Chapter 58 The Origin
The King of Poison suddenly rose from Masaki's embrace, straightened his clothes, and stood before the bed. He looked down at Masaki's face with a look of horror in his eyes, not bothering to hide it, and stared at him intently.
It turned out that the sense of familiarity he felt from Masakuni during their first encounter was not an illusion. Although he pondered it for a long time after returning home that day without finding a solution, he eventually grew accustomed to Masakuni's appearance and stopped investigating the matter further.
And the way Shinjuku looked now was strikingly similar to that of a senior he had only met once in his memory. Although Shinjuku looked a little younger and had a slightly more immature air about him. After all, he had never seen anyone more radiant than that person.
But the resemblance in the proportions of the face, including the three sections and five eyes, is so striking that it's astonishing...
The possibility of other cultivators appearing in historical records is already extremely low, let alone that genius who reached the Nascent Soul Realm hundreds of years ago. He has probably already broken through to the Tribulation Transcending Realm by now. With that person's talent and strength, ascension is not impossible; why would he damage his cultivation to enter this world?
Qing'er couldn't possibly be that person in real life.
Then only one possibility remains. Since he used his Purple Mansion to create historical records for multiple dynasties, he has encountered several old acquaintances from the cultivation world. However, they were all projections of his Purple Mansion, not his real selves.
At this moment, the appearance of the True Lord suddenly changed, which is almost impossible in this mortal world. However, if the projection evolved due to the distortion of the Purple Mansion, then it would not be surprising.
Could it be... that Masaya is truly a projection of that person?
The King of Poison suddenly found it hard to breathe. Compared to the fact that True Abode was a mortal, this was even harder for him to accept. If True Abode were a mortal, he could still accompany him for a short lifetime, but if he was born from a mistaken projection of his Purple Palace, then, with the instability of the Purple Palace, True Abode might dissipate at any time.
The mere thought of the possibility of Shinjuku's disappearance caused the King of the Poisonous to suddenly and violently heave, almost letting out a heavy, rapid gasp. He quickly clenched his back teeth, lowered his brows, and filled his eyes with an intense, unyielding melancholy, like the sky before a sudden storm.
Shinju didn't know why the King of Poison suddenly looked so terrifying. Then he realized that his physique had changed so much that the magic he used to disguise himself before entering the history books must have failed. If that was the case, then not only his body, but also his face must have changed!
Shinju quietly got out of bed, suppressing his guilty conscience, and asked with his head bowed, "Good morning, Your Majesty. Would you like to wash up now?"
However, this standing up is undoubtedly more intuitive.
The King of Poison stared at Shinju's forehead, which was only an inch below his own ear, his eyes growing increasingly somber. Just yesterday, the other's head was barely above his collarbone, but overnight, he had grown so much taller. If he took another half step closer, he could kiss Shinju's forehead without even having to bend down.
...No. King Zhen's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. Until he discovered the cause of the instability in his Purple Palace, he should distance himself as much as possible from the factors that were disturbing it, especially True Star.
The King of Zhen's expression returned to its usual coldness, and Zhen Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that the King of Zhen did not object, he hurriedly left the royal tent.
As Shinjuku emerged from his tent, the guards standing on either side of the tent flap caught a glimpse of a figure bowing slightly as he stepped out. They instinctively assumed it was King Zhen and greeted him, "Good morning, Your Majesty."
However, after the figure took a few steps and turned back to look at them, they saw that under the python robe that was the same as that of the attendant Qing, there was a tall young man. Although his golden eyes were very familiar, his appearance was several times more mature and handsome than that of the young attendant, which made them speechless for a moment, and they even forgot the great mistake of calling him "Your Majesty".
"You two have worked hard. I will go and prepare the washing utensils for His Majesty." Seeing their stunned expressions, Shinju knew that something was indeed wrong. After saying this, he turned and left, his steps swift.
