Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

When he met the emperor again, he fulfilled his promise.

Within a year, he had firmly grasped the family power in his hands.

In the hall, he still knelt on one knee, bent down, and lowered his head towards the man on the high seat.

"You look a lot like your father." The emperor sipped his tea leisurely and said calmly, "Especially those eyes."

"...like a wolf."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Wang Ji nodded in response, neither humble nor arrogant.

The emperor smiled strangely: "This is not a compliment."

"Thunder and rain are all grace from the emperor. This is what I think."

The emperor was somewhat amused: "Your methods are tougher than your father's."

The emperor restrained his words. Wang Ji knew what he meant - killing all the elders of his father's generation, along with their families, and even abolishing his mother's cultivation, so that she could not practice in this life.

Wang Ji still remembers the look in her eyes when he held the woman's shoulder with one hand and the shadow snaked down, breaking her tendons and veins.

Resentment, resentment, disgust...

"Wang Ji..."

Blood oozed from the corners of the woman's mouth. The severe pain made her unable to stand up, so she collapsed to the ground - but she still raised her head and smiled at him sinisterly.

"Mother, please save your energy."

Faced with this situation, he just wiped his hands and watched coldly, with no expression on his face.

"If you take good rest, you can still walk normally."

He left after saying this.

Maybe he hated her, but he wouldn't kill her.

At least not now.

Wang Ji did not answer. The emperor did not expect any response, so he waved his hand and let him go.

He did not try to hide anything when he was doing it, and rumors about his cruelty and cold-bloodedness spread quickly. They spread very widely in a very short time, and even several versions were released.

He did not care about the rumors and quickly put down the civil unrest to prove his ability to the remaining tribesmen.

After everything was settled, he had time to pay attention to his body.

Yuhua has a total of three medical saints, each of them is a battle-hardened physician who has saved the dying and healed the wounded. The youngest is over three hundred years old, and the oldest is over six hundred years old.

Among these three medical saints, one lived in the palace for a long time, one lived in a busy city and his whereabouts were unknown, and one retired to the forest.

In fact, it was the emperor who asked the medical saint in the palace to examine his body, and Wang Ji just agreed.

The gray-haired doctor briefly examined his body, his brows never relaxed.

"you--"

The Medical Saint had a complicated expression, hesitated for a moment and sighed: "If you take care of yourself, you can still have a few decades. But if you continue to toss and turn like you are now... you can only last for ten years at most."

Wang Ji was stunned. He had expected his life to be short, but he had not expected it to be so short.

"If you want to cultivate an heir, you'd better find a way to leave offspring now, otherwise... it may be too late." The Medical Saint obviously knew some of the conditions of his family and made suggestions.

Wang Ji didn't say anything. He looked at his palm. The Medical Saint's slightly old words passed by his ears, and he was lost in thought.

Leave the child behind...?

Wang Ji lowered his eyes and suddenly thought of the rain and the pavilion.

Born to inherit something...

No.

Wang Ji clenched his fists expressionlessly.

He didn't want his child to be born for any purpose.

Do unto others, do not impose on others.

He lived in such pain after his father's death, how could he pass this pain on to the next generation?

As for the succession...

Wang Ji's eyes dimmed.

"sure?"

At night, he looked at the information sorted out by his subordinates and confirmed it with them.

According to the investigation, there was a bloodline that was lost outside, and the child, for some reason, had never returned to his ancestral home.

"Yes, according to the descriptions of those around him. This child seems to be very smart and likable."

Wang Ji looked at the figure of the child on the light screen with a sarcastic smile on his face.

Smart?

He was originally struggling over whether to root out the problem and reunite the family, but this thought gradually disappeared after they met.

The kid has some brains, but not enough.

Although the information says that he doesn't know his biological father, his acting is really poor. You don't need to be very sharp to know that he is lying at first glance.

but……

Wang Ji pointed his finger.

He didn't sense any hatred from the kid, not even a hint of resentment.

I don't know if it's hidden or if it's really true.

If he is hiding it, it proves that he still has some cunningness. If that is true...it is not a bad thing.

Maybe... you can try to cultivate it.

As expected, the child easily understood the meaning of his words, lowered his head and responded, calling out "Father" obediently.

Wang Ji brought him home and after several months of observation, he decided on the candidate.

He had no experience of being a father, so he could only recall the things he wanted but didn't get when he was a child and give them to the child.

He named the child Xuyi, hoping that he would be as bright and shining as the newly born sun.

Although he received treatment from the Medical Saint from time to time, there was still a lot to do, not to mention the orders issued by the Emperor, so his body had not improved significantly. The cracks in his tendons and veins always sent pain to his brain, but the unbearable pain became numb with the passage of time.

