Qi Yu actually thought about it carefully, "There's no need to ask for my opinion on this matter. You can handle it however you wish."
"Since that's the case, let's proceed as we discussed," Yue Zhiyin said, rubbing his temples. "I wanted to make a decision just now, but I was afraid you might have other thoughts, so I didn't agree directly."
Qi Yu nodded gently.
Her expression was unreadable, neither happy nor angry.
After Yue Zhiyin turned to continue reviewing official documents, Qi Yu made an excuse about wanting to take a stroll, left the main hall, and walked alone by the Jade Pond in silence.
Before the matter of the Soul Gu erupted, she often experienced a tearing sensation in her memories.
In her memories, Yu Zhen would sometimes appear kind and amiable, and at other times, ferocious and terrifying.
This situation persisted for a long time.
It wasn't until just now, after hearing Li Yu's sentence, that she felt a sense of relief.
As for Yu Zhen's retribution, she felt it wouldn't be far off.
Qi Yu had initially come to the vicinity of the Jade Pond simply because she was too full from eating, so she walked around, reminiscing about the past.
She never expected that after less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she would see several heavenly soldiers and generals escorting a person walking with faltering steps.
The person being escorted was Li Yu.
The heavenly soldiers and generals announced the imperial decree: "Sin slave Li Yu, consumed by excessive jealousy and repeatedly committing fatal errors, shall serve as a sin slave in the Heavenly Palace for eternity as a warning to all other immortals in the Nine Heavens. Li Yu shall be subjected to the punishment of the cane once each day, at dawn, noon, and dusk, at the Jade Pond's execution platform!"
Li Yu trembled all over.
He looked up and met Qi Yu's gaze.
The heavenly soldiers and generals followed Li Yu's line of sight and, upon seeing Qi Yu, immediately saluted, "Little Princess, why have you come here? It's dirty and unsanitary. Someone should escort you back."
"Let me speak with him for a moment," Qi Yu gestured towards Li Yu.
The heavenly soldiers and generals received the order and, without a word, retreated.
Li Yu knelt on the ground, looking at Qi Yu. After a moment of silence, he asked in a numb voice, "You... you still remember me?"
He thought that after Qi Yu's reincarnation, she would no longer remember him.
Qi Yu did not answer, but instead asked, "Tell me everything, from beginning to end, about your plan with Yu Zhen. Do not leave out a single word."
Her senior brother cared for her, and there were certain things and words he would definitely not say.
Li Yu lowered his gaze.
After a while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, recounting word-for-word what he had told Yue Zhiyin in the heavenly prison.
He thought Qi Yu would be furious.
But she wasn't.
She merely gazed at Li Yu, and after a long time, she softly asked, "So, you and Yu Zhen truly never liked me from beginning to end? Not even a little bit?"
Li Yu felt Qi Yu's voice was filled with sadness, as if she were on the verge of tears, but when he looked up, he found no change in her expression.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
Qi Yu sat opposite him. "What about Si Qing? Were you sincere with him?"
Li Yu's eyes held a complex emotion. "We did indeed favor Si Qing more than you."
"...That's fine then," Qi Yu's reply was somewhat unexpected to Li Yu.
Li Yu looked at Qi Yu in confusion.
Why was that fine?
Shouldn't you be angry?
"Si Qing has a pure heart, and he suffered no less in the Divine Realm than I did," Qi Yu said in a faint voice. "Although you didn't take me seriously, if I had to do it again, I would still choose to descend into the cold hell, because Si Qing needed me."
Qi Yu looked at Li Yu. "I must seem ridiculous, having given so much and still being as humble as a beggar. You only came to accompany me after I fell into the cold hell, and I was so moved that I poured out my heart."
Li Yu had originally intended to mention how he had deliberately set a trap when Qi Yu's original body fragments were abandoned by the Xuan Yue Sect and he had found them.
But as the words reached his lips, Li Yu felt they weighed a thousand pounds, so heavy that he could no longer utter them.
"You are not ridiculous," Li Yu closed his eyes, his shoulders trembling slightly. "I have failed you."
"It's not important anymore," Qi Yu looked around. "I hope you can grant me one request."
Li Yu looked up.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Don't die," Qi Yu looked into Li Yu's eyes. "Don't take your own life. Endure the punishment, endure the humiliation, and live humbly in the Nine Heavens forever. Do not seek release."
