Zhao Zi Gen was astonished to see his son's enigmatic aura. Zhao Li Xin had long dropped the weak person he portrayed. He looked healthy, strong, and charismatic. Even the active Zhao Yi Chen couldn't compare to him. Zhao Zi Gen couldn't help but regret treating him badly and threatening him. He wished he could have treated him a little better as it would have made it easier for him to gain the Hei Shen Sect's support. It would have a good move but it was already too late.

"Was all this done by you?" Zhao Zi Gen glared at Zhao Li Xin.

​​

"More or less…" Zhao Li Xin answered in an apathetic voice, he doesn't look proud or remorseful for what he had done, he looks completely blank devoid of any feeling.

"So, it's you!" Zhao Zi Gen furiously stares at him with bloodshot eyes, like a hungry beast eyeing his prey.

"None of this would have happened if you were smarter, or diligent..." Zhao Li Xin straightens his back and he wickedly smiles towards the fuming emperor. "You made my job easier…"

"I want you to stop all this farce immediately!" The Emperor loudly slammed his table.

"Are you…ordering me?" Zhao Li Xin's eyebrows furrowed. The air around them becomes heavy. The Emperor forgot he was talking to the Hei Shen Sect leader and not the weakling son he used to press and belittle every day.

They say old habits hard to kill, how right they are.

Zhao Li smiled coldly, "You know… I have entered your room without alarming your useless shadow guards. You know how many times I could have killed you?"

Zhao Zi Gen could tell his son wasn't throwing an empty threat. His hands drenched with cold sweat as he justified himself, "I'm still your father."

"And I'm your son but that had never stopped you or anyone from humiliated me, beat me, make me eaten rotten food..." He chuckled and gave Zhao Zi Gen a ridiculed look. What prince was he? His position is lower than beggars.

If the Emperor cares even just a little bit about him, all he has to do is raise his finger to stop his misery but he never did. He didn't even try.

The Emperor didn't know how to respond to that. He never cared what was happening to his weak son yet he knew the awful condition he had lived in since childhood. The truth was the Emperor even wished his son could die. Having a weakling for a son was an embarrassment he couldn't take.

"What do you want? The throne?" The Emperor probed. He didn't think Zhao Li Xin would want anything else.

Zhao Li Xin squinted and scoffed with disdain, "You think you would still be the Emperor if I wanted it?"

Zhao Zi Gen's face turned red. Zhao Li Xin wouldn't have a problem snatching the throne from him as he had the Hei Shen Sect power. However, he still failed to understand what else he would want.

"Send for Royal Consort Ying. There is something I want to ask her," Zhao Li Xin's expression turned grim.

The Emperor thought Zhao Li Xin wanted to vent his anger on his mother. He was fine with that as it could mean it had nothing to do with him. The Emperor called his eunuch to summon Royal Consort Ying as he didn't want to infuriate Zhao Li Xin further.

The eunuch vaguely saw a man with black robes in the corner when he entered but the deathly air around him discouraged the eunuch from staring.

It took a few minutes for Royal Consort Ying to arrive. Although it was late at night, she was dressed perfectly from top to bottom. Zhao Li Xin admired her commitment to looking good. Ying Xi Lu bowed elegantly at the Emperor and coquettishly said, "This Royal Consort greets His Majesty."

This behavior used to soften the Emperor's heart but the Emperor ignored her this time around. Ying Xi Lu felt another presence in the room. She shifted her gaze to the side and saw her 'weak' son. He sat with a lazy expression and watched her with blank eyes.

"Li Xin…" She was stunned to see Zhao Li Xin yet he didn't bother to greet her. His behavior angered Ying Xi Lu but the cold look in his eyes stopped her from reprimanding him.

"Your son wants to meet you," The Emperor stated.

Ying Xi Lu thought Zhao Li Xin was seeking motherly love. It was natural for a son to care for his mother. Ying Xi Lu imagined herself revered as the mother of the Hei Shen Sect's Master. Her position would be enviable and having Zhao Li Xin as her back up meant the Emperor wouldn't dare go against her. Her smug smile made Zhao Li Xin cringe.

'What the hell are you smiling about?'

"Xin'er, mother never meant to hurt you. Mother always had the best intentions for you no matter the past," Xing Yi Lu said gently but her voice only made Zhao Li Xin nauseous.

"Is poisoning me part of your best intentions?" He gave her a sarcastic smile.

"It's..." Zhao Li Xin cut her off before she could answer

"What about the beating? The starvation, the cursing, and the yelling? Was that also done with good intention?"

Ying Xi Lu's face turned red. She forgot how she wronged him in the past. She bit her lip in remorse. The Emperor also sighed deeply. He also did many bad things to Zhao Li Xin. He was filled with regret. Not because he loved his son but because of Zhao Li Xin's identity as Long Ming if only she knew she would treat him better if only she knew...

"Tell me… Who's the one who provided you with the cold poison you gave me?"