Adopting A Stray Cat Chapter 1136: Hard to Have It Both Ways

Chapter 1136: Chapter 1136: Hard to Have It Both Ways

Upon hearing i Ji’s words, Jiu Ge was overjoyed and looked at i Ji, asking, "Mother, is everything you said true?"

i Ji nodded slightly and replied, "It’s true. Once this matter has settled, I will pass the position of Clan Leader to you, and I will live in seclusion and spend my remaining years in peace."

As i Ji spoke, her expression darkened. Her gaze slowly swept across Ye You, Qin Sisi, and others who were approaching her. She spoke sorrowfully, "But I may not live to see that day. Jiu’er, in the days ahead, you’ll be all alone. You must take good care of yourself. Mother can no longer stay by your side."

Pain surged in Jiu Ge’s heart, and he hurriedly offered gentle comfort, "No, Mother. As long as you see reason, I will find a way to keep you and Midair City safe."

After finishing, Jiu Ge entrusted i Ji to Li Li’s care and stood up to confront Ye You and Qin Sisi.

Ye You and Qin Sisi exchanged a glance, stopping their steps in perfect sync and collectively looking at Jiu Ge.

Seeing their familiarity and tacit understanding, a dull ache spread through Jiu Ge’s heart. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the bitterness inside, his expression steady as he looked at Ye You and said loudly, "Your Royal Highness, my mother has acknowledged her mistake. I will take her place and annul the marriage contract with Tian Xiaozi. I beg you to spare my mother and Midair City."

Ye You’s expression didn’t change, his voice low as he asked, "Jiu Ge, if you were , would you spare soone who betrayed you?"

Jiu Ge’s face turned pale. Ye You was right. If it were him, he would also want to kill the betrayer without hesitation.

But he couldn’t help it—the traitor was his mother. He couldn’t stand by and watch his mother be killed, no matter how much wrongdoing she had committed in the past.

Jiu Ge’s gaze drifted to the distance. The once-glorious and magnificent Chief Mansion had been reduced to ruins, its inside and outside piled high with corpses, rivers of blood flowing.

This was his hotown, the place where he had grown up. Though it lacked the grandeur of Wang City, the vivacity of Miaoyin City, or the delicate beauty of Flower Fragrance City, its long rivers and setting suns, its desolate smoke rising in solitude—it too had its own unique splendor and glory.

Jiu Ge turned back to Ye You and asked, word by word, "Ye You, if you were , would you give up on your own mother?"

Ye You’s face darkened. He had lost his mother in childhood, a pain that deeply pierced his heart. If there had been a way to extend her life even for a few years back then, he would have been willing to pay any price.

Ye You said nothing, and Jiu Ge stayed silent as well.

One could not let a treacherous scher go, while the other could never abandon the mother connected by blood.

After a long pause, Ye You finally spoke, his tone harsh and unyielding: "Jiu Ge, you are in no position to negotiate with

right now."

Jiu Ge let out a bitter laugh and replied, "I do have a position. Midair City is not just mine, it’s yours too. But you won’t stay in Midair City forever. If you kill all the mbers of the Changkong family, without rulers, Midair City will fall into greater chaos and the people’s lives will be even more miserable. Is that what you want to see?"

Ye You fell silent. That was indeed not what he wanted to see. What he desired was a peaceful, stable, and loyal Midair City. The Changkong family had entrenched themselves here for years; without them, governing Midair City would indeed beco a major issue.

Ah Xia, for one, lacked prestige, and on top of that, her Magic power was insufficient. It would be difficult for her to win the people’s support as Clan Leader.

But sparing i Ji—who could guarantee she wouldn’t act on her own interests, continuing her collusion with Tian Xiaozi and harming the people of Midair City?

Qin Sisi glanced at Ye You, then at Jiu Ge. After a brief mont of thought, she spoke up persuasively, "Xiao Hei, Jiu Ge shows such filial piety. Why don’t you grant him his wish and spare i Ji’s life?"

"Sisi..." Ye You looked to Qin Sisi in confusion, unable to understand why she would suddenly plead for i Ji.

Qin Sisi signaled Ye You with her eyes to remain calm, then turned to Jiu Ge and said, "Jiu Ge, I fully understand your feelings for your mother, but your filial piety cannot erase what she has done. If we release her just like that, once we leave, she may continue to support Tian Xiaozi, harming the people of Midair City again."

Imdiately, Jiu Ge protested, "I will keep her in check. I will strive to be a good Clan Leader. Don’t you trust ?"

Having abandoned all hope for affection, he wanted only her words of trust.

Qin Sisi lowered her eyes slightly and said, "I trust you, but I don’t trust her." A changeable traitor and a bloodthirsty demon were simply not deserving of trust.

The latter part of Qin Sisi’s sentint remained unspoken; she didn’t want to wound Jiu Ge’s pride in front of so many people.

Perhaps Jiu Ge was once unrestrained, once complicit in i Ji’s cris, but he had saved her life—twice.

Jiu Ge gazed at Qin Sisi with a complex expression. He felt grateful that she believed in him but saddened that she wouldn’t trust his mother.

"Then, what do you want?" Jiu Ge asked in a low voice.

Qin Sisi let out a sigh and said, "Destroy her Magic Source, and we’ll let her go."

As she spoke, she turned to Ye You as if seeking his approval. Ye You nodded slightly, agreeing with her suggestion.

Without her Magic Source, i Ji would lose all her Mana and be no different from an ordinary person. A toothless tiger, even if it wanted to bite, would no longer have the ability.

"No!" Before Jiu Ge could say anything, i Ji had already shouted, clutching her belly and scooting backward across the ground.

"Jiu’er, you mustn’t agree to this! Mother doesn’t want to beco a broken person, doesn’t want to beco an old, ugly crone. If it truly cos to that, Mother might as well wish to die!" i Ji cried and wailed, her tearful gaze locked onto Jiu Ge.

Jiu Ge’s face showed hesitation, his words faltering. He was deeply conflicted and didn’t know what to do. Ye You would never compromise, but his mother absolutely wouldn’t agree to losing her Magic Source.

How could he make everyone satisfied?

Li Li’s usually icy gaze suddenly softened into an expression filled with tenderness. She looked deeply at Jiu Ge, stepped forward to support i Ji, and spoke gently, "Please don’t worry, Clan Leader, the Young Master will surely find a solution."

Hearing Li Li’s soothing tone, i Ji’s frantic emotions cald slightly, but she soon felt that sothing was amiss.

This servant of Jiu Ge had always been cold and indifferent, disdainful of everyone except Jiu Ge. Why was she acting so tenderly and sensibly all of a sudden?

Before i Ji could figure out the reason for Li Li’s change in deanor, she felt a slight sting on the back of her hand where she had been in contact with Li Li. Hastily, she pushed Li Li away, only to find her entire palm beginning to blacken.

"You... you dare poison ?!" i Ji cried out in shock and panic, trying desperately to retrieve a Jade lting Pill from her storage ring to counteract the poison. But her blackened hand had already lost its sensation, making it impossible to activate the storage ring or retrieve anything.