Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

So it’s very strange...why did she have such a dream, did she see something?

Wang Ji lowered his head and thought about the possibility of seeing that bloody scene. The girl called him several times but didn't respond, feeling a little dissatisfied.

"--Hello!"

Wang Ji shuddered: "What?"

Seeing that he was startled, the girl smiled and said, "I'm asking you a question, why don't you answer?"

"I was distracted..." Wang Ji apologized, "Did you see something before? That's why you had that dream?"

"Hmm..." The girl thought seriously for a moment, "No."

That's strange...

Wang Ji still didn't understand why a child of her age would never have such a dream.

Although he had often dreamed about the tragic scenes of dead people before they died, that was because he was scared at the time and was tortured by those images and unable to fall asleep all day long.

So why did she...

"But as for strange dreams, I've had a lot more." Seeing that he didn't say anything, the girl continued.

"What else?" Wang Ji asked instinctively.

The girl looked up and recalled: "Let me think... sometimes I saw a strange monster that could speak human language and hit my forehead with its tail; sometimes I dreamed of a very tall man who hugged me and said something... Sometimes I dreamed that I had other parents who were very kind to me and took special care of me... But one time they hung me on a tree for a long time..."

As he spoke, he seemed to be thinking of something happy, and a happy smile appeared in his eyes.

“I was really happy in my dream…”

"Are you unhappy now?" Wang Ji asked, keenly noticing the strangeness in her tone.

"..."

The girl was silent for a moment and shook her head.

"Why?" Wang Ji couldn't understand her. As the only heir to the throne so far, she didn't have to feel breathless like him, nor did she have to win over the noble families for money and power. Why was she still unhappy?

“I can’t really put it into words…” The girl frowned and tried to organize her words, “I just… feel uneasy.”

"It seems that all of this does not belong to me...but to the future emperor."

Wang Ji frowned slightly, not understanding what she said.

Isn’t she the future emperor?

"No, that's not what I mean..." The girl shook her head again and scratched it irritably, "It's just that... whether it's my father or those noble family children, they don't really like me as a person, but my identity."

"For example... if I wasn't my father's only child, would he still treat me like this? Would people my age still be so respectful to me? I know my teacher and father have always been disappointed in me because I didn't satisfy them... but I always wonder, what is the meaning of my birth?"

Young children's thinking is always divergent. They may be confused at first, but will start talking about other things later.

"Father didn't give birth to me because he loved mother, but because he needed an heir. So, can we put it another way, if he was healthy and didn't need an heir so urgently, then there would be no need for me to exist?"

"It seems that the purpose of my birth is to become an emperor, but what if I put this purpose aside? Is there any need for me to exist?"

The girl looked at Wang Ji in confusion, as if she wanted him to give her an answer.

But at this moment, Wang Ji looked at her blankly as if he had been struck by lightning.

His long-standing doubts were finally explained.

I see……

If you put it that way, he would understand.

Wang Ji lowered his eyes and looked at his hands.

The meaning of his and her birth is the same, both are born to inherit something.

If there is no need for an heir, there is no need for him to exist at all.

The father was so eager to instill in his children that in some ways he was very similar to the emperor, as they both wanted their children to grow up as quickly as possible and be qualified to inherit their position.

and so……

"Also, although those adults were very respectful to me, I felt that they were not doing it for me, but for my father."

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, the girl continued talking to herself.

"Because there is nothing about me that is worthy of their attention, and there is nothing shining about me. The loyalty and respect they show is only because I am their father's only child. What if we throw away this uniqueness?"

"If Father has children who are better than me, will they still be loyal to me?"

Although he didn't say anything, both of them knew the answer.

will not.

It is because she is the emperor's only child and the most likely heir to the throne in the future that the family ruled by the imperial power is so friendly to her.

Once it becomes a choice, when she has other siblings, she will be forced to compare herself with others, and the families that curry favor will realign themselves.

"So... my father and my teacher said that I should be proud of the fact that so many families support me and are loyal to me. I should live up to their expectations. But... they are obviously not loyal to me—?"

The girl's voice became smaller and smaller, and she was in a very low mood. She looked at him with tears in her eyes: "And I have tried very hard, but I just can't learn it... I don't like those things at all. As soon as I say it, the teacher will blame me, saying that I have failed my father's expectations and trampled on the sincerity of those families..."

"But I clearly didn't... Clearly those people didn't like me at all. They only focused on me because of my father. But they actually looked down on me and thought I was unworthy of my father's name. I could feel it..."

