"Father?"
Hong Lie also looked at his father curiously. He had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time. He didn't understand either. Although those deputy generals were not very respectful to him and his father usually because they were newly nobles, they were loyal to the royal family. How could they have changed so much after being exposed to that strange Buddhist light?
My dad is ridiculous. He's so convinced those people have betrayed us. What's his reasoning, and why won't he tell me?
The eldest princess glanced at the Household Head Hong indifferently. In fact, she knew the truth. Zhang Zhengyuan had already given a general account of the situation in Buddhist School. The ability to awaken memories of past lives was truly unsolvable. Any loyal minister could have their personality drastically changed because of memories of past lives, including the current Household Head Hong. Whether he was still loyal to the royal family and the Xiao Household was uncertain.
Now is a good opportunity to test him. If he can tell the truth, it can at least eliminate most of the suspicion. Although it may not be completely reliable, it can at least put our minds at ease.
The Household Head Hong hesitated for a moment regarding the "Buddha's light." Revealing the truth could have serious consequences. If such a matter were made public, would His Majesty still feel comfortable allocating resources to his subordinates?
And will they continue to trust themselves?
But this hesitation lasted only a moment before the Household Head Hong finally took a breath and said, "Your Highness, it's like this."
After a brief explanation, the eldest princess feigned surprise, while Hong Lie stood frozen in shock.
Past life memories?
And not just one lifetime?
Is that still Dad?
Hong Lie was straightforward, but he wasn't stupid either. He immediately realized the crux of the problem: if someone suddenly awakened memories of a past life or several past lives, their current personality would probably change completely. Whether they would even be able to accept their current identity would be a question. Thinking of this, Hong Lie looked at his father with a strange expression.
"Past life? That's interesting." The princess smiled. "I'm a little curious. If the people behind that Buddhist temple can awaken their past lives at will, the whole world would be in chaos long ago, and no one could stop it. If I'm not mistaken, those who awaken their past life memories must have been chosen in advance, right?"
"Your Highness is wise!" Household Head Hong quickly bowed and said, "Nothing can be hidden from you."
"Who was Household Head Hong in his previous life? And why was he chosen?"
"To be honest, Your Majesty," Hong Lie hurriedly said, "Influenced by the Buddha's light at Golden Summit Mountain in Nanming Prefecture, I awakened memories of nine lifetimes. In seven of those lifetimes, I was an ordinary citizen, either a merchant who died in a shipwreck, a soldier who died on the battlefield, or a woodcutter who was killed by demons in the mountains. The only one who still exists is in my second life, when I was Yaksha General of a dynasty, under the jurisdiction of the North Sea Dragon King!