Now let"s go to Jiang Li"s current background.Like said earlier, the body was created for him, so his current ident.i.ty didn"t appear in the story. He was now Luke Wade, the firstborn of Marquis Allen Wade and the heir to Wade"s marquisate.
As a high n.o.ble of course, his family were staying in the capital and only sending people to their fief to manage it. Sometimes the father would visit the territory, but because he was working as an advisor in the palace, he couldn"t stay there for long. Once in a while, the Marquis would bring his whole family there to enjoy the countryside and breathe some fresh air devoid of the capital"s pollution and corruption. But they were staying more in the capital since that was where their connections were, plus it was a symbol of privilege. Only n.o.bilities with t.i.tle
According to the system, Jiang Li would be in the world where the female lead had already gone back in time. The only problem was that it would happen twenty years in the future. Well, he was not truly concern about how long he would have to wait before the plot commenced. But of course, a certain thought always popped up in his head every time he was bored to death.
"I feel like rooting out the imperial family or preventing the male lead"s birth to save some effort."
He pa.s.sed his few years frequently saying this to himself and hearing warning from the system.
Somehow, without him noticing, he grew older and until he became thirteen years old. He reached that age doing his lessons and searching around for anybody who could be Ye Xinya. However, his luck in his family did not extend to that matter. Despite the effort put in, he never saw her.
It seemed like he had guessed before she only appeared right before or while the plot was unfolding.
And it also seemed like the plot was finally done being merciful to him since, on his thirteenth year in this world, bad news pa.s.sed into his ears from the mouth of their family doctor.
It was after he woke up learning that he pa.s.sed out twelve hours ago while in the middle of his sword training.
All of a sudden, Jiang Li"s bedroom became strangely populated yet very silent. For a moment, when he roamed his eyes around, he wondered if the Marquis whimsically had called a meeting for servants in his room.
Meanwhile, under the menacing yet scared eyes of Jiang Li"s father and mother, the doctor awkwardly shook his head. He then spoke in a soft but sad tone. "I"m sorry, Marquis Wade, Lady Helena. While it"s unfortunate, I have no choice but inform you two that Young master Luke has that curse."
The thirteen-year-old boy sitting in his huge bed stared awkwardly at his father who suddenly sported a very grim expression, then to his mother who seemed to be on the verge of crying.
"Curse? I"m healthy a day ago, but suddenly felt so ill and weak. Is this what the system warned me about before? About how the one manipulating the plot will start to notice me for real and act against me?" He sneered in his heart.
"Doctor Julius, please forgive our ignorance. But will you please... clarify to us what you mean?"
In a trembling voice, the lady who was clutching her chest for seemingly having trouble breathing braved asking. However, it could be seen from the expression in her face that she had an idea what it was and only asked in hopes that the doctor would tell her that her guess was wrong.
As if heaven was laughing at her, the doctor shook his head again. He glanced at Jiang Li, showing hesitation for a couple of seconds. Then he returned his eyes at the marquis who was now hugging his silently crying wife.
"It"s the Grim"s Heart Curse. I don"t know what happened for the young master to suddenly contract it." Sitting on the edge of Jiang Li"s bed, the doctor chanted something and then his hand hanging in the air above Jiang Li"s chest suddenly emitted a mysterious glow.
A moment later, the doctor who was actually also a magic-user chanted some incomprehensible words again and willed for a large oblong-shaped water screen to appear before them. The boy initially exclaimed in surprise for the world this time was medieval but here he was, seeing a magic version of blue X-ray.
It didn"t take long for his expression to change into a frowning one, one of his brows raised up.
"My son"s heart suddenly became halved?"
The lady, who had grasped what the image meant, gasped for more than five seconds before fainting.
"Dear!" Horror was on Allen Wade"s countenance as he caught his falling wife.
"In the whole continent, it was a common knowledge that a person cursed to only have half of his heart remaining would only be able to live up to 20 years old."
The doctor sighed, his eyes full of pity went to Jiang Li. The boy was popular for being a genius, especially in sword fighting and was predicted to be a future pillar of the empire. He was young and his future was very bright. In a few decades, he might even be able to elevate Wade"s Marquisate into a Dukedom. Why was heaven so unfair to him?
When he was about to pat the head of the beautiful boy, he suddenly stilled since he finally noticed that something was wrong. He blinked and then looked at the boy"s expression again. The servants and even the couple had already broken down into sobs and panic. But how come this kid Luke looked so nonchalant?
Didn"t he hear him saying he only has 7 more years to live?
The doctor unnerved by the look on the Marquis" heir"s face could only try to convince himself that maybe the kid was actually deafened by the earlier announcement he made and was yet to recover from the blow. He didn"t know that the patient he just diagnosed was just used to not caring about his life expectancy due to being a world-hopper.
"It"s just the plot telling me I only have a year to fight against it since the saintess, that villainess, will only be summoned to this world seven years later. But what"s the big deal? It"s more lenient than He Chen"s three months deadline."
