Chapter 417: Can't be cured, no hope left, just wait to die

But this is also a good thing; if the Sun King didn't even have this little thought, what's the point of using rhetoric to treat his illness?

Thus, after the maids closed the door and left, Ji Ming's first words were.

"Your Majesty, this curse was definitely placed by someone around you, and it has been meticulously planned and set up for years."

"..."

The Sun King, who had been full of expectation, suddenly took a deep breath, thinking, "How does this Divine Chosen raise people's blood pressure so much?"

"Are you just saying this for nothing?!"

He paused, calming his emotions.

"Besides, there aren't many people around me—just many women. I can't even remember who the mothers of some of my children are. How do you plan to investigate?"

Faced with the king's fury, Ji Ming showed no reaction, merely raising an eyebrow and asking oddly.

"Really?"

"Ha!"

The Sun King couldn't help but laugh outright, only after finishing did his brows and eyes flatten.

"Of course it's fake! I know the ins and outs of every one of them; I would never let the royal bloodline be stolen by some riffraff."

Having said that, he let out a cold snort.

"After all, I don't want to one day be out for a stroll, only to be suddenly accosted by some stranger claiming to be my father—these are bloody lessons from our ancestors."

"Alright, then I can rest easy."

Ji Ming then took out a notebook from his pocket and quickly wrote down the activation effects of the 【Siphon Trap】.

"Come, please have a look—how many people around you meet these activation conditions?"

Taking the notebook, the Sun King lowered his head, glanced at it, his expression changed, he pressed his hand on it as if to ask something, but before he could speak, it turned into a sigh.

"This is true; you have no need to doubt."

Who would have thought that the Sun King, who had been speaking in a sarcastic, evasive manner and clinging to the initiative, would now stutter?

"I know this is true…… for three years, they've been right by my side, I could contact them every month…… such people are few……"

Ji Ming sensed something unusual and coaxed gently.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I……"

The Sun King instinctively shook his head, then quickly stopped himself.

"This is my private affair! The situation is very complicated, Divine Chosen Sir…… please don't interfere."

Well, it seems there is indeed a hidden motive behind this, and likely an emotional killing that's a family disgrace not to be aired.

Seeing him like this, there's nothing to be done; Ji Ming could only show compliance.

"All right, I'm a doctor; since I already know the full condition of the illness, how the patient got hurt isn't important—I won't ask, and we won't talk about it."

Thus, the old fox-like expression of the Sun King eased after a brief moment of hesitation and shameful anger.

"Can it be cured?"

Ji Ming pretended to ponder, then spoke slowly.

"If you were thirty years younger, I would employ a fierce tactic—no breaking, no standing—and could cure you."

"If you had come to me a year earlier, I would use a clever move—strike the vital point—and could cure you."

Though his words were roundabout, the Sun King instantly understood, and, annoyed, he flopped sideways onto the bed.

"Ha! You mean to say that I can't be cured now, right?"

Ah, does this break his defenses?

This rare high-level encounter made Ji Ming a bit excited; he hurriedly, having successfully broken through defenses, increased his output.

"The root definitely can't be cured, but who says treating illness must eradicate the root? Actually, sometimes it's fine not to eradicate it!"

It's fortunate that the ancient land common language translated by the system doesn't have ambiguities similar to Huaxia here; otherwise, the Sun King wouldn't have just lightly hammered the bed.

"Don't play riddles with me here; just say what you can do—at worst, one death. I've long been mentally prepared for that after all these years."

"All right, my treatment method is simple……"

Although Old Sun's body is now too frail to withstand the intense saturation attack of affixing talismans and pumping medicine as when treating AdaiEr, Ji Ming hasn't relied solely on that method.

When treating Lao Nv Shi, facing the fierce divine curse, he used a huge amount of SpiritGathering Liquid to counter it, forcibly creating a blood-lock cheat by infusing massive vitality, allowing her to survive wave after wave of deadly backlash.

Although this Sun King, as an excessively indulgent human old lecher, falls short of the ascetic Buluowa who has practiced for five hundred years in terms of racial talent, personal will, and mental state, he cannot accomplish such a heaven-defying feat.

