Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

The magnificent and spacious palace was filled with wealth accumulated over thousands of years. The ground was paved with expensive warm jade, so even in winter, walking barefoot on it would not feel cold.

The left pillar outside the palace is inlaid with a golden five-clawed dragon, and the right one is inlaid with a colorful phoenix, with the phoenix and the dragon facing each other. The carving craftsmanship is excellent, and the sculptures are lifelike, as if they will fly away from the pillars in the next second.

Not only that, the statues are inlaid with gems of various colors, and it is obvious that each gem is carefully crafted and inlaid at the right angle. The gems sparkle in the reflection of the sun, making the palace look particularly magnificent.

Compared to the outside of the palace, the pillars in the palace do not have so many gorgeous decorations. They are smooth, but the reflected light is dim, making them look solemn and quiet.

A man who looked no more than twenty years old was sitting in the study on the left side of the hall, holding a metal panel in his hand, as if he was looking at something important.

There were piles of metal panels next to the man's hands. There were golden letters on the panels. The man's fingers flicked lightly, like turning a page in a book, and as the letters changed, an illustration-like pattern appeared.

The man had a handsome face, with a hint of hostility between his brows. His long and narrow eyebrows were slightly curved, and there was a cold smile on the corners of his mouth.

The man had a well-proportioned figure, wearing a cyan coat and a lavender shirt. The hem of the cyan coat dragged on the ground, with snow lotus flowers embroidered on the edge. The cuffs were tightened, and the word "Ji" was beautifully embroidered on the inside with blue silk thread.

The man's collar was neat, obviously he had taken special care of it.

"……Eh?"

A young woman walked in, her doubts evident in her tone.

The woman had long, fluffy hair, and had obviously just woken up. She was a little surprised to see Wang Ji. She was only wearing a thin nightgown with peonies embroidered on the edge.

The man raised his head and looked the woman up and down, finally his eyes fell on her bare feet.

"Your Majesty." Wang Ji smiled, as if he was a little helpless, "The ground is cold, don't walk barefoot."

Contrary to his appearance, he has a deep and hoarse voice.

The woman paused, said nothing, and lowered her eyes.

Wang Ji waved his hand, motioning the woman to come over.

Nangong Huaxue hesitated for a moment, walked over, and obediently let him pull her into his arms.

Wang Ji's movements were very familiar, as if he had done it many times.

As if by magic, he produced a comb from his hand, took up her hair, and tied it up gently.

The woman had fair skin and a charming appearance, but her eyes had a purity that did not match her face.

"What are you doing here so early?" Nangong Huaxue asked, looking down at the panel on the table.

Nangong Huaxue immediately understood.

"Of course I'm reviewing for His Majesty." Wang Ji said in a relaxed tone, "I've already reviewed these. Do you want to take a look?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a panel next to him and tried to hand it to her.

Nangong Huaxue frowned, took it, looked at it twice, his eyes filled with pain, and handed it over again.

"What's wrong?" Wang Ji's face changed slightly. She didn't understand why she had such an expression every time she read the memorials sent from all over the place.

Nangong Huaxue turned his head and was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly cold tone: "You have already reviewed it, why are you still asking me why?"

Wang Ji was stunned.

"It has always been like this. You said you were assisting me, but you never let me get involved in these things myself. Every time it was you who did it for me... I wish you could sit on the throne for me one day." Nangong Huaxue said coldly.

Hearing the emperor's words, Wang Ji should have been extremely nervous, but she smiled faintly and did not take her words to heart.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. Yuhua has been named Nangong since its establishment, so there will be no surprise this time." Wang Ji smiled gently, but his eyes were indifferent. "Just sit on the throne and don't test me like this."

"You think too much. I didn't test you." Nangong Huaxue pursed her lips and smiled self-deprecatingly.

What could she test him with? With the imperial power in hand and a rich family background, he could handle everything from royal family affairs to royal political issues in an orderly manner...

Her thoughts were interrupted as she was suddenly hugged tightly by the man and held in his arms.

"Why are you angry? I've only been home for one day these days, and I came to the palace to accompany you early this morning..." Wang Ji smiled, pinched Nangong Huaxue's chin, lowered his head slightly, and there was some scrutiny in his drooping eyes, "Did someone say something..."

"You think too much." Nangong Huaxue turned her head suddenly and tried to push him away, but he held her hand tightly.

"Am I really thinking too much?" The man's smile faded, his eyes turned slightly, and he was about to ask something else.

"Master, Rongcheng is reporting."

The air stagnated. Nangong Huaxue quickly broke free from the man's embrace and pretended to straighten her dress.

Wang Ji stood up nonchalantly, asked Nangong Huaxue to sit down, and pulled a stool to sit next to her: "Speak."

The person outside the study did not come in, and said in a voice without any emotion: "At 8 o'clock last night, Huang Ningyu, the eldest son of the Huang family, and at 3 o'clock this morning, Lin San, the head of the Lin family, and his son Lin Wen were killed one after another, and no body was left."

