Chapter 564

Although his steps were quick when he left, as soon as he stepped out of the gate Eleanor stopped.

Seeing the way she was carrying Ji Ming, her shoulders trembling, there's no need to guess—she was definitely wiping away tears.

Facing Orphan No. 3's impending grief over losing an important relative, Orphan No. 1 could only hand over a tissue.

But Eleanor didn't take the tissue; instead, with fingertips already roughened by intense office work, she directly grasped Ji Ming's hand.

"Ji Ming, do you have a way?"

"I..."

The answer was that there was no way.

Ji Ming could extend Lao Nv Shi's life because, as a golden elf of her age, she should already be in her prime; merely patching the void caused by divine curses and mental attrition to add a few thousand years of lifespan is normal.

But the Archbishop, being a succubus, only lives a few hundred years; reaching nearly a thousand is already an absolute longevity granted by both celibacy and a healthy lifestyle.

Under these circumstances, even his resurrection talisman, which he had never been willing to use, couldn't solve the problem; after all, you can't resurrect a life that died naturally from old age.

Perhaps in the realms of dark alchemy and necromancy there exist bizarre black arts that could let Tenice's will persist, such as a soul‑stealing technique that literally brings the false emperor of Dark Flame back from death.

But he still remembered everything the Archbishop said to Ji Ming that night beneath the Sacred Mountain.

The old lady had lived a respectable life, and she wanted to walk the final stretch with the same dignity.

Thus, in her succubus form, she left crucial historical evidence for her father that "the nobility of a life's character is unrelated to race."

Therefore she could not accept such an act that ran counter to her aspirations, extending her consciousness in a dirty way.

And if the Archbishop, under the threat of death, chose to accept...

That would mean that the she who killed herself is no longer Tenice, but a ruthless corpse, and Ji Ming would generously help her die with dignity.

With a somewhat bitter thought, Ji Ming tightened his grip on Eleanor's hand.

"Life, huh—there are still many unsatisfied grievances in this lifetime. Take good care of the old lady and help her finish this final stretch well,"

By Ji Ming's methods, he had countless life lessons to share with Eleanor, constructing a full‑blown dose of motivational success rhetoric.

But precisely because of that, not wanting to deceive Eleanor, Ji Ming fell silent after the sentence, lowered himself, and proactively embraced her.

He held her for a long while, only releasing when the sounds around his ears faded.

【Seems like it】

"Not at all!"

Eleanor certainly wasn't dead, but she didn't stop crying because Ji Ming's mother's warm embrace; she simply closed her eyes and fell asleep.

One can only say that Ji Ming's line has a problem; since Lao Nv Shi's generation, the whole master‑disciple lineage has emphasized a gathering of top scroll‑winners.

Retired sages and the Archbishop actively look for work, the younger generation with work actively applies for overtime, leaving Ji Ming as the laziest of all.

Eleanor might have been handling official business until who knows what hour yesterday, then attended the ribbon‑cutting ceremony of a new commercial street this morning, and now she finally couldn't hold on any longer.

But she fell asleep, which gave Ji Ming a dilemma.

Wake her up?

It's rather impolite to wake someone who's finally managed to fall asleep.

Carry her straight to her residence or office?

Even if Eleanor has no objection, the spotless Ji Ming does have his own concerns.

Thus, caught between dilemmas, Ji Ming could only seize the chance to pick up Eleanor and return the same way, placing her on the sofa beside the already‑asleep Archbishop.

With the afternoon breeze blowing, both the old and the young were immersed in sleep; the atmosphere was tranquil and serene, making one can't help but curl the lips into a smile.

【All seem】

"A bit lively now, woof."

Grabbing a sheet of paper, Ji Ming wrote a farewell note and medication instructions for the old lady, then quietly left the Black Water Territory.

The next stop was the Distant Mountains Territory; coincidentally, it was Fiya's birthday these days, so Philip was also there, allowing Ji Ming to meet the ally again.

Months later, Philip seemed even more active than before, and the princely aura about him had risen a few more points.

There's no way around it; the Philip siblings' investments in the Distant Mountains Territory were hugely successful, wealth poured in, and anyone who got a bite of that honey couldn't help feeling ecstatic.

Although in theory the Hui Guang Kingdom's royal authority and ecclesiastical authority must be absolutely separate, with no contamination.