Children's perception of likes and dislikes is beyond imagination. Wang Ji looked at her quietly. Tears as big as beans rolled down her slightly round cheeks. The sound of rain and lightning made her shrink unconsciously.

"I'm a little scared... If one day my father runs out of patience with me, will I be useless and... abandoned?" The girl was terrified. "I'm worried... If my attributes are not good, those families--"

“Those people… obviously none of them are loyal to me…” The girl wiped her tears, her voice a little aggrieved, “I like my parents in my dream because they like myself. Even though I am not very motivated in my dream, they have always loved me and will never abandon me.”

"But I seem to have another name in my dream, called... Liyun?" Nangong Huaxue changed his train of thought again and tilted his head, feeling a little confused. "Meng Liyun?"

"...Then what does loyalty mean to you?" Wang Ji asked inexplicably.

The girl thought for a long time with her wet eyes downcast before she said with a nasal voice, "I...think, maybe no matter what happens, you won't leave me, right?"

The air was silent, leaving only the sound of raindrops outside the pavilion and the girl's gradually lighter breathing.

The girl calmed down, wiped her eyes, sniffed her slightly red nose, and took a deep breath: "I'm sorry... I told you so much-"

"I promise you."

Nangong Huaxue: "What?"

Wang Ji suddenly held her hand, his eyes flashing with an extremely firm and pious light: "I will work hard, I will always follow you, no matter what happens, I will never betray you."

Nangong Huaxue didn't understand the weight of his words. She just thought that he felt sorry for her and was hot-headed, so she was stunned for a moment and then laughed.

"Really? Thank you so much then."

Wang Ji could see that she didn't really believe it, but it didn't matter.

He would prove it to her.

Nangong Huaxue had no intention of staying on this topic. Realizing her own misstep, she wanted to change the subject: "By the way, what's your name?"

"Me? My name is—"

"Your Highness!"

Just as Wang Ji was about to speak, he heard a call from behind, and then a girl dressed as a maid ran over.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is looking for you, and he seems very angry - why are you crying?!"

The maid noticed the wet marks on Nangong Huaxue's face and looked at him with a scream, her eyes sharp: "You——"

“Hey, hey, hey—” Nangong Huaxue grabbed the maid and shook her head, “It was just that the rain got into my eyes, and I rubbed them for a long time.”

Maid: "Really? I'm so sorry..."

Wang Ji seemed to have sensed something and turned around to find that the rain had stopped. The emperor and his father were walking towards here with a group of people.

Nangong Huaxue shuddered, feeling something was wrong: "I... I'll run first——"

"Melting snow——?"

Unfortunately, she was still half a step too late. In the blink of an eye, the emperor quietly came up behind her and patted her shoulder.

Nangong Huaxue turned her head in horror and met the emperor's half-smiling eyes.

"Father..."

The emperor ignored her coquettishness and turned to look at him: "I have finished talking to your father, he is waiting for you over there."

Wang Ji looked in the direction and sure enough, he saw his father standing not far away looking at him.

"Yes, goodbye." Wang Ji bowed and said goodbye. He looked up and met Nangong Huaxue's bright eyes. He smiled softly and said, "I will tell Your Highness the next time we meet."

After hearing this, Nangong Huaxue blinked, said nothing, and waved goodbye to him.

Wang Ji responded with a smile.

At this moment, he did not expect that the next time they met, the situation would be so complicated.

Not long after entering the palace this time, her father passed away, and unexpectedly, the family fell into chaos.

The uncle who originally had a kind face suddenly became like a jackal in human skin. Not only did he oppose him taking the position of head of the family, but he also made things difficult for him many times and even sent assassins to hunt him down.

That night, the wind was biting cold. With nowhere else to go, he could only pin his hopes on his mother whom he had not seen for many days. He knelt in front of her courtyard and begged for her protection.

"Mother... please, I will die--"

Wang Ji covered the wound on his abdomen that was still bleeding and pleaded sadly towards the brightly lit room.

"mother……"

He knew that his mother and uncle had a good relationship, and if she asked, his uncle would spare his life.

But after shouting for a long time, there was no response from the house.

There was singing and dancing in the house, but the courtyard was dark and gloomy.

Wang Ji was breathing heavily, with liquid that was either sweat or tears flowing from his eyes, and his lips were bleeding from biting.

"It's really embarrassing."

After a while, an elegant and disgusted female voice slowly came out from the room.

Wang Ji suddenly looked up with a hint of hope in his eyes.

But soon, the light went out.

