On the way to escape famine, my parents divorced

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Li Qiutian and Wang Xiaoying looked at each other, both at a loss.

Faced with this scene, Ding Haisheng and Dana also showed some surprise, but both of them adhered to the principle of "I won't speak unless asked" and remained silent.

The two Han women on the other side also lowered their heads, their expressions complex, and they remained silent.

Li Shiyue stood up, walked towards Li Qiutian, and took the wrapped baby from Li Qiutian's hands.

The newborn baby was very small and light, moving slightly in Li Shiyue's hands, and his cries were like those of a kitten.

Li Shiyue looked down at this newborn life. His biological father was a brutal Japanese pirate, and his biological mother was forced to have him.
His birth mother saw him as evidence of shame;
You could even say that his birth mother hated him and wished he were dead!

His very existence seems to be a mistake.

Li Shiyue turned her head and looked at the lying bamboo. Her voice was calm and even, but it carried immense power: "Bamboo, do you really not want this child anymore?"

This is the first and last time this general will ask you this question.

Li Shiyue's words were accurately translated by the Han woman and relayed to Zhu Zi.

Zhu Zi didn't turn around to look at Li Shiyue. She turned her head away, her shoulders trembling violently. She gripped the canvas beneath her tightly with both hands, her nails almost breaking off.

With almost all her might, Zhu Zi nodded fiercely and resolutely with her back to Li Shiyue.

That nodding gesture was filled with endless grief and indignation, and a longing for liberation.

Li Shiyue silently looked at the bamboo's back, then looked down at the crying baby in her arms.

She understands the bamboo's choice, completely understands.

Just like when Li Shiyue met Gu Lanzhi in the Turkic Khaganate and heard Gu Lanzhi tell the story of Uji, she understood everything.

The existence of this baby is an endless torment for the bamboo.

Letting him live would perhaps be the cruelest thing to do to the bamboo.

As for the child himself, what will his fate be if he grows up in an environment full of hatred and disgust?
Perhaps, letting him never truly begin is a cruel act of kindness.

But calling it "mercy" is, in reality, still taking his life; it's still killing him.

Li Shiyue took a deep breath, as if she wanted to inhale the foul air and heavy fate in the cabin into her lungs, and then exhale it completely.

Then, she made a decision.

Under everyone's gaze, Li Shiyue steadily supported the baby with one hand, while firmly and swiftly gripping the baby's slender neck with the other.

Her movements were decisive, without the slightest hesitation, carrying the resolve to carry out what was necessary.

The baby's faint cries stopped abruptly.

The small body twitched slightly in Li Shiyue's hand before falling completely still.

Li Shiyue held up the small, lifeless body, facing the bamboo, and also facing everyone in the cabin who were stunned by this scene.

Dana was so surprised by this scene that she exclaimed "Ah!"

Li Qiutian remained standing there in a daze, while Wang Xiaoying was already in tears.

The only one who showed no surprise was Ding Haisheng, who was standing behind Li Shiyue.

As for Li Shiyue, who did this, her face was expressionless, as if she were wearing a cold mask, with only a barely perceptible ripple passing through the depths of her eyes.

"I killed the child."

Her voice was clear and calm, echoing in the silent cabin and striking everyone's eardrums: "It was I who hated the Japanese pirates, it was I who did it."

"You." Li Shiyue looked at the bamboo's trembling back. "If you want to hate someone, then hate me."

It has nothing to do with anyone present, nothing to do with this world, it only concerns me, Li Shiyue.

Li Shiyue took all the blame and all the hatred upon herself.

She gave Bamboo a clear target of hatred, and also gave the others present an explanation that relieved them of any psychological burden.

She understood the bamboo's hatred and accepted the inevitable consequences that hatred brought about.

After saying that, she stopped looking at anyone, held the small, still warm body in her arms, turned around, and walked steadily out of the lower deck.

Her silhouette, illuminated by the torchlight, appeared exceptionally upright and also exceptionally lonely.

Behind me, there was a deathly silence.

Then, just a few breaths later, the sound of Zhu Zi crying came from the cabin with the sea breeze. It was an uncontrollable wail, like a flood bursting its banks.

In that cry, there was relief, there was sorrow, there were complex emotions that could not be expressed.

But the hatred for the baby was gone.

Li Shiyue walked to the ship's side and looked down at the sea below, which was dyed with magnificent colors by the sunset, yet still bore the marks of war.

With a light touch, the tiny infant, like a feather, silently fell into the sea, creating only a tiny ripple before being swallowed by the waves and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The sea breeze brushed against Li Shiyue's cheeks, carrying a salty, fishy smell and a hint of coolness.

Li Shiyue stood alone on the gunwale, the sea breeze whipping her hair, which was tied up high.

She stood there, motionless for a long time.

The tiny ripples had long since disappeared, as if the child had never existed in this world.

Li Shiyue looked up and gazed at the last trace of crimson where the sea met the sky, which resembled the blood that seeped out when life faded away.

She led her people to victory over the Japanese pirate fleet, and also personally ended a life that was not meant to be, born from the sins of the Japanese pirates.

His birth was a result of violence, and his very existence is original sin.

Killing him would be a release for his birth mother;
Leaving him behind would perpetuate the pain for two generations.

That's how war is; there are no pure victories, only endless sacrifices and cruel choices that must be made.

Li Shiyue slowly gripped the railing on the ship's side, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

She understood the deep-seated hatred in Zhu Zi's heart, so she was willing to bear the sin of killing the infant.

This has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's all about choices, and the path one walks alone after making those choices.

The sun sank completely below the horizon, and a deep blue twilight enveloped the area.

Li Shiyue turned and walked towards her usual residence, "Breaking Waves No. 2," her steps as firm as ever.

No matter what, she still killed an innocent life.

She looked up at the brightening stars in the sky and thought that perhaps the child was lucky in the end—he didn't have to grow up in contempt, didn't have to feel ashamed of his bloodline, and didn't have to become a new pawn in the cycle of hatred.

The sea that swallowed him up became his most peaceful cradle.

Those who survived must continue to carve a path to light in this blood-stained world, just to prevent children like them from ever appearing again. (End of Chapter)