However, like a ginseng soup in dramas that prolongs life, letting this old man live a bit longer rather than dropping dead on the spot is no problem.

Of course, Ji Ming certainly didn't speak so bluntly; sensing he had probed the other's bottom line, he remained tactful.

The Sun King reckoned it over.

"Prolonging life…… tsk, is this really the only way?"

"Really, Your Majesty, given your body riddled with a thousand holes, this is already nearly an impossible miracle."

Having his hopes ruthlessly killed by Ji Ming, the Sun King let out a long sigh.

"Then come on; let me see your methods."

Before his words even finished, a crystal bottle filled with red liquid appeared before him.

The Sun King took the bottle, and through the candlelight nearby, he saw the liquid inside, clear and bright like liquor.

"What is this, an anesthetic?"

Ji Ming shook his head.

"You underestimate me; as a doctor, I, Ji Ming, never use those outdated anesthetics—I rely on other abilities."

But the Sun King seemed to be just asking offhand, not caring what he said, still hesitating while pinching the small bottle with his withered fingers.

"What is this……"

Ji Ming had just wanted to ask, "Your Majesty, are you afraid I would poison you?" and then he was relieved.

Indeed, a barefoot man certainly doesn't fear death; only those clutching seals fear death, and the larger the seal, the harder the material, the more they fear death.

So he stood up and called out toward the doorway.

"Um, what's that name again… Fenglu! Come in!"

But there was no sound outside the door, as if that person didn't exist at all.

"Ha ha!"

The Sun King probably guessed what he was about to do and smugly let out a cold snort.

"These are all my women; what good is it for an outsider like you to call them?"

Immediately followed a line.

"Fenglu, come in!"

This time there was actually a living person, and the maid obediently walked in from outside.

Ji Ming, unable to judge, reached for two small cups on the nearby table and poured a dose of the potion from the bottle into each.

"Here, one cup for you, one cup for me; help Your Majesty test the medicine."

What effect could the SpiritGathering Liquid have? Ji Ming, accustomed to drinking it, acted nonchalantly, while the young maid who had never drunk it felt her skin all over start to tingle.

"Wow, delicious!"

After sending away the maid whose seven orifices seemed to glow, the Sun King no longer hesitated and gulped down the SpiritGathering Liquid in one go.

"Hey, you, this thing is quite sweet… Oh! Oh!! Oh!!!"

After emitting a very metallic monkey‑like screech, the Sun King collapsed onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Then he suddenly sprang up, flinging his wide sleeves as he staggered around the fairly large bedroom, running in circles.

"Hey hey hey!"

Ji Ming was annoyed, but also feared the old brat would throw himself onto him, so he quickly went up and grabbed him.

"Stop going crazy; you're the king, be a bit restrained!"

"Hoo~ hoo~ Sorry, I haven't felt this energetic in ages; this long‑awaited feeling is so great, brother!"

Fortunately, the King's will remained relatively strong, and the Sun King, held in his hand, gradually calmed down.

But just as Ji Ming was about to let go, the old brat started acting up again, suddenly brandishing a SeaBottomMoon with his right hand, apparently to inspect some treasured item.

"Hmm!"

Ji Ming: "Ah?"

"Hmm???"

Ji Ming: "Ah!!!"

Just as Ji Ming realized and was about to throw this disgusting, truly skilled fellow out, he suddenly relaxed.

"Oh~~~"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! I didn't! I didn't! I really didn't! Hold on, don't drop me!"

After struggling fiercely several times, the screaming Sun King grabbed the edge of a nearby table and sat back down on the matching chair.

He brushed a thin layer of sweat from his face with his other hand, his old face now considerably warmer, and let out a long sigh.

"Ji Ming."

His expression complex: "…Hmm."

The Sun King seemed to regain his previous cunning and composure, like a… an elderly man with many experiences sighing.

"Tell me, why is a person's life so complicated?"

Ji Ming was still pondering what kind of thought or feeling he wanted to convey, when the old man's next sentence completely broke his defenses.

"When it wasn't sharp before, I thought about sharpness every day; now that it truly is sharp, I no longer want sharpness. How sad and lamentable, how ironic!"