"You are like this now because you don't have the strength..." The woman sneered, "Even if you break through the Chen realm early, what can you do? You can't even break through the Xuan realm, and you still want to sit firmly on the position of the head of the family? If you want to be safe and sound, work harder and improve yourself."

"And what you are facing today is what you should bear. What is there to help you with?"

"If you are really capable, you will find a way to be a good family head. If you are not capable, it will be useless for me to help you. This is a good opportunity for your father in the underworld to see that this is the family head he trained—"

The woman emphasized the last two words especially, and then laughed sarcastically. Wang Ji's face turned pale, and the place where his abdomen was pierced was still in severe pain. He understood what his mother meant.

"If you really want to live, why don't you kneel down in front of your uncle and beg him to spare your life?" The woman spoke again, her words half sarcastic and half serious, and it was impossible to tell what she really meant.

Wang Ji pursed his lips, did not reply, remained silent for a moment, then stood up and left.

He needs strength...

Chen Realm alone is not enough...

The mysterious realm is not enough...

Wang Ji finally used the secret method passed down from his family, which was a spell that sacrificed his future lifespan and damaged his tendons and veins.

Although it is possible to force a breakthrough in a short period of time, the price of success is irreversible damage to the tendons and veins throughout the body, and a significant reduction in lifespan; if it fails, the body will explode and die on the spot.

His father and grandfather died early because they used secret methods.

But they don't regret it.

After confirming the death of the last pursuer, Wang Ji fell to the ground uncontrollably, bleeding from all seven orifices and coughing angrily.

He also once wondered if it would be better if he just kept his head down and lived like his mother said.

But then he would deny this naive idea.

Those red eyes from crying often appear in my mind, as well as my own promise.

He couldn't die... nor could he admit defeat—

He promised her.

He must become the head of the family.

Even if... we have to face such a bloody storm.

Wang Ji grabbed the other person's throat, and the tendons in his wrists made crackling sounds.

If you forcefully break through the Earth Realm, even half a step further, your blood vessels will burst and you will die.

Can't……

Wang Ji twisted his throat and slowly stroked his wrist. His eyes were filled with horrible red veins and blood flowed down his eye sockets.

You can’t die now...

Although he often felt that he was going to die.

But it was not until he was pinned down in front of the emperor that he felt that he was really going to die.

He was lured into the palace to kill someone, but he realized too late that something was wrong and wanted to run away. He had to hide the body and hide in the dark to escape.

I didn't expect to meet her...

Wang Ji pressed his forehead against the ground, feeling that he had to use all his strength with every breath.

"You are such a good surprise kid."

The emperor, sitting high in the palace, spoke. His words were filled with a smile, but they made his hair stand on end.

“Your Majesty!” Wang Ji gritted his teeth and forced himself to look up at the emperor, who had a puzzled expression on his face. “I’m so sorry. I deserve to die, but—”

"Wang Ji, I have been waiting for you since your father died." The emperor suddenly interrupted and looked at him with a smile.

Wang Ji was stunned. His intuition, which he had developed since childhood, told him that there must be a special meaning in it, but his brain was a mess at the moment. He stared at it for a long time without finishing the sentence.

The emperor saw this and shook his head in disappointment: "Take him away and punish him according to the law."

"Yes."

The guard beside him responded.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, Wang Ji's eyes became bright.

"Yes, I'm sorry... Your Majesty!" He struggled hard and shouted to the emperor in the hall, "I am stupid and have not been able to understand for a long time. I am sorry for failing to live up to your expectations."

The emperor paused, waved his hand, and the strength in his arm suddenly eased.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Wang Ji panted heavily, his mind still in a mess, not knowing whether his guess was correct, he could only grit his teeth and said, "Please give me three years, I will prove my worth to you... Please help me!"

Ignoring the guards beside him trying to stop him, Wang Ji slammed his forehead heavily on the ground and shouted, "Please help me! I... will prove to you that I am worthy."

"Three years?" The emperor raised his eyebrows.

Wang Ji's heart skipped a beat: "Two years - no, one year, one year!"

"I will prove it to you within a year."

The words are loud and clear, echoing in the ears.

The emperor did not speak. There was silence all around him, and only his own bloody breathing could be heard.

"……Ah."

After a while, a light laugh finally came from above.

Then, a small token hit him on the head.

"Wang Ji, don't let me down."

The guard let go. Wang Ji held up the golden talisman. Even though it was surrounded by blood, the talisman was not stained with blood at all.

"…Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wang Ji closed his eyes, lowered his head again, and clenched the talisman in his hand.