Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor novel Chapter 684

Wang Wei teleported to a mountain, where he saw someone waiting for him. And the moment he laid eyes on her, the world seemed to brighten as if her very presence embellished the surroundings.

"Ms. Xu Shi, I see you're beautiful as ever."

"Thank you, but are you saying that because you mean it or simply for pleasantry."

"Of course, I mean it."

"I found it hard to believe you."

Wang Wei smiled before inviting her to sit as he manifested a table and served tea. "I was surprised when I did not see you during the Cleanup. Now, I understand why."

Wang Wei was surprised after seeing her for two reasons. One, she was an Ultimate King by the standard of the previous game, with the strength of 5-Leaf, on par with Yin Gen. And given she was still in the Supreme Realm, she had some room for growth.

The second reason is that her aura was foreign to the Myriad Emperor World, meaning she was no longer a citizen.

"A lot of things change," responded Xu Shi.

"I can see that. You seem more confident, relaxed, and even free," stated Wang Wei as he took a sip of his tea. "Can you tell me what happened? If you don't mind."

"I don't."

A few thousand years ago, after the Deception Trial:

Xu Shi was in a deep slumber, experiencing her life over and over, analyzing it from a third point of view. After watching her life more than a hundred times, she recognized three defining moments or periods.

The first was her childhood. Xu Shi reviewed her childhood, experiencing this time of innocence and carefree one more time. Then, she focused on a core memory.

Xu Guan and his wife were teaching a kid Xu Shi.

"Listen up, Shi'er," said the fat man, who seemed eternally in that shape. "Your beauty is unparallel, so one day, you will marry a man of unmatched talent: a future Great Emperor. This way, you can bring prosperity to the family and live a happy life."

His wife nodded with him before teaching her how to be a proper lady and wife; she even taught her tricks to deal with a harem.

At first, Xu Shi did not find anything wrong with this message. However, after seeing it a few hundred times and taking a moment to analyze the situation, she realized this core memory's detriment in her life.

'Why did my father always believe me to one day be a wife? Why never treat me as a prospect Heaven Chosen?'

She frowned as she contemplated. 'Even If I did not have the talent, he could have taught me to use my beauty to take other people's talent. Why did he have to instill in me the idea that my value was based on marrying a talented Heaven Chosen."

Xu Shi continued watching her life, and the same idea was deeply ingrained in her mind by the other people she encountered. They lusted after her beauty, and all believed she would be the wife of a future Emperor. _{fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm}

Soon, she saw the second memory of her life: the conference before the Heaven Chosen Selection Trial. She floated above the room, looking at her younger self and Wang Wei's words.

"...she is nothing but a vase."

"Vase?"

"A woman like her would offer nothing to a partnership. She is nothing but a beautiful decoration that added embellishment to me, but nothing of real substance. Let me ask you, what did you feel when you heard her playing the zither?"

Xu Shi reviewed the memories when Wang Wei figured out her personality after listening to her zither.

(AN: For a review, re-read chapter 201 Companion.)

'He was completely wrong about me having been conditioned to only rely on men,' thought Xu Shi as he reviewed this memory. 'When he called me a vase, anger and resentment awakened deep in me. Why was that?'

Her life flashed in my mind as she pondered deeper, "I wanted to prove him wrong. No, I wanted to prove to myself I was not simply a beautiful face. Maybe, deep down, I also resent my father, family, and friends for viewing me as nothing but a beautiful accessory for someone else.'