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Actually, she had this feeling for a long time...

Cui Yan was always so good-tempered with her, no matter how mischievous she acted, he would indulge her, and he even unconsciously matched some of her habits in small details.

This made her comfortable, but it also gave her a sense of insecurity.

At that time, she knew that if she continued with Cui Yan, she would find it harder and harder to let go, so when the mission in the Capital City was about to be carried out, she made her move...

"Ugh!!"

Ali lay on the ground, retching continuously, her body convulsing so violently that she nearly vomited out all the Bile Water, but the Empress was far from disgusted; instead, she watched with interest.

Pan Kai, the only male in the art department, always delivered milk tea to the female artists with diligence, but everyone knew that his daily devotion was actually aimed at the team leader.

Ali knew, Ali had known for a long time, that the shy boy who had not been on the job long had a crush on her.

She didn’t like relationships with younger men; she always felt that after the initial novelty wore off, he would start to disdain her because of her age, so no matter how eagerly he behaved towards her, she never took the bait.

However, she hadn’t expected that the timid young man would remember all her little habits and take such good care of her...

"Ugh!!"

The more she reminisced about the past, the more violently Ali vomited, as if she wanted to throw up her own stomach, because the image of her eating that man’s heart and liver was almost etched into her mind!

"How pitiful..." the Empress sauntered over, stroking Ali’s black, lustrous hair: "Why bother? Some memories are just a nuisance, aren’t they? Look, Pan Kai doesn’t remember you.

He only remembers marrying a woman he admired so much in this lifetime, and even when you killed him, the pain was just a moment, at least he was blissfully happy for those two years before that, wasn’t he? "

Ali lifted her head and stared fiercely at the other party, "Was it you who arranged this?"

"You flatter us too much..." the Empress shook her head: "Reincarnation is the one thing we have the least control over. We only got some information about Cui Yan after his death through the Soul-devouring Demon, and only then did we learn of the situation. Where he is now, he’s long lost, starting anew, a new cycle of life.

He will forget all this and embark on a new life.

Perhaps one day he might even meet you again on this continent, right? "

Ali fell silent; her fierce gaze slowly faded. She felt that the other party wasn’t lying; meeting Cui Yan... was just luck.

Ha... what a twist of fate indeed.

She only hoped that the fool wouldn’t have such bad luck in the future... that he wouldn’t... meet her again...

The Empress watched with a smiling gaze as Ali’s emotions gradually stabilized. At this moment, Ali’s eyes slowly lost their luster, not even realizing herself that her distinctive green pupils were gradually turning yellow...

That’s how it was...

They had experimented many times before, when a player reached the limits of despair and pain, unable to accept this world, they would subconsciously choose to hide their memories, and slowly... after reincarnation, they would completely forget everything that had happened.

By that time, they... would be no different from the NPCs of this world.

"Remember your promise, Ali..." the Empress stood up, and this time, she called out Ali’s name.

The Thousand-Faced Fox had a divine skill that ensured even the most powerful could not remember her true self, including her original appearance and name.

These two points alone caused countless powerful figures endless headaches.

Furthermore, Ali who had been through reincarnation and had even met the Twilight Sorcerer, proved to be two ultimate troublemakers.

Well, that’s good... as long as they could break the girl’s mind this time around, there would be few remaining demons from the first version worth fearing...

When leaving the room, Ali didn’t lift her head, just silently looked at the yellow puddle on the ground, her eyes lifeless.

"I’m sorry..."

---------------------------------

Before the break of dawn the next day, the immense martial arts field outside Vermilion Bird Gate in the Capital City was packed with people.

The Capital had been gloomy for half a year; the once bustling markets were now deserted, and it was rare for such excitement to occur.

But the love for excitement was in human nature, especially for a duel shrouded in gossip.

One was a prince from the Southern Barbarians, reputed to be so ferocious that he had even beheaded his own father in a bid for a woman, and the other was the unique exterior prince of Great Jin, founder of the much-admired land of Jiangnan.

That these two would put aside their titles and duel in the martial arts field over a princess from Great Jin’s imperial clan, with no consideration for life or death!

Who would want to miss such a spectacle?

That day, the Imperial Army tasked with maintaining order numbered in the thousands, and the vast martial arts field had not been this lively in twenty years.

Of course, ordinary commoners could only watch the martial competition from the lowest three tiers or even from the stacked platforms along the perimeter walls, whereas the better seats were all taken early by the descendants of great families.

The best seats, however, were personally occupied by the royal family.

