Rong Ci and one of the guards who was talented at martial arts worked together and soon repelled the enemies. Both Ah-Xuan and Hao Jiasheng were sent to the hospital, fortunately, Ah-Xuan's injuries weren't serious, but he still developed a high fever and remained asleep.

After returning to Full Moon Villa, Ling Li guarded Ah-Xuan's bedside as Rong Hua silently accompanied him. Rong Hua's expression was a little dazed, he didn't speak and nobody could see what he was thinking. Xu Mei was also there, he felt very regretful every time he looked at Ah-Xuan's sleeping face.

Su Jing yang had accompanied Rong Ci and helped bandage a scratch on his arm. He had just come in and saw Ling Li's pale face, immediately feeling distressed and guilty. He walked towards Ling Li and just wanted to say something, but Xu Mei spoke first, "Ah-Li, I'm really sorry."

He was the one to suggest going to the streets to play. Who knew that it would be so crowded and that an accident would cause Ah-Xuan to be injured. Xu Mei truly felt that he couldn't shirk from the blame.

Ling Li turned around, he looked at him, and then at Su Jingyang who was also full of self-blame, he sighed in a low voice: "Don't think about it, it had nothing to do with both of you. They were here today for me and my son only, even if this didn't happen today, it would still occur at another time. No matter when, I know that they won't let me escape."

Xu Mei said: "Still, I have to take some responsibility for this matter... In short, the child can take his time and tend to his wounds in Full Moon Villa. If there's anything you need, you must tell me directly. I must give you both the best treatment I can manage, otherwise I'll feel really sorry in the future."

Ling Li was afraid that he'd continue to feel guilty, so he answered, "Alright."

Xu Mei looked at Ling Li. He didn't understand what how Ling Li and Ah-Xuan had provoked such a terrible event, but he also knew that there were some things that couldn't be easily said to others.

He noticed that Su Jingyang seemed to want to say something to Ling Li alone, so he pulled Rong Hua with him and said, "I'll go with Rong Hua and see if the medicinal soup is finished."

They left as Rong Ci mindly paced outside the door waiting for Su Jingyang.

Su Jingyang's eyes were red, his lips moved but as he was about to speak, Ling Li turned to him and said in a bitter tone: "You protected Ah-Xuan well, Jingyang. I'm truly glad that you were there for him. The person besides him should've been me; it was me who chose this route and put him in danger. The person who should shoulder the responsibility of this should also be me... this incident is my lesson. I should be more alert and learn how to be cautious while moving forward better in the future."

Su Jingyang looked into Ling Li's tearful but calm eyes, he couldn't help taking in a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt a little sad; he had an inkling that Ling Li should've never been like this.

He began to miss the days of working in Ling Ji small pavilion. Although he was incredibly busy and bone tired at the end of every day, those few fleeting moments gave him truly fulfilling, happy, and simple memories together with Ling Li and Ah-Xuan.

After Ah-Li enters the Palace, no, from today onwards, there'll only be more and more obstacles and threats. They'd dare not guess at the direction fate guides them, would there any time to relax by then?

Su Jingyang squatted on one knee next to Ling Li, he raised his face slightly, his dark eyes watched Ling Li as he slowly said, "Ah-Li why don't we..."

Ling Li seemed to know what he planned to say next, he touched his head, and softly but firmly interrupted: "There's no turning back, Jingyang."

Su Jingyang was quiet for a long while, he suddenly thought of something and stopped talking.

Yes, if Hao Jiasheng wasn't a lunatic, then his cries could only indicate that Ah-Xuan had become the Emperor sometime in the future... Then what about Ah-Li, what will be Ah-Li's future then? If Ah-Li truly was the protagonist, Ah-Xuan had a large chance of being the Emperor in the future, that must mean that he'll be living a successful life as well surely?

Su Jingyang could only comfort himself like this.

After a while, Ling Li asked Su Jingyang and Rong Ci to go back. Su Jingyang wanted to stay and continue to accompany him but Ling Li said: "It's fine, I'll stay here. The physician said that he should be able to wake up tomorrow, so just come back tomorrow morning. And you haven't held your children for a whole day now, they're going to cry a storm if they don't see you now."

Ling Li insisted, unusually insistent. Su Jingyang couldn't argue at all, after a while, he got up and walked outside.

