After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 229 The Saintess Chapter (Betrayal and Redemption)

After a long silence, Jiuli's gaze suddenly hardened.

She summoned a guard and said, "Send someone to follow them. If anything goes wrong, kill them on the spot."

Afterwards, Jiuli found Xia Li and the others.

"The three of you are brave and kind-hearted; you are truly rare talents." Jiu Li looked at Xia Li and the other two with admiration in his eyes. "What are your plans for the future?"

Xia Li said, "Our wish is to travel everywhere, see all things in the world, and eliminate injustices. So we will set off tomorrow."

Jiuli nodded, and said with a hint of regret, "You are all good children. Originally, I wanted to ask you to stay and guard the seal with us, but since you have already made your plans, then I wish you all the best. Please be careful on your journey. Please allow us to prepare some things you may need for the road."

Xia Li and the other two quickly expressed their gratitude, their hearts filled with thanks.

……

"Are you really leaving?" Yihao's voice trembled slightly in the silent valley, carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

Jiu Yue tightened her pack on her back, her gaze fixed firmly on the distance, the mountain wind ruffling her hair. "Yes, there's nothing left here for me to miss."

After saying that, she took the first step onto the winding path that led nowhere.

Yihao watched her retreating figure, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, before silently following behind.

Along the way, Yihao casually brought up various things about the clan, "The peach blossoms in the clan should be in bloom by now, don't you want to go back and see them?"

Jiu Yue paused, a hint of desolation flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Since I've already made a mistake, I have no face to go back..."

A moment later, she smiled again, her tone full of relief, "My mother used to control me too much, and every word and action of mine had to conform to the standards of a saint. Now I can finally be free and do whatever I want."

Thinking of her carefree future, Jiu Yue couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Ah Hao, then we'll travel all over the country, living as an ordinary couple. How blissful... Ah!"

Just as Jiu Yue was immersed in her beautiful dreams for the future,

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my back.

She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, slowly looking down to see a dagger piercing her chest, crimson blood dripping slowly down the blade.

She turned her head with difficulty, her gaze meeting Yihao's cold eyes.

"Why..." Jiu Yue's voice was weak and trembling, filled with endless doubt and despair.

Yihao sneered, the gentleness on his face vanishing instantly.

Instead, his eyes were filled with twisted hatred: "Do you know? Your mother, Jiuli, found me in the forbidden area. She believed I was the offspring of a magical beast and kept me under strict guard, treating me like a monster! I lived in fear and humiliation every day, and it was only with great difficulty that I managed to escape."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes burning with rage: "...Later, I still felt indignant. Why was my mind filled with all those years I was imprisoned by her? So I changed my appearance and returned to the clan, deliberately approaching you, deliberately leading you to the forbidden area to break the seal. I did it all on purpose! It was all to take revenge on you and your mother!"

Yihao roared, as if he wanted to shout out all the resentment he had felt over the years.

As Jiu Yue listened, she felt a mix of emotions.

"I had no idea you had suffered such injustice..."

"Don't pretend to pity me!" Yihao interrupted her. "If it weren't for your mother, I wouldn't have suffered all this. All my misery is caused by her! You deserve to die, you all deserve to die!"

Jiu Yue: "..."

She didn't know what to say.

Why is fate so cruel?

The boy she loved most, the boy who would betray his mother to leave with her, hated her to death.

After a long silence, she smiled bitterly, took out a slip of paper from her bosom, and said, "Actually, my mother had long expected this day to come. She said that your motives were impure and that you were only using me. She also said that I was very likely to be ruined by you... She told me to kill you so that I could return to my clan and continue to be the Holy Maiden."

Jiu Yue spat out a mouthful of blood and continued:

"But between my mother and you, I chose you without the slightest hesitation. Between the position of saintess and you, I also hesitated without the slightest hesitation. Of all things in the world, you are both the first choice and the exception. Even now..."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried a sense of relief, “...I have never regretted knowing you, nor have I ever felt guilty towards you.”

Yihao's eyes widened, and he was suddenly shocked when he heard these words!

He killed such a good girl!

Such a girl who only has eyes for him!

The madness on his face gradually faded, replaced by deep regret.

He reached out to catch Jiu Yue as she slowly collapsed, "No... what have I done..."

Jiu Yue's eyes gradually dimmed, but a faint smile still lingered on her lips.

In her final moments, she whispered, "Don't...blame yourself..."

Before she could finish speaking, her hand fell limply to her side, and she slowly closed her eyes.

"what……"

In the valley, only Yihao's painful roars echoed for a long time in the empty mountains.

The group of people hiding in a nearby tree watched this scene, unsure of what to say.

Tao Yao said, "How could two people who love each other end up like this?"

Li Haifei said, "Because of her mother, who imprisoned a child for more than ten years."

Xia Li sighed and said, "No, actually her mother was saving him."

The group asked in confusion, "Huh?"

Xia Li recounted what she knew in detail: "Back then, when the Holy Maiden was patrolling the forbidden area, she discovered him as an infant. But the forbidden area required the Holy Maiden's blood to open, making it impossible for anyone to break in. Therefore, everyone believed he was a product of the demon race and wanted to burn him alive. It was Jiu Li who single-handedly protected him, but had to agree to imprison him in a cage to prevent him from harming others if his demonic nature were to erupt. Jiu Li would visit him whenever she had time, hoping he would improve and be accepted by everyone. But unexpectedly, he harbored resentment towards Jiu Li and refused to cooperate. Later, Jiu Yue accidentally discovered him and, feeling sorry for him, often secretly helped him. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with him! She even secretly helped him escape. However, Yi Hao was ultimately blinded by hatred and chose to return for revenge. He didn't know that Jiu Yue had already recognized him and had been silently helping him all along..."

After hearing this, the group sighed in dismay.

"My God, so in that case, Jiuli not only did not wrong him, but was actually his benefactor."

"That's right, he wouldn't have survived without Jiuli."

"He actually harbors hatred now? He even plotted to harm his benefactor and his benefactor's daughter!"