Drain me dry? Swap my organs?
'What does "swap my organs" mean?'
Zhao Ci's head was spinning.
'My dad and I, we of the Zhao Family, are the very picture of a loving father and a filial son. How could Zhao Huan possibly want to drain me dry?'
'But... would my golden finger lie to me?'
He quickly sifted through his memories. Ever since he could remember, the Martial Emperor had been the hope of the people of Great Yu. His injuries were a constant worry for countless subjects. All sorts of life-extending methods were presented to him, but they had little to no effect.
'Wait!'
A jolt went through Zhao Ci. He suddenly remembered something: many princes of the Great Yu Imperial Family seemed to have suffered from serious illnesses.
The onset was always in their prime. The illnesses weren't fatal, but they completely destroyed their cultivation, leaving them as nothing more than invalids stewing in medicinal baths.
The deepest impression was left by the Second Prince. One day, he took a still-young Zhao Ci out hunting, and the very next he was struck down by an illness. Even after recovering, his cultivation was completely gone.
Rumor had it that this was because the Martial Emperor was so divinely powerful that the fates of his descendants weren't strong enough to bear it, and they were crushed as a result.
'Now that I think about it, it's probably connected to this *Organ-Swapping Secret Codex*.'
He had heard that after those princes recovered, their vitality was greatly damaged. They couldn't… get it up anymore. In every sense of the word.
'How is that any different from being a eunuch?'
For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
'I have to stay!'
'All land under heaven belongs to the Emperor. If Zhao Huan wants to drain me, there's absolutely no way I can escape!'
'But the problem is...'
'I was the one who proposed leaving for a fief, wasn't I?'
'Going back on my word now would be so awkward!'
'If the transition isn't smooth, it's going to raise suspicions!'
'What do I do?!'
'This is urgent!'
Meanwhile.
Kan Tianji, sensing Zhao Huan's wavering resolve, pressed his advantage and spoke with growing fervor, "Your Majesty's love for the Prince is enough to move heaven and earth. But the more this is so, the more it highlights the preciousness of His Highness's filial piety!
"By offering to leave for a fief, His Highness can not only quell the gossip in Lingge, but also secure peace on the border.
"Your Majesty is protective of your son, and sending him far away is no different from the pain of cutting your own flesh.
"But you cannot let that cause you to fail His Highness's earnest efforts to repay your kindness!"
His argument was at full throttle.
It was for no other reason than that he'd received reliable intelligence: Zhao Huan was already searching for a suitable bride for Zhao Ci, and his own precious granddaughter was the primary candidate.
She was the only hope of the Kan Family's new generation, well-read and sensible, peerless in both talent and beauty. The young elites of Lingge had even given her the title of one of the city's "Four Great Talents." How could she be married off to an ignorant, good-for-nothing wastrel?
That was why he was pushing so hard. As long as Zhao Ci left for his fief, Kan Tianji would have a way out. Even if the Emperor proposed the match, he could firmly refuse on the grounds that his own son had died for the country, and a lonely old man like him simply wanted his granddaughter to stay and care for him.
His speech was deeply moving and delivered with conviction, enough to make any who heard it weep.
Zhao Huan was argued into silence, "..."
He could ignore what others said, but not Kan Tianji. The man was an expert at divination, and every word and action of his held a deeper meaning.
Moreover, the man was incredibly stubborn; once he set his mind on something, he had to see it through.
Unless Zhao Ci himself gave up on the idea of leaving for a fief, he was afraid it would be very difficult to keep him here.
But leaving for a fief was the boy's own idea. How could he possibly give it up so easily?
Seeing the time was ripe, Kan Tianji asked one final question: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Zhao Huan had already decided to compromise, but he still made a token attempt to defer. "Kan Qing, your words are reasonable. However, let's see what Ci thinks. As his father, I will respect his wishes."
If any outsider had heard this, they would have been shocked by how much the Emperor doted on his son.
However...
Both men's gazes shifted to Zhao Ci, and then they both froze.
Because Zhao Ci's face was already streaked with tears.
'Why is he crying now?'
Zhao Huan asked, puzzled, "Ci?"
"Father!"
Zhao Ci threw himself at Zhao Huan, smearing tears and snot all over the imperial robes. "The Grand Scholar is right! Sending me away is like cutting your own flesh! I was so focused on leaving for a fief to ease your burdens that I completely forgot your heart is made of flesh and blood too.
"My aptitude is mediocre, and I've wasted seventeen years, but you, Father, have never once looked down on me.
"I only knew how to receive your favor, but never thought about how to fulfill my filial duties.
"I am truly ashamed!
"I'm not leaving! I want to stay by your side and be a filial son!"
