Unruly Phoenix Xiaoyao

Chapter 24: Sharp swords or human lives?

"That one's my master!" the little gyrfalcon flapped his wings as he danced on Ning Xiaoyao's shoulder. Ning Xiaoyao's face was soundly smacked a few times by the gyrfalcon's wings until she almost toppled off the wall.

"Calm down, calm down," Ning Xiaoyao covered her face as she said in a low voice. "Right now, we have to stay cool!" All of the people in the courtyard were kneeling and dressed in black. She really couldn't tell which one was Shadowgale, ah!

"Your Majesty?" Empress Dowager Xie stood up from her seat and walked out from beneath the eaves. She stood at the top of the steps and looked at Ning Xiaoyao.

"Awoo awoo awoo," the little gyrfalcon cried out at the sight. "It's that bad woman! I want to peck her to death!"

Ning Xiaoyao grabbed onto the gyrfalcon before he charged. "Can't we calm down a bit? There's a bunch of people holding bows and arrows down there. You want to be turned into a hedgehog? I can't even kill that woman, so you think you can?"

"Awoo awoo awoo..." the gyrfalcon looked unresigned.

"Don't cry out," Ning Xiaoyao only held onto him. No helping it, falcon beaks are sharp, so you can't muffle them.

"Your Majesty?!" Empress Dowager Xie exclaimed again, her voice filled with bitter pain.

Ning Xiaoyao held onto the gyrfalcon and jumped off the wall. The court ladies and mama who saw her leap from three meters up all shouted in alarm from fright. Empress Dowager Xie was scared as well; Ning Yu couldn't die right now! But her eyes shone with a sinister light as she saw Ning Xiaoyao land harmlessly on her feet. The empress dowager didn't believe it before, but after seeing her land soundlessly with her own two eyes, she was convinced that this daughter of hers not only knew martial arts, but was a high-level expert.

Ning Xiaoyao patted the gyrfalcon's head and said, "Calm down. You can only start fighting after I start."

"When does Your Majesty plan to start fighting?" the gyrfalcon asked.

Ning Xiaoyao warmed up her still aching hand and said, "We'll talk reason first. If that doesn't work, we'll fight." Ning Xiaoyao saw that Empress Dowager Xie's gaze was very unkind. When she had seen the empress dowager kill her own daughter, she'd considered the woman ruthless, but Ning Yu's bad ending was caused by her own weaknesses as well. She brought it onto herself by misjudging others. But right now, all Ning Xiaoyao felt towards Empress Dowager Xie was annoyance. During the apocalypse, members of the military like her put their lives on the line and sacrificed themselves like martyrs to give humankind a chance to survive. What was this woman doing now? Using a lie, she snatched away hundreds of innocent lives? She was unforgivable!

Hacking at zombies didn't require plots or schemes, nor had anything taught Ning Xiaoyao how to hide her intentions, so her feelings were written all over her face. Empress Dowager Xie's fingers dug into her palms. Ning Yu harbored killing intent towards her. Her daughter wanted her dead!

"You guys have no reaction despite seeing the emperor?" Ning Xiaoyao looked at the people in the courtyard. Don't treat her as an ignoramus, all right? She'd seen videos of ancient costume dramas before, you had to kneel upon seeing the emperor!

"Your servant greets Your Majesty." Old Servant Lai was the first to react, and knelt before Ning Xiaoyao.

The people in the courtyard seem to wake from a dream as they all knelt down to pay their respects by wishing her ten thousand years of longevity. Ning Xiaoyao looked at Empress Dowager Xie. So did the gyrfalcon, who was prepared to fly over at a moment's notice to peck all over her face.