Jiang Li was not panicking since in his opinion he had so much time to figure out how to extend his lifespan. If worse comes to worst, then he would use his points. Anyways, the female lead would reincarnate in two years. The world was always working against him and ensuring he would not be able to meet the yet to be reincarnated female lead. He reckoned though that once the future Rumina take over her younger self, which would signal the start of the plot, he would be able to get near the leads.
...
If there was something he had already antic.i.p.ated the moment his mother woke up, that was that his parents, in their heights of panic and indignation, would rush him into the Holy Church to get blessed. Obviously, they were hoping that the Pope"s magic would be able to help him get rid of the curse which was pretty understandable since the two really loved their only child.
He was their pride so as natural as it could be, they wanted him to live a healthy life and lead their House into greatness. How could they stand there and do nothing?
"Even if the doctors can"t help him, I don"t believe The Pope His Holiness wouldn"t be able too! I"m bringing my son to the church!" With red-rimmed eyes, Helena Wade announced to her husband. Her beautiful voice, one of the many things that charmed the Marquis was loud and cracking.
Allen was a wife-slave, plus he also had the same intention even without her mentioning it, so after ordering the servants to help their weak child changed into a decent but light set of clothing, they immediately set off. Within the carriage, both the mother and father never let go of his hands, as if they were afraid that he would just suddenly vanish.
When they arrived there, they forgot that today was the day when the old Emperor would go to the church to also get a blessing from His Holiness, The Pope.
Somehow, the two worried parents managed to anger the Emperor. On how they did? Well, they loudly begged for the Pope to prioritize them, their actions one which they would never do had there been no strong reason.
Still, since they caused a ruckus just when His Majesty was about to undergo the blessing ceremony, the old Emperor was offended and would have demoted the whole Wade Household by two ranks if not for Jiang Li.
Surrounded by several clergies and holy knights dressed in all white, plus the Emperor"s entourage and guards, Jiang Li was sweating hard, not because of fear for the Empire"s monarch, but the extreme chest pain that he was feeling since he came to this place. He cursed in his mind, "d.a.m.n plot, it must have done this since it knows I"ll be rushed here by my parents! This is how it wants me to kill me. Great! Death by Le Je Majeste or demoted into a commoner and dead from not receiving treatment!"
To be honest, all he wanted to do was to curl up somewhere he could gasp for air more comfortably since he was also having difficulty breathing. But he had to endure it. Or else, he and his family would be f*cked up by the plot!
"Greetings, Your Majesty. This one has something important to say!"
Although he hated doing so, he bowed his head and even bent his waist to the tall, burly, heavily bearded old man elegantly dressed in a violet robe who was standing in front of them. The action had been very laborious because of the discomfort in his body.
"Even if I say that my parents only got anxious for my sake because of my condition, the Emperor would still treat it as a great disrespect."
"What is it, the young heir of Marquis Wade." The Emperor"s voice carried a great authority that one would just find themselves being in awe.
Seeing his son"s extremely pale complexion and the beads of sweat running down his forehead, the Marquis disregarded the hostile and judging glances from those around them and interjected, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. We truly didn"t-"
"I received an oracle from Her Grace, the esteemed G.o.ddess of Light!" It was Jiang Li who cut him off, which he did after gulping down a huge amount of air and yelling at the top of his lungs.
At that shout which came from the mouth of a mere teenage boy, the whole ceremonial room descended into pin-drop silence.
Many eyes widened in exasperation. After a couple of moments, some started to shake their heads and stutter claims of disbelief.
How could that be? Why would the esteemed G.o.ddess revered in the whole Baler continent, give a random boy her oracle? Not even the Pope of this current generation had ever heard something like that from the G.o.ddess!
"Lies!" After that one reaction, many similar others resounded in the great hall. A few even attacked his parents, blaming them for raising a scourge who dared to say blasphemous things and claim he was a messenger of the G.o.ddess, inside the Holy Church even!
"Why couldn"t this bunch first let me finish my performance?"
Jiang Li suppressed the annoyance he was feeling in his chest, not. He swept his gaze around icily, surprising even the emperor and causing the hall again to become as quiet as a graveyard. "I am in the sacred grounds of the Great G.o.ddess, and in front of me is the greatest person in the Empire, there is no way I can lie!"
The Emperor looked through the eyes of the person who declared those words to him. The boy inherited his father"s hazel brown eyes and his mother"s silky black hair. Focusing on the first point, the greatest man in the empire was amazed because he could only peer through those hazel brown orbs were calmness.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. "In an account that a once-in-millennium genius before said that children couldn"t lie, I will hear you out." The lion-like man threw the curtsying and bowing couple a careful look before directing his eyes back to the weak young man in the middle.
This same young boy met his gaze first for a couple of seconds before bowing again, seemingly imitating his father.
"From the bottom of this G.o.ddess" servant"s heart, Your Majesty, Thank You very much."
Looking around for a short while, he then continued, "The Esteemed G.o.ddess told me in my dreams. The whole empire and the Holy Church should prepare. In seven years, the Esteemed G.o.ddess of Light will summon the Saintess who will lead the new era of our Empire."
Internally he said, "Uhhh... well, sorry, saintess and you whoever G.o.ddess, let me borrow your names because I need to save me and my family first."