Zhao Huan: "!!!"
Kan Tianji: "???"
'Your Highness, are you alright?'
'This isn't how you wrote the script you gave me!'
His composure faltered, and he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, you..."
Zhao Ci sobbed, gasping for breath, "Thank you, Grand Scholar. If not for your reminder, I would have been an unfaithful subject and an unfilial son. How deeply I would have hurt my father's heart!"
Kan Tianji: "..."
Watching Zhao Ci bawling his eyes out, he was completely bewildered.
'Could it be that my earlier speech about fatherly love and filial piety was so moving that it actually got to him?'
'Is this my fault?'
Zhao Huan, however, couldn't help but smile and pat Zhao Ci's back. "Since you want to stay, then stay! Stay and properly attend to me and your mother consort!"
"Right! And Mother!"
Zhao Ci wiped his nose clean on the imperial robe and quickly straightened up. "I'll go tell Mother right now that I'm not leaving! Father, I'll take my leave now!"
With that, he didn't even stay for the meal but bounded out of the Imperial Study, looking as if he couldn't wait to see his mother.
As he was leaving, he saw a line of purple text flash and disappear above Kan Tianji's head.
[Kan Tianji's Current Wish]: I really want to beat this little bastard to death! Wish comple—
He didn't get to finish reading before the text vanished.
Of course, Kan Tianji couldn't actually kill him, but that didn't stop Zhao Ci from picking up his pace!
The air was quiet for a long moment.
Zhao Huan felt refreshed and invigorated. He looked at Kan Tianji and said, "Kan Qing, there was something you said just now that I quite agree with. The boy is grown now, old enough to be married. I think that girl Luotang is quite good. Besides, in all of Lingge, there aren't many elders who appreciate Ci as you do. Why don't we settle this marriage?"
Kan Tianji: "???"
'Your Majesty!'
'Was I really *appreciating* His Highness?'
'I had to say some nice things to persuade you to let him go to his fief, didn't I?'
Kan Tianji felt that something was very wrong.
Today's events didn't seem to be about him and Zhao Ci teaming up to convince the Emperor to allow the fiefdom.
Instead, it felt more like the father and son had colluded to trick him into a marriage with his precious granddaughter!
Zhao Huan: "Kan Qing, say something!"
Kan Tianji: "???"
...
Only after he was a good distance from the Imperial Study did Zhao Ci stop, wipe the fine sweat from his brow, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
'The turn of events was a tiny bit abrupt, but it still fits my original character's idiot persona.'
'I guess I muddled my way through that, right?'
A chill crept into Zhao Ci's heart. He never expected that the Zhao Huan from his memories, who always had a warm and benevolent image, was actually after... this.
'But it makes sense, when you think about it.'
'The entire nation hopes Zhao Huan lives a long life; it stands to reason that Zhao Huan himself wants the same.'
'Extending one's life is understandable. Under a feudal monarchy, it's standard practice for a son to die for his father, or a subject for his lord. Just drawing blood would have been merciful.'
'Besides, the last line of his wish was "For the sake of Great Yu, the children will just have to suffer a little more," which has a hint of a loving father's image.'
'But no matter how loving a father you are, you can't just use me as a blood bag!'
'No matter how unscrupulous a blood donation center is, they'd only sneakily take a few hundred extra ccs. You motherfucker want to drain me dry?!'
Just then.
The wish completion notification arrived belatedly.
[Prompt]: Wish completed. Reward obtained: Comprehension Value +100; corresponding skill stolen: *Organ-Swapping Secret Codex*.
[*Organ-Swapping Secret Codex*]: A Secret Skill for transplanting the organs of blood relatives of the same origin. Can preserve all functions and Divine Patterns, and can also transfer lifespan through blood exchange.
Zhao Ci: "..."
Divine Patterns. He knew what those were.
The path of cultivation in this world was the process of opening Divine Treasures.
The human body had seven great Divine Treasures: the physical body, the five viscera corresponding to the five elements, and the Spirit Platform corresponding to the Primordial Spirit.
Each time a Divine Treasure was opened, not only would one's strength take a qualitative leap, but a Divine Pattern containing a Great Divine Technique would also form in the corresponding location.
'This...'
Zhao Ci was numb.
'So Zhao Huan didn't just see me as a blood bank, but also as a living organ farm for transplants.'
'Before, I felt a little distant from my new parents after just transmigrating here.'
'Well, isn't this great.'
'Now, we're as close as can be—a father and son ready to bare their hearts and lungs to each other, to see eye to eye, their hearts beating as one.'
'Not distant at all anymore.'
'So close there won't even be an organ rejection.'
For a moment,
Sweat poured down Zhao Ci's back like rain.