She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 182: Kill One, Kill a Thousand

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Kill One, Kill a Thousand

Yan Wanqing circulated her inner strength and discovered that she didn’t feel any different.

She had also drunk the hot water prepared by Constable Chang yesterday, so why was it that everyone else had already shown reactions, while she felt nothing?

Just as Yan Wanqing was puzzled, Chief Bai spoke up again.

"I advise General Yan not to act rashly. Although this ’fairy water’ only targets men and has no effect on women, considering there are so many of us here, it would be wise for you to recognize the situation," Chief Bai said.

Seeing that Yan Wanqing had fallen silent, Li Chengyuan panicked.

She clutched Yan Wanqing’s clothes tightly, "You can’t hand me over to them, they want to kill me!"

At this moment, she was truly afraid.

The lives of two thousand soldiers compared to her own life, the former was undoubtedly more important.

Yan Wanqing was the kind of person with a ruthlessly decisive nature, one hundred percent likely to hand her over in exchange for the antidote.

Li Chengyuan was extremely anxious in her heart and knew she must find a way to prevent Yan Wanqing from handing her over.

Just as Yan Wanqing was about to speak, Li Chengyuan suddenly grabbed her and blurted out, "Princess Yaochi is pregnant! With the child of the Seventh Prince!"

Yan Wanqing’s expression indeed darkened upon hearing this.

She had been planning to agree to Chief Bai’s suggestion, using Li Chengyuan in exchange for the lives of the soldiers.

She had no intention of truly sacrificing her to appease the Mountain God.

She had thought to wait until all the soldiers had safely left before coming back with reinforcements to rescue Li Chengyuan. However, she hadn’t expected this fool to reveal in front of Chief Bai that she was carrying the Imperial Family’s offspring.

This fool really had the talent to complicate everything.

Yan Wanqing truly wanted to strike her down with a single palm.

"You have to protect me. This is the legitimate firstborn son of the Seventh Prince. If anything happens to me, he definitely won’t let you off," Li Chengyuan clutched Yan Wanqing’s clothes tightly and threatened through clenched teeth, "And your Yan Family, he won’t spare either."

Yan Wanqing’s eyes were dark and inscrutable as she scanned the faces of the surrounding soldiers. Most of the forces were still inside the cave. There were only a few dozen people here, all brought by Constable Chang.

If she were to retaliate against the villagers and make a tactical withdrawal with everyone, it was possible, but this antidote...

But if she really handed over Li Chengyuan, it was unknown whether the child in her belly was real or not. If it was real, and the child didn’t survive...

Yan Wanqing’s thoughts darkened as she was suddenly reminded of the child she had lost.

"So be it," she sighed, reached out to wrap her arms around Li Chengyuan’s waist, and at the same time shouted loudly, "Constable Chang, retreat!"

Constable Chang, who had been following Yan Wanqing for over a month, understood her very thoroughly.

With just that command, he immediately led his men out of the cave.

"Catch her!" Yan Wanqing tossed Li Chengyuan from her embrace to Constable Chang on the outside and then drew her long sword to block all the villagers.

Li Chengyuan, having barely calmed down from her scare, found her feet on the ground and immediately urged Constable Chang to leave quickly.

She wanted nothing more than to get away from this place where all the villagers sought her life.

Constable Chang clutched his abdomen, pain unbearable, as sweat incessantly dripped down his cheeks.

His gaze was fixed on Yan Wanqing, who was still inside the cave.

She was holding off all the villagers’ offensive with the strength of one person.

But today, she hadn’t drawn her sword.

She kept using the scabbard to strike back, not harming anyone’s life, but that alone was not enough. With the sheer number of villagers, Yan Wanqing would eventually tire and suffer a major loss.

"The rest of you, escort the princess back quickly," Constable Chang ordered.

"And what about you, Big Brother Chang?" asked one of his soldiers.

Constable Chang tightened his grip on his sword, "I’m going to support General Yan!"

Without looking back, he charged forward, while the others, not daring to delay, quickly escorted Li Chengyuan away.

With Constable Chang’s assistance, Yan Wanqing soon retreated from the cave and used stones to block the entrance.

"This will only solve the immediate crisis," Yan Wanqing said, gasping for air. "We still need to talk to Chief Bai. How are you feeling now?"

"My abdomen feels bloated and the pain is unbearable, it comes in waves," Constable Chang said as he sat on a rock, clutching his belly.

Wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, Yan Wanqing said, "Your symptoms sound like those of a woman giving birth."

"Don’t joke about your subordinate, General. After drinking a few sips of water, how could it be like giving birth?" Constable Chang dismissed the idea light-heartedly. "The villagers are just exaggerating. It’s probably just a few days of diarrhea and then I’ll be fine."

