Bai Ze lowered his head, his expression unreadable, only the trembling of his dark little hands, squeezing out crimson blood, could be seen.
"Why..."
"Why did you want to kill me..."
He was so tired he couldn't walk, so he curled up by the street to sleep. He was so hungry his stomach ached and he vomited, yet he only picked up leftovers others had discarded...
He had done nothing, absolutely nothing, had he?
Was it because he was the child of a demoness? Because he had dirty blood flowing within him? Or because... he was too weak?
Too weak...
That's right, he was too weak...
'What a disgusting appearance you have—'
'He has the dirty blood of demons flowing within him—'
'What bad luck, to run into a demoness's child as soon as I step out—'
'A few gold coins for this poison powder, what a waste—'
Pairs of hateful and contemptuous eyes, sharp and piercing words, all transformed into a colossal shadow, enveloping Bai Ze's heart.
"Ha... Hahahahaha..."
A sudden laugh rang out. Everyone looked towards the sound, only to see Bai Ze staring directly at them, a sinister smile plastered on his face, chilling them to the bone.
"Him? What's he laughing at?" The middle-aged man looked at the small figure, and for some reason, felt a prickle of unease in his heart.
Under everyone's gaze, Bai Ze slowly walked towards the little cat in the pool of blood. He crouched down and untied the red wooden sword tied around its neck.
"Dirty..." Bai Ze reached out, wiped the bloodstains off the wooden sword, and then put it back around his neck.
"Dirty..."
Was he referring to the little cat's blood-stained fur, the wooden sword around his neck...
Or was he talking about something else... something tainted by darkness...
...
"Divine Emperor, someone is requesting an audience outside the palace," the attendant stepped forward and bowed.
Mo Chengze propped his chin, casually glancing at the guard, "Who is it."
"It's that child..."
The great hall fell silent for a long time. Mo Chengze narrowed his dark eyes, a flicker of impatience flashing within them.
"Drive him away. If he comes again, execute him directly—"
"But..." The guard's voice faltered. He took out a bloody chunk of meat from his storage ring, still sticky with warm blood.
"He crawled to the palace, and this piece of meat was in his mouth when he arrived."
Meat? Mo Chengze stood up, staring intently at the chunk of meat, "Whose meat?"
Then, the attendant recounted the incident of the commoner poisoning the little cat, "Afterward, the child bit off this piece of meat from a commoner's neck..."
At this moment, he was beaten to the brink of death, seemingly having used all his strength, dragging his broken legs as he crawled to the palace.
A long trail of blood marked the entire road, extending to the palace entrance, a terrifying sight.
"So that's how it is..." Mo Chengze raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement appearing in his eyes. "Bring him in."
"Yes!" The attendant retreated from the hall upon receiving the order.
Half an hour later, Bai Ze was brought before Mo Chengze, being dragged along.
This was their second meeting, and his appearance was beyond pathetic. His legs were broken, his right ear was severed, and there wasn't a single intact inch of skin on his body.
But his eyes were the complete opposite of when he had first arrived.
Gone was the cowardice, the timidity. In its place was a numbness and emptiness as deep as an abyss.
"Become strong... must become strong..." Bai Ze was held up by the guards. Although he was on the verge of losing consciousness, he still mumbled to himself.
He wanted power, status, he wanted people to not dare to look up at him, to not dare to speak carelessly...
Mo Chengze sneered and slowly approached Bai Ze, "Since that is the case, I shall give you a choice."
As he spoke, he retrieved an ancient book from the side. Its cover bore a bizarre diagram, and the words 'Qi Huang Formation' were prominently displayed.
"One path is to abandon your useless emotions and laughable attachments, and become a powerful figure feared by all in the Divine Realm."
"The other path..."
Before Mo Chengze could finish speaking, Bai Ze broke free from the guards and snatched the ancient book.
At the same time, he could no longer hold on, and clutching the ancient book, he collapsed heavily onto the ground, falling unconscious.
"Good—Hahahaha—"
Mo Chengze stared intently at Bai Ze, his eyes gleaming with fervent heat and boundless excitement. "Good—!"
Three days. Bai Ze remained unconscious for three full days.
When he awoke, all his wounds had vanished, and he felt as if he had been reborn, utterly refreshed.
Qi Huang Formation... The ancient book lay beside Bai Ze's pillow. He lowered his gaze, his dark eyes revealing a chilling coldness.
That day, the entire street turned into a slaughterhouse. All the commoners were brutally killed in various ways.
The commoners fled in continuous waves, their cries of agony and pleas for Bai Ze to spare them, but Bai Ze, at this moment, was like a bloodthirsty, savage madman, killing anyone he saw.
Whether they were innocent or deserved their fate, it was of no consequence to him...
He had exchanged his seven emotions and six desires for the strength he so craved... becoming a truly chilling madman.
Mo Chengze did not blame him, but instead asked the question again.
"I ask you, do you wish to see your mother?"
The scene was the same, the people were the same, but the answer received was completely different.
Bai Ze raised his eyes, his deep dark pupils reflecting a chilling glint. He curled his lips and smiled coldly, "No..."
"I have no mother..."
Perhaps it was due to the loss of his seven emotions and six desires, but he began to feel that the warm home of his memories held no particular significance...
Even when he witnessed his father's soul being replaced by Mo Chengze and his mother being murdered by Mo Chengze, he merely watched with cold indifference, unmoved...
Mo Chengze was very pleased with his current demeanor and even changed his surname. From then on, he was named Mo Ze.
The timid, cowardly, yet kind and considerate Bai Ze, died in the past...
...
The scene before his eyes gradually dissipated. Flower petals fluttered, and the fragrance once again enveloped his senses.
In front of Bai Ran stood the already shattered four tombstones, and the final tombstone that was in the process of shattering.
Each time she returned from her seal, she would take a long time to recover, and this time was no exception.
Bai Ran turned her head and looked out at the boundless sea of flowers. She seemed to see two small figures.
Hand in hand, they darted through the flower bushes, which were taller than themselves, their laughter constant...
The child born as a harbinger of good fortune became a cruel and bloodthirsty Divine Emperor.
The child born as a harbinger of disaster became the hope of everyone...
How could... how could it have turned out this way...