Chapter 1485: Who's there? (Part 2) [Requesting monthly votes]
The real Shen Tang: "...How can you be so fierce?"
What does it mean to kill her too?
It's as if killing her would be as easy as having good intentions.
If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll really think she's invincible and unrivaled in the world? The original Shen Tang secretly bit her cheek: "Tch, come and hit me if you dare!"
Faced with the provocation from the true self, the benevolent thought let out a cold laugh.
"I'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with you, it'll be soon anyway."
The original Shen Tang: "..."
Severing good intentions is one of the necessary conditions for advancing from the nineteenth-rank Marquis of Guannei to the twentieth-rank Marquis of Che. Only by severing good intentions can one break through the bottleneck between the two realms. This venerable Shen Tang has been busy fighting wars these past two years and hasn't cultivated much, but for some reason, her cultivation speed is almost the same as, or even surpasses, that of her earlier, more diligently cultivated years ago. She can steadily increase her cultivation even while lying down and sleeping without moving.
At this rate, he could challenge for the rank of 20th-grade Marquis within five years.
In other words, good intentions can lead to revenge killings against her.
Ji Moqiu was unaware that Shan Nian was communicating with the true form, but based on his understanding of His Highness, he could guess a thing or two. He gently tugged at Shan Nian's sleeve, asking if she wanted to sit down and enjoy the breeze for a while. He didn't know what kind of tree it was, but its trunk was thick, straight, and towering, estimated to be over fifty zhang tall, with lush branches. He sat on the highest branch, and Shan Nian unceremoniously rested her head on his lap.
The original Shen Tang: "..."
Isn't this gesture a bit too intimate?
Kindness sensed her inner thoughts and let out another cold laugh.
The original Shen Tang: "..."
Without memories, there's no need to carry worries, but the drawbacks are also very obvious. She was mocked by kindness but didn't even know what the other party was mocking. Why didn't the constant cold laughter freeze this little brat to death?
Whether it was due to the influence of good intentions or not, when the original Shen Tang saw a clear blue sky through the perspective of good intentions, and watched the white clouds drifting leisurely, some similar images inexplicably appeared in her mind, and a sense of familiarity overwhelmed her, occasionally mixed with overwhelming bloodstains.
These bloody scenes made her blood boil and filled her with murderous intent.
The good intentions were met with a response, and this time the reaction turned into sneer.
Ji Moqiu lowered his eyes and fanned himself: "Your Highness?"
The fan in his hand was made from a leaf he had casually picked, and it carried a faint scent of grass and wood when he fanned himself. Shan Nian stretched lazily while lying down, gloating, "It's nothing, just a little good-for-nothing in the way."
Ji Moqiu stopped fanning herself.
"Even His Highness himself should not speak such words to himself."
The smile on Shan Nian's face vanished in an instant, and her dark eyes revealed a chilling coldness: "Even a junior priest cannot plead for someone other than me."
Her anger had just subsided.
Upon closer inspection, there were still purplish-blue finger marks on Ji Moqiu's neck, but neither he nor Shan Nian paid them any attention. The latter didn't think his actions were excessive, while the former had long been prepared for Shan Nian to kill him; it was unexpected that she didn't.
Along with that, some distant memories also surfaced in my mind.
Some memories so distant they could be traced back to a past life.
In his memory, he was still very short, and he and a few playmates of similar height were fishing for gems in the sacred river of their tribe, filling their small bamboo baskets halfway. He and his friends returned home barefoot, only to find the tribe's respected high priest had come to visit them and was saying something inside the house.
High Priest, this is the youngest son.
The woman, known as the High Priestess, crouched down and carefully examined herself. She then cast a spell to calculate something before finally sighing and making a decision after a long while.
"Yes, he's the one." His talent is the best among the new generation, his temperament is suitable, and his destiny is special; perhaps he can play a role in the great calamity. "I'll come back tomorrow to take him away. You won't see each other for many years to come, so cherish this night."
Ji Moqiu then realized that the next high priest would be him, while the other participants in the selection that day had all failed.
He was both delighted and apprehensive about the result.
Joy comes from wishes coming true, while trepidation stems from the fear of angering the gods and bringing disaster upon themselves. Many legends about the gods circulate among the tribe; some say He loves peace, while others say He is extremely bloodthirsty. Their tribe, though small in number, manages to occupy abundant resources entirely thanks to the gods' protection, which manifests as the gods' ability to slay enemies who covet their land.
He didn't know how many they killed, but he did know that there was a legend in the tribe that the gems at the bottom of the tribe's river were all transformed from the bones of the enemy, and that ordinary river fish were transformed into strange beasts by the essence of the corpses, each one extremely fat, which showed that the enemy had made a great contribution.
The old priest, knowing his curiosity, chuckled and explained.
[His Highness was indeed somewhat fierce in his younger days, and the rumors weren't entirely untrue. However, after nearly ten thousand years of guidance from the Heavenly Dao, his temperament has become much more peaceful, and the effects of self-cultivation have been quite remarkable.] He used to kill many fools, but he no longer does.