"Why?" Wang Ji slowly lifted the woman's hair and started playing with it.

"According to reports from the people at the scene, he was eaten by a black, winged monster."

“Eated?” Wang Ji raised his eyebrows and stood up. “Lin San has been hunting monsters all his life, but in the end, he was eaten by a monster?”

"What a irony." Wang Ji seemed to find it funny. "Why are they wandering around at night instead of sleeping?"

"Return home, the intelligence said that he attended the banquet of the local royal family."

"You have more free time than me all day long." Wang Ji laughed softly, with a hint of sarcasm at the corners of his lips.

"and then?"

"Now the noble families in Rongcheng suspect that it was you who did it. After all..."

"What a coincidence, I just finished reading what they said, and the next moment they died. It's really what I want." Wang Ji said slowly, playing with the woman's hair.

Nangong Huaxue happened to turn to that document, and fell silent after reading the densely packed text and the comments below.

"Where's the monster?"

"It happened suddenly. I wanted to chase him, but he disappeared out of thin air."

Wang Ji paused: "Disappeared out of thin air?"

"Yes." The voice of the person outside was still calm. "As soon as the news came out this morning, Rongcheng Lin, Bai, and Qi families contacted the Qin family. The head of the Qin family has not returned yet."

"Qin Xiuyun won't mess around with them." Wang Ji said with some disdain, "Come to think of it, that demon beast appeared twice, and those people in Rongcheng didn't keep an eye on it at all?"

The voice outside finally paused: "...Yes."

"Either our men are too useless, or the monster is too powerful. Which one do you think it is?" Wang Ji asked him with a smile.

"...I don't know."

Wang Ji snorted and laughed, and didn't ask any more questions: "Keep watching and see if anyone is behind this."

"...Patriarch." The person outside seemed to have thought of something, "Some people said that after the third young master of the Qin family came out of the mountains, similar monsters seemed to appear around him."

Wang Ji paused: "Qin family?"

"Yes, but the monsters are only similar in form, with a big difference in size."

Wang Ji's eyes moved slightly, and the smile in his eyes faded: "Stare at him."

"Yes."

There was no more talking outside the door. Nangong Huaxue felt that the man had left, so she looked at Wang Ji, waiting for him to say something.

"Have you eaten?" Nangong Huaxue didn't expect that this would be the first sentence Wang Ji said to her. The light in her eyes dimmed a little.

"Won't you tell me about it?"

"There's nothing to say. What do you want to hear?" Wang Ji embraced her again, this time pulling her to sit on his lap. Nangong Huaxue wanted to resist, but was pushed down.

"...Do you think the Qin family is causing trouble?" Nangong Huaxue's resistance was futile, so he stopped struggling, thought for a while, and asked.

"Who knows..." Wang Ji chuckled, "It depends on their attitude this time."

"Going out of the mountains...what is that?"

"It's an agreement signed between families of various countries, but I heard that the Thunder Royal Family has also signed it. They agreed to choose one child from the knees of the head of each generation of the family, and go into the mountains when he is six years old, apparently to look for some treasure. This matter is recorded in the royal documents, you can go and have a look." Wang Ji put his arm around her waist nonchalantly, and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with letting a foreign family head know about the royal documents.

"Six years old?" Nangong Huaxue was concerned about another point, "Can those children survive?"

"Of course not." Wang Ji sneered, "But I heard that the agreement was cancelled a few years ago. It was said that the treasure was found, but no one knew who took it. They wanted to measure it, but it seems that something unexpected happened."

"That Qin family in Rongcheng...that..." Nangong Huaxue had a conflicted expression.

"The third young master of the Qin family? Yes, his family signed that agreement hundreds of years ago. He went there and just came out yesterday."

Nangong Huaxue closed her eyes after hearing this.

Rongcheng is not that close to the imperial capital, and the events of this morning were able to reach his ears so quickly...it seems that he has more spies than imagined.

"You just got into this trouble after coming out of the mountains..." Wang Ji's eyes flashed with a cold light, but the smile on his lips was extremely gentle, "What a worrying child."

Nangong Huaxue did not reply. Wang Ji did not remain silent for too long and asked again: "Have you had breakfast?"

"Of course." Nangong Huaxue closed her eyes: "I just took another nap after dinner."

"You are quite imposing." Wang Ji laughed, "If you hadn't missed that nap and had come earlier, you might have been able to approve a few of them yourself."

Who knew you would come so early...

Nangong Huaxue glanced at her. And even if she had come earlier, Wang Ji would not let her review the papers according to her own ideas. He would definitely give her instructions and ask her to do what he wanted.

Seeing that the woman stopped talking, Wang Ji leaned forward, grabbed the woman's waist and turned her around.

Nangong Huaxue was puzzled, and paused when she met the man's gaze.

The woman held onto the edge of the table with her backhand, but her back was still pressed down.

The hot breath sprayed on the woman's neck and shoulders, causing her to pause and goose bumps to appear on her delicate white skin.