But theory is theory; everyone lives under the same roof, and if you want a prosperous life, you can't keep them that distinct.

Moreover, the ancestral edict only forbids the royal and church powers from colluding, not from forming personal friendships.

Thus, to better maintain a balanced situation, each Sun King actually has many church friends, ready to correct things promptly should any mishap occur.

Obviously, Philip, who had already launched his final charge for the throne, had already secured this church friend in advance.

"Ji Ming, the chosen one, you're already here; have a meal before you leave!"

And after one meal came another; in the end, Ji Ming stubbornly stayed in the Distant Mountains Territory until the day Her Highness the Princess celebrated her birthday.

Both being royal offspring, compared to Eleanor's near‑life‑ending misadventures that could have happened the moment she opened her eyes, Fiya's life was far happier.

On her birthday, not only was there an ultra‑luxurious ceremony fully organized by Prince Oni‑Jiang, but also sincere blessings sent by a special envoy from Grandfather Duke Jingguang.

Even Ji Ming selected a gift from the warship warehouse—a piece of ancient jewelry they had retrieved from the players in the Dragon Demon Treasure—and gave it to her.

With face and substance both in order, life was simply carefree.

Ji Ming couldn't help but exclaim, "Maybe this is the difference between Romans and cattle, their ancestors truly entered the pass together with Emperor Ah Ma, finishing off the lives of their descendants in this generation."

If the current script continues as expected, without any surprises, Fiya is destined to be suffocated by a life of wealth.

But since such a line can appear on the screen, thinking no mishap will occur? That's impossible!

So, midway through the bustling ceremony, Ji Ming suddenly felt his paradoxical luck start to rumble again.

At first he thought it stemmed from Fiya, who was speaking to him, since her charisma was high; such occurrences weren't unprecedented.

After realizing Fiya might have that intention, but her will wasn't that strong, he shifted his suspicion onto the banquet itself.

There were many guests today; since Prince Philip, the hot favorite heir, was also present, assassinating either him or Fiya could greatly affect his power.

Moreover, whether one wants to stir up chaos in Hui Guang to fish in the muddied waters, or to seize the opportunity of the Philip siblings' Whale Fall to rise, the factions with interests inside Hui Guang are far from few, and there may even be more than one that takes action.

But when he saw someone rush over to Philip, who was chatting with guests, and, with a tense expression, led him out of the venue, Ji Ming realized he was probably wrong again.

Sure enough, a servant soon jogged over to his side.

"Divine Choice Master, His Highness the Prince requests…"

Ji Ming followed the servant to a room near the hall and found Philip sitting inside, brow furrowed, as if the words "something serious has happened" were written on his face.

So he stepped a few paces closer and asked.

"What's wrong?"

Philip instinctively wanted to show Ji Ming the paper in his hand, but after a moment he tucked it away and lowered his voice.

"A secret report came from the Royal Capital. The father king fainted in the garden after breakfast today… the situation is far from optimistic."

"Ah, this."

Although Ji Ming knew that Andong Sixth bore a sinister curse, with his SpiritGathering Liquid sustaining him, he thought Andong could probably hold on for a few more years.

He didn't expect the old man's overindulgent body to be so frail; he hadn't even survived the first winter after taking the medicine, and he collapsed outright.

Sigh, so this guy still needs to watch his health!

Ji Ming was pondering, while Philip had already begun to persuade.

"Ji Ming Divine Choice, your medical skill is renowned among all Hui Guang people, praised by all, so I hope you can return to the Royal Capital to examine and treat my father king. The Hui Guang Kingdom cannot do without him, and Fiya cannot lose her father on her birthday…"

Although it sounded more like a request for Ji Ming to investigate Andong Sixth's current condition, given the present circumstances Ji Ming definitely needed to rush back to Qixia City, so he pretended it was genuine filial piety.

"Your Highness the Prince need not say more; since I was once invited by the princess to treat His Majesty, and now His Majesty's health has issues again, I am certainly responsible to the end!"

"Divine Choice is indeed virtuous."

Thus, under Philip's arrangement, Ji Ming successfully borrowed a teleportation array constructed by several dukes linking together, and sped toward the Royal Capital at the fastest speed,

riding the Philip family's newly developed third-generation magical airship, covering the final kilometer to the destination, Ji Ming set out in the afternoon and arrived at the capital just as the Sun was setting.

