Chapter 416: and translation of chapter title

Xiao Yin coldly stared at Li Cheng kneeling before him, and said word by word: "But Li Yinggu's life must be spared!"

"Your Highness! No!" Li Cheng immediately crawled on his knees to Xiao Yin's face, continuously kowtowing.

"Your Highness, this time it's Yinggu's fault, she really made a huge mistake."

"Your subordinate begs Your Highness for mercy! Please spare her this once."

"Her mother died in difficult childbirth when she was born; from childhood I've pitied this child who lost her mother at birth, spoiled rotten, I beg Your Highness! I beg Your Highness!"

"Considering that when Your Highness was recuperating at the Li family manor, this child served you, attending to you before and after, bringing you tea and water, please give her another chance, Your Highness!"

"If there is a next time, I will personally kill her!"

Li Cheng wept with tears streaming down his face, continuously kowtowing to Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling; the people around all turned their faces away, not daring to look.

How pitiful the hearts of parents worldwide; raising such a troublemaker is also a suffering.

Xiao Yin furrowed his brows tightly; although he owed the Li family a life, that is not an excuse for the Li family to arbitrarily harm his wife and children.

He coldly stared at Yinggu before him; Yinggu at this moment was completely dazed.

She kept her head down, not daring to glance at Xiao Yin even once.

He actually intends to kill her?

She never expected Xiao Yin to discard even a shred of past affection, actually intending to kill her?

Her face instantly turned ashen.

The sound of her father's thudding kowtows came to her ears, while the surroundings were deathly silent; in that instant Yinggu felt as if she had sunk into an icy lake, unable to catch her breath.

Xiao Yin's peach-blossom eyes slowly narrowed, and he coldly said: "Since you beg me this way, there is still a second path you can take."

Li Cheng instantly lifted his eyes to look at Xiao Yin, a flash of joy crossing his face as he hurriedly said: "I still beg Your Highness for mercy; if you can spare my daughter a path to live, I will do anything."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy! Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy!"

Xiao Yin stared at him steadily and said: "The second path is for your Li family to relinquish all the wealth and honor you now possess, yet still return to your Li family manor; I will give you a large sum of retirement silver, and you can go back to live as a wealthy country gentleman."

"Your children must also return with you; they may no longer follow me, for your following me is unaffordable."

"Moreover, this time it is your daughter who meddled, interfering in my private affairs, reaching too far; I will take both of her hands."

As soon as Xiao Yin's words fell, Li Yinggu burst into tears; she never expected Xiao Yin to be so ruthless.

Frightened, she kept stepping back, hiding behind her father.

She understood Xiao Yin's meaning: either kill her and let the Li family keep their immense wealth.

Or spare her life, but exchange it for the Li family's accumulated wealth over the years, and also take her two hands.

No matter how you say it, this time Xiao Yin is determined to destroy her, to destroy the Li family.

Li Cheng's face also changed dramatically; he immediately understood why Xiao Yin chose this place to judge the Li family—he feared that pressing them too hard might cause the Li family to rebel.

In this drill field, masses of Xiao Yin's troops stood shoulder to shoulder; if the Li family tried anything now, they'd likely be chopped into minced meat.

Li Cheng now simply regrets to the point of death; why didn't he keep his daughter under tighter watch earlier? That led to today's great disaster.

The daughter ought not to have done this, under any circumstances she should not have meddled with Xiao Yin's wife and children.

As it turns out, Gu Jiu Ling is Xiao Yin's bottom line.

Xiao Yin watched the Li family hesitate to act, then slowly raised his hand and made a gesture.

Ling Feng personally led his men over to Li Fusheng's side: "Li Fusheng, if your Li family is unwilling to hand over Li Yinggu, then hand over the token at your waist instead!"

"From now on, the imperial court and the world will have nothing to do with your Li family! You were originally just villagers living in the Li family manor; now you may return to the Li family manor!"

"Please!"

Li Fusheng's face instantly turned ashen; he had long followed Xiao Yin, witnessing the prosperity of Shang Jing, and also ran the Jiangnan route for Xiao Yin, experiencing countless scenes of wealth and honor.

Having seen Jiangnan's prosperity, who could endure returning again to the desolate northwest borderlands?

"Father! Father!!" Li Fusheng instantly panicked, nearly bursting into tears from anxiety.

Ling Feng's brows slightly furrowed; this lad is usually a tough guy, yet when it comes to wealth and honor he turns into such a softie.

He coldly chuckled: "Since Young Master Li refuses to untie his token, I will personally take it."

Ling Feng bent down to untie the token symbolizing authority and power from Li Fusheng's waist, when suddenly Li Fusheng erupted.

Even Ling Feng was startled; he actually leapt up directly, the dagger in his hand suddenly appearing and viciously stabbing into Yinggu's chest, hidden behind Li Cheng.

"You wretched thing!!" Li Cheng, who had been guarding against Xiao Yin's side, had not guarded against his own son.

Li Fusheng directly raised his hand and brought down the knife; the dagger viciously pierced Li Yinggu's chest.

Li Cheng, in shock and anger, slapped Li Fusheng away; Li Fusheng clutched his shoulder, nearly smashed by the blow, his eyes blood-red as he stared at his father and burst into tears: "It was her fault to begin with! Why should the entire Li family bear responsibility for her willfulness and mistake?"

"Since childhood you have favored the sister, indulging her without limits."

"She is merely a daughter of an ordinary farming family; do you really think she's a princess?"

"Father! Wake up! Given her current conduct, you must bear most of the responsibility!"

"When she was little, she wanted whatever she desired and got it; she never realized this world also has things she wants but cannot obtain."

"Father! You cannot keep going wrong! Father!"

The color drained from Li Cheng's face bit by bit, yet he fixed his stare on Xiao Yin standing before him.

He suddenly realized Xiao Yin never intended for his daughter to live—what two paths?

Each path is a dead end for his daughter!

A faint hatred welled up in his heart, and he hated even more his son's lack of affection and righteousness.

His son still thought doing this would earn Xiao Yin's trust, but once trust collapses it can never be rebuilt.

From now on, even if the Li family need not be driven back to the borderlands by the prince, it is already too late; everything is too late.

Even if they stay, the Li family's future path will likely never be easy again.

He turned and supported his daughter, drenched in blood.

Li Yinggu stared in disbelief, her eyes wide open, fixed tightly on Xiao Yin.

Her vitality slowly ebbed from her body; she opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but could no longer utter a word, blood trickling from the corner of her lips, and then she slowly collapsed into her father's arms.

"Ying Gu! Ying Gu!! My daughter!!"

Li Cheng burst into tears, unable to make a sound.

Xiao Yin coldly surveyed everything before him; the people around him now felt not only a bit more respect toward Xiao Yin, but mostly fear.

He had finally transformed from the big brother who led his brothers with high spirits, galloping across the battlefield, into a superior they both revered and feared.

A thick smell of blood permeated the surroundings, and Xiao Yin ordered people to take the Li family away.

His own body began to sway, on the verge of collapse, when suddenly Gu Jiu Ling rose to her feet, walked to the front of the platform, and slowly began to speak.