Chapter 528: Chapter 355: I Will Never Become You

The ethereal figure of Rong Miaoyan flashed before her eyes, tears welled up in her eyes, and finally fell down.

The days Cheng Yu left were short, yet his voice, demeanor, and smile were still vivid before her eyes.

That day, Rong Jing clearly promised her to release Cheng Yu, yet what she waited for in the Yonghua Palace was a lifeless corpse.

This man was an emperor without a heart.

Rong Jing looked calmly at the tearfulness in Rong Miaoyan’s eyes, then suddenly, the corners of his lips formed a gentle smile.

At least he has a daughter who is proud enough... who knows how to hide her hatred, cruel and merciless enough.

This drug was chosen well, it hurt, hurt so clearly that it kept him particularly sober and rational, only too bitter.

But... this alone was not enough.

Rong Jing was aware he was not a qualified ruler.

He knew the grand principles spoken by the civil and military officials, yet he just did not want to follow them.

Rong Jing even knew that if he plotted slowly, with benevolence in his heart, spared those people, they would also spare him.

But whenever he thought this way, a voice in his head kept telling him continuously that if he did not wish to die, he should not relent.

Pain shared with them allowed him to feel the meaning of being alive.

Rong Jing still remembered clearly the young days when he angrily killed a corrupt subordinate of the Su Family, receiving in return a full day and night of Heart-devouring Incense.

From that time on, Rong Jing got accustomed to the scent of Heart-devouring Incense.

He felt that the world was already rotten to the core.

Since everyone in the world is selfish, living only for themselves, then as an emperor, why couldn’t he do the same?

He wanted to manipulate power and human hearts like toys; he wanted to take revenge on what Rong Huan said to him before dying, to prove to him that he was no worse than anyone.

Yet in the end, he failed.

Holding his chest, Rong Jing felt a churning nausea, bitterness rising in his throat.

He knew this was probably due to the effects of Ning An’s drug.

If he had held on to the ideas of his youth, maybe everything would have been different, but even if given another life, he would still make the same choice.

He was indeed very tired, so tired that he wanted to end everything quickly.

Just, Ning An, do not repeat his mistakes.

Rong Miaoyan saw the smile on Rong Jing’s face and her breath was momentarily halted.

"Why are you smiling?"

Rong Miaoyan asked word by word, a small needle-like pain pricking her heart, spreading to every part of her body.

Rong Jing still looked at her calmly, even though his insides twisted with pain, he merely furrowed his brow lightly.

His untied black hair cascaded over the crimson Dragon Robe, the robe like blood, the long hair like ink, the dark pupils sweeping past like a soul-capturing demon. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Rong Miaoyan bit her lower lip, the hand that previously held the Eight Sufferings Poison hidden in the sleeve of her plain robe, clenched tightly into a fist.

Her slightly long nails, painted in consort-colored gouache, dug into her palm, with blood seeping through her palm’s lines.

Not painful,

she told herself.

The person in front of her was her father’s killer, the source of her mother’s tragedy, the culprit responsible for Cheng Yu’s death, for plunging Dayan into chaos—

Her breathing paused, and for a moment, Rong Miaoyan tasted the flavor of blood.

Finally, a tear as large as a bean uncontrollably rolled down from her eyes, the tear mole at the corner of her eye turned a shade of crimson, as if ready to fall off along with the tears.

"I smile, smile at your cruelty, just because of a servant, you killed your father, murdered your monarch, usurped the throne. Ning An, you killed me today, yet have become another me."

Rong Jing hid the deep emotion in his eyes, and when he looked up again, his eyes held a depth that Rong Miaoyan couldn’t understand, but his tone was laden with sarcasm and enchantment.

His pale lips parted and closed, every word he said felt like a terrifying curse, branding itself onto her heart.

The pain on her lips brought Rong Miaoyan back to her senses. When she heard the words "murdered your monarch", her heart quivered, and she subconsciously took a few steps back, staggering until her back touched the cold wall.

Lan Nu took a step forward, wanting to help her, but she waved her hand, dismissing the help, her eyes losing their color.

Rong Miaoyan bowed her head, she saw her own hands trembling.

"Stop shaking..."

Rong Miaoyan commanded softly, yet her hands refused to obey.

Those were fair, slender hands, the lines on her palms clear and delicate, fingertips calloused from writing, and in her palms were blood marks from her own nails digging in, like scratches from a raccoon.

But gradually, in Rong Miaoyan’s eyes, these hands turned into a terrifying blood-red.