But Ji Ming didn't foolishly storm into the Sun Palace; the news that His Majesty was in a coma was strictly sealed, and no more than a handful of people in the kingdom legally know of it.

If he used this pretext to treat the king, even with good intentions, any schemer who seized the chance would essentially be selling Philip out.

Therefore Ji Ming didn't land the airship in the Royal Capital; instead he returned conspicuously to the Sacred Mountain, idled there for half an hour, and indeed received a royal command from Sun Castle ordering him to enter the palace and speak with the king.

Ji Ming is not the only doctor in Hui Guang Kingdom, so after a joint consultation with several top apothecaries, Andong Sixth had actually awakened from his coma.

But the bad news is that the coma left aftereffects, as the Sun King summoned him while seated in a wheelchair.

"Handsome, Your Majesty, sprint!"

Andong:???

Andong shook his head, made no attempt to decipher Ji Ming's odd words, and let out a cold snort.

"Who told you that?"

Ji Ming, prepared in advance, spread his hands.

"Believe it or not, a singing little bird told me."

Although Andong Sixth tried to muster a cold yet angry expression, perhaps due to lack of energy, he ultimately couldn't hold it.

He could only let out a long sigh amid a self‑mocking grim laugh.

"Sigh, why do they always like to bully the old…"

But Ji Ming wasn't fooled; instead he retorted.

"Don't call me that, as if you don't like the younger one."

"Pfft… hahaha!"

This time the old man truly couldn't hold back; his massive beard quivered wildly, and he laughed so hard he began to cough.

After the laughter subsided for a while, he had a maid push the wheelchair, indicating that Ji Ming should follow him inside.

"Let's go, I trust you on this matter."

From system panels to alchemical knowledge, Ji Ming gave the Sun King a comprehensive examination, unsure whether it was fortunate or…

Because it's similar to the Grand Archbishop, rather than saying he was killed by a curse, it's more like a lamp running out of oil and naturally fading, already beyond the realm of medicinal cure.

But who can not care about their own life? So after seeing Ji Ming fall into thought, Andong Sixth couldn't help but ask.

"How is it?"

With an old‑doctor's grimace: "Oh dear, Your Majesty, there's no remedy, even a dog would shake its head at this."

"Understood, you won't shake your head anymore."

Ji Ming:???

After expressing his aggression, vividly demonstrating what it means to 'the river cannot be crossed and even the bridge is torn down', Andong directly escorted Ji Ming out of the palace.

Even as Ji Ming was leaving, he could hear a loud curse from behind.

"This is already your third time entering my bedchamber, the matter is only three; next time I'll have to hang you on the city gate!"

After driving Ji Ming away, Andong, still seated in his wheelchair, had a maid push him to Mei Lie Er's secluded courtyard.

The curse placed by Mei Lie Er is mutually linked; since Andong is already weak enough to need a wheelchair, she too has fallen ill.

Only thanks to the otherworldly Demon Emperor's formidable power does she, for now, manage to uphold the queen's dignity with a single cane.

Leaning on the doorframe, she didn't descend the steps to greet His Majesty, but stood there and casually said,

"Arrived?"

"Arrived."

"No cure?"

"He said you just shake your head at it."

"Heh, finally there's good news."

She slowly descended the steps, and Mei Lie Er, supported by a maid, sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.

As a senior transmigrator, she trusts Ji Ming's medical skill; since even he says it won't work, then she and An Dong truly can't.

Then…

"Fine, you may go. The two of us need to talk alone."

The atmosphere had been set, and the clever maid dared not linger; she immediately, dutifully circled and bowed, then fled the courtyard as if escaping.

As the most powerful couple on this planet, what An Dong and Mei Lier discussed is unknown to outsiders.

But early the next morning, a piece of news destined to alter the world order and draw storms from all directions spread through every street and alley of the Royal Capital on this somewhat dim dawn.

And via spider‑web‑like trade routes, spies, and information dealers, it reached every corner of the planet where sentient life exists at the fastest speed.

Because the news concerns March 18, when An Dong the Sixth will, at the ancestral homeland where his forebears built their fortune, announce the candidate for the new Prince of the Light Crown!