194: Chapter 194 Ordinary people should not be bullied because they are poor and lowly.

Like a physician.

An incompetent physician.

Facing her patient, who was also her most beloved.

Handing down the final death sentence.

"Your Majesty, you have been unconscious for these past three months."

"Aside from the city of Chaoge and a few strongholds in the Zheng Territory that are still bitterly holding out..."

"The rest of the Yin Shang Dynasty's territory has lost the hearts of the people, and the feudal lords have all rebelled."

"The great army... not even one in ten remains."

As her voice fell, a deathly silence filled the sleeping hall.

Only the sobbing sound of the wind outside the window remained.

And further away, the faint, seemingly never-ending sounds of shouting, killing, and booming.

The clashing of weapons.

It was as if for this dynasty, which had flourished for centuries...

The funeral bell was being tolled.

Su Chen lay on the bed, his gaze hollow.

Had his investment succeeded?

In fact, it had.

Right now, he was quite aware of his physical state.

After all, he had three similar experiences before.

Simply put, he didn't have many days left to live.

If he chose to exit through death soon, letting Su Daji obtain the full power of the "Supreme Secret Scripture of Joy."

With her strength, protecting herself in this chaotic world should not be a problem.

In this way, he would have perfectly achieved the three requirements of the investment goal.

But...

Had this round of investment truly succeeded?

He remembered when he first arrived in this world.

Though he knew it was an investment, he had still seriously studied the memorials, investigated the disasters, secretly provided relief, and built water conservancy projects.

He even went so far as to risk his life, going personally to the Zheng Territory to labor alongside the people.

Watching the suffering of the common people.

Even after two rounds of investment.

A single clear tear could not help but flow from the corner of his eye.

Kindness, conscience, integrity, and compassion.

These were the most basic things one was born with as a human.

Everyone knew this, but unfortunately, the gods and immortals did not.

He remembered bearing the infamy of a tyrant while purging the vermin of the court and executing rebels.

Exerting every effort to maintain this crumbling nation.

He remembered the starlit conversations atop the Star-Plucking Tower, the life-and-death struggle in the wind and snow outside Wenli, and that resolute block on the Altar of Heaven.

He had done everything he could.

Even far more than what an investor should do.

But what of it?

Before those high and mighty immortals and gods who viewed all living beings as chess pieces.

Before that "Heavenly Dao" which did not hesitate to stir up boundless slaughter for the sake of merit and "choosing sides."

Before the thousands upon thousands of living beings whose eyes were blinded by fear, despair, and lies...

The efforts of this mere mortal emperor.

His meager benevolent governance and protection.

Seemed so laughable.

So... fragile.

After experiencing so much, what he wanted was not just an SSR-level investment evaluation.

He was the King of the Yin Dynasty.

From the moment he chose to utilize the power of the National Destiny.

He was already one with the suffering people on this desolate land.

Their heartbeats synchronized.

He tried to defy heaven and change fate, wanting to fight for a way to live for the Yin Shang Dynasty and the people of this world.

In the end, however, he was still shattered by the torrent of fate.

He still had to bear the same labels recorded in the history books.

The shackles of being a "faint-hearted ruler," a "tyrant," and "one whose lack of virtue invited disaster."

Walking toward that gallows.

Walking toward the predetermined end.

Heh...

Su Chen twitched the corner of his mouth.

He slowly turned his head, looking at the tear-streaked Su Daji, and then at Queen Jiang, who was forcing herself to remain calm.

He reached out and gently squeezed their hands.

"So... it has already been three months."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Also... I'm sorry."

I'm sorry for failing to protect this land.

I'm sorry for letting you both... accompany me to this dead end.

To bear the eternal infamy that history dictates.

However...

He did not accept his fate.

Even if he were to lose.

He, Su Chen, would exert all his strength to bite a piece of flesh off those immortals!

To tell them.

Mortals, though poor and lowly, though weak and small.

But.

Cannot be bullied.

At this thought, Su Chen's mind shook.

He felt a sweetness in his throat.

His vision went dark.

A mouthful of fresh blood appeared on the snow-white bedding like plum blossoms.

"Your Majesty!"

Two delicate voices rang out beside him simultaneously.

Immediately after, what was poured into his mouth was a bitter medicinal liquid.

And from his wrist, an almost endless stream of spiritual energy was transmitted.

...

The night deepened.

Su Chen's physical condition improved slightly.

He put on a robe that was slightly loose for his now emaciated frame and sat at his desk.

Opposite the desk was Queen Jiang.

As for Su Daji, under his coaxing, she had already quietly fallen asleep in the inner room.

During these three months, she had hardly closed her eyes.

Relying on her powerful cultivation, she had taken on almost all the work of caring for him at night.

Her cultivation was already unstable, and with her injuries on top of that.

These three months had truly taken a heavy toll on her.

Su Chen put on a seemingly relaxed appearance.

His deep black eyes glanced at Queen Jiang.

"Lier."

"There are only the two of us here."

"Tell me the truth."

"Exactly... how much longer do I have to live?"

The room instantly became silent.

A long, long time later.

The stunning woman opposite him took out a handkerchief.

She slowly wiped the tear stains from the corners of her phoenix eyes.

With a trembling voice, she said.

"Your Majesty..."

"You only have about two months left."

At this point, a mocking sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Speaking of which, it will also take two months for those people from Western Zhou to fight their way here."

"Perhaps they won't even have the chance to kill Your Majesty personally."

"By the time they reach Chaoge, they can only sigh in vain at Your Majesty's body."

"Two months..."

Su Chen whispered the number, his tone surprisingly calm.

It was as if what Queen Jiang had just spoken was not the countdown of his life, but merely some inconsequential daily report.

In reality, this number was slightly longer than he had expected.

It was likely because Queen Jiang had factored in the medicines she had on hand that could help prolong his life.

He knew his physical condition better than anyone.

From resisting the giant boulder at the Zheng Territory reservoir, to acting as a shield on the Altar of Heaven, to forcibly mobilizing the National Destiny—already weakened by its loss—to withstand the backlash of the immortal array...

Time and again, he had risked his life beyond the limit, long ago draining this mortal body dry.

Internally, his meridians were like a riverbed cracked by long drought, and his internal organs were riddled with hidden injuries and bruised blood.

As for his heart, it was barely maintaining a weak beat thanks to the rare medicinal power Queen Jiang poured in regardless of cost and Su Daji's continuous spiritual energy.

The oil was gone, the lamp was dry; there was no way to save him.

In this world, Su Chen's body was merely that of a slightly stronger ordinary person.

He was not surprised by this result.

Two major injuries and the excessive overdrawing of the National Destiny's power.

He could no longer hold on.

He leaned back slightly, resting against the padded back of the chair.

The candlelight flickered, casting his profile onto the screen behind him, stretching out a solitary, lofty shadow.

He did not look at the tears Queen Jiang was struggling to hold back, but instead turned his gaze to a map spread out on the table, its ink still fresh.

It was something Queen Jiang had hurriedly drawn during these three months based on memory and scattered intelligence.

A map of the Great Yin's riddled territory.

"Tell me,"

"My Queen."

"Be detailed."