NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 235: Past Events
Qin Zhengji, the third emperor of Great Xia.
Throughout his life, he was renowned for his military achievements. With his quasi-saint cultivation, he not only preserved Great Xia’s territory but also expanded it significantly.
At that time, Great Xia was hardly the peaceful place everyone envisioned.
This era was rife with continuous war; on one side, it was fending off attacks from others, while on the other, it was aggressively expanding.
To others, it looked like an invasion.
Qin Zhengji, during that time, was indifferent to how others perceived him.
He had only one goal!
expand the territory!
To leave sufficient resources and lands for future generations.
Mandated by heaven, long life and prosperity!
At that time, it was truly all about this.
Alternatively, it can be said that Great Xia is now similarly a potential invader.
Because the current Emperor Xia has once again been contemplating territorial expansion.
Perhaps, in someone else’s eyes, Great Xia would ultimately become the evil dragon.
As of now, the Emperor Xia is still greatly admired by all.
But once he begins to invade, who knows what his image will become?
Ambition—every emperor has it.
Without ambition, one simply cannot be the emperor of Great Xia.
Back then, Qin Zhengji was absolutely the star of the show.
He managed to expand Great Xia’s territory by a full one-third.
This was a monumental achievement.
However, at this very moment, Qin Zhengji made the gravest mistake of his life.
In a desperate bid to break through to the Saint Realm, he chose to engage in dual cultivation with another.
This was, at first glance, a good thing.
But no one anticipated that the person Qin Zhengji found for dual cultivation was, shockingly, a princess of the Holy Demon Empire.
Upon hearing this, Qin Bei was left dumbfounded.
His gaze towards Qin Zhengji turned peculiar.
Princess of the Holy Demon Empire?!
Isn’t that a demon cultivator?
His great-great-grandfather actually chose to have dual cultivation with a demon cultivator?
What on earth was he thinking?
However, at the same time, Qin Bei also thought about another matter—namely, the Imperial Concubine.
Previously, in the Imperial Garden, Qin Bei discovered that the Imperial Concubine was also a demon cultivator.
The demonic aura surrounding her wasn’t very different from that on Qin Zhengji.
This led Qin Bei to wonder: Could it be that the Imperial Concubine is also from the Holy Demon Empire?
Did Emperor Xia know this?
Moreover, given the circumstances, it appeared that Emperor Xia not only knew but also had children—Princess Ling’er and Qin Chen.
Both are quite exceptional among his offspring.
“What? Are you surprised? I didn’t expect that I, an emperor of Great Xia, would end up marrying a princess of the demon clan? And then go and practice dual cultivation with her?”
Seeing Qin Bei’s astonished expression, Qin Zhengji seemed to grasp what was on his mind.
After all, who would accept such a tale easily?
“It is a bit surprising, but I can wrap my head around it. I reckon the Holy Demon Empire must be behind the scenes, right?”
Qin Bei ventured, still bewildered.
He simply couldn’t fathom that someone like Qin Zhengji would voluntarily seek out such an individual, marry her, and then engage in dual cultivation.
“Why do you think that?”
Qin Zhengji didn’t respond directly and instead posed the question.
“What reason is there for that? You’re not an idiot. If you’d known of her status as a princess of the Holy Demon Empire, would you really have married her? Let alone practice dual cultivation with a demon cultivator? Surely you aren’t that daft!”
Qin Bei chuckled, glancing at Qin Zhengji with a smirk.
Qin Zhengji: …..
“I suspect you want to berate me, but honestly, I knew her identity a long time ago and chose to practice dual cultivation myself,” Qin Zhengji remarked with a casual smile.
Qin Bei: ???
These words only deepened Qin Bei’s confusion.
When did such an obtuse person become the emperor of Great Xia?
“So, what you’re trying to say is that you really are that naive? You knew her identity all along, yet you marry her AND practice dual cultivation? Aren’t you just asking for trouble?”
Qin Bei couldn’t understand.
“At your age, you should have someone you fancy, right?”
Qin Zhengji glanced at Qin Bei, who wore an expression of I-can’t-believe-this, and asked.
“Yeah, I do have someone I like, and I even have two wives! But don’t worry, I have no interest in anyone from the Holy Demon Empire.”
Qin Bei responded confidently.
“Hey~ I hope you’re still able to say that in the future. But it’s uncertain whether you can withstand such a trial, and as for your father… well, who knows if he can handle it.”
Qin Zhengji’s expression became oddly distant as he said this.
This only left Qin Bei more bewildered.
Suddenly, he realized a crucial problem.
It was highly likely his father might face a similar dilemma as Qin Zhengji did back then.
Otherwise, how should the Imperial Concubine explain her presence?
“No, you need to clarify things a bit more! What on earth is going on?”
Qin Bei asked, a sense of urgency creeping into his tone.
Even though he often argued playfully with Emperor Xia, teasing him and bickering, he understood that in such crucial matters, he had to ensure his father didn’t go astray.
Not walking down the same path that Qin Zhengji took.
Seeing something in Qin Bei’s eyes, Qin Zhengji chuckled.
“She’s wonderful. Since childhood, she was sent by the Holy Demon Empire to approach someone from the royal family—me. In the end, she succeeded. We’ve known each other forever, and I genuinely fell for her. I gave her everything she wanted.”
As Qin Zhengji reflected, a hint of melancholy crept onto his features.
This part of his memory was likely both happy yet bittersweet for him.
“She actually revealed her identity early on—that she was sent by the Holy Demon Empire. But I was young and brash; I didn’t care about any of that. Love is love; no one could thwart it—not even the Holy Demon Empire.”
Qin Zhengji was lost in reminiscences once again.
Qin Bei listened keenly.
So, the princess of the Holy Demon Empire was originally a spy sent by them.
The sole purpose? To get close to individuals with potential within the royal family. If they could seduce an emperor like Qin Zhengji, it was the ultimate success.
The operatives sent out practiced a peculiar magic technique; when at low levels, nothing seemed off.
Once their cultivation reached greater heights, they could suppress their demonic aura periodically, remaining undetected.
Yet the techniques were unequivocally demon-related.
Practicing them could impact one’s psyche.
Especially as one became stronger, the ramifications would worsen.
Consequently, such individuals historically didn’t end with happy endings.
Either they were discovered and eliminated by the people of Great Xia, or they succumbed to mental corruption from their techniques, ultimately sealing their powers and returning to the Holy Demon Empire.
Only a scant few managed to truly connect with powerful individuals in the royal family, making them fall for themselves.
Just like Qin Zhengji did.
But for someone like Qin Zhengji, it was the case where the other party fell in love with him as well.
A mutual pursuit is ideally the best fate.
But for Qin Zhengji, it morphed into the worst outcome.
From the moment he became aware, if the princess of the Holy Demon Empire didn’t love him, but merely sought her empire’s ambition, he would have been able to strike her down swiftly, despite being smitten.
Regrettably, it ended up resulting in that fateful mutual attraction.
…….
P.S.: I forgot to update yesterday, so now I’ve incurred a 600 yuan penalty for full attendance! How tragic! But I still posted yesterday’s just to have the audacity to ask for some gifts~~