The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

After the realm was unified, Li Wang relinquished her military authority and took up a quiet life of cultivation in the Royal Palace.

Li Xu had only visited her once, leaving after a brief exchange of words.

Three years passed before they met again. By then, Fuyuan Country was at peace, prosperous and thriving. Li Xu now possessed a heavy, imperial aura, but he looked far older than his years. Dozens of guards flanked him, each one a peerless master.

Li Wang frowned slightly. 'Does Li Xu really need to bring so many people just to see me here in the Royal Palace?'

"Brother, what brings you here today?" Li Wang asked, her face lit with a smile.

A flicker of panic crossed Li Xu's eyes, but he quickly composed himself. Holding his breath, he said, "I happened upon a jug of Immortal Wine, and I wish to share it with you!"

The joy vanished from Li Wang's face. She let out a long, soft sigh, and when she looked up, her eyes were already glistening with tears. "Is this your choice, Brother?" she asked, her voice cold.

Li Xu remained silent as a Palace Maid presented the wine. The jug was of a shimmering Liuli jade, and the tray was of fine white porcelain, but upon it sat only a single cup.

The tears in Li Wang's eyes could no longer be contained. "I wish to perform one last sword dance for you, Brother," she said. "Just like in the old days at Fufei Courtyard—you would read, and I would dance with my sword."

But the image that flashed in Li Xu's mind was of a single sword against an army of ten thousand, piercing straight through the Second Prince. He frowned and shook his head. "That won't be necessary."

Li Wang murmured to herself, "Has it come to this? In all the world, not even my own brother has a place for me?"

A hint of madness crept onto Li Xu's face. "For years, I haven't known a single day of peaceful sleep!" he said, his voice cold. "You are too powerful. You don't belong in this world! I know better than anyone how terrifying you are. If you ever had the slightest desire to take my throne, my armies would be useless against you! What's more, if you just raised your arm, the people of Fuyuan Country who would follow you would outnumber my supporters a hundredfold!…"

As he spoke, Li Xu's entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

A pang of pain shot through Li Wang's heart, and she moved to embrace him.

Li Xu immediately took a step back, holding up a hand and roaring, "Stay back! Don't come near me!"

Li Wang's tears stained her red robes. "I was the sword in my brother's hand," she wept. "Now that my brother no longer needs me, I am willing…" With a surge of True Qi, her fair hand snatched the jug, and she tilted her head back, downing the contents in one go.

CRASH! The jug shattered on the floor. "...to be shattered for my brother's sake!" She abandoned all resistance, allowing the poisoned wine to ravage her from within.

Li Xu's lips trembled as he muttered in terror, "The world isn't a chicken drumstick. I can't share it with you!"

All color drained from Li Wang's face, leaving it deathly pale. She staggered toward Li Xu. The surrounding guards, as if facing a formidable enemy, furiously drew their blades to protect their king.

With a single wave of her fair hand, Li Wang sent all the guards flying backward. The entire palace hall crumbled and was torn apart. Outside, the thousand masters of the Imperial Guard lying in wait were also sent flying by that single gesture. Amidst the destruction, only Li Xu remained completely unharmed by the blast of True Qi.

Li Wang gently embraced the trembling Li Xu, whose teeth were chattering, and whispered in his ear, "Xu, I can no longer protect you."

A spray of blood choked from her lips, and her eyes closed as she collapsed in Li Xu's arms.

Only then did tears stream down Li Xu's face like rain as he screamed, "No… No…"

On the airplane, tears streamed down Chen Dong's face as well. He knew with certainty that Li Xu was his past self. He couldn't change a single word Li Xu said or a single thing he did; he could only experience and watch it all, fragment by memory fragment.

Murong Qing, sitting beside him, noticed something was wrong. She gently wiped away his tears and asked softly, "What's the matter?"

Chen Dong silently shook his head. He took two slow, deep breaths before speaking. "I was sorting through the memories in my mind. Those from my past life… they're a little hard to bear."

Murong Qing unbuckled Chen Dong's seatbelt and had him rest his head on her lap. Stroking the short hair that was just starting to grow back, she said, "Then don't think about it if it's too painful."

Chen Dong managed a faint smile, closed his eyes, and sank back into his memories.

Li Wang's death did not bring Li Xu any peace. Rebellions flared up across the country. But Fuyuan Country was still powerful, and mere rebellions could have been easily suppressed. However, a rumor began to circulate through the army—that General Li Wang had been poisoned to death by His Majesty. This led to a mutiny within the military ranks.

It was as if these rebellions and mutinies had been anticipated, and they were swiftly crushed.

Li Xu slaughtered all the rebels and mutineers with an iron fist, not even sparing their families and clans. For it was Li Xu himself who had ordered the rumor of Li Wang's poisoning to be spread.

The blood and resentment he had schemed to gather were still insufficient. So, he amended the nation's laws, making them incredibly harsh. The smallest crime was now punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan. In a short time, vast numbers of people from across the country were dragged to Yuan City and slaughtered in massive pits.

After millions had died, he used the full resources of Fuyuan Country to forge three hundred and sixty supremely malevolent Divine Artifacts capable of siphoning life force. Each one was a replica of Li Wang's own sword.

After the Divine Artifacts were forged, he used them to construct three hundred and sixty secret chambers of extreme malevolence in places teeming with resentment and life force. He placed one Divine Artifact in each chamber, using its power to suppress and invert the chamber's sinister properties.

He then used the blood essence of countless more people to refine thirty-six thousand Longevity Lamps, which he arranged into a grand Array.

And he did all of this for one purpose: to resurrect Li Wang in the distant future.

When the tomb was complete, Li Xu personally placed Li Wang in her coffin. In a voice only he could hear, he said, "You might blame me for being selfish… but this is one way…"

He closed the coffin lid and carved the inscription.

A million souls slaughtered to forge Fuyuan;Her fleeting beauty leaves an endless longing…

Shunning the sun, she falls to shadowed skies;May her spirit return, may her soul arise…