As soon as he walked out of the door with Rong Ci, he found that Hao Jiasheng had entered the yard. He was injured and fainted before, sent into a clinic. Seeing him approaching with a pale face and a somewhat unstable stance, Su Jingyang guessed that he should've made his way here the second he woke up.

Before the assassination, Su Jingyang would've definitely thought that he was acting strange again: why did he care so much about Ah-Xuan, a child he had met only a few days ago.

But now... Su Jingyang stood there, his eyes widened, and his gaze froze on Hao Jiasheng's figure that hobbled its way past him. His scalp tingled and he recalled each and every one of his confusions about Hao Jingsheng!

Su Jingyang vaguely heard Hao Jiasheng asking Ling Li about Ah-Xuan's situation inside. He heard Ling Li briefly reply and thank him for saving Ah-Xuan. Hao Jiasheng smiled bitterly and said: "Don't thank me, I'm not well versed in martial arts, and wasn't able to protect him. In the end, I could only watch him become injured."

Rong Ci looked back at Su Jingyang, who was suddenly fixed in place, "What? Not leaving?"

Su Jingyang grabbed his wrist and ran outside to a relatively secluded place. He lowered his voice and said to him with an gossipy expression: "Rong Ci, I'll tell you a secret- that Hao Jiasheng, he's not Hao Jiasheng anymore!"

Rong Ci was stunned for a moment, he then laughed: "You actually found out?"

"What actually found out....?" Su Jingyang finally reacted, he was stunned: "You already knew?!"

Rong Ci nodded, "He's indeed acting strangely, but so far, I haven't been able to figure out his true identity or his purpose for coming here." Rong Ci folded his arms so that he could look at him condescendingly, asking, "So, how did you find out? Did he mess up?"

Su Jingyang looked around for a while before approaching Rong Ci and saying, "I heard Hao Jiasheng shouting towards Ah-Xuan: Father Emperor! Father Emperor, do you know what that means? Damn, I was so shocked at that time!"

Su Jing yang had always believed that he was the only one in this world. In here, except for him, the alien maliciously imprisoned in by the system, nothing else as dimension breaking had occurred. Even if there was the special existence of Rongcheng, he had never expected that there'd actually be such a supernatural event!

"Father?" Rong Ci was also surprised for a moment. He looked at Su Jingyang carefully and asked: "Did you hear it wrong?"

Su Jingyang rebutted firmly, "Absolutely not!"

Rong Ci was silent for a while, he then said to Su Jingyang: "For now, this matter must never be told to anyone else. Don't tell even Ling Li about this."

Su Jingyang asked, "Why?"

In fact, he had just wanted to inform Ling Li about it so that he could enter the Palace with peace of mind, but in the end, he still held back after considering. He was afraid that Ling Li would become scared with the sudden information, and he still couldn't confirm whether this kind of thing was true or not. He planned to find Rong Ci to prove it before making any plans.

Rong Ci held his face, he looked into the big eyes that fluttered around filled with puzzlement, he solemnly said: "Even if you're worried about Ling Li, you can't say it. It's because he's an ordinary person and shouldn't know anything related to his future. Otherwise, it'll affect his future luck, understand?"

So serious! Su Jingyang nodded hurriedly, covering his mouth with his hands, indicating that he would never tattle. Rong Ci wouldn't joke about things like this, so he must listen to what he said.

Rong Ci let out a small smiled when he saw his actions. He kissed his forehead with satisfaction, "Good. You should go back and check the children first, I'll talk to him later..."

Rong Ci sat inside a pavilion in the garden. After a while, Hao Jiasheng arrived. Although his face was pale and his steps were slightly unstable, he had a calm and unhurried expression. He walked into the pavilion and sat opposite to Rong Ci, dark eyes staring into him.

"City Lord Rong."

Rong Ci asked straightforwardly: "Who are you?"

Hao Jiasheng said, "I am the thirteenth Emperor of the Dalin Dynasty: Ming Jiasheng."

Rong Ci was silent for a moment. The new Emperor who had just ascended the throne. Ming Zhan, was the eleventh.

Rong Ci asked: "You said that you wanted my help?"

Ming Jiasheng was about to speak when Rong Ci continued: "I've guessed what you want my help with, it's soul-fixing technique, yes? But you'd better speak truthfully. Explain clearly your reason for coming back in time. If you utter even half a lie, you'll lose your only opportunity."