…

If I lived in a novel, the author must have just pulled an all‑night binge of the entire Blood Cross series to write such a contrived line.

"Little boss, with this kind of mental state, could he be some failed savior?"

【No】

【His father is】

"That would indeed be an endless disaster."

…

"Don't stay silent; I'm serious!"

The Sun King's words carried a hint of urgency, and he almost scratched his head with his right hand.

"Ji Ming, think it over carefully for me; with my old, stubborn nature, this emotional state is absolutely abnormal!"

"Thinking it over, at least this old brat is still honest, right?"

So he sighed and uncovered the mystery he hadn't yet had time to reveal.

—The second blood‑red state is called Bloodline Curse·Dragon King.

This cursed state is rather exotic; its main effect is to boost a person's desire and ability in a certain field, making them as lively as the legendary evil dragon.

Moreover, as a bloodline curse similar to AdaiEr's, it not only passes to offspring but also strengthens as the host's "king" attribute grows.

If the host is a prince like Philip with some authority, it will erupt occasionally, but can be restrained by rationality, allowing a fleeting craving for attractive members of the opposite sex.

If the host is a princess like Eleanor who has almost no power, it will become so weak that it doesn't even appear on the panel, essentially nonexistent.

But if the host is a nation's ruler, a great power's sovereign, an obsessive old man shaped by a lifetime of influence…

After hearing Ji Ming's explanation, the Sun King tipped his head and carefully poured the remaining liquid from the crystal bottle down his throat, closed his eyes and savored it.

He said nothing, remained silent for a good while, then muttered to himself.

So that's how it is…… So that's how it is, ah……

His earlier vigor had vanished in smoke; now he looked listless, like a kid who'd spent an afternoon waiting for the internet to come back, only to find out when his parents urged him to log off that it was just a loose cable.

Ji Ming dragged his chair to sit opposite the Sun King, seeing that he had finally stopped idling, he gave a low laugh.

You were just thinking, huh? I thought you were regretting not having tasted it properly, haha, no need— isn't this embarrassing you?

The Sun King ignored his sarcasm, his face darkened, and then his eyes flashed with light.

You mean…… you don't only have this one bottle?

Probably, I should be able to have more.

With the SpiritGathering Liquid refreshing his mind and suppressing the curse, the Sun King, finally free of the two great burdens on his back, felt more awake than ever.

I get it— you think you've got me in your pocket and just want some benefits first, right?

He stood up, straightened his loose sleepwear, hands behind his back, and began to pace in front of Ji Ming.

According to kingdom law, although royal and religious authorities must not be mixed, each enjoys the right to honorary enfeoffment.

Now the court and countryside are in turmoil, domestic and foreign affairs complex; please prolong my life as much as possible, and I'll grant you an honorary dukedom, without territory, enjoying the treatment of a marquis— how about that?

Ji Ming laughed.

Is that all? I came north from Jueqiao Pass all the way; the worthwhile nobles are no more than one hand, the rest are just pigs, dogs, bugs, and scum— what good is it for them to look up?

The Sun King turned and paced back a few steps.

Although you are God's Chosen, your foundation in the church is still shallow; the archbishop has retired long ago and is old, so many things cannot be handled comprehensively.

I know many acquaintances in the church, and I can also exert influence in the court; find a way to solve the bloodline curse, and within two terms I'll make you the Holy Light Pope— how about that?

Ji Ming laughed again.

Is that all? Your Majesty, I'm a doctor— don't blame me for speaking bluntly; even without these two curses, you won't see the archbishop's funeral in your lifetime.

The Sun King turned again, first glancing at him.

To be frank, based on my past discussions with the dukes and marshals, Elinuo can certainly become a princess and be granted the princess title, but to allay the Deep Forest folk's worries, besides not being allowed to receive royal education, there is another price.

Saying that, he came before Ji Ming.

In order to prevent a second couple like the Long Song pair from appearing, no matter what, she must marry a talentless, ambitionless noble young man, and may never join the noble core circle.

Heh, first max out the stats, then poison the mechanism, right? It seems your nation's nobles are suited to be designers in PVP games— anyway, you lot are shameless and motherless…

Wait a moment!

How do I feel that something's off about this remark?

(End of chapter)