The Villain Has Blackened Again

The emperor’s chamber was situated far away from Moran Hall. Gong Moran had a high status, so he could have taken a sedan chair directly to the emperor’s chamber if he wanted to. But this State Teacher seemed to always give the emperor some face*, so he seldom took the sedan chair leading to the palace. [give some dignity]

The two walked leisurely. Most of the time, it was Nan Xun that talked endlessly while Gong Moran occasionally responded with a sentence or two.

Looking from a distance, they sometimes seemed to be whispering with each other, their demeanor was a bit too intimate. However, the two’s bearings were graceful and elegant, no matter how intimate they were, it still made a beautiful scenery.

Princess Yao who accidentally caught a glimpse of this ‘scenery’, broke her neatly painted nails. Her dignified and virtuous posture could no longer be maintained while her delicate makeup became a little distorted.

The maidservant next to her were frightened, she immediately suggested, “Princess, this slut who seduced State Teacher, why don’t we…”

Princess Yao sneered, “The days are still long, this Princess still has a lot of chance to teach this shameless fox!”

…

When they arrived at the emperor’s chamber, Nan Xun waited at the door and didn’t follow the State Teacher in.

Nanyun Kingdom’s monarch was over half a hundred years old. Since he became emperor at the age of 25, he has reigned for more than 20 years and led the kingdom to become more prosperous. He was a wise monarch, but even he also had days when he feared death. The old monarch was unwilling to enter his coffin just like this, he wanted to live for another twenty more years. [T/N: life expectancy in ancient time is low, it can be said that you’re lucky if you can live past 50]

After seeing the man in white who looked like a god coming in, the old monarch struggled to get up.

The old eunuch who waited on the bedside was taken aback and immediately stretched out his hand to give support.

“Beloved official, beloved official, you’ve come. We haven’t seen you these past few days and our heart have been taut in anxiety. Come, State Teacher, sit by our side.” The old monarch stretched out his thin hand, trying to hold the man who just came inside. [T/N: emperor use ‘this sovereign’ or ‘we/us’ to refer to himself]

Gong Moran nodded and gave a salutation slightly before stepping forward and sat down on the bedside as he explained, “This official had to test the 18 disciples a few days ago so there wasn’t much time to visit Your Majesty. Is Your Majesty’s body alright these days?”

The grey-haired old monarch made a fist to cover his cough a few times before he said weakly, “The State Teacher wasn’t by my side, how can our body be alright?”

Gong Moran said lightly, “Your Majesty is the son of heaven, with the blessing from heaven. Your Majesty’s body will surely improve.”

Hearing this, the old monarch gave a wry smile, “We know our body better than anyone, the State Teacher should stop comforting me.”

After saying this, he glanced at the eunuch who was tending to him, “You go out first, I have to talk with State Teacher alone about some things.”

The old eunuch abided as he turned and retreated.

Waiting until only the two of them were left alone inside the chamber, the monarch suddenly grabbed Gong Moran's hand and held it tightly. There was a strong desire to survive in his eyes.

“State Teacher, we don’t want to die, we really don’t want to die ah. We still want to live for a few more years. State Teacher, surely you have some ways? We have seen you since our childhood, and you look exactly like the present. You must know of some mystical art that can let you live forever and never grow old. State Teacher, if you give this art to us, we’re willing to give half of Nanyun Kingdom to you!”

Gong Moran lightly brushed away his hand, the old monarch’s tight grip relaxed immediately.

His cold pupils suddenly carried an abnormal depth as he looked at the old monarch, his two petals of ruddy thin lips faintly lifted up.

“Your Majesty, do you really want to live for a few more years?”, he asked.

As the old monarch heard that there was indeed a way, his pair of old eyes suddenly burst with bright radiance, “We want!”

Gong Moran stood up and paced a few steps gracefully on the bedside, pondering for a short while before he said, “Your Majesty, do you know why this official can live for so many years while maintaining a young appearance?”

“Naturally because State Teacher knows of a way to live a long life and preserve youthful looks!”

“It’s not a way to live a long life and preserve youthfulness, but replenishing life instead.”

The old monarch was terrified, he murmured, “Replenishing life?”

When Gong Moran mentioned this matter, his expression became abnormally ice-cold, “That year when the Great Zhou Empire ruled everything under the heaven, this official’s whole family with nearly one thousand people all died an unnatural death. This official used their remaining* lives, using a secret art, to replenish this official’s life.” [T/N: as they died unnatural death, their span of lives was cut off abruptly and there were ‘leftover’ lives that GM used]

The old monarch’s two eyes widened like big spheres, “If one person still has one year left to live, then, their lives were used to replenish your own, beloved official, wouldn’t you have at least… one thousand years?!”

This was the minimum calculation, since they weren’t destined to die yet, then it wouldn’t be weird for a person to still have dozens or twenty more years of life span ah. One thousand people, all of them were used to replenish one people’s life, then, wouldn’t the State Teacher have ten thousand years of life span?

Oh Heavens!

“State Teacher, State Teacher, help us, we don’t want too much. Just to live ten years more is already good! No, even five more years is okay!”

The corners of Gong Moran’s mouth slightly raised in a second as a streak of sneer passed through that pair of ever-so-calm eyes.

“Does Your Majesty really understand what this official just said? Your Majesty can replenish life, but only by using Your Majesty’s kin. Your Majesty can take one year from each prince, or Your Majesty can take ten to twenty years from others. However, this official wants to remind Your Majesty. Because Your Majesty’s body is of the Son of Heaven's, others’ lives are inferior to Your Majesty’s honorable life, so their life spans fall short from Your Majesty’s. One that has ordinary natal chart must use up ten years of their life to replenish Your Majesty’s one to two years of life span.”

The old monarch was terrified when he heard this, he was lost in a deep struggle.

Gong Moran added a sentence, as if it were casually said, “Each of them is Your Majesty’s own children. If they knew that they could help Your Majesty to continue to live, they might even fight out of their eagerness to be the first one to help.”

Hearing this, the old monarch’s gaze became staunch.

That’s right ah, his five princes were brought up under his own eyes, they’re all very filial. If they knew that they could help their father, they surely will scramble to sacrifice their lives.

Once the old monarch thought like this, he immediately felt at ease and justified.

“State Teacher, we have made up our thoughts. Our five princes all have strong and healthy bodies, so just take one year from each of them then.”

Gong Moran shook his head, “This official has long seen the princes’ natal charts. The second and fifth prince have the dragon aura, with the fifth prince having the thickest. Your Majesty might as well take 6 years from the fifth prince, this way, it can directly add three years to Your Majesty. If we take 6 years from the second prince, it might replenish Your Majesty with only two more years. As for the other three princes, just take three years from each of them to express their goodwill, but their body doesn’t have dragon’s aura. Adding up 9 years from the three of them might only replenish one year for Your Majesty. In this way, Your Majesty might live for six more years.”

The old monarch can’t refrain from swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he hoarsely said, “Taking away 6 years of life span… won’t that be too much?”

“This official is only putting forward a suggestion, everything will naturally be up to Your Majesty to decide.” Gong Moran lightly said.

The old monarch hesitated for a while before he spoke with a cold heart, “Just follow what the State Teacher said.”

Nan Xun who was standing at the door, learned about the conversation between big boss and emperor through Little Eight.

Nan Xun was somewhat shocked.

Art of Replenishing Life? This was a great forbidden art that defied natural order itself!

Is Gong Moran not afraid that he will be bitten back by this forbidden art?

TL NOTE:

Ooh, we're seeing bits of Moran's past life. Is he evil? （・∩・）