The entire Imperial Capital seemed to be shrouded in a haze, the atmosphere frozen completely. No one expected that the emperor, once as close to Chu Tianji as brothers, would actually kill Chu Tianji. Moreover, to execute without trial chilled the heart.

Especially the charges imposed on Chu Tianji, one after another, causing countless people to feel the chill in their bones.

But it didn't matter at all. Because the current emperor had become completely unreasonable!

Subsequently, he began to purge the court, almost cleansing the entire court throughly!

Especially Liu Dakai was the first to be used as a scapegoat. He didn't even have the chance to plead his innocence and was executed on the spot!

After killing Liu Dakai, the current emperor... he truly solidified his position. Because no one else in the world knew his secret anymore!

Afterward, he also favored the Liu family by directly promoting Liu He to Assistant Minister of the Household. This was already a high and powerful position. This appointment also caught everyone completely off guard.

It was simply unimaginable what the emperor was thinking in his mind now!

However, this kind of bloody suppression and unreasonable methods by the emperor faced some resistance. But quickly, this resistance was ruthlessly suppressed.

It was as if overnight, a group of people suddenly emerged in the army, pledging absolute loyalty to the emperor. Declaring their allegiance, they executed those who questioned the emperor on the spot. Then naturally, they became the main commanders in the army.

At the same time, in the court, led by Liu He, this group completely controlled the entire court in their hands.

Once the leader of the Five Young Masters of the Imperial Capital suddenly became a person mighty enough to control the world!

On the thirty-second day after this drastic change, the emperor directly announced that the Ninth Princess would marry the young talent Liu He this year for New Year's!

This news caused another fierce uproar.

However, at this time, both Chu Mo and the Ninth Princess had long since left the Imperial Capital.

"Why save me? Let me die with my parents," Chu Mo stared blankly at the bonfire in front of him, murmuring, "They are the people closest to me in this world, now they are all dead, what am I living for? What's the point?"

"I sympathize with you for your parents' death," the Ninth Princess said softly, "My father also died. Whom can I speak to for justice?"

"What? What do you mean?" Chu Mo looked at the Ninth Princess, frowning.

"Do you really think my father the emperor killed your father?" the Ninth Princess looked at Chu Mo, speaking blandly, "Do you think that's possible?"

"Not very likely, but the facts are there," Chu Mo said.

"What facts?" the Ninth Princess scoffed, looking at Chu Mo, "You really know nothing!"

"Yes, I'm ugly and weak, I'm practically everyone's burden in this world. Ninth Princess, I know you're good to me, but there's no need to take me along like this. You should go, seek your mentor's help, let her take charge for you." Chu Mo said sincerely.

"Mentor? Taking charge? No, she wouldn't," the Ninth Princess said softly, "My mentor is a sage beyond the mortal realm, she never meddles in worldly grudges. Right now, I lack the capability. That group killed my emperor father and impersonated his appearance, their power is too strong. Wanting revenge, I'll need at least ten years."

The Ninth Princess spoke while looking at Chu Mo, said softly, "Chu Mo, you have me. After ten years, when I have avenged, I will marry you, okay?"

Chu Mo was suddenly stupefied, at a loss, saying: "This, how is this possible?"

"What, you don't like me?" the Ninth Princess teased.

"How could it be, in this world, which man doesn't like the Ninth Princess?" Chu Mo said, "It's just, just that I'm so ugly, and my body so weak, what exactly did you see in me?"

The Ninth Princess smiled, "Maybe it's fate. Anyway, I just like you, and I think you shouldn't be so weak; actually, you could try cultivation!"

Speaking, the Ninth Princess, like performing magic, produced a book out of thin air: "Here, this is a cultivation method I've specially sought for you, a method to train Qi, you can give it a try."

"Can I?" Chu Mo looked at the Ninth Princess rather confusedly.

"Of course, you must have confidence in yourself!" The Ninth Princess said softly: "If you can cultivate successfully, then we will have more confidence in avenging!"

"Revenge... yes, I must avenge my parents!" Chu Mo's eyes turned determined, their pure pupils glimmering with the brightest light.

Even the Ninth Princess was dazzled to the point of confusion, as if at this moment the young man before her transformed into a supremely handsome and majestic man. She almost instantly had a feeling of wanting to drown in it.

But then, the vision suddenly dissipated, and Chu Mo's ugly face reappeared.

The Ninth Princess sighed and said, "Let's go, let's get far away from here. Someday, we will return!"

"Mm!" Chu Mo nodded earnestly, feeling full of confidence.