Then, he saw her again.

That day, he went to the palace to discuss matters with the emperor. It was the first sunny day after the snow, and the air seemed to be icy, making the body colder with every breath.

But he had long been accustomed to it. Ever since his tendons and veins were broken, the biting cold often invaded his body, as if his bone marrow was frozen.

Wang Ji looked up and saw a girl skating on the ice not far away.

The girl was dressed in fiery red, like a flame burning in winter, dancing freely among the ice and snow.

Seeing them coming, the girl froze obviously, looking a little guilty, and almost fell into the ice cave on her way.

Looking at the girl's lively and bright face, Wang Ji was a little dazed.

Listening to the conversation between the girl and the emperor, he interrupted for some unknown reason.

As she wished, the girl turned her gaze towards him and asked his name.

Wang Ji lowered his eyes slightly and saluted her.

"Your Highness Wang Ji."

To be honest, he was a little nervous.

He didn't care about other people's gossip, but...

Wang Ji's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he raised his eyes slightly, looking at her with a bit of trepidation.

How would she react? Disgust, rejection... Would she recognize it?

The moment he met the girl's eyes, all his questions were answered.

She can't remember.

Fortunately, she did not show any rejection and smiled at him politely as she would to any other ordinary person, being reserved and distant.

But for some reason, a surge of anger suddenly rose in his heart, burning him to the point where he could hardly bear it.

She had changed a lot in the past few years, and it was normal that she was unrecognizable. He convinced himself that, while also noticing her changes.

She had obviously become calmer, and although she still looked quirky on the surface, the emotions in her eyes were steady and restrained, without the ups and downs she had in the past.

Even when the emperor died, there was no big emotion.

The only fluctuation was his subsequent communication with her.

At that time, she asked herself why he should help her, and he didn't know what he was thinking at the time. He looked at her fair and delicate face, and lifted her chin as if possessed by a magic power, and answered with words full of aggression and desire.

In fact, I regretted it as soon as I said it, but the words were already out, and I could only stare at her face, trying to see every change.

My heart was beating fast for a long time, but I didn't see her speak a word, so I looked away and prepared to take back what I had just said, but I didn't expect that she would agree.

It was difficult for Wang Ji to describe his emotions at that time. Various emotions were mixed together: disappointment, discomfort, pity... but mostly secret joy.

She agreed.

In fact, even if she didn't agree, he would still help her, just as he promised in childhood, and help her consolidate her throne.

In fact, the old emperor had wavered for a while before his death and thought of finding someone else to succeed him. He saw it, and the emperor knew that he saw it.

"What would you do if the person who finally ascends the throne is someone you didn't expect?"

He and the emperor were strolling in the flower garden, and the emperor suddenly spoke, with a hint of teasing and nonchalance.

Wang Ji was silent for a moment: "Without Your Majesty, there would be no minister today. I will follow Your Majesty's ideas."

"Tell the truth." The emperor obviously didn't believe his nonsense.

"This is the truth." Wang Ji closed his eyes and said calmly, "I believe in your majesty's vision. The person your majesty chooses must have this ability."

"But aren't you very optimistic about Huaxue?" The emperor glanced sideways, a look of scrutiny in his narrow and long phoenix eyes.

"I'm not optimistic." Wang Ji denied it flatly.

Emperor: “Oh?”

"I am loyal to her." Wang Ji looked at the emperor and said seriously, "No matter when."

"Why? Just based on a childhood promise?" the emperor laughed.

"I never make promises casually." Wang Ji answered the question irrelevantly and asked tentatively, "May I ask Your Majesty why you have this idea?"

The emperor said this and sighed, "Huaxue is indeed hardworking and sincere, but... she is too soft-hearted."

"He is too kind to his subordinates and doesn't know how to establish his authority. He doesn't know how to fight back when he is offended... Kindness has its limits. Excessive kindness is weakness. Yuhua doesn't need a weak emperor."

Wang Ji frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, what do you think is not weak?"

The emperor pondered for a while and shook his head.

Wang Ji was about to say something, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him, obviously not wanting to listen anymore.

After this incident, Wang Ji had one more plan. If the throne really was inherited by someone else, he would have the strength to fight for it for her.

But somehow, the emperor seemed to encounter something later and figured it out, and passed the throne to his only child.

Wang Ji didn't go to the palace often at first, because he was afraid that she would reject him or feel disgusted. But every time he came into contact with her, he didn't see her resist, so he gradually became bolder.

In the first New Year after the old emperor passed away, the situation had basically been settled, allowing him to take time to meet the new emperor.

It was a snowy night. I walked along the palace road where the cold wind was blowing. There were red lanterns hanging on both sides of the road, flickering in the strong wind.

