Chapter 746: Choice

Chapter 746: Choice

Upon hearing the Four Qi Emperor's words, Bai Lingmiao slowly clenched her fists. Her expression grew unusually grim, and her body seemed to waver slightly, as if she could no longer stand steadily.

The Vacuum Hometown truly existed—it was what the Mother Supreme had spoken with her own lips. Her family members were living there now, enjoying lives free from worry and anxiety.

After her death, she would be reunited with them. This was something Bai Lingmiao was utterly certain of, something she believed wholeheartedly.

But when this deeply held belief stood in contrast to the lives of one million eight hundred thousand people, Bai Lingmiao’s heart began to waver.

“If the Vacuum Hometown is real, then death is simply moving to another place to live. If that’s the case, why… why do I resist so much?”

At this moment, the Four Qi Emperor continued his relentless assault. “Miss Bai, think carefully. Spend over a million elderly, sick, and disabled, and you’ll gain nine million faithful believers in return. When has such a trade ever been so risk-free?”

“Look at it this way—both I win, you win, and the Mother Supreme in the Vacuum Hometown wins too. No one loses. Why are you still hesitating, Holy Maiden?”

Hearing these words, Bai Lingmiao took a deep breath. Her trembling hand, which had been pressed against her chest, suddenly dropped. It seemed as though she had made a decision.

“Your Majesty, is this really a matter of trade? Is this how you calculate things? Do you know that they… they are all people, living, breathing people! Even if they are disabled or broken, they are still alive!”

Bai Lingmiao recalled everything about Niuxin Village.

"Do you know how many will grieve for their deaths? Do you understand how painful it is to lose your family?"

The Four Qi Emperor and the fat general beside him were clearly shocked. They hadn’t expected the ruler of a cult that practiced human sacrifice to speak such words—like the sun rising from the west.

“And besides, Your Majesty!” Bai Lingmiao said after calming herself down. “Among those one million eight hundred thousand, a large portion are your own subjects. Have you considered them even once?”

The Four Qi Emperor’s face darkened with irritation upon hearing such absurdity. “Hmph! Why should I care for them? Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed to reach this position? This is all I’ve worked for!”

“My greatest concern is my kingdom and its people! Without a kingdom, I am merely a fallen emperor. As for these commoners—they’re just grass growing on my land. Even if I cut them down, they’ll grow back again.”

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao clenched her fists tightly. Her sharp nails dug into her palms, yet she did not loosen her grip.

“Your Majesty!” Bai Lingmiao’s voice sharpened. “I cannot comply! They are not grass! They are people! They can’t die like grass! Once dead, nothing remains!”

“Hmm?” The Four Qi Emperor looked puzzled. “What? Haven’t you understood yet? They aren’t dying. According to your teachings, they go to the Vacuum Hometown.”

“What? Are you seriously saying that the great Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect doesn’t believe in the Vacuum Hometown? That it’s all a lie created by the Mother Supreme to make you believe in her?”

Bai Lingmiao took several deep breaths, trying to suppress her anger. “Your Majesty! The Vacuum Hometown exists! But the Mother Supreme has revealed a divine decree: suicide defies heaven’s will! Those who die by their own hand cannot enter the Vacuum Hometown!”

“Nonsense! Why haven’t I heard such nonsense from your sect before?” The Four Qi Emperor frowned, beginning to suspect that she was refusing him.

“I am the Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect—I naturally hear the heavens’ will. If I say the Mother Supreme spoke thus, then she indeed spoke it! This matter is settled!” With fury in her voice, Bai Lingmiao stood up and turned to leave.

“Wait!” The Four Qi Emperor stepped in front of Bai Lingmiao once more. His expression was furious, and faint scales of dragon skin began to appear on his body. “Think carefully! Miss Bai, consider well who you're opposing!”

With her head bowed low, Bai Lingmiao slowly raised it, a slight smile tugging at her lips. Her entire aura changed. “Your Majesty~ the Four Qi Empire is still not fully under our control. If you had the ability, why not reclaim your lost lands yourself? Oh yes, you were rescued from the Fa Sect by us, weren’t you?”

With her black-nailed fingers, Bai Lingmiao tapped repeatedly on the dragon robe of the Four Qi Emperor.

“I am a person of the Great Li Empire, not of the Four Qi. Besides, you are now an emperor without a nation. A fallen phoenix is no match for a chicken. Even if I oppose you, what can you do?”

“Your Majesty sent soldiers to seize the White Lotus Sect? Ah, how unfortunate. You have no soldiers left now—you only have a group of old eunuchs.”

Bai Lingmiao glanced sideways at the fat general, who held his sword hilt but hadn’t drawn it yet, and sneered. “Still putting on airs? You’ve got so few men you can’t even bring decent ones out to show face?”

The Four Qi Emperor trembled with rage, but he dared not act against Bai Lingmiao. Whether he could defeat her or not, he couldn’t dare challenge the power that had helped him regain his throne.

Bai Lingmiao walked out of the grand courtyard, her expression gradually softening as she wandered through the chaotic city.

The voices of the Two Gods echoed in her mind. “What exactly do you think? Do you believe in the Vacuum Hometown or not? I’m thoroughly confused.”

Bai Lingmiao didn’t know. She no longer cared about her own concerns.

She realized that somewhere along the way, the lives of over a million people had become entirely in her hands. Just with a thought, she could command them to die.

Unknowingly, her influence had grown so vast that this invisible pressure made her feel uneasy.

Continuing forward, Bai Lingmiao observed the varied lives of the White Lotus followers within the city.

Under war, the people’s lives were hardly easy. But humans always found ways to eat better and live better.

She had seen such scenes before—but now, what she saw seemed different from what she had seen before.

A group of people gathered around a large black pot steaming with white smoke, holding long chopsticks eagerly.

These were called "scrap vegetables"—some people collected leftover food and threw it onto the street to sell. Whatever they caught, one copper coin per chopstick. Though dirty, such trades thrived during times of chaos. Often, they sold out early to prevent others from taking the best pieces.

Because here, one could get meat for the least money.

A young girl, barely thirteen or fourteen, with a white lotus painted on her brow and patched clothes, clutched a copper coin in her hand, hesitating for a long time before finally dropping it into the bowl.

(End of Chapter)