CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 24: MIRACLE

New Era 324.

The Tuna Family began venturing into politics, making investments in the new emperor of You Kingdom, who was the thirteen-year-old Emperor You You.

They started assisting the new emperor to unite the old factions, using considerable financial resources to help the inheriting but still weak new emperor to quell internal turmoil. Miss Zhong’s younger brother thus became the nation’s finance minister.

New Era 327.

Emperor Changshou of Shiguang had been missing for a very, very long time.

Everyone knew, under those circumstances, that his death was imminent.

The Witch was Swallowing Wind and Eating Qi, yet his mortal body was no different from others, and he would die if not treated.

"After all those years, if he had recovered, he would certainly have fought his way back to the Hundred-Stone City, but he didn’t."

"Dead."

"Must be dead."

...

Over the years, endless speculation and panic spread.

"Royal Authority" was no more, and the Slave Dynasty was on the brink of collapse!

And on this day, the Slave Dynasty finally discovered the remains of Emperor Changshou of Shiguang.

Everything was settled.

This once glorious and powerful emperor had died on a mountain in a remote village, in an unfrequented cave.

"His injuries could clearly have been treated, there was a village at the foot of the mountain."

Back then, the middle-aged traveler had aged quite a bit, his hair turning white. He looked down earnestly at the remains, "But even with serious injuries and nearing death, this man who trusts no one still adhered to his principles, seeking help from no one."

"He had no heart for homeland or the world."

He spoke slowly, "If he had the slightest conscience, he would know to pass on his ’Royal Authority’ before his death, even to a fool or a child on the roadside."

The middle-aged man displayed a hint of sarcasm, "I admit, he was very talented, a hero in some ways! Yet he chose to drown himself in the dream of longevity with a selfish heart!"

"The King..."

The people nearby showed despair.

This was the worst-case scenario.

This arrogant and reckless tyrant would rather die than hand over the "Royal Authority" to them or appoint the next "King", letting the power dissipate into the world.

"Time is not on my side, my fortune is truly too poor."

Suddenly, he lowered his head, looking at the remains, Emperor Changshou of Shiguang’s hand was clutching a weed even before his death, the posture resembling a drowning man grasping the last hope.

The type of grass seemed familiar.

He vaguely felt something being pried open in his mind, doubts swirling but unable to be pinpointed.

"What exactly was it? What did he see before his death, or was he searching for something?" He paced out, suddenly having a strong feeling that if he could break through that layer of mysterious fog, the God of Destiny would truly open their arms to him, and he would step into the realm of the next immortal emperor.

"What exactly was it?"

New Era 299.

In You Kingdom, the new emperor in disguise visited Tuna Port.

The empress stepped onto an island, afar stood an exquisite and luxurious castle, with colorful stained glass windows, and a giant tuna clock tower towering on the coast’s edge.

"No wonder your family is called the ’Ocean Clock’, wealthier than kingdoms, my nation’s finances are tight now, much poorer than you." The young empress marveled.

"Your majesty overpraises it."

Back then, the young girl, Zhong Qingyu, had entered middle age.

They walked through the corridor, with sumptuously decorated carvings on either side, inlaid with jewels, surrounded by paintings full of artistic ambiance.

"This is Mr. Li Su’s painting ’Godlike Tyrant’, depicting the battle of sandstorms, the tri-war scene of the Gurbantungut Desert campaign."

"And the deathbed sculpture work ’Slave Ah Da’ by Mr. Yin Zhu, who passed away thirty years ago."

"This is actually the long sword forged by weapon master Lin Qingsheng!"

...

From a young age, the empress had received the finest education in the world, and all the works here were rare gems, even her palace didn’t have such rich collections.

The port truly was a wealthy place.

Countless treasures and merchants passed through here, holding this place meant holding the world’s central trade routes.

"It’s nothing." Zhong Qingyu shook her head; she was no longer the girl with dreams and love aspirations but a politician, a leader of a family wealthier than kingdoms.

Zhong Qingyu instead looked at the young girl before her, barely in her teens, with a touch of envy, "To you, even the richest mortal is nothing but a caterpillar easily squeezed for juice on a whim."

Emperor You You shook his head, "Our power weakens with each inheritance, yet we cannot find a way to the next path. If this continues, there will be no life in the world that can sense ’Qi’.

The three hundred concubines of the god?

