Love & Redemption
Chapter 268: Final Volume: I Am Liuli - Twenty-Seven: Liuli (Part Seven)

Chapter 268: Final Volume: I Am Liuli: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Liuli (Part Seven)

That smile made Xuanji, who was spying from the side, feel as if her hair stood on end, as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, and she couldn’t help but want to bolt away. The voice of the Heavenly Emperor came from behind her ear, "General..." As if pricked by a needle, she suddenly screamed, "I don’t want to watch anymore! I don’t want to see!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling her wrists trembling uncontrollably. She held them in front of her eyes and saw sweat streaming in her palms, her ten fingers so limp they could not form a fist. She pressed her hands against her face, where sweat mixed with tears, dampening her lips with a bitterness that tightened her throat.

Is this what Emperor Bai meant by "her own suggestion to help Heaven"? Merely a drunken utterance, and yet he took it to heart, showing the depth of his scheming. His heart is venomous, his methods cruel, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

The Heavenly Emperor said gently, "General was brought back to Heaven by Emperor Bai, and someone immediately reported the matter to me. I pondered over the deep enmity between Heaven and the Asura World, which couldn’t be resolved in the short term. Fearing that further harm to the General would make this matter irreconcilable, I instructed Emperor Bai to return you. I was also at fault for not personally intervening. By the time I realized Emperor Bai’s true intentions, it was already too late."

Xuanji didn’t speak, just shivered slightly, her spirit seemingly completely shattered.

Seeing her like this, the Heavenly Emperor then said, "In that case, General, come back with me. Don’t watch any longer."

He was about to withdraw the spell when Xuanji suddenly said in a low voice, "Don’t... I, I want to keep watching. Forget what I said just now; I want to see." She wiped her face with her hands, lifted her head, and her face, with red and white patched, was a picture of despair. However, the deep hatred that had been etched in her bones seemed to have dissipated by half, turning into profound sorrow.

The surroundings changed in an instant, and they were now in a dark little room. A candle on the table flickered faintly, casting an amorphous shadow on the wall that remained still, twitching weirdly only when the flame jumped.

In the corner of the room, there was a long table made of jade, where Luo Hou and Jidu lay peacefully, with a sweet smile of contentment on their face. Emperor Bai held the candle as he leaned over her, holding a vermillion pen in his hand, slowly tracing on her body as if outlining her contours, with utmost concentration and seriousness.

Xuanji’s expression had returned to calm as she quietly watched this scene.

But suddenly, she felt an unspeakable heartache. That poor Jidu, in the bloom of youth, had just revealed her daughterly yearnings, like a tender shoot fresh from the bud, yet to experience the joy and sweetness of love. That body, ready to transform, had not yet felt the touch of a beloved, when disaster suddenly struck.

She wished that Jidu would sleep forever like this, never to awake. In her dreams, there would be no heartbreakers, no betrayers, no cruel slaughter or daemon-slaying. Everything was perfect, everything so beautiful, just like when they first met, with the dew still fresh.

Suddenly, Xuanji’s eyelids twitched, and she instinctively pressed down on them, pressing hard, the stars dancing before her eyes, blacking out in waves—Emperor Bai took out a slender dagger, clear and charming, following the traces of the vermillion pen, he carefully made a cut.

From outside the door came a sudden rush of footsteps. His actions froze abruptly as he quickly shed his white robe, covering the Shura on the table with it, just as naturally as he had covered her during the raging battle in Heaven. He set down the dagger and, with a cold face, pulled the door open. The footsteps outside hurried towards him, mixed with urgent shouting, "Emperor Bai! The Heavenly Emperor has sent a decree!"

Then, a man dressed in pitch-black rushed in. He was about twenty, quite handsome, with a face not seen before during the stand-off at the Kaiming Gate. Emperor Bai let him enter the room, then immediately shut the door and asked, "What decree?"