Upon reaching the water-fetching area, the logistics soldier responsible for boiling and supplying water greeted the man without even looking up after seeing the hem of his python-patterned robe, "Lord Qing today..." The moment he looked up, he was suddenly confronted with the unfamiliar yet strikingly handsome face of Shinjuku, and the water bucket in his hand slipped from his grasp. Fortunately, Shinjuku reached out to catch it, preventing the bucket from actually breaking.
The bubbling hot water in the bucket mirrored the emotions in the hearts of the logistics soldiers.
Shinjuku didn't pay any attention. He found a large water tank, looked down at the water, and finally got to see what he looked like.
His appearance at this moment was neither the appearance of a boy before the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, nor the appearance of someone in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but rather a form that had never appeared before and was somewhere in between.
Why is this happening? Shinju was extremely puzzled. After opening his divine sense to look inside, he found that there were still a few wisps of purplish-red aura left in his dantian.
"..." Was it his dantian that caused this? The moment it was repaired, it eagerly absorbed the dragon energy from the Poison King. And this dragon energy could actually accelerate the growth of his True Immortal Body. If he wanted to reverse the growth, he would probably have to use spiritual power, but his last remaining wisp of true energy was for escaping this small world, so it was impossible for him to use it for something like restoring his appearance.
Moreover, the King of Zhen has already witnessed it firsthand; any further changes would only make it harder to explain. If it were someone else, the explanation would be even more uncertain.
Masakatsu simply stopped thinking about it, fetched water, and headed towards his tent.
When they returned to the royal tent, King Zhen had already changed his clothes. However, his hair, which was usually meticulously combed, now had a few loose strands at the temples, which at first glance gave him a more unruly and dissolute appearance.
Shinju offered to redo his hair, but it took the King of Poison a few moments to react before he shook his head and said, "No need."
The King of Zhen gathered a few strands of hair from his temples, braided them into two simple braids, tied them up from his forehead to the back of his head, and then left them alone, not letting Shinju get close to him at all.
Lately, King Zhen has become increasingly accustomed to having Zhenju serve him closely, wiping his face, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, and so on, while he leans back in his chair to take a short nap. But now, it's back to the mode when Zhen first became his attendant, where King Zhen did everything himself.
Shinjuku should have been happy to relax, but he felt a tightness in his chest, a sudden sense of unease at being excluded. Shinjuku frowned slightly, his golden eyes dimming.
The King of Zhen absentmindedly wiped his face and inadvertently caught sight of the slightly disappointed look on Shinju's face. His heart tightened, and just as he was thinking about how to ease the tension, an urgent report came from outside.
King Zhen gave Shinju a deep look, but ultimately said nothing and left the tent.
When Shinjuku heard the departing footsteps, he didn't raise his eyes for a long time, his cat-like eyes slightly lowered.
"Your Majesty, it is the Kingdom of Feng that has sent envoys, saying they wish to negotiate peace." General Yan Zhonglang had slept well all night and was in excellent spirits. Although his expression was serious, he was quite composed.
The King of Zhen responded with a snort, his expression colder than ever before, clearly not in high spirits. He turned and went into General Yan's tent, instructing him to summon everyone inside.
"Your Majesty, I did not expect the Feng Kingdom to be so eager to send envoys to sue for peace. Isn't that tantamount to surrendering before even fighting?"
"The Feng Kingdom suffered heavy losses in the previous battle, and given their history of provoking wars on all sides and their frequent conflicts with the Northern Kingdom and Western tribes, it is normal that they dare not send large numbers of troops to the east."
Prince Zhen tapped the table with his fingers, his voice as cold as ice, "It could be a feint. It's not impossible that the other side is making peace on the surface, but in reality, they are waiting for me to return to the capital before launching a surprise attack."
The generals were shocked. Clearly, they had been blinded by their great victory, underestimating their opponent as a tiger that had dominated the western border for over a century. The power of destroying this behemoth would not be easily dispelled. However, their Nian Kingdom had now annexed three border cities, leaping to the status of a medium-sized nation, giving them much greater confidence than before. They were not afraid, but underestimating the enemy was ultimately a grave mistake.
The King of Poison's words were clearly a warning to them, and everyone silently wiped their sweat, speaking much more cautiously.