She recalled the records from over two hundred years ago; it was a mysterious era.

As she continued to walk and tour, Emperor You You was greatly surprised.

She saw many treasures, even relics of the most ancient ancient civilization, intricate parts known as radio boxes, and various mechanical creations from the old era, truly astounding... Emperor You You even had thoughts of killing this family to confiscate their wealth and replenish the empty treasury!

"Unfortunately, I cannot. If I treat loyal ministers who have exhausted every effort to assist me this way right after ascending the throne, I won’t be far from losing the nation." As Emperor You You walked along, she suddenly saw an oil painting, unsigned.

In the painting was a man with a tear mole, strolling leisurely at a sunset port, gazing at the azure sea, blowing with the endless sea breeze.

This familiar face moved Emperor You You. She remembered deep within the palace, a sketch preserved in a frame left by the founders of You Kingdom.

The sketch depicted a man, also with a tear mole and an elegant appearance, who saved the two of them.

It was written above the founding ancestors:

"Back then, without knowing his origins and background, we only felt astonished and mysterious, revered him as an idol in our hearts, discussed day and night, and our hearts were stirred. But after the great devastation, recalling everything from those days, we realized there was great terror hidden within."

"On that day, he used the power of the Witch, driving away bandits, swallowing wind and eating qi, much earlier than our three hundred women!"

"If our three hundred women are called the [three hundred concubines of the god] by the world, then the ancient civilization that skillfully used power long before us might indeed be that [god]."

This old record might be the truth closest to the world!!

And their You Kingdom’s royal family is the bloodline closest to the secret truth of this world.

They speculated countless times. Since meeting the two ancestors, it was natural that the mysterious man might have met the remaining 298 in the distant years of the old era’s catastrophe.

This was the common point; gods might exist in history.

Recalling scenes upon scenes, Emperor You You couldn’t help but point to the man with a tear mole in the oil painting on the wall, and said, "God!"

"What?" Zhong Qingyu did not react.

"Nothing." Emperor You You also quickly recovered, asking nonchalantly, "Which master left this painting? I didn’t even recognize it."

Zhong Qingyu looked at Emperor You You’s loss of composure, suddenly realizing, and looked at Emperor You You’s tear mole symbolizing divine authority, connecting an incredible thought, god... that man...

She of course would not admit she painted it, feigning indifference, she said, "It was left by a debt-ridden port merchant, not knowing the author’s identity, keeping it because the artistic conception was good."

"Oh." Emperor You You was somewhat unwilling.

They soon invited the current emperor for lunch.

A very sumptuous meal, with delicacies of mountains and seas, silver utensils, hosted without any trace of impropriety.

After the reception was over, Zhong Qingyu eagerly ran back to her room’s secret chamber, embracing a well-cared for green plant.

"Wow, the pretty lady comes every day to see me on time again."

"But the lady is getting old, each year fading from youth, now full of charm, look at this wide bottom, she must be over thirty, right?"

"I truly praise this self-healing beautiful game, the production team is very attentive. This scene of mine, should be as a potted plant, accompanying the girl coming to see her every day, growing up, aging, becoming an old granny, with last movie clips of being buried, right?"

"Truly a superb creative beauty! It’s worthy of ’The World’, viewing human life from the perspective of plants."

He was still praising.

Only to see the next second, the woman hesitated for a moment, directly pulled him up by the roots, gently opened her red lips, revealing a mouthful of silver teeth.

"Oh, is she going to kiss me?"

"Wow wow wow wow, it’s like an erotic benefit!!!"

"Wait!" But he quickly realized something was wrong, a gaping maw came rushing.

He murmured, suddenly fully realizing.

Am I being eaten?

Damn is this a healing game?

This f**king is a horror game!

His consciousness completely blurred, probably he was about to fall asleep?

"Crap! Is this possible! Worthy of the production team, I get it now!"

"Unexpectedly, there is this way of sleeping, a variant of an earlier medicine-grinding scene."

"Love it love it!"

...

Zhong Qingyu found that after eating that herb, she obtained some mysterious power, as if prying open the gates of heaven and earth, the entire world seemed different.

She walked up the attic at dusk, opened the window, the salty moist sea breeze rushed into the room, the seascape outside the window was beautiful, among heaven and earth, above the ocean, strands of qi drifted, so beautiful it seemed not of the human realm.

"Is this truly the world??"