Ming Jiasheng was taken aback by his sharp eyes, but he quickly smiled after hearing what he said.

Rong Ci squinted his eyes slightly, not understanding what was so funny. Ming Jiasheng looked at him again: "Sure enough, you really are City Lord Rong. Sixty years back then, you also said exactly the same words to me."

"I....."

Ming Jiasheng nodded and said: "You told me that if I need you to help fix my soul, I must tell the truth. I can't conceal even the slightest detail, otherwise, I'll lose my only opportunity."

Rong Ci moved slightly and paused again, he suddenly became a little curious: "What was I like sixty years from back then?"

"Even after sixty years, City Lord Rong was still healthy and handsome, its just—" Ming Jiasheng looked at Rong Ci with a deep expression, he continued: "You've never married; no wife, no children, and no worries, only loneliness. You looked a little deserted, not as well as your happiness with your wife and children now."

Unmarried for life, no wife or children.

After hearing these words, Rong Ci stared at Ming Jiasheng in a daze for a long time, he then slowly retracted his sight, his red lips moved, and an sudden overwhelming surge of sorrow rose in his heart. He chuckled and said in a low voice: "Yes, It's a bit hard imagining life without him in the future."

Although he had been mentally prepared for a long time, if Su Jingyang had never appeared... He'd definitely be just like the man Ming Jiasheng described. He'd have nothing to care about, spending the rest of his days alone.

He has everything now, and can no longer imagine how he could survive that till sixty years later, he even dared not think about it any longer.

For the first time, Rong Ci realized that he was actually such a timid person.

Ming Jiasheng meditated: "In fact, it's not just that you're situation is a special case. After I came back, there were inconsistencies from my previous life, I found that..." Ming Jiasheng paused strangely for a long time when he said that, as if thinking about the right word to use, "An important character had passed away, they no longer exist in this world. This timeline probably has more differences from mine than we think."

Rong Ci regained control over his expression and returned to the topic in hand. He said in a deep voice, "Sixty years later, did you also approach me, asking me to help you?"

Ming Jiasheng said: "Yes. City Lord Rong had always been gracious to my Ming family. You cured my grandfather's Gu poison and my father's hysteria. I had trained in Rongcheng, remembered my grandmother's teachings, and maintained a stable relationship with you. In the end, I asked for help because only you could help me."

Rong Ci caught an important point and raised his voice slightly: "The Empress Dowager?"

Ming Jiasheng smiled with red eyes, he gestured to the direction he had just come from. "The only one inside, my Imperial grandmother. At first, I only knew that my Imperial grandmother's identity was a tight secret. It turns out that he wasn't a foreigner or a minister's long-lost son. After I came back, I saw his unexpected appearance as well as my father's..."

Ming Jiasheng trailed off, frowning. The father, who had previously intimidated him to the point where it was hard to breathe, was now a cute and curious child. However, he still kept the image of his Father Emperor in his heart and dared not make any mistakes.

Rong Ci knew that Su Jingyang cared about Ling Li, so he couldn't help but ask this sentence more carefully: "What will happen to Ling Li?"

Speaking of Ling Li, Ming Jiasheng's eyes were warm the whole time, his voice was very gentle. "He's fine, my Imperial grandmother's life was very good. My Imperial grandfather left the harem vacant for him, and loved only him all his life. He himself was virtuous and gentle, he was harmonious with Imperial grandfather, admired by the common folks. Although the Lin family sheltered him too much, and problems rose along the way, all of it were resolved one by one. Countless people admired him and spoke very highly of him..."

Rong Ci knew that Su Jingyang would be happy enough with this information, and asked: "Then what's the purpose of your return?"

Ming Jiasheng's expression slacked, his eyes became dull and sorrowful almost immediately.

"I want to come back to save my wife." Ming Jiasheng said in a hoarse voice: "It was I who treated him coldly and violated our promise, but he died for me in the end. I'm really... very... sorry for him..."

Rong Ci asked: "Your wife?"

"Yes, my wife, my Queen..." Ming Jiasheng looked at Rong Ci with tears that could no longer be restrained in his eyes, "Mu Rong Hua, the eldest grandson of Full Moon Villa's keeper, Mu Jin."

_____