The Favored Heiress
Chapter 359: Strict Punishment for He Xi

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Strict Punishment for He Xi

Hearing this, He Qing rolled his throat and looked at He Xi with dark, indiscernible eyes, sighing with words on the tip of his tongue that he chose not to release.

Huo Mang and Lu Xirui also exchanged covert glances, both opting to silently watch how things unfolded.

At that moment, Yun Lih’s lips lifted slightly, his gaze upon He Xi carelessly arrogant and indifferently cold, the epitome of unruliness.

They say the one who flirts first is at fault, and indeed, the ancients did not deceive me!

Li Qiao pulled the man’s hand down from the top of her head and smiled lazily, "Miss He, truth or dare, no problems, right?"

He Xi didn’t speak, her breathing slightly rushed, and her eyes fixed on the Double Row Arhats, unable to believe it at all.

"A bet acknowledged must be honored, she has no problems, Miss Li, how would you like to mete out the punishment? Just say the word!" This was He Qing speaking on behalf of He Xi.

All consequences were but the fruits of his sister’s own doing, and she had no one to blame.

Li Qiao nodded her head and then, with a tone neither hot nor cold, said, "Then let’s move."

Having said this, she stood up first and walked along the edge of Mountain Spring River toward the woods behind them.

The crowd, puzzled, nevertheless got up and followed.

He Xi, entirely unwilling, was pulled up by He Qing. Just as she tried to resist, she heard He Qing warn, "You advocated for this game. In the end, make sure you can handle it."

The so-called arrow on a bowstring cannot be recalled, and He Xi had no chance of backing out even if she wanted to.

In an instant, everyone arrived near the wooded area.

Li Qiao casually looked around and then pointed with her lips at a tree trunk roughly ten centimeters in diameter, "Miss He, please stand over there."

He Xi hesitated to move; she clenched her teeth and gazed warily at Li Qiao, "What are you going to punish me with?"

"You’ll know once you go there," Li Qiao glanced at her indifferently, then turned to stretch out her hand towards Luoyu.

Luoyu stepped forward briskly, respectfully placing a golden Desert Eagle in Li Qiao’s palm, "Miss Li, nine bullets are fully loaded."

Li Qiao thanked Luoyu with a smile, as she raised her eyebrows, "Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

At this moment, seeing Li Qiao take the Desert Eagle, a hint of astonishment couldn’t help but surface on everyone’s faces.

Such severe punishment?

He Xi sucked in a breath of cold air, her entire body tensed, "Li Qiao, what on earth are you doing..."

"Miss He, stand in place within three seconds, or... I’ll make you stand."

Li Qiao was already running low on patience, especially when dealing with someone like He Xi.

No matter whether there was malice or not, if someone irritated her, they would have to accept her punishment.

He Xi, holding that gleaming golden Desert Eagle, shrank into herself, and, unable to hide her panic, turned to look at Shang Yu with a quivering voice, "Shaoyan, aren’t you going to do something..."

Shang Yu stood next to Li Qiao, one arm around her shoulder. Hearing He Xi’s words, he casually waved his hand and ordered coldly, "Make her stand in place."

In an instant, Liuyun and Luoyu moved forward, one on either side, dragging He Xi to the tree trunk.

After much struggling in vain against their restraint, He Xi could only widen her eyes in terror, calling out, "Let go of me, Shaoyan, big brother..."

She was truly afraid, because the person holding the gun was Li Qiao.

Her marksmanship, the accuracy, the young girl lifting a gun towards herself—such a terrifying visual shock struck deep into her soul.

Sometime later, Li Qiao tested the distance with her arm raised, then, in a carelessly relaxed stance, she leaned back directly into Shang Yu’s embrace and said, "Miss He, you’ve bet and should accept the loss, don’t chicken out."

The very moment the last word escaped her lips, a gunshot resounded, startling the entire wooded area.

Birds flew up into the air, joined by He Xi’s sharp scream as she closed her eyes tight...

The bullet hit the trunk of the tree right above her head, no more than two inches from her scalp, she could even distinctly feel the whoosh of the bullet and the scalding heat of its wake.

Tree bark and debris crumbled, sprinkling into He Xi’s hair.

Never before had she felt the threat of death so clearly.

He Xi gasped for air, not daring to open her eyes, even when the falling bark hit her eyebrows and eyelids, she couldn’t bear to look.

Compared to the terrified He Xi, Liuyun and Luoyu remained much calmer.

When the bark crashed onto them, they even casually brushed it off.

Then the gunfire sounded again, this time without any pause, one shot following another, deafening.

In less than half a minute, Li Qiao had fired eight bullets.

By now, He Xi felt completely drained, her legs trembling, her face and entire body covered with tree debris.

Her mouth agape, she was shrouded in the fear of death, unable to utter a sound.

Every bullet had landed precisely two inches above her head.

The gunfire stopped.

He Xi, her face deathly pale and lips trembling, cracked open the corner of her eye. Before she could take a good look, a violent shake suddenly came from behind her.

The tree trunk had been pierced through, the tree now teetering, about to fall. As the branches leaned forward, Li Qiao slowly curled her lips upward and fired another shot at the top of the trunk.

The tremendous impact misdirected the angle of the leaning trunk, causing the whole tree to snap over He Xi’s head and crash to the ground with a thunderous sound.

Liuyun and Luoyu shook off the sawdust from their shoulders and turned to glance at the fallen tree, completely in awe of Li Qiao.

This method of punishment was likely something He Xi would remember for a lifetime.

Soon, the two men circled back behind Li Qiao and Shang Yu.

Without the support of the tree behind her, He Xi collapsed weakly onto the grass.

She looked dazed, her eyes unfocused, with bark and chips all over her, she opened her mouth and burst into loud sobbing.

The suffocating feeling of being choked and the fear of impending doom were something she never wanted to experience a second time in her life.

This wasn’t an adventure, it was hell on earth.

He Qing looked at He Xi with an expression of sympathy, his lips pressed tightly as he shook his head and sighed.

No one was to blame for today’s events, except for her own self-made trap.

Huo Mang and Lu Xirui exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

Li Qiao casually tossed the Desert Eagle to Luoyu, and, using Shang Yu’s shoulder for support, stood upright and walked toward He Xi at a measured pace.

She squatted in front of He Xi, brushed off the debris from her shoulder, and in an indifferent voice said, "Miss He, as a friend of Shaoyan, if you can’t wholeheartedly wish us well, then please stop engaging in such degrading acts."

He Xi stopped crying, her tear-stained face still in shock as she looked at Li Qiao, feeling incredibly estranged.

Li Qiao’s gaze lifted, her eyes narrowing slightly, "I hope this little adventure today will be an unforgettable memory for you. And please remember, Miss He, there’s a relationship between men and women besides love, it’s not an ordinary friendship, but... a bond forged in life and death.

So, do me a favor and stay away from me in the future."

The fingers Li Qiao had on He Xi’s shoulder lightly patted twice, a warning as well as a reminder.

He Xi’s dilated pupils watched Li Qiao walk away from her sight, and in the distance, she seemed to catch Shaoyan’s glance.

It held no concern, no worry, but was instead so cold and grim it was despairing.