Li Yu trembled all over.
"I wish for you to suffer retribution, for you to live a miserable life, for you to kneel before your former friends and relatives, humbly calling yourself a slave, for you to be punished in front of them," Qi Yu said in a steady voice. "I wish for you to witness my happiness with your own eyes."
Li Yu cried out, but in the end, he still responded with a "Yes."
Qi Yu took out a jade bottle from her embrace and handed it to Li Yu. "This is the medicine you applied to me in the previous life when my mirror body shattered."
"After I reincarnated, I searched for a long time to find it."
"Whether you were genuinely saving me then, or had other reasons, thanks to you, I was able to meet my senior brother, second senior sister, third senior brother, fourth senior sister, fifth senior brother, and sixth senior brother."
"You introduced me to the most important friends in this world, and it was your and Yu Zhen's heartlessness that gave me the opportunity to be reincarnated and be with An Nuo and Shao Feng. Therefore, I am grateful."
"From now on, we part ways. Sin slaves in the Heavenly Palace can also form immortal unions with other sin slaves. I hope that when you remarry, regardless of whether your wife is Yu Zhen or not, and regardless of whether your child is a boy or a girl, you will treat them sincerely. Do not let your next child become like me."
With that, Qi Yu stood up, preparing to leave.
Li Yu trembled as he reached out, grasped the bottle of medicine, and cried heartbrokenly.
Before Qi Yu's figure disappeared, he suddenly turned and shouted:
"Qi Yu! You, you have always been good. You have never done anything wrong. You are not at fault, and you do not need to change. It is I, it is I who have failed you. It is my selfish desires that have harmed you."
"...Thank you," Qi Yu turned back and thanked Li Yu sincerely, then turned and left.
Returning to the main hall.
Qi Yu sat on the couch opposite Yue Zhiyin, staring blankly.
Yue Zhiyin looked up at Qi Yu. "What's wrong? Where did you go for your stroll just now?"
Qi Yu lay lazily on the couch, lacking energy. "I saw Li Yu."
Yue Zhiyin looked surprised and was frowning, wondering if some reckless person had let Li Yu out, causing Qi Yu to see him by chance.
Then, Qi Yu continued, "Senior brother, I feel like my mind is very confused. Sometimes I wonder, were the events that happened at the Bei Yuan Sect all fake?"
"How could they be fake?" Yue Zhiyin put down his brush and rubbed his wrist. "Weren't I, Sui You, Qi Nian, Chi Ming, Qi Yan, and Ming Lou real?"
Qi Yu hummed and poked the soft wings and backside of little Ming Lou with her hand.
Little Ming Lou was scratching an itch and, feeling Qi Yu's touch, immediately turned its head and let out a few cries.
Then, like a kitten, it fiercely lay on the mat, tugging at Qi Yu's sleeve, asking Qi Yu to play with him.
Qi Yu was too lazy to move and pulled little Qi Ming Lou into her arms, rubbing its fur.
Little Ming Lou turned its head, biting left and right, unable to reach. Just as it was about to get agitated, a heavenly soldier and general suddenly arrived from outside.
The heavenly soldier and general held a wooden box and knelt before Yue Zhiyin, saluting. "This was sent by the former patriarch of the Qilin tribe, High God Huai An, who said it would be beneficial to Patriarch Ming Lou."
After speaking, the heavenly soldier and general knelt on one knee and opened the wooden box.
Inside lay something like a ball of light.
"The auspicious energy and blessings of the Qilin tribe accumulated over tens of thousands of years?" Yue Zhiyin rested his chin on his hand, his eyes cold. "It is indeed beneficial to Ming Lou. Very well, accept it."
The heavenly soldier and general received the order, presented the wooden box, and then took out several official documents, placing them on the table. "In addition, the patriarch of the Chongming Bird tribe has also sent a letter of apology, hoping for a lenient sentence for Yu Luo."
"A lenient sentence?" Yue Zhiyin suddenly found it somewhat amusing. "On what grounds does their Chongming Bird tribe demand a lenient sentence? She colluded with Li Yu to kill someone, and it was their own daughter! Li Yu has already been brought to justice. Why should she receive a lenient sentence?!"