The Empress Dowager, who had not shown herself for a long time, was dressed in black, with a golden phoenix embroidered on her clothes, exuding a solemn and dignified presence, and several princes of the royal family were also present.

These princes were rarely seen in public, as most of them, having failed to awaken their bloodline, possessed various disabilities—some were clubfooted, others had hands the size of children’s, and there was even one with a disproportionately large head.

Because of their insecurities, these princes seldom appeared in public events, but this time, they all arrived.

"Oh, even the fourth brother came? Cough cough cough..."

The newcomer had just found a seat when he spotted an extremely conspicuous and unexpected figure.

It was the King’s fourth son, once the most likely to succeed in his awakening but, following his tragic failure, had become the most dismal case, his head swollen like a drum, making him look more like a monster.

Everyone knew that since his failed awakening, he had been living in seclusion in the prince’s residence, barely leaving the house. With his current appearance, who would want to wander the streets?

The fourth prince looked up at the man, Old Liu Siao Mingxuan, also one of the princes who had failed to awaken his bloodline.

Unlike himself, if this fellow drank some ginseng soup and applied makeup, he could still pass for a normal person, but everyone knew he was weak.

Without a child for over a decade, although he was deformed, he had nonetheless sired four or five more children for the Siao Family.

Given time for these children to grow up, it’s possible they might, like his royal sister, awaken the prestigious bloodline.

Thinking of his sister, the fourth prince couldn’t help but look her way. She was now standing beside the Empress Dowager, her face cold and indifferent, far different from the lively and sunny demeanor he used to see. From the moment she entered, she hadn’t glanced once at her older brothers.

Indeed... people are all the same; once in power, everyone’s nose turns up at the sky.

"The Empress Dowager is well!" Old Liu stepped forward to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly. Among the many princes, she was the least concerned about Old Liu. The others, despite their deformities, could at least continue the Siao Family lineage, but Old Liu... was simply a waste of royal resources.

"Sister, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other," Old Liu said to Siao Mingxue, his eyes warm, assuming the gentle brotherly pose.

"It has been a long time," Siao Mingxue replied indifferently.

Their relationship was different from that of other princes and princesses—they were blood siblings!

But that was not enough to add even a hint of warmth to Siao Mingxue’s gaze.

Throughout their childhood, she had witnessed too much of her brother’s brutality. It was said that he had tortured many a palace maid to a tragic death. Their mother, fearing he might harm her one day, had sent him out of the palace early to establish his own estate.

On the day of their mother’s death, he had not even visited once. Now, this show of sibling warmth, whom was it performed for?

Watching his own sister’s demeanor, a dark shadow passed through Old Liu Siao Mingxuan’s eyes, but he still kept his smile.

Unlike other princes who hoped Siao Mingxue would marry outside, he wished that his sister, who had suddenly revealed such a pleasant surprise, would stay...

After all, the Crown Prince was dead, and the position of heir apparent remained unclear; all princes had a chance.

Although they had disabilities, they could at least produce an heir.

If pure Golden Crow Blood emerged among their offspring, they would have a chance to compete for the heir apparent.

Only he himself could not!

He was originally the least likely, but now Siao Mingxue had given him a chance. There were miraculous medical practitioners in Jiangnan, and many mountains gods said to be able to cure countless diseases.

The Ginseng Blood Wine he had worshipped before allowed him to experience some reactions for a short time, which had surprised and pleased him.

Whether his sister became the Princess Consort of Jiangnan or the next heir apparent of the Capital City, there was a chance to cure his illness.

Once cured, he could then strive for the next step, could he not?

All these premises rested on Jiangnan winning.

The King intended to betroth the Princess to those disgusting Southern Barbarians.

He didn’t understand where the King got such a perverse taste; it wasn’t about pitying his sister, but he felt that only if Jiangnan won would Siao Mingxue have a chance to stay.

At this thought, he looked toward the vast Martial Arts Field, where the Court Grand Sorcerer had already appeared, draping the entire field with a meticulously cast Barrier Technique. The eagerly awaited duel was about to begin.

There were rumors that Chen Qing had defeated Duke of Qin Lumings; he could only hope those were true and that he could fight...

Siao Mingxuan looked toward the Southern Barbarian waiting to enter the field from the backstage area.

To be honest, he looked down upon these barbarians, but he had to admit, this one was dangerous. The remnants of the Golden Crow Blood within him told him that this barbarian... was an entity even more dangerous than the King himself!