Chapter 166: Borrowing Fifty More Years
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Zhuque Street, Xue Family Residence
Late at night, under the dim glow of lanterns in the Xue family’s backyard, soft sobs broke the silence.
“Huang’er, my dear Huang’er, you must pull through this,” a woman cried, her cheeks marked by frost and streaked with gray. She was hunched over a bed, tears streaming down her face.
On the bed lay a young man in his twenties, his complexion sickly pale and his lips a ghostly white. A maid propped him up to sip a bowl of crimson liquid, which left a stark red stain on his lips, adding to his ghostly appearance.
“Mother, have we borrowed enough life yet?” Xue Huang asked in a frail voice.
The family had resorted to ancient, dark practices, believing the blood of a virgin could extend life. Despite drinking several bowls, Xue Huang’s health hadn’t improved.
In the basement, two young female beggars were held captive, their futures uncertain.
“It’s not easy to borrow life,” the woman sighed. “It requires a person of extraordinary fortune and destiny, and such individuals are usually from affluent families. Why would they lend their life to us?”
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Xue Huang’s eyes. “I am the sole heir of the royal Xue family. It’s their privilege to lend me their life. Who would dare refuse?” he declared coldly. “Don’t they desire the restoration of our dynasty? Cough, cough, cough…”
His coughing fits made his already pale lips appear even more alarming.
“The ungrateful masses! They ate from the bowl that belonged to the Xue clan, yet now they laud the king of North Zhao, who usurped the throne and toppled our dynasty! How can our ancestors rest knowing this?”
In the room, a group knelt, the elderly at the front, their eyes brimming with resentment. The past king had constrained the Xue family, allowing them to live but limiting their lineage to a single wife. Since the fall of the dynasty, the Xue family had barely managed to maintain a lineage—two sons and a daughter from the legitimate wife, but only Xue Huang survived.
Worse still, Xue Huang had been married for ten years without offspring. King Xuan Ping kept a close watch, granting the family only fleeting freedoms by night.
“How are the preparations with the expert?” Xue Huang inquired.
Before anyone could respond, a voice from outside the door whispered, “It’s arranged.”
“The life borrowing will succeed. We need only to complete the ritual during tomorrow’s sacrifice,” a young maid informed them.
Joy ignited in Xue Huang’s eyes as the room erupted in tears of relief. “We’re saved. The Xue family will endure.”
Grinning, Xue Huang revealed, “Princess Sunshine is an exceptional candidate. She’s the beloved adopted daughter of King Xuan Ping. By borrowing her life, we’ll also acquire some of her fortune and deeply wound the king!”
An elderly man with white hair cheered, “Prepare for tomorrow’s sacrifice and notify the king. The Xue family will perform rites at our royal tomb.”
“Though fallen, we haven’t honored our ancestors for decades. Would King Xuan Ping even dare interfere?” Xue Huang ordered a message be sent to the palace.
At that moment, the king read the request and scoffed. “Let them proceed. It’s laughable they still wish to honor ancestors at the royal tomb. I won’t stop them.”
The king decreed, “Allow the Xue family their rites. And let all former dynasty officials join them. I bear them no ill will.”
The chief eunuch puzzled over the king’s calmness; the king typically prevented any Xue interactions with former officials. Was his calmness a facade?
“Proceed, let them all attend. I shall impose no punishments,” the king declared with a mysterious smile.
[Thinking, ‘Borrow life from Chao Chao? What a farce. Even the late king in my dreams warned to handle her with care. You think you’ll succeed? I’ll witness the Xue family’s own undoing.’]
Secretly, the king summoned his guards, aware of Chao Chao’s capabilities yet remaining vigilant. “At dawn, bring Chao Chao to the palace. Should there be any threat, signal immediately and halt their ritual.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Next Morning
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Lu Chao Chao was brought to the palace. She dashed into the king’s embrace like a young foal.
“King Daddy!”
“Oh, my dear! Have you gotten a bit plump?” the king chuckled, lifting her up and noting her sturdy build.
“Auntie says girls shouldn’t be called plump!” Chao Chao corrected in her childlike voice.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say that again. You’re doing wonderfully,” the king cooed, his affection growing.
He carried her up to the highest tower in the palace, the crown prince trailing behind, his gaze lingering on the towering structure, a mix of admiration and melancholy in his eyes.
“What’s this tower?” Chao Chao inquired, intrigued by its height.
“This tower holds the Heart of North Zhao, a sacred relic coveted by rival kingdoms. It’s guarded by our family across generations,” the king explained.
Only kings and crown princes were permitted inside. The king ascended with Chao Chao, the prince close by, while the attendants remained outside.
“Atop lies the Heart of North Zhao, awaited by its true keeper. The legend claims it transformed a barren land into a flourishing realm,” the king shared, his voice a blend of skepticism and pride.
“Perhaps the legend holds truth,” the prince whispered, almost to himself.
From the tower, they could see the beginning of the Xue family’s sacrificial ceremony. Emotions ran high among the attendees, including old officials once loyal to the Xue rulers, now tearful at the sight of their former lords’ tomb.
A Daoist expert, clad in a ceremonial robe, stood before an incense table, murmuring chants. The Xue family, led by Xue Huang, knelt devoutly.
“Bring forth the items,” the expert commanded. A woman handed over a handkerchief belonging to Lu Chao Chao and a paper with her birthdate, which were burned in a bronze basin.
“Add your blood,” the expert instructed loudly. Xue Huang promptly cut his finger, his blood dripping into the basin.
Thus, the ritual of life borrowing began.