Ha, I couldn't help but twitch my lips.
I initially thought this kid had the appearance of an emperor, so I casually taught him some knowledge about governing the country.
And this sentence is just a quote from a well-known book.
Unexpectedly, this kid suddenly uttered such a contradictory statement.
For a moment, I was speechless.
However, didn't I give him the loose silver and grain I had taken from that landlord's house?
How come the family still starved to death?
After inquiring, I learned that the imperial court had collected all the grain taxes.
But thinking about it, it's not surprising. If it weren't for the incompetence of the imperial court, his new dragon bloodline wouldn't have risen to prominence.
This is probably what the ancients meant when they said: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body, and leave him destitute."
This was his destiny.
I patted his shoulder with feigned profundity and said, "If that's the case, then go and make that statement a reality and prove it to me."
As if my words had awakened him, a glimmer of starlight appeared in the boy's eyes.
The day after I helped him arrange his family's funeral.
He left me with a farewell letter and a fragment of a porcelain bowl engraved with his name, and then disappeared.
The letter roughly stated that he was going out to become the greatest ruler in the world, and righteously declared that once he achieved fame and success, all he needed to do was accept this porcelain bowl engraved with his name as a token.
He will surely complete his great undertaking before I grow old, and he will take care of me in my old age and see me off in my final days.
I sneered at Ranmo: "What a fine disciple of mine! I managed to see eight generations of his descendants die alive... and he still has the audacity to claim he'll take care of me in my old age and see me to my death?"
My theft of money from this landlord's house went undetected for nearly a decade, but after the chosen one's dragon bloodline left the area, my whereabouts were quickly exposed.
That day, I was proudly carrying a large bundle of silver, showing off to Ranmo, saying, "Look, look, I've stolen countless pieces of jewelry and money from his house over the years and never been caught. It seems that this rich man is so wealthy that he can't even count his own wealth."
Ranmo stood aside with his arms crossed and teased, "That's because you have a dragon bloodline of a chosen one by your side. You're just benefiting from his influence and living off his divine favor. Now that he's gone, you'll probably be discovered soon."
However, Ranmo had barely finished speaking when...
The portly old landlord, accompanied by dozens of his servants, grabbed wooden sticks and chased me frantically as I fled.
It's so annoying that I can't even find a quiet place to have a good drink or get some sleep.
I rubbed my temples in frustration and complained to Ranmo, "Now I finally understand what you meant when you said that money comes quickly but you have no place to live."
Ranmo shrugged innocently: "Is it my fault? This was your own choice."
In the end, the disturbances forced me to decide to leave this place.
Well, the world is so big, it's time to go out and see it.
Before leaving this place, I plan to go to Qingyan and say goodbye to Arou and the mountain god uncle.
This time, I brought a whole bamboo basket full of paper money to burn as a tribute to them.
However, when I arrived at the grave, I bumped into an old acquaintance.
It turned out to be Prince Nashi.
He was a disheveled, middle-aged man with a scraggly beard, looking weathered and worn. He sat slumped in front of Qingyan's grave, his eyes closed and his expression half-dead.
I stepped forward and nudged his shin with my toe, saying in a low, cold voice, "Go away! Get out of my way! You're blocking my way while I'm sweeping the graves."
The Prince of the Assassins slowly opened his eyes after I kicked him. Upon seeing me, his first words were uttered in a daze: "Am I dead? I can actually see Ah Hua's spirit? Is Qing Yan here too?"
As I bent down to burn paper money for Qingyan, I said calmly, "Soul my ass! You're the one who's about to die, but I, Hua Ye, am still alive and well."
Seeing that I said that, Prince Shila came to his senses and looked at me with slight surprise: "You're not dead?"
"Not only are you not dead, but we'll also dig a hole for you and bury you."
He chuckled to himself, “Really? It’s been so many years and you haven’t changed at all, Miss Ahua. Well then, I’ll trouble you to help me dig a grave that’s close to Qingyan’s.”
It's surprising to see that the man who once had sharp, power-hungry eyes now has a look of utter dejection and loneliness in his eyes.
But the memory of that dark and claustrophobic environment inside the coffin is something I will never forget.
As if venting all my pent-up displeasure on a dying man, I relentlessly teased, "What? Don't emperors have huge imperial tombs? It's so shabby to be buried here."
The prince didn't answer my question; he just started coughing up blood repeatedly while covering his mouth.
His palms were stained red with the blood he coughed up.
I couldn't resist taking his pulse before saying, "You've been poisoned? It's a pity that even my blood-nourishing medicine can't cure you."
He waved his hand and said, "That's enough. I've lived enough. I should take a break."
"I am so glad to see Ahua again. I entrust my funeral arrangements to you..."
Then he stroked Qingyan's name on the tombstone and murmured, "I've come to be with you... I won't let you be lonely underground."
After saying that, it rolled its dead fish eyes at me and died.
My lips twitched involuntarily: "So, since I came to the mortal realm, the thing I've done most is bury others and send them off in their final moments, but when it's my turn, who will collect my body?"
Finally, this once-proud genius was simply thrown into a hole I dug next to Qingyan's grave.
But the grave he built was more than half a head shorter than Qingyan's: "That way, in your next life you'll always have to bow down to Qingyan."
After Shila's death, it was heard that the throne had been usurped by Shila's cousin.
This ruler ascended the throne again but did not do anything practical for the people.
He allowed his subordinates to indiscriminately kill innocent people who had no power or influence, and to withhold grain taxes, causing widespread suffering and unrest among the people.
For nearly ten years, the people have lived in dire straits.
Even I, who lives a life of robbing the rich to help the poor, often go hungry, let alone fine wine and delicacies.
So this dynasty can be considered to have come to an end.
In the end, the dynasty fell apart, and the court officials either fled in all directions or were killed by the forces of my little apprentice Zhu Xiaoba.
My little apprentice has not disappointed me; the rumors about him among the common people are full of praise.
As expected, he indeed fulfilled his grand dream of pacifying the world.
He finally ascended to the throne, the supreme ruler.
The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to issue an imperial edict to find me, his drunken master, so that he could take care of me in my old age.
It reminds me of the keepsake he left me—a fragment of a porcelain bowl engraved with his name.
I've been thinking of going to take a look inside the palace hall.
But I'm just lazy by nature, used to being free, plus I don't look old.
Nearly twenty years have passed since we parted ways; my little apprentice must be a middle-aged man by now.
If I go and see him, he might think I'm a monster...
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