CHAPTER 477: CHAPTER 477 : SETTLING SCORES FROM THE PAST LIFE (8)

One by one, the physicians dropped to their knees and pleaded with the Heavenly Emperor.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Supreme General’s old injuries have yet to heal, but he added new injuries today!"

"Rest is paramount for the patient right now. Please do not forcefully wake him up!"

Xie Jianshen scoffed.

Alphas were supposed to be stronger than omegas physically, so what’s with the physicians treating Zhang Fengxi like a weakling?

"Either you wake him up or I will," he glared at the physicians. "I need him to be conscious for at least an hour."

The physicians collectively agreed that the Heavenly Emperor was a cold-blooded ruler, but they had no other choice but to comply.

Murmuring their apologies under their breath, a physician readied his acupuncture needles and started applying some on Zhang Fengxi’s body.

Five needles later, the Supreme General stirred awake.

"Supreme General!"

"Supreme General, can you hear us?"

Zhang Fengxi slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at Xie Jianshen, who loomed over him with an impassive expression across his face.

Zhang Fengxi opened his mouth slightly but nothing came out.

"Leave us," Xie Jianshen barked, his voice curt. Despite their unease, the physicians filed out one by one, leaving the room heavy with unspoken tension.

With a determined stride, Xie Jianshen moved to the bedside. He first retrieved a water pitcher, carefully pouring a cool stream into a porcelain bowl.

Next, he gently placed a steadying hand on Zhang Fengxi’s back, offering support as he slowly guided him to lean against a stack of soft pillows.

The movement elicited a wince from Zhang Fengxi, but thankfully, the thick bandages seemed to cushion the brunt of the pain.

"You asked to meet me. Wu Shenxia reported that you addressed the Second Demon King by my younger brother’s name. What happened?"

Zhang Fengxi took a big gulp of water before he found his voice again.

The Supreme General looked Xie Jianshen in the eyes and said, "What I am going to tell you next might seem like the ramblings of a madman, but I assure you that my words are steeped in truth."

Xie Jianshen narrowed his eyes at the alpha.

"Go on."

"It started ten years ago, when I was only eighteen years old..."

Zhang Fengxi told Xie Jianshen everything about the previous life.

That he and Xie Jianyu drowned in an accidental, and yet intimate entanglement, resulting in Xie Jianyu’s pregnancy.

That he blamed Xie Jianyu for Liu Wenyuan’s death.

That he ended up colluding with Liu Yichen to claim the Dragon Throne after the Heavenly Emperor’s untimely demise.

That the combined forces of Longjing and Wuyang Palace gathered outside of Fuxi Palace the night Xie Jianyu gave birth.

That he killed Xie Jianyu with his own hands, only to find out about their newborn baby soon after.

That the baby passed away within a week due to a poisoning incident.

That he killed himself out of excessive grief and depression soon afterward.

"After I died, the wheel of time was reversed and I found myself back in my eighteen-year-old body. The rest is history known by the both of us."

As Zhang Fengxi delved into the unknown history, Xie Jianshen found himself needing support. He braced himself against the table, the weight of the revelation settling upon him.

By the end of the story, his legs gave way, and he sank into a seat. A hand rose to cradle his aching head, his long and slender fingers tracing the worry lines etched between his brows with a weary caress.

After divulging the secret of his past life, an indescribable weight fell off the Supreme General’s shoulder. Zhang Fengxi took a deep breath and looked at Xie Jianshen. He was unable to deduce the Heavenly Emperor’s reaction, because the upper half of his face was hidden beneath a hand.

Merely the violent twitches around the corner of his lips betrayed his discomposure.

Now that the worst part of the story was behind them, Zhang Fengxi felt a newfound ease, ready to share the events of the day with Xie Jianshen.

"The one we refer to as the Second Demon King today is not a demon at all. He is Xie Jianyu -- no, he is the human being whose body Xie Jianyu transmigrated into. His name is... Cough... Qiao Wei."

The Heavenly Emperor was silent for a long time, before he rose to his feet and barked after the physicians with a resolute voice, "All physicians, come back here and take a look at Supreme General! He has been spouting utter nonsense!"

Immense pain spread from Zhang Fengxi’s stab wound throughout his body, but he still forced himself to sit upright.

"Your Majesty, please. Xie Jianshen, I am not lying. I am not crazy! Please listen to me!"

Ignoring Zhang Fengxi’s pleas, Xie Jianshen strode from the chamber with unfaltering steps. The three physicians, left in the wake of his departure, scrambled to enter, eager to assess their increasingly erratic patient.

When Xie Jianshen returned to his private quarter, he found Jiang Rufeng in the middle of babysitting the two nephews. Although they were clad in their night robes, the twin boys remained awake. They refused to go to bed without seeing their father first.

In the end, Jiang Rufeng was forced to enter into a negotiation with two five-year-old boys.

"Your father is wounded after a fight. Little princes, listen to your good uncle. You will get to see him in the morning. Let him rest for the night, alright?" Jiang Rufeng held two pieces of soft plum candy in his hands. "If you are obedient, Uncle will give you two treats before bed. Don’t tell your Imperial Uncle. It is a secret between us."

The twin boys stared at Jiang Rufeng for a while before their gazes wandered to a stoic figure standing behind Jiang Rufeng.

Beneath a mask of cold indifference, Xie Jianshen resembled a magnificent ice sculpture, teetering on the brink of shattering.

"Oh, a secret?" His cold voice caused Jiang Rufeng’s blood to freeze within his veins in an instant. "Will you tell me what this is about?"