The man caught sight of the rise and fall under the white robe at the corner table, obviously the outline of a large person. His face shifted slightly, and he hurriedly said, "The Heavenly Emperor decrees: Emperor Bai must immediately return the captured Shura untouched." After speaking, he suddenly added, "Emperor Bai, that... is that the Shura you captured?"

Emperor Bai listened respectfully to the Heavenly Emperor’s decree, silent. Only when the man asked did he calmly reply, "Indeed, it is."

The man showed a mix of fear and curiosity as he stepped closer and stared for a while, asking, "Emperor Bai... may, may I take a look?"

Emperor Bai’s lips curled into a smile, "It’s about time Xuanwu could enter the battlefield. What, do you want to know the enemy? "

It turned out that the man was the Xuanwu who would later be killed by Wuzhiqi, White Tiger’s brother. His face reddened, and he stammered, "I’ve heard that Asuras have three heads and six arms, surrounded by flames, very fierce. So... I was a bit curious."

Emperor Bai walked over to the table, lifted the white robe, and said, "Three heads and six arms are their form in battle. Privately, they’re just terrifying-faced and tall, nothing special."

Xuanwu, taken aback by Emperor Bai’s abrupt unveiling, caught sight of Luo Hou and Jidu’s peculiar face and staggered back several steps, barely managing to steady himself against the wall, his heart racing as he trembled, "He... he won’t wake up, will he?!"

Emperor Bai did not answer, and after a moment, he suddenly asked, "Is the Heavenly Emperor’s decree for me to return this Shura?"

Xuanwu grew bolder and stole glances at the Shura on the table while responding, "Yes, that’s right. The Heavenly Emperor also ordered you to send him back as soon as possible, and it’s best not to harm him. He said, ’To harbor resentment with resentment, peace will never be found.’ Of all the beings in the Six Realms, those in Heaven are the most noble, relying on their dispassionate and moderate nature. If we lose our usual mindset because of a war, that would be a significant mishap."

Emperor Bai gave a faint sneer and said under his breath, "To harbor resentment with resentment, peace will never be found. Do you suggest that Heaven should repay grievance with virtue, passively yielding and plummeting living beings into misery?"

Xuanwu hastily said, "Of course not! The Heavenly Emperor means we should not counter slaughter with slaughter but rather enlighten them! Besides, Ying Long and the others have also gone to the frontlines; we may not necessarily lose. Emperor Bai, don’t give up hope just yet!"

Emperor Bai’s voice grew heavy, "If there were Shura in this world capable of being enlightened, then what would be the need for the Asura Path to exist! You all should know, there are always some things in this world so obstinate that if they aren’t subdued by force, they will never retreat. As the noblest in the Six Realms, how can Heaven stand by and let others run wild! If we don’t teach them a lesson, how can we speak of enlightenment!"

Witnessing his changed countenance, Xuanwu could not help but fear, and while thinking of an excuse to retire, he suddenly heard Emperor Bai continue, "My Heaven spans wide, with elegant and refined people, not skilled in combat; hence we are now in constant retreat. After pondering for days, I’ve finally conceived an ingenious plan that can expel the Shura without losing a single soldier of our own."

Xuanwu, both startled and elated, promptly asked what the plan was. Emperor Bai indifferently said, "This Shura, named Luo Hou and Jidu, is a heroic figure of the Asura World, with earth-shaking abilities. I wish to transform him, to be reborn, thereafter to serve Heaven."

Xuanwu truly had not expected such a tricky plan and did not know whether to be joyful or fearful. After a long hesitation, he ventured, "But... he is a Shura! How will you transform him to serve Heaven? Besides, the Heavenly Emperor has explicitly ordered his immediate release... This matter... perhaps it would be better to report to the Heavenly Emperor first?"

Emperor Bai’s expression changed instantly, and with a raise of his hand, he was holding a dagger about a foot long, translucent and sharp. Then with a swift motion, and a muffled "crack," he decapitated the Shura, whose head rolled on the ground, its eyes seemingly blinking slightly before closing forever.

Blood sprayed out, dotting the ceiling. Xuanwu was so scared that he collapsed on the floor, forgetting all his words.

