Xia Huaimin watched Ma Xiaotao follow the Imperial Guards on duty as they guided her around the various Soul Tools and patrolling guards. He was reminded of the past.
A girl who smiled often was bound to have good luck.
Among the few memories Xia Huaimin had of the Princess Consort, her dignified face always wore a gentle, warm smile.
Whenever he saw that smile, even the wounds on his body seemed to hurt less, though he had just returned from the blood-soaked battlefield.
Everyone in the military camp respected her.
That was because she was not only the Princess Consort, but also a renowned healing-type Soul Master on the frontier.
He was an orphan, with no parents and no one to rely on. The border was engulfed in endless warfare, and he had nearly starved to death while wandering when the Princess Consort saved him. She saved many others like him, too.
Later, his Martial Soul awakened, and he showed considerable talent. The prince took a liking to him and enlisted him in the army. He fought his way up to where he was now, from the border all the way to Mingdu.
Heh.
Their enemies were not only in front of them, but behind them as well.
Beautiful women had always been fated for misfortune, and the Princess Consort had been no exception.
In the end, the Princess Consort died. That kind, smiling woman, beloved by countless people on the border, died alone in the cold, desolate imperial palace, leaving behind her only biological child.
And now her son was going through the same thing she had.
History was repeating itself with uncanny similarity, like an inescapable cycle.
He was grateful to the prince for recognizing and cultivating him. The prince had ordered him to hold the Imperial