"What about their sincerity in proposing peace talks?" King Zhen asked.
A subordinate relayed: "The envoy from Feng Kingdom said that he was willing to send Princess Wanqing and Prince Lizhou to our country to establish a kinship between the two countries in exchange for our country returning the three cities including Liming City, and in return, we would no longer pursue our responsibility for the invasion."
The generals were in an uproar.
"What utter nonsense! What a load of rubbish! This is peace talks?! Who would agree to this?!" The generals thought the enemy country was simply being unreasonable. What sincerity did they have? It was all just an attempt to humiliate His Majesty. They wouldn't even fight, yet they dared to try and exchange two royal relatives for three cities—what a pipe dream! Not to mention, one of the chosen brides was even a prince…
After realizing what was happening, the generals all knelt on one knee, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
The King of Zhen's dark eyes were impenetrable, as if brewing a terrifying storm, and no one in the tent dared to look up for a moment.
Just then, a noise came from the tent flap, which was especially noticeable because you could hear a pin drop inside.
Many people quietly turned around and cast peeking glances toward the doorway.
A young man dressed as a servant walked in, carrying breakfast in his hands.
"Your Majesty, it's time for breakfast." The voice was clear and pleasant, but lower than usual, though the ending was still soft and gentle, sounding very familiar. However, upon closer listening, one could detect a hint of anger in the tone.
Everyone stared in disbelief as the unfamiliar figure walked to the table of the King of Poison and gently placed the tray down.
The violent aura emanating from the King of Poison instantly subsided, easing the generals' anxieties, and they finally had the leisure to scrutinize the newcomer.
Upon closer inspection, nine out of ten people were dumbfounded, while only one remained completely oblivious.
This outfit... isn't it the official uniform of a court eunuch? But this person... is much taller than Attendant Qing, and although his face is quite similar to Attendant Qing's, he is more than five or six years older.
Someone stammered, "And this is...?"
General Yan was the most shocked. He was standing right next to the King of Poison, and since the True Monk was the closest to him, he couldn't possibly have made a mistake.
The gleaming gold earrings and the waist plaque bearing the five gilded characters "Attendant Qing Zhensu" clearly indicated that this person was none other than Attendant Qing himself.
Is he still drunk? General Yan rubbed his eyes hard and tentatively called out, "...Eunuch Qing?"
While Shinju was tasting the food for the King of Poison, he naturally replied, "Hmm? Lord Yan."
General Yan wanted to pinch someone's philtrum.
The crowd below was even more astonished, and they all asked, "This, this is Lord Qing's elder brother?!" Otherwise, how could they both have the surname Qing and look so alike?!
"Yes, it must be my elder brother. When did this Lord Qing arrive?"
They had never seen such a tall and imposing eunuch. Such a handsome and dignified beauty was actually His Majesty's attendant? Two brothers serving His Majesty alone... No wonder he was their war god leader, he really knew how to enjoy himself! Several envious gazes lingered between the Poison King and the True Monk.
The King of Zhen noticed that the way his subordinates were looking at him seemed a bit strange, and said casually, "Xiao Qingzi has just made his move."
Having said that, he offered no further explanation.
Shinju was surprised that the King of Poison's words were exactly the same as the excuse he had come up with. His depressed mood immediately eased a lot, and he nodded.
Everyone was speechless.
What kind of growth pattern can grow so tall and mature overnight? It's like a rice seedling sprouting! Besides, don't most people grow up in their teens? Although Eunuch Qing looked young before, he was actually already approaching adulthood.
The fact that both the person involved and the King of Poisoning appeared so calm and collected only made their overreaction all the more alarming.
Some people believed it, while others insisted in their hearts that they were two brothers.
Amidst the commotion, everyone completely forgot about the marriage alliance with Feng Kingdom.
After a hasty breakfast, the Prince of Zhen announced, "I will return to the capital in two days."
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Author's Note: Origin: Development
You wouldn't believe it, would you? Our Qingbao is still the King of Poison's white moonlight (although it has nothing to do with love).
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