They set off at dawn, the horses galloping like the wind to their next destination, Chóngshēng forest. The forest of rebirth, it was a two-week journey from their current location and the first week they spent camping out as they couldn't find any villages, only a few farmers were dotted in the area and so Liu JiLian took her time to read the book and find any clues, there were a few English words in the book which supported the authenticity of the story she read. There was something she wasn't sure of, a "soul weapon" was mentioned multiple times but she was unsure of what they were or if they still existed.
If they still existed could she awaken one?
"How long are you gonna stare at the book? You'll hurt your eyes.." She was hugged from behind by Mu Chen who was cooking dinner for the two of them. It was easy enough to hunt with his skills, she was still a weak young miss. His hands rubbed her inner thigh and she chuckled squeezing her legs together. She honestly didn't mind this feeling of freedom that came with traveling.
"Do you want to get revenge on the people that attacked your country?" She asked, he shuffled her into his lap and looked up to the sky. He had left a sign for any-one of his men that managed to escape, of course, he wanted revenge, he had already told them what to do while he followed his wife around, after all, he still had to offer her the world.
"Don't worry about it."
"Don't you need to go and find any survivors?" That was true but he felt unwilling to leave since they were still on their honeymoon.
"I'll feel better if I can find you a place to stay while you wait for me." His hand trailed higher up and he kissed her neck. Nagini didn't pay any attention to them but rather he looked the disgraded book staring once again at the picture of the crimson king.
The next morning they set off again, Liu JiLian insisted on walking most of the way, sitting on a horse for hours was uncomfortable, she asked her husband to teach her basic defense skills, however, they found a carriage going to the same destination and she was quick to ask for a ride.
Luckily for them, he agreed to accompany them. He was coincidentally from her home Kingdom and had some shocking news for her.
"Haven't you heard? The Emperor is dead."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "What happened?"
"The imperial palace hasn't released anything but it was the princess who used evil magic to kill the Emperor! She dared to steal the throne and sit on it! Women like her are a curse." The man didn't notice the sly smile creeping on Liu JiLian's lips, Nagini slithered through the grass and bite the man painlessly.
"Trash like you don't even have the right to kiss her feet." She said under her breath, she couldn't believe this, she had usurped the throne!
"What did you say-!?" His huge body collapsed to the floor and she stood up walking up to his half-dead body and stepping on it.
"Scum like you can just die." He dared to insult her friend, "the Emperor was trash, they only put up with his shit because he was a man if Zhou Lan was a woman she would be the heroic prince who killed the useless Emperor, wouldn't she?"
He couldn't answer, but he regretted saying something like that in front of this woman. It was just a comment, so why was he dying so pathetically?
"Sexism is so prevalent, even if you have power you're still subpar."
"Mu Chen, why is this world so dirty?" She asked looking at the corpse below her.
"Compared to you, the world is inferior."
Yeah... the world deserved to burn.
"Do you remember?" He asked looking into her eyes that seemed lighter and the roots of her beautiful ink-black hair seemed slightly grey.
"Are you Alein or Jeremiah?" She asked.
"I am Alein."
"Who is Alein?"
Ah. She hasn't remembered everything yet.
"It's late you should sleep," he said concealing his sadness behind his smile. He would have burnt the world to the ground if she allowed him after all, the world sacrificed her in their last life, they don't deserve anything.
He glanced at the book on the floor, he had died before Regina, so he was unaware of what happened after her death. He allowed her to sleep in his embrace.
"You remember?" Before him was the infamous 'Solomon' asking Mu Chen if he realized the woman he was holding in his arms was the woman who was meant to destroy the world once again.
"What happened after my death?"