Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Kailin was stunned. Mo Yan came over and asked, "Ms. Xueqi, what's going on? Why is there a cemetery behind your palace? And who are they?"

"Didn't I tell you? They're my family," Li Xueqi said with a faint sadness. "Do you remember when I told you about the uprising that occurred when the new king of Aixiou, Li Xuecheng, allied with the Sanu people?"

"Of course, you said that your brother colluded with the Sanu people for profit and extorted money from the people of Aixiou, then you and your sister turned against each other, and finally Li Xuecheng was executed and you were recognized by the Holy Lord and ascended to the Guardian." Kailin nodded and recalled.

"That's right, but this is just the result, not the process." Li Xueqi looked at the tombstones around her and said sadly, "And they are all those who died in that struggle. Some of them even fell here just after joining the army and had no chance to go to the battlefield."

"What, you mean they are all?" Karen was shocked and looked around.

"Well, back then, the Emperor and the other ministers knew that my brother had evil intentions, but because the throne was passed down to sons, not daughters, and because they thought he would be able to govern with virtuous people, they passed the throne to him. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. He saw the business acumen of the Sanu people, and from then on, he embarked on this path of no return."

Many ministers in the court had tried to persuade Li Xuecheng that Sanu had evil intentions and cooperating with him would not only be of no benefit but would harm Aixiou, but he did not listen.

Countless loyal ministers died tragically under his regime, and countless people starved to death on the streets because of his oppression. Even so, he never repented, but instead thought of various ways to make wealth for himself.

Finally, the oppressed people raised the banner of rebellion, but the disparity in strength and the long-term oppression made them hungry. Although they were not completely wiped out, they suffered heavy losses.

From then on, they understood that a head-on confrontation with the well-equipped and well-stocked kingdom army would not have a good result, so they acted in secret. Although their methods were despicable, they had no choice because they would not be able to return home if they did not do so.

"At that time, many of my subjects also found me in secret. They begged me to lead them in stopping Li Xuecheng's actions as the heir to the Kingdom of Aixiou."

"So, that was when you became enemies with your brother?" Karen asked.

Li Xueqi smiled softly, shook her head, and said, "You flatter me too much. Although I am also from the royal family, at that time, I was at best a little girl with some ambition. I wasn't as great as people imagined. I couldn't abandon my own flesh and blood, nor could I ignore my brother's evil deeds. So I didn't know what to do."

"Then how did you..." Mo Yan asked.

"Because of so many things happening, more and more people joined the uprising. One day, I accidentally discovered that a minister beside me had also joined the uprising. At that time, I didn't know whether my brother knew about it, but I couldn't just sit back and watch. That day, I secretly followed the minister in plain clothes all the way to an opera house. It was clearly the hiding place of the rebels."

The impassioned speeches and the outcry made her realize the severity of the situation and the suffering of the people. At that moment, her hesitation and struggle were replaced by righteousness and determination, and she decided to stand up, even if it meant becoming an enemy of her brother.

"I witnessed the people's suffering firsthand and heard their longing for freedom and equality. To achieve this, they believed they had to find a new leader to lead them out of their predicament." Li Xueqi shook her head. "Looking back now, it was nothing more than a clever trick to lure me out and lead them to prosperity."

She sneered and continued, "I don't know why they have such expectations of me, but in order to respond to everyone, I can only make up my mind."

"We swore to share honor and disgrace, to face life and death together, and to fight together for the future of Aixiou. But before this oath is fulfilled, I will be separated from them forever." When she said this, Li Xueqi's eyes showed a trace of sadness.

Under his leadership, the resistance army won many small battles, but as their momentum grew, spies sent by Li Xuecheng infiltrated the team.

That same night, under that same blood moon, Li Xuecheng, led by a spy, quietly attacked the rebel camp in Aixiou. Thousands of his compatriots were killed that night by the merciless fire.

Under the identification of the spy, Li Xueqi's identity was exposed, so she was imprisoned in the kingdom dungeon by Li Xuecheng. She thought that she would be sent to the guillotine by her brother the next day, but she was wrong. Li Xuecheng did not kill her but used her as bait to lure other rebels to come.

"I prayed in the dungeon that they would not come to rescue me, because I never thought I was worthy of their loyalty."

"But they still went to rescue you." Kailin said.

"Yes. To this day, the scene of that day still lingers in my memory. Everyone risked their lives to rescue me from the dungeon, constantly urging me to leave the city. They risked their own lives for me, and I could only watch helplessly as they lost their lives for me. When Menledev fell in front of me to protect me, I asked them why they would rather sacrifice their own lives to save someone like me who had only just joined the resistance and hadn't even experienced hardship. Do you know what he said?"

Having said that, Li Xueqi could only laugh helplessly.

"He said I was their hope. Someone once warned him that if Eshio wanted to restore order, the resistance must find a leader, a leader who had passed the Trial of Blood. In this trial, everyone would be baptized by death. Only in this way could they be reborn."

"I don't know why he chose you, Your Majesty, but for the future prosperity of Exio, I have no choice but to believe his words and place all my hopes on you. Therefore, you are both our leader and our hope. As subjects, we should lead by example, but as a leader, you must not let everyone down."

"And so, filled with pain and indignation, I left the city amidst the slaughter."

"He?" Kailin asked doubtfully, "Who is this 'he'?"

"I didn't know it at the time, but judging by the outcome, it was most likely a trap set by the Saint." She folded her arms and said, "After escaping the city, I arrived at Blood Peak Ridge. Under the dual oppression of cruelty and rain, I was starving, so I had no choice but to pick up wild fruits from the roadside and devour them."

When escaping from the dungeon, Menledev told her to cross the mountain to the other side to find the rebel camp, but in the thunderstorm, she was so sad and tired that she lost her way in a panic. But thanks to her being lost, she avoided a disaster.