Emperor Bai wiped the dagger on his white robe and said coldly, "I have a foolproof method. Just watch, and later when you report back to the Heavenly Emperor, tell him that Heaven has gained a... hmm, let’s call her a War God! A War God who can swap heaven and earth, employing such against the Shura is indeed a splendid strategy!"

Xuanwu was too frightened to speak, trembling as he shrunk to one side, closing his eyes tightly, daring not to see anything.

After an unknown period, Emperor Bai remarked, "So this is the form of a Shura’s heart, entangled with the soul, no wonder it’s so powerful."

Curious, Xuanwu slightly opened his eyes and saw in Emperor Bai’s hands a multicolored, flame-like object, burning and flickering, its glorious brilliance captivating the soul.

Emperor Bai casually picked up a Luminous Glass Vase from the table and placed the fiery object inside it. In a short time, the flame slowly seeped into it and couldn’t be extracted anymore. Emperor Bai murmured, "This isn’t good! Even if a new body can be created for her, a heartless being cannot carry out tasks!"

He frowned and picked up the Luminous Glass Vase, examining it closely, but was at a loss. Suddenly, the candlelight burst into bloom, illuminating the room in a flare. Under the light, he noticed the dazzling transformation of the Luminous Glass Vase. Coming up with an idea, he looked back at the mutilated Shura body and smiled, "Such an ugly form indeed. Since you wish to become a woman, why not become a Glass Beauty?"

He looked around the small chamber, spotting a glass figurine on the bookcase carved in his aunt’s likeness, brilliantly radiant, with eyes expressing intelligent allure and a tranquil demeanor, remarkably beautiful. Reminded of past events by the Tianhe River, he felt a pang of nostalgia and instructed, "Go fetch that glass figurine, but be careful not to drop it."

Xuanwu, trembling with fear, climbed to the bookcase, and, with great care, brought the figurine over, his voice quavering as he asked, "Emperor Bai... how will we explain this to the Heavenly Emperor later? Furthermore... isn’t a body made of glass bound to shatter upon contact?"

Emperor Bai laughed, "I have Divine Power at my disposal; you needn’t worry. Bring it here, place it right there."

Xuanwu hurriedly set the figurine on the table, but catching sight of the blood-soaked table and the ghastly Shura corpse, he felt a chill down his spine. His grip slackened, and with a "clang," the glass figurine slipped from his hands, shattering upon hitting the floor. Terrified out of his wits, he collapsed to the ground, prostrating himself, speechless.

Emperor Bai sighed, "Useless! How can I entrust Heaven to such as you, with the Heavenly Emperor!"

He sliced a piece off the Luminous Glass Vase, the Shura’s heart already fused into it beyond separation. The piece he cut off was fist-sized, brilliantly colored, and exceedingly beautiful. He placed the object with the glass fragments, whispering softly, "Jidu’s wish was to become a woman, and today, this younger brother fulfills your last wish. Henceforth bound by a life-death pact, never to part."

Using the Luminous Glass Vase as the heart and the glass fragments for the body, he unleashed his Divine Power. A magnificent light filled the room, too intense to look at. Xuanwu covered his eyes, and after a moment, heard Emperor Bai breathe, "Done! From this day forth, you shall be a Glass Beauty!"

He opened his eyes in bewilderment, only to see a naked woman curled up on the ground, with long black lashes and skin as smooth and white as jade, peacefully asleep with a serene expression, strikingly beautiful. But there were blood-red scars at all her joints, unavoidable due to his mishandling of the glass figurine, marring the perfection. Xuanwu was so astonished that his thoughts were in disarray, not knowing what to think.

Emperor Bai took the white robe and draped it over the girl, looked down at her for a long while, then said softly, "The name Luo Hou and Jidu shall be split in two from today. You are Jidu, and the Luminous Glass Vase is Luo Hou. I hope you will serve Heaven, drive away the unruly, and restore peace and serenity to the blessed land."

(To be continued. To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, please support the author and legitimate reading!)