A gloomy, self-destructive protagonist burdened by a blood feud
Wei Xuan died at twenty-five. The one he loved had used him to seize power, and after ascending the throne, immediately ordered his family destroyed.
But he had no family left to lose...
His mother died of illness when he was young, his elder brother fell in battle, and his father willingly paved the way for that man for Wei Xuan's sake, only to die branded a traitor. Now Wei Xuan had outlived his usefulness, too...
The day he died in agony, blood stained the long steps, and cicadas cried in the cold. He died with his eyes open. If he could live again, he would change the life in which he had been used, and save his mother, his brother, and his father...
When Wei Xuan was young, a monk gave him three prayer beads. Those beads granted him three chances to return to the past and change his fate!
The first time, he disguised himself as a wandering monk and rescued his mother, discovering that her supposed illness and death had been the result of a carefully laid plot.
The second time, he disguised himself as a military strategist and stopped his brother from pursuing the enemy, only to discover that the so-called enemy was not an ambush force from an enemy state.
The third time, he returned to the capital to be at the side of his younger self, who had been sent there as a hostage. By day, he was Shen Qi, the esteemed tutor Wei Xuan's father had hired when Wei Xuan was sixteen. In secret, he was a shadow guard, watching over Wei Xuan as he grew up and helping him overcome one crisis after another.
But he discovered that because he had been overprotective, the Wei Xuan of this life was bright and cheerful, always trying to get into his dark, damp heart and bring him light.
He didn't like it!
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Wei Xuan had been held hostage in the capital since childhood, with a shadow guard always by his side. The guard never showed his face, but Wei Xuan knew that the one who disobeyed his orders, kept him in line yet indulged him, was the most special of them all. He made up for all the love Wei Xuan had been denied.
When Wei Xuan was sixteen, his father hired him a tutor. The man was aloof and handsome, and his writing cut straight to the heart of current affairs. He was talented, but calculating and ruthless. Wei Xuan didn't like him...
Until one day, an accident occurred. The shadow guard was injured, and while the tutor was testing his lessons, Wei Xuan caught the scent of blood on him...
One day, Shen Qi looked at Wei Xuan, who had his arms around him and refused to let go. Wei Xuan's bright eyes reflected Shen Qi's face, like a big, harmless puppy.
Shen Qi raised a finger to stop Wei Xuan's lips from kissing him. His expression was stern, but he regretted it inwardly. How had he raised him to have these kinds of feelings?
Core theme: Cherish what is beautiful.
