bullyxtreme Chapter 125 Tribute
Chapter 125 Tribute
"Arriving gracefully from afar, it forges the might of thunder."
The wind flows like water, nourishing every inch of land.
In ancient times, it shook the heavens and earth…
Qiao Xiao: It sounds like the Dragon King of the East.
She looked around and noticed that some elderly people looked surprised after hearing this. Some of them immediately stopped her, saying, "Forbidden song! You mustn't sing it, Your Highness!"
At this point, it was too late to save them. Strange phenomena appeared in the sky. The white clouds were driven away by the gale, and in their place came endless dark clouds. They were like a dark army of ten thousand horses galloping, carrying a heavy pressure, rushing towards this place with the force of thunder.
A deep black dragon, shrouded in clouds, soared into the sky, like a ghostly messenger bringing the end of the world, accompanied by scorching steam rising into the air.
Legend has it that it originated from a realm of nothingness and was always accompanied by misfortune. Its sharp dragon scales tore a corner of the sky, stirring up the sea of clouds, and were unstoppable.
Everyone was gripped by terror as they watched the giant dragon approach from afar. Terrified, they fled in all directions. The knights quickly assembled, forming a defensive circle, vowing to protect the safety of the royal family to the death.
Every scale of the dragon reflected a cold light, and its eyes emitted a chilling red light, like a deep black crack in the center of a flawless ruby.
"Tomorrow, I need a member of royal blood as my tribute, or I will reduce this land to nothing."
After saying this, the black dragon, enveloped in lightning and thunder, disappeared into the distant horizon amidst torrential rain.
The king made a swift decision: his first priority was to quell the panic in the palace. He ordered his soldiers to ensure the safety of his subjects.
His children, Mingya fainted, Rixin knelt on the ground crying, and Qiao Xiao leaned against the wall pillar trembling (of course, she was pretending).
...
Inside the magnificent palace, the king was trying his best to comfort the queen's anxious heart.
The Queen was in tears, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty, you know how I've treated Qiao all these years, like my own daughter. But now, that evil dragon wants to take away your own flesh and blood. Can you just stand by and watch it harm your daughter?"
The king's expression was unusually firm, as if he had anticipated the queen's words. He replied decisively, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, our child will be safe and sound."
He adopted Joe partly out of remembrance of the late dragon slayer Taman, and partly to prevent the disaster that is happening today.
If that evil dragon hadn't appeared, he would have been willing to raise Joe for life. But now, he no longer had any other choice.
The king sighed softly, having already made up his mind.
Meanwhile, Shirley slumped to the side of Minya's bed, looking at her brother lying flat, tears streaming down her face: "Brother, that evil dragon wants our lives, what are we going to do?"
Mingya's head was throbbing from his sister's crying, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Don't be afraid, that evil dragon can't really hurt us."
Shetty quickly retorted, "But brother, you saw it with your own eyes. It was so huge that it could swallow us whole."
Upon hearing this, Mingya had a sudden inspiration: "That's right, Rixin, since that evil dragon can devour all of us, why didn't it do so? Perhaps, it doesn't necessarily want to harm us."
Qiao Xiao overheard this conversation outside the door and was filled with surprise.
Qiao Xiao: This brother and sister have a truly unique way of thinking.
She stopped, and then Mingya continued, "So, we can find a volunteer civilian to replace us, give his family generous compensation, and then accept this arrangement."
Shitty's expression turned somber. As a princess, she felt a pang of guilt, knowing that innocent civilians had lost their lives because of her. It was too cruel.
Qiao Xiao shook her head, took a step forward, and walked directly towards the main hall without the slightest hesitation.
When she stepped into the palace, the king and queen both looked surprised, clearly taken aback by her sudden appearance at this moment.
Qiao Xiao looked directly at the King and Queen with a calm gaze and said without hesitation, "Father, Queen, you have raised me with great care for so many years. Now it is time for me to do something for the country."
The queen, who had been nestled in the king's arms and sobbing, stopped crying instantly upon hearing these words. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement: "You...you mean...?"
Qiao Xiao: "That's right, Mother. I'm willing. As long as it doesn't discover my true identity, we can quell this disaster."
Upon hearing this, the queen immediately broke free from the king's embrace.
She rushed forward and hugged Qiao Xiao tightly, gently stroking Qiao Xiao's silky white hair, her eyes filled with heartache and reluctance: "Oh my god! My good child, this is really too much of a hardship for you."
At the same time, a deep sense of guilt quietly surfaced in the king's eyes. He never imagined that Qiao Xiao would be so brave and fearless, willing to sacrifice herself. This decision left him with mixed feelings and an extremely complicated mood.
After a moment of silence, the king slowly stood up, walked to Qiao Xiao, gently patted her shoulder, and said in a loving and proud tone, "My child, you are my pride and the glory of the entire kingdom! Today, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Princess Tian'ao! This honor will accompany you for the rest of your life."
Qiao Xiao's face immediately stiffened: No need for that.
Soon, the news that Qiao Xiao had been chosen as a gift spread throughout the palace.
A guard relayed the news to the prince's palace.
Shirley was incredulous, her voice rising as she questioned, "What did you say? Such a cowardly person would actually bring this up herself?"
"Third Princess, that's exactly what the Second Princess said."
Snowy's bright eyes turned complicated and puzzled. She looked at her brother, Mingya, who also had his brows furrowed and looked solemn.
After a long while, Mingya seemed to finally come to her senses and slowly said, "As expected of my sister, she is as strong and great as I am."
Today, Qiao Xiao's palace is vastly different from the past, brightly lit and dazzling. People gaze at this most radiant corner of the palace tonight, and cannot help but sigh at the fate of this princess with a tragic destiny.
The next day, Qiao Xiao dressed in luxurious clothes and made a meticulous effort. Such an honor was unprecedented for her.
Qiao Xiao looked at herself in the mirror with a hint of sarcasm: she thought that only someone on the verge of death could receive such treatment.
She stood atop this national tower, gazing at the sky: "It's coming, won't I be struck dead?"
The crowd below the tower looked tense and solemn.
A deafening roar of a dragon echoed through the sky; it was the black dragon that was hailed as a symbol of disaster.
With its wings spread wide, it blots out the sky, as if it wants to embrace the vast sky. Majesty and dominance have long been its unspoken hallmarks.
The giant dragon hovered in mid-air, its gaze fixed on Qiao Xiao. Everyone around held their breath, watching this scene with tension.
The dragon was puzzled by Qiao Xiao's cold reaction, and then roughly grabbed her with its sharp claws. With a violent flap of its wings, they disappeared from sight.