Lan Jingyi has no answer for Mark's accusation and she didn't appear to be interested to defend herself too.
In the end, after a long silence, she rose to his feet and said, "I understand that you won't trust me no matter what kind of reason I give you. But, I will have to say these words whether you believe them or not, Shang Zen. It is true that I acted as a civilian and I ignored his actions as I was afraid of ruining my marriage.
However, I didn't abandon you. Rather, it is the opposite. If I didn't keep you away from me to change your fate, you would have passed away on your 25th birthday. I truly regretted it when I heard you were dead along with your parents.
I can't do anything about it but what I can do now is to tell you the complete truth when you are ready to hear it.
Before I leave, I assure you that your secret will be safe with me. But, I will not give up on searching for my daughter too."
She turned around and started walking away.
"Great statement. But, why do you think…" Mark wanted to say that he wouldn't allow her to leave as she pleased but taking him by surprise, Lan Jingyi turned into a blur and disappeared from his sight.
"What the…" Mark stood up on his feet at once, shocked by what he witnessed so far.
"System, shouldn't my store disable the powers of even demigods? How did she teleport away?" Mark fired at his system.
*Ding! The host confirmed that he no longer considers the imperial city as home. Hence, the store is no longer considered as the main branch. The skills exclusive to the store were disabled.
"Why didn't you say it before?" Mark raised his voice, feeling like he had almost shot in his own foot just now. What would have happened if he had attacked Lan Jingyi and then realizes that her powers aren't sealed?
Of course, she might have forgiven him based on the fact that she is his mother and still has feelings of guilt. However, it will also affect his justification as he brings down the Shang Dynasty.
The frustration made him shout at the system, which coolly responded with a notification.
*Ding! The system remembers informing the host about such a rule long ago. It isn't the fault of the system if the host forgets it.
Mark's face reddened further as frustration turned into embarrassment, "Fine, it's my fault. Since you disabled the skills, then, you could transfer it to the branch at Lunaris city."
*Ding! Do you wish to switch your main branch from Imperial City to Lunaris City?
*Ding! Note: the current store at Imperial City will turn into a branch and will replace the branch store at Lunaris City in the side quest. Note 2: The blueprint will be transferred to the new main branch.
There's a side quest that asked him to open branches in different cities and make a sale of 1000 weapons per each.
Shifting the main branch would be a good idea as the store at the imperial city has already attained fame enough to pull in the crowds.
However, the following note stated that the residence will also be shifted. It'll turn the six-story tower into a residential mansion. More than an upgrade, it could be a downgrade.
Hence, Mark threw away such an idea and planned to create a main store somewhere else.
Furthermore, he had another question in his mind he would have to solve.
Before Lan Jingyi left, she said that if she didn't abandon him, he would die on his 25th birthday.
Lu Zhen's parents always celebrated his birthday on the 4th day of the tenth month of the year. After their deaths, he found that it was false from a family friend with whom he had worked for ten years. Lu Zhen didn't care much about it as he felt his birthday no longer mattered.
Meanwhile, the third prince celebrates on 4th day of the seventh month of the year.
Mark knew that his soul was merged with Lu Zhen's soul on the same day as his real birthday. Hence, technically, Lu Zhen died on the day he turned 25.
Then, did Lan Jingyi foresee his death? How? Even after what she indirectly termed as a sacrifice for the greater good, it still happened.
"An irremovable curse? Or some kind of hereditary disease?" Mark didn't know what it is but he knew that the time will come again. He has to be patient for now.
Mark went into meditation for a while in order to clear his head of any messy thoughts.
As the sunset in the west, the darkness loomed over the empire. At the Imperial Palace, the Emperor announced the scores of the contenders. Shang Wei took the lead with almost perfect marks (285), followed by Shang Jun (150), then, Shang Xiang (100), and finally, Shang Zexi (90).
After their results were out, everyone was dismissed and told to wait for the next day.
Meanwhile, Mark was served dinner by Allen. As he was eating, the android kept on staring at him until the former questioned him.
"What is it, Allen? You look like you want to say something." Mark urged him to speak without any hesitation.
Allen took a couple of seconds and then asked, "I was just wondering what it feels like to love someone."
"Love?" Mark looked at him in wonder. "Why the sudden curiosity?" He asked.
"Lin Xue…" Allen was about to tell about his talk with Lin Xue but for some reason, he couldn't say it. He covered it up by saying, "Nothing, earlier Sister Xue was talking about you and Lady Song loving each other and caring for each other. I'm just curious and wanted to confirm something. Big Bro, tell me please…"
Allen didn't realize himself, but just now, he lied to the only one who he stays loyal.
As he urged Mark, the latter answered with a smile while remembering Song Yue, "It is actually tough to explain. But, if I had to simplify, when you love someone, you would have a strong emotional bond with the person. Just thinking about your love will bring a smile to your face. You would miss her greatly when you are alone.
When you are happy, you would want to share it with her first. When you are sad, she is the last person you would want to share it with. Even if you are the strongest person in the world, you would still feel vulnerable in her presence, and you enjoy such a feeling.
Everyone has their own way of expressing their love.
But, if you ask me, Song Yue is the light that filled the darkness in my heart. In her presence, I would forget about revenge and just feel like enjoying the present. If I had to make a choice between her and the rest of the world, at any given time, I wouldn't hesitate to burn the whole world."
"Does love has such power?" Allen asked innocently.
Mark smiled as he answered, "It's because you love someone with your heart. And the heart always has the power to suppress the logical reasoning of the brain."
"Heart, huh?" Allen mumbled in a low tone as he placed his hand on his own chest.
Mark continued with his dinner. He cut a large piece of steak and stuffed his mouth, enjoying the taste.
As he was busy chewing it, Allen suddenly spoke, "Big Bro, I want to become a human. Can you use the Lamp of Wishes to turn me into a human?"
*Cough* Cough*
Mark swallowed at once due to the shock. For a couple of seconds, he suffocated with the food stuck in his throat. Allen hurriedly gave him the glass of water.
He hurriedly drank it and swallowed down the whole.
Placing it on the table, he looked at the android, "What did you say?"
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