"If that’s the case, then that’s for the best, but I’m just afraid the water really is a problem," Yan Wanqing recalled the village chief’s convincing tone and felt that the man wasn’t lying.

Constable Chang, clutching his belly, struggled to get up from the ground, muttering, "Why does it feel like my belly has gotten a bit bigger?"

Yan Wanqing didn’t hear this comment. When the two of them returned to the cave, they were shocked speechless.

The soldiers in the Mountain God Temple were clutching their bellies and laying on the ground, some with bellies as large as if they were five or six months pregnant.

Yan Wanqing frowned and began to circulate her inner strength, checking over each soldier one by one. Most of them were in this condition, only a few who hadn’t drunk water the night before seemed normal.

"Village Chief Bai really wasn’t exaggerating," Yan Wanqing said with a heavy heart.

Constable Chang, teeth clenched and dragging his swollen belly, came up to her, "Commander Yan, what should we do?"

All the soldiers had become like pregnant women, which was as absurd as it could get if spread around.

"Men giving birth is unheard of. It’s likely just a symptom of poisoning and won’t actually result in childbirth. We’ll observe for a few more days. I’ll think of a solution. Right now the most important thing is to calm the villagers’ anger," Yan Wanqing had not expected the situation to turn out this way.

In truth, she was usually a strategic thinker, but today’s events had also exceeded her expectations.

"Where is Li Chengyuan now?" Yan Wanqing thought of this culprit.

Constable Chang became angry at the mention of this woman, forgetting the pain in his belly, "She found a cave for herself as soon as she returned, chased out all the brothers inside, and now we have no idea what she’s up to."

"Have someone keep an eye on her."

Constable Chang thought for a moment, "Commander Yan, are you afraid she’ll run away?"

Yan Wanqing snorted lightly, "Do you think she’s not capable of that?" A woman who dares to kill someone in front of villagers, what wouldn’t she do?

Ultimately, this matter stemmed from Li Chengyuan’s disrespect for the villagers’ culture, insisting on bathing in their Fairy Pond and causing trouble.

Originally, a three-day purification bath would’ve been enough, but she insisted on taking a life.

Now it had escalated into a standoff where neither side would give in until death.

This standoff had lasted for more than five long days.

At this point, wherever Yan Wanqing looked, she saw soldiers with swollen bellies as if they were ten months pregnant.

She had gone down the mountain several times to negotiate with Village Chief Bai, but he had blocked her every time.

They would only accept the solution of Li Chengyuan’s life for another life.

If this continued, the soldiers would all die from their bodies bursting.

This couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Yan Wanqing grabbed her long sword and walked toward Li Chengyuan’s dwelling, under Constable Chang’s anxious gaze.

It was trouble she had stirred up herself; she should solve it instead of hiding in a cave all day like a scared turtle!

Yan Wanqing stood at the entrance of Li Chengyuan’s cave and said to her in a cold voice.

"Come out!"

Li Chengyuan, cornered, stood up as she saw Yan Wanqing approaching.

"What are you here for?"

Yan Wanqing walked in, "Aren’t you going to solve the mess you’ve made?"

"Even without me, you still drank that water, and the villagers would use this against you," Li Chengyuan retorted defiantly.

"Why kill someone?" This was something Yan Wanqing couldn’t understand.

Li Chengyuan’s eyes reddened when questioned, "You didn’t see when that lowlife was pinning me down, making me eat dirt!"

"You couldn’t swallow your pride, so in front of everyone, you chose to kill?" It was utterly outrageous.

Li Chengyuan was enraged by Yan Wanqing’s expression.

She pursed her lips, her hands clenched tightly, "I am none other than the Princess Yaochi. What’s wrong with killing a coarse villager? Besides, she deserved death for her insubordination. I was merely doing what was within my rights."

"Where do your rights come from?" Yan Wanqing suddenly asked.

Li Chengyuan was about to speak when Yan Wanqing interrupted her, "You’re going to say from the Emperor, right? But without the people of Dawei, how would there be an Emperor of Dawei? Without these countless soldiers, where would the territory of Dawei come from? And where would you get the power you’re so proud of?"

"The soldiers outside are about to die the most gruesome deaths. Do you understand the consequences of that?"

"If the war in the west cannot be quelled, the next time the Japanese Pirates enter the palace will be a mere hundred miles from the Imperial City! Then all the glory you’ve enjoyed will be reduced to dust."

"So are you telling me to go die?" Li Chengyuan defiantly shouted, her teeth clenched as she yelled at Yan Wanqing, "Spouting all this high-minded rhetoric, you just want my life, don’t you, Yan Wanqing? How can you be so heartless! The lives of a bunch of soldiers matter, but my single life doesn’t?"