Nangong Huaxue sensed the dangerous aura around him and his body froze.

"Do not……"

"Why not?" The man moved his hand down, wandering over the fair and tender thighs, and asked softly.

Because they were too close, the breath she exhaled all hit her ears. Her palm, which was covered with thin calluses, slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and moved upwards, kneading it.

Feeling this, the woman couldn't help but tremble.

The man's soft and warm tongue gently licked the elastic neck, sucking the tender skin from time to time.

One hand embraced the slender waist, which was so thin that it could not be grasped with one hand, and the other hand moved up along the smooth skin.

The air seems to become particularly dry, making people feel thirsty and want to do something romantic.

"It's just... it's not possible." Nangong Huaxue was trembling all over. She suddenly put her hand in front of Wang Ji's chest and took a deep breath to prevent him from pressing down further.

As if sensing the fear in the voice, the man stopped.

The woman raised her eyes, met the man's eyes full of violence and desire, and pursed her lips. Little did she know that this expression was more like an invitation in the man's eyes.

Wang Ji took a light breath and exhaled heavily, pulled her hands out from under her skirt, supported them on the edge of the table, and lowered her head slightly.

Nangong Huaxue could feel that all his muscles were tense. At this moment, he was more like a wild beast ready to pounce on her and tear her into his stomach at any time.

But Wang Ji just closed his eyes and suppressed the desire in his heart.

The heat in the air slowly faded away, the atmosphere changed, and the silence was frightening.

Wang Ji suddenly moved closer and bit the woman's neck hard, but there was no bite mark left.

"We clearly agreed at that time that I would wait for you until you came of age." Wang Ji exhaled and stood up. "Yuhua is considered an adult at 16, and can get married on her own after reaching adulthood, but you insisted that you can only be considered an adult at 18, so I waited for another two years..."

Nangong Huaxue shifted his gaze guiltily.

"If I remember correctly, you will be eighteen in March." Wang Ji's dark voice rang in the woman's ears, "After so many years, if you really don't want to, just say so. Why keep me hanging?"

“…I didn’t—”

Wang Ji looked at her deeply, stood up and straightened his robe.

"What are you going to do?" Nangong Huaxue stood up and leaned his waist against the edge of the table. Seeing this, he looked a little confused.

"I have already reviewed your Majesty's documents, and there is nothing more for me to do here. I still have some private matters to take care of, so I will not disturb your Majesty." Wang Ji said, taking a half step back, lowering his head slightly, and saluted her in a proper manner.

Nangong Huaxue opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but Wang Ji didn't give her a chance and turned to walk out the door.

The woman watched Wang Ji disappear from her sight without saying a word.

Feeling Wang Ji walking away, Nangong Huaxue suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the chair, and his expression gradually became indifferent: "Come in."

"His Majesty."

A man in black suddenly appeared in the study. He knelt on one knee. His whole body was black, with no part of his body exposed except his eyes.

"How's the check going?"

"The head of the Wang family has many spies, and they are widely distributed, so the investigation is somewhat difficult." The man said in a steady tone, "Recently, he has been in frequent contact with the eldest son of the Mo family in Tianyu City."

"I remember that some people from the Mohist School also went to the mountains." Nangong Huaxue glanced at him.

"Yes, the second young master of the Mo family went out of the mountain with the third young master of the Rongcheng Qin family yesterday. They seemed to be quite close."

"name."

"Mo Hanyu, Qin Xiao."

"Qin Xiao?" Nangong Huaxue paused, his eyes changed, as if he had thought of something, and stood up suddenly, "What does that Mo Hanyu look like?"

The man handed over a square piece of metal, which seemed to be infused with Qi. A white-haired child was projected out of the opening above the metal block.

The child tilted his head and stared straight at this side.

“It was just that I was noticed while taking the photo.”

Nangong Huaxue did not hear what the man added. She stared at the screen in front of her and clenched her fists.

picture……

so similar.

The woman's breathing became heavy. The moment she saw the image, she was certain that the so-called treasure was taken away by him!

Moze...

Nangong Huaxue kept repeating this familiar yet unfamiliar name in his mind, feeling mixed emotions.

"That Qin Xiao...what does he look like?"

“…I’m sorry, that child is too sensitive and the distance is not within the range for taking a picture.” The man lowered his head.

Nangong Huaxue became excited: "No...it doesn't matter, yes, he is like this..."

The woman's pupils kept shrinking because of excitement, as if she was thinking of something happy. The corners of her mouth rose unconsciously, but she wanted to show a calm expression. After a moment of hesitation, a strange smile formed on her face.

"He... is just like this." Nangong Huaxue muttered softly, put away the Qi device containing Mo Hanyu's image, and muttered as if possessed, constantly muttering.

"Xiao...it's really you..."

The woman lowered her eyes, a sparse light flashed in her eyes, and the smile on her lips became gentle, as if it was attachment, but also like grief.

"finally found you."