Love and Hate

“The Heavenly Saint Dynasty will not do something that is immoral and goes against human nature. I don’t want to hear about this ever again!”

Liu Ruxi lowered her voice and imitated the tone of the late emperor. Her exaggerated expression made her look like an actress in a comedy, but her eyes were filled with disappointment.

After a few minutes, the empress asked in a hoarse voice, “What happened later?”

“Later?”

A nostalgic expression appeared on Liu Ruxi’s face. “I promised your father that I wouldn’t mention it again, but you know that I won’t give up. Your father knew that too.”

“Half a month after I returned to the capital, your father suggested bringing me to go hunting. However, when we were galloping in the hunting ground, your father deliberately slowed down and aimed a poisonous arrow at me.”

As she spoke, Liu Ruxi gently tore open the armor on her neck. There was a shallow but abnormally grotesque scar on the side of her neck.

Even after decades, the scar was still obvious. It was like a strange pink creature with many tentacles lying on her fair neck.

“I’ve fought for the Heavenly Saint Dynasty for 30 years and participated in hundreds of battles.”

Liu Ruxi smiled sadly as she put her armor back on. Tears were already rolling down her face. “But in the end, I almost died at the hands of your father… Isn’t that ironic?”

The empress gritted her teeth and did not say anything. She never knew that there was actually such a thing between her father and mother. This information was too much for her to absorb at this moment.

In a daze, the scene of her childhood appeared in front of the empress—

At that time, she was still a carefree little girl. Every time her father finished dealing with state affairs, he would lift her up on his lap and look at the hairpin in a daze.

“Father, what is this?”

“This is called Spirit Rhinoceros. It can let you hear the voice of your beloved.”

“Then who did you hear?”

“Your mother, of course.”

“Why isn’t Mother back yet?”

“…Your mother went to a very, very far place.”

“Then can I listen to her voice too? I really miss her…”

historical

“Haha… You’re still young. You can’t hear her voice.”

“When will I be able to hear it?”

“…When you grow up, you’ll naturally be able to hear it.”

…

Memories that had been locked up in her heart for countless years began to surge out in front of the empress.

The flashing scenes made the empress dizzy. She staggered and bumped into a firm chest.

“Lin Ran…”

The empress looked up and saw Lin Ran’s side profile. Tears rolled down her face like pearls.

She held Lin Ran’s hand tightly like a drowning person clutching at a driftwood. “Tell me this isn’t true… This isn’t true, right? I believe you. Tell me this isn’t true!”

Looking at the tearful empress, Lin Ran felt as if ten thousand knives were stabbing at his heart. However, he still said expressionlessly, “I’m sorry, this is true. She doesn’t have to lie.”

“You are lying!”

The empress screamed and suddenly raised her hand to slap Lin Ran’s face.

With a crisp slap, a red palm mark immediately appeared on Lin Ran’s face.

However, he did not seem to feel anything. He placed his hands on the empress’s shoulders and forced her to look straight at him. He said emphatically, “I know this is difficult to accept, but you’re the emperor of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty! You have to be strong for your dynasty and your people!”

“I don’t want to live like this!”

The empress struggled with all her might, her exquisite face twisted from the mental breakdown.

Suddenly, the empress was hugged by a man’s strong arms. A calm voice whispered in her ear, “I know this is not easy for you, but I will face it together with you.”

Feeling Lin Ran’s strong heartbeat, the empress gradually calmed down. She hugged Lin Ran and said softly, “Help me.”

Lin Ran nodded. “It’s better if you don’t watch what is about to happen.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ran let go of the empress and tore a piece of cloth from his clothes to cover her eyes. Then, he summoned the Yin-Yang Sword. With a light wave, thousands of sword energy surged out and instantly formed a sword energy cage that enveloped the empress.

After doing all this, Lin Ran looked at Liu Ruxi. “She can’t hear or see now. Can I ask you a question?”

Liu Ruxi nodded.

Lin Ran frowned and asked in confusion, “Since you hate the late emperor so much, why do you want to bring the method of producing cocoons back to the Heavenly Saint Dynasty? Because if I were you, I would have made hundreds of thousands of cocoons and wiped out the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.”

“You’re wrong. I don’t hate him.”

Liu Ruxi shook her head and added, “To be precise, I don’t have any feelings for that man now.”

Lin Ran looked puzzled.

“He’s the only lover I’ve ever had in my life, but in the past few decades, every time I thought of that arrow he shot at me, my love for him would fade away a little. Now, we’re even.”

Liu Ruxi explained, “That’s why I don’t feel anything for that man.”

Lin Ran nodded in realization. “But have you ever thought that he might have deliberately missed that arrow back then?”

Liu Ruxi’s heart skipped a beat. His lover was extremely skilled in martial arts, especially his archery. He could hit the wing of a fly from a thousand steps away.

“It’s not too late to turn back.”

Lin Ran glanced at the empress in the sword energy cage and looked at Liu Ruxi. “It’s a little difficult to let you return to the Heavenly Saint Dynasty as the empress dowager, but it’s still very easy to let you live.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Liu Ruxi smiled. The soft sword in her hand trembled slightly, making a clanging sound. “Perhaps you’re right. I should completely flatten the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.”

...

Liu Ruxi’s voice was very calm, but Lin Ran frowned when he heard that. He asked calmly, “I thought you didn’t hate the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.”

“That was in the past.”

Liu Ruxi’s gaze drifted to the sword energy cage. “He didn’t believe me back then, and now she doesn’t believe me either. My decades-long effort is not appreciated… Why should I show mercy to such a dynasty and family?”

Lin Ran narrowed his eyes and didn’t say anything. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say it, but he didn’t have the chance to.

As soon as Liu Ruxi finished speaking, a large piece of gauze suddenly surged out of the gap in the thin armor. Her figure turned into a blurry shadow and appeared in front of Lin Ran almost instantly!