When Ling Yingzhen was seven, his father, Prince Gong, took him to witness the destruction of the General's Estate that had safeguarded the nation. His father had personally cut off the head of the great general.
As they were about to leave, a young servant brought over a little girl of two or three and asked, "Young lord, this is the legitimate daughter of the general who protected the nation. What should we do with her?"
Looking into those amber eyes, round as glass marbles, Ling Yingzhen saw the blood spattered across his own face.
He said, "Take her back."
He taught her to read and write, and to understand the ways of the world. Bright and clever from childhood, she became the Prince of Gong's adviser and strategist.
Years passed. She watched the realm fall, and Ling Yingzhen ascend the throne.
But she did not know that beneath the realm she had helped him win lay the bones of her parents and kin.
Later, Ling Yingzhen held her in his arms and whispered, "Qingqing, it's your birthday today. What is your wish?"
"Ling Yingzhen, you killed my whole family, used me from beginning to end, and made me plan your conquest of the realm."
"And now you dare ask what I wish for?"
"My wish is to kill my enemy with my own hands, eat his flesh, and drink his blood."
That day, she cried out in utter despair.
But she also saw Ling Yingzhen take her hand and slowly guide a dagger into his chest.
As she watched the corners of his eyes turn red, she heard him laugh and say fiercely:
"Then remember this: I am your enemy. Countless lives stand between us. Our hatred runs deeper than the sea, a grudge that will never be resolved, not in this life or the next. So in your next life, and the one after that, remember me. Even as a ghost, come find me."
Theme: The young should strive to become heroes