The lights in the palace were not bright, the orange-red flames flickered, and as soon as you entered the room you felt a warmth in your heart.

Wang Ji looked at the girl who was sitting cross-legged with her back to him, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

He had gone to see his mother and Xuyi earlier. His mother was still as annoying as ever, speaking in a sarcastic tone. Xuyi had made an appointment with the children of his family to celebrate the New Year together, and did not need his company.

He didn't know where to go, so he stood in front of his house for a long time. Then he thought of her and ran to the palace.

He wasn't sure if she wanted to see him at this moment. After all, no matter what he did or said before, it would have put a lot of pressure on her, and it was normal for her to hate herself.

Wang Ji's fingers trembled slightly as he stared at her quietly.

The girl didn't seem to notice him behind her. She was fiddling with something on the table, shaking her head from time to time, as if she was thinking of something interesting.

"Why is your majesty so happy?"

He asked anyway, walked forward, hugged her, and stared at the expression on her face without blinking.

Nangong Huaxue was startled and looked at him confusedly, but quickly regained her composure.

"Nothing." Nangong Huaxue scratched his head, and his hair turned a little white.

When Wang Ji saw what she was doing, he was stunned.

"Your Majesty, why bother doing this kind of work yourself? The imperial kitchen in the palace is not just for decoration." Wang Ji frowned slightly.

"I wanted to wrap it myself." Nangong Huaxue waved her hand nonchalantly, and her flour-covered hand accidentally grabbed his sleeve, leaving a white handprint on it.

Nangong Huaxue noticed this and looked away guiltily, changing the subject: "Do you want to eat?"

Wang Ji shifted his gaze to the small, round dumplings that had been cooked on the plate on the table, finding it somewhat amusing.

She set up a small stove on the table and wrapped and cooked the dumplings at the same time. At this time, a few dumplings happened to float in the small pot.

Wang Ji lowered his eyes, bowed his head and opened his mouth under her shining gaze.

Nangong Huaxue understood and put the dumplings boiling in the pot into his mouth.

After he stuffed it in, he realized something and his face changed.

"Is it very hot?!" Nangong Huaxue hurriedly cleared out a plate and held it under his chin, "If it's hot, spit it out."

The dumplings were indeed very hot, but he shook his head and said nothing.

The girl looked at him eagerly, as if she had done something wrong.

Wang Ji found it a little funny and pinched her face, and they were both stunned.

This is the first time.

Wang Ji avoided her gaze, intentionally hiding his fleeting panic, but at the same time he was curious about her reaction.

Nangong Huaxue didn't have any special reaction, she was just stunned for a moment.

Wang Ji was a little disappointed. It happened again.

She was always like this, neither taking the initiative nor resisting. Every time, she would regain her composure after a brief moment of daze, as if nothing had happened, just like the water in the pond that could not be disturbed no matter what, and would quickly calm down even if it was slightly shaken.

Sometimes he really couldn't tell whether she was really willing or not. If she said she was willing, she had never shown that she liked him; if she was not willing, why did she keep indulging his excessive behavior?

Wang Ji's eyes darkened. He chewed the dumplings twice before they entered his throat, but his teeth unexpectedly bit into something hard.

It is a shining gold coin.

"Wow, it looks like you'll have good luck in the new year." The girl's words sounded perfunctory, but she still clapped her hands in a pretentious manner.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your good words." Wang Ji did not believe in these lucky omens, but he did not pour cold water on them either. He responded with a smile.

Nangong Huaxue seemed to know what he was thinking and was looking at him.

Wang Ji paused and was about to explain when he saw that she had turned her head back.

"Keep it well, maybe it's a lucky coin?"

Nangong Huaxue laughed.

Later, Wang Ji discovered that she had made a total of more than a dozen dumplings with gold coins on them to ensure that every plate would have one.

Wang Ji: …

For a moment, Wang Ji found it difficult to describe his feelings.

The fire went out, and he sat bored on the high roof. The girl radiated warmth from her body, attracting him to get closer.

Looking at the fireworks blooming in the sky, the girl was a little dazed.

Wang Ji turned his head as if possessed by a ghost and saw the girl's face illuminated by the flickering firelight.

"Wang Ji..."

She murmured her own name and seemed to say something else.

But he only remembered the last scene, the girl sleeping on his shoulder.

The peaceful and comfortable sleeping face is imprinted in my mind and engraved in my heart, and I can never forget it.

"Wang Ji..."

"Master of the house."

The calm voice brought him back to reality. Wang Ji came back to his senses and looked at his subordinates kneeling beside him.

"His Majesty is looking for you."

Wang Ji lowered his eyes slightly, placed the sleeping little honey in his hand among the flowers, and shook off the pollen on his sleeves.

"I see."