However.

A year later, Chu Mo gained nothing from this Qi training method.

Two years later, he still felt nothing.

Three years, five years... all the way until the eighth year.

The Ninth Princess finally couldn't take it anymore!

Because Chu Mo was simply too useless!

For nine whole years, he couldn't even manage the first step of this energy training technique!

It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough; it was that his body was completely unsuitable for any form of cultivation!

During this time, the Ninth Princess also made many efforts and attempts, but in the end, they all failed. Moreover, eight years later, Chu Mo had already grown into a young man. Yet, he was still so ugly!

No, even uglier than before!

Although over these eight years, Chu Mo had been exceedingly kind to the Ninth Princess.

He treated her as if she were a rare treasure, afraid to startle her by holding her in his palm or to melt her by keeping her in his mouth. Almost every little task, he wouldn't let the Ninth Princess do. Raised pampered from a young age himself, Chu Mo learned a lot over these eight years.

Though his body remained frail, he bravely shouldered everything alone!

But the Ninth Princess turned a blind eye to all of this. She only understood one thing: she spent eight years verifying her master's lie!

She didn't dare to confront the Sleeping Lotus Fairy, but she could take her anger out on Chu Mo.

"Who do you think you are?"

"You ugly ghost, do you think anyone in this world could love you?"

"Besides your parents being able to tolerate your nauseating face, not a single person in this world will love you!"

"For eight years, facing your nauseating face every day, do you know how I endured it? I've been holding back... holding back from vomiting!"

"You're utterly disgusting to the extreme!"

"Really, I've always wondered how someone as ugly and weak as you could exist in this world. Why would heaven allow someone like you to be born?"

"You don't even qualify to be compared to others' beauty! Standing next to you makes one feel ashamed."

"What? Why did I suddenly change? I was fooled by my master! She said you were a rare cultivator in the heavens and on earth! That associating with you could lead to immortality, to becoming a fairy! Otherwise, why do you think I saved you?"

"If I had known you were this useless, I should have let those people cut you into pieces and feed you to the dogs eight years ago!"

"Why do I hate you this much? Ha! Take a good look at yourself, what on earth are you to have a proud daughter of heaven like me accompany you in this desolate place for eight years?"

"Chu Mo, don't look at me with those eyes, I truly was blind and foolish. I actually believed a worthless person could turn into a genius. I must be possessed."

"Alright, goodbye... no, let us never meet again!"

"Ahhhh, if I look at your nauseating face any longer, I think I might just throw up."

As she spoke, the Ninth Princess, like a fairy, broke through the void and left.

Her graceful figure was like a wisp of smoke, disappearing directly from Chu Mo's sight.

Chu Mo was left alone, standing there bewildered, before shivering suddenly. He slowly turned to look at the thatched house.

Though simple, this cottage was what he regarded as home.

In the past eight years, he left too many beautiful memories here. The shadows of childhood discrimination, mockery, and ridicule had long vanished under the warmth of the Ninth Princess.

Though in the past three or four years, the Ninth Princess's attitude towards him had declined visibly. But to Chu Mo, this was nothing more than the Ninth Princess's urge for revenge, which made her somewhat anxious.

In fact, his heart was also filled with suffering. He hated himself even more than the Ninth Princess did. He felt like a failure. Incapable of cultivation, and unable to avenge his parents.

However, the Ninth Princess's sudden outburst today gave Chu Mo a feeling he couldn't fully comprehend.

With a miserable smile, he directly set fire to the thatched house.

Then, he wanted to leap into the blazing fire!

For someone like him, existing in this world had no meaning other than wasting food and ruining others' appetites!

But just as Chu Mo was about to jump into the flames, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, muttering, "Can't cultivate, this frail, and ugly on top of it all... Someone like me existing is a testament to heaven's masterpiece. I've never heard of anyone else as unluckily obnoxious as me."

As he said this, a faint smile unexpectedly appeared on Chu Mo's unsightly face.

"So, can I really not cultivate? Am I really this frail? Am I... really ugly?"

Chu Mo murmured to himself, and as he spoke, the aura around him began to rise continuously.

The Ninth Princess, who had already flown far away, suddenly felt a powerful sense of unease.

Then, instinctively, she looked back. In the direction from which she had just fled, a beam of light soared into the sky. Then, an unimaginably powerful aura surged forward like a tide, passing over her to unreachable distances.

"This... what is this?" The blood drained from the Ninth Princess's face as she saw a figure almost instantly appear before her.

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Oh wow, this is so fast... it's almost New Year's!