Jian was! At this thought, Yu Tianming's teeth began to chatter.
Bai Mulin, who had witnessed the entire event from the side, was already dumbfounded. He stared at the pathetic Yu Tianming slumped on the ground, completely lacking his earlier high-and-mighty and composed demeanor.
Bai Mulin's numb brain began to wonder about the origins of the youth before him. How dare she threaten Yu Tianming, the Prime Minister's son and the Crown Prince's right-hand man, like this?
"Don't worry, I won't do that."
The black-haired, green-eyed youth revealed a friendly smile and even reached out to pull the slumped Yu Tianming up from the ground.
"Listen to me. I will get everyone out safely, including you."
"Just listen to me."
Without his glasses, Yu Tianming stared blankly at the blurry face of the youth. The world around him was so hazy, as if everything was receding from him, leaving only the clear and powerful words of the youth drumming in his ears.
He surprisingly felt a sliver of joy, like he had survived a disaster, because of the youth's words, as if the youth before him was an unquestionable god who could save everything.
In his chaotic thoughts and senses, Yu Tianming felt that all of this seemed familiar. A figure almost overlapped with the youth before him, but his oxygen-deprived brain plunged into chaos again.
Author's Note:
Zheng is actually quite a control freak, though she's completely unaware of it herself. After all, wanting to shape the world into your ideal image is, in itself, an arrogant and control-filled idea.
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