The princess that Ji Moqiu met was indeed good-tempered, as calm and tolerant as the river in the clan's territory, but he wanted to see her have some ripples.
Because of their young age, they think they can get away with anything they want.
With a hint of displeasure, she raised her hand and pinched his cheek: "Distracted?"
Ji Moqiu said, "I was thinking about things from the past."
"That's all in the past, what's there to think about?"
"I remember the old priest saying that His Highness was warlike and bloodthirsty. I didn't quite believe it at the time. His Highness is so gentle and peaceful, I couldn't imagine that scene. But I believed it later." His Highness's reincarnation was truly fierce. The gems in the river in the clan's territory were indeed transformed from the corpses of ancient beings. The clansmen have been digging along the river for so many years but have never reached the bottom. They don't know how many unfortunate souls have been lying in the river.
Shan Nian just rolled her eyes when she heard this.
The ancient land was vast and boundless, giving rise to countless races. As each race expanded to a certain size, wars for survival and resources inevitably erupted. These races, vying for destiny and space to reproduce, were inherently ruthless. Even his past life's origins were essentially just a participant in this arena of natural selection—the Heavenly Dao merely enlightened him to become a Sage Ruler. This was akin to the Kang Kingdom's court ordering an official to take up a post in a local area; the government granted him the title, but the local gentry and powerful families controlled all resources. For the Sage Ruler to solidify his position, he needed to fight them—in short, kill!
They take turns attacking each other; whoever wins gets to decide.
If I hadn't been fierce in my past life, I would have been abandoned by Heaven long ago.
The Heavenly Dao strikes down upon all the races of the ancient continent, and also upon the holy rulers it personally enlightened. Whoever is most beneficial to Him is His precious treasure and his most beloved son. Thinking of this, Shan Nian felt a surge of anger.
"The Way of Heaven is truly a scoundrel."
Ji Moqiu dared not agree.
Your Highness cursed the Heavenly Dao Lord, who knew he was in the wrong and dared not utter a sound, but if he did curse, he would be warned by lightning.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, and his suppressed ferocity rose up. He had to curse a few times to feel better: "That bastard used us and then turned his back on us. What kind of bullshit robbery is this? If you wanted to murder us, just say so. Did you think things were going to get out of control and decided to strike first?"
Being an emperor is difficult, but being a crown prince/princess is even more difficult.
Especially for an emperor as meticulous and calculating as the Heavenly Dao, whoever becomes His successor is doomed. On one hand, He needs the successor to clip the wings of all races, and on the other hand, He doesn't want to see the successor threaten Him. So He simply appoints one and deposes another, deposing and appointing one after another.
Heaven wants to establish the most perfect successor.
As a result, things went wrong. Yaozu turned out to be a good-for-nothing who almost caused the destruction of his family. Only then did the scoundrel frantically seek help from the former deposed prince/daughter to save the day and repair the precarious family relationship.
Pigs know to turn when they bump into trees, and they know to wipe their snot from their mouths—why weren't they doing this sooner? Shan Nian felt a surge of anger at these thoughts. Just as she finished her tirade, dark clouds suddenly filled the sky.
Tsk, that bastard's defenses have crumbled.
She sneered, "If you're so capable, why don't you send down a lightning tribulation and strike me dead? You dog, am I being too lenient with you?"
After a long while, the clouds of calamity gradually dissipated.
Good intentions scoffed, and he lay down to rest his head on Ji Moqiu's lap again.
Ji Moqiu felt a little envious.
With a kind heart, she tugged at the end of his braid and warned, "As long as you don't disobey me, I will definitely treat you well."
Ji Moqiu: "...Yes."
Goodwill added, "You don't need to give me a nice look. Just obey me. What is that good-for-nothing of mine? He's a womanizer."
Ji Moqiu: "...The love of the gods is vast and boundless."
This cannot be called being fickle; it is called loving all living beings and all things.
The real Shen Tang: "Hey, I can hear you."
When did she become a womanizer?
This is slander and defamation; it's blatant smear campaign.
With a meaningful sneer, the true form of Shen Tang sighed deeply, causing Luo San to break the silver chopsticks in half with one hand.
"Shen Jun, have you sighed enough?"
How long did it take you to finish your meal today?
At a celebration banquet, she was constantly sighing, frowning, and putting down her chopsticks, her expression contorted, making everyone who saw her feel extremely disgusted.
Shen Tang asked, "Does Lord Luo know how to kill someone with a kind heart?"
Luo San: "..."
That's a really insightful question.
"Why isn't Lord Shen curious about why I've become like this?" It's fine to ask other Marquises how to sever good intentions, but it's very impolite to ask him. Back then, Luo San messed up when he was severing good intentions, and his Martial Spirit Totem added fuel to the fire, causing Luo San to drop from a 20th-rank Marquis all the way down to an 11th-rank Right Gentleman, forcing him to hide in the countryside under an assumed name.
If he had succeeded in eliminating kindness, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state as a captain in a small place, constantly at the mercy of others.
It was too offensive for Shen Tang to ask him for advice.
Shen Tang: "..."
Luo San didn't hold the offense against her.
"Is Shen Jun about to break through?"
No, isn't this cultivation speed abnormally fast?
Everyone else struggles to make progress as the game goes on, but she's different. She gets faster and faster as the game progresses, almost like she's divinely aided. Is that reasonable?
Shen Tang waved his hand: "It's still early, we should plan ahead."
It's all because she has a unique and kind heart.
He spent every day thinking about how to kill her, the real person.
Luo San: "Shen Junwu is destined for great success. If things don't go well, we can use external forces to hinder him."
Shen Tang wholeheartedly agreed with this.
It doesn't matter if Ji Moqiu can't help her, there's still Gong Xichou, right? If Gong Xichou is also useless, she'll have to resort to some crazy tactics—Chen Tang glanced at the sky out of the corner of her eye and took a sip of wine.
Even the "dog" in Shan Nian's words isn't entirely unusable.
At this moment, my thought of kindness is: "Shen Youli!"
She dares to use the power of Heaven to deal with me!
The real Shen Tang smiled and said, "Using it is not shameful."
The enemies are also categorized by importance and urgency.
She is not only Shen Youli but also a secular monarch. Furthermore, having lost her past memories, even if she harbored deep-seated hatred towards the Heavenly Dao, it's not impossible for her to temporarily cooperate. Kindness is a part of her, but when that part is out of control, it becomes her enemy.
Since they are enemies, why can't we eliminate them?
"You dislike losing control, and you forbid the High Priest from disobeying you. Do you think I like it? I dislike betraying myself, disobeying myself, and not obeying myself even more. Those who obey me prosper, and those who defy me perish, even myself. I don't care if your intentions are good, evil, or obsession; if you don't submit, you should die and perish!"
From the moment good and evil thoughts arose, Shen Tang had wanted to say these words, but at that time, she needed good thoughts to deal with evil thoughts, and she didn't have the ability to restrain good thoughts, so she held back. Things are different now. The power of Kangguo has been established, which means that the fate of the world is in her hands.
Even good intentions should have a sense of propriety.
To submit, to yield.
Since you're only a part of her, you should be sensible and know what it means to have a clear distinction between primary and secondary roles, and not overstep your bounds or challenge her bottom line.
Good intentions turned ashen.
She heard the real person slowly issue the notification.
"The day Kangguo is unified will be the day I kill you."
Shen Tang doesn't mind the memory loss, since she's the one in charge anyway. She just doesn't like that others have memories while she doesn't.
It made her feel like a fool, completely passive.
"Submit to me, and let me see the real 'me'."
On the other end, goodwill had received no response; it was clearly furious. Humans can never truly empathize with others, including their own selves at different stages. How come I never realized how arrogant and conceited I was?
As the color of his pupils gradually faded, Wu You was kicked out.
Just as she recovered from the dizziness, she met Ji Moqiu's worried gaze.
The latter hesitated to speak.
Wu You's lips twitched violently.
"Don't worry, it's just an outbreak."
Look, this is what a lunatic looks like, and a really bad one at that.
If her condition were even milder, she wouldn't have made such a fool of herself. She claims to be mentally healthy and criticizes others for being sick, but why doesn't she consider that scholars/martial artists only cultivate one skill, while she cultivates both? Is her illness twice as frequent as others?
Ji Moqiu: "..."
Wu Youlian looked at the poor little thing caught in the middle with pity.
He sighed and said, "Let them fight it out, just ignore it."
"Your Highness, it's best to use the 'Literary Aura' technique sparingly."
Ji Moqiu hesitated for a moment.
He suspected that His Highness's current mental state was inseparable from his constant 007*6 work schedule. The radiation in this world was already excessive, and His Highness was also online with multiple accounts every day. Wouldn't that lead to a mental breakdown over time? But His Highness was diligent in his duties and loved the people, and his stern demeanor was deeply ingrained.
"That won't do; using it too much will delay the work progress."
Ji Moqiu: "..."
Even with his mind and soul in turmoil, he's still preoccupied with government affairs—what a spirit!
Wu You scratched his head: "Anyway, you should take good care of yourself. Once the battle between the two of them is over, you may recover without any medicine."
It's a shame I don't have my phone with me, otherwise I really wanted to ask on my DS.
Ji Moqiu: "..."
Well, maybe he's just too prejudiced. His Highness's schizophrenia isn't entirely the fault of this little world. If we trace it back to its source, perhaps this condition started in His Highness's previous life... Which crown princess could remain mentally healthy after encountering an emperor like Lord Heaven?
Since being diagnosed with mental illness, His Highness has become much more energetic.
ヾ(■_■)
Tangmei: Going to work is driving me crazy (crossed out).
Tangmei from her past life: Who can work for tens of thousands of years without going crazy? And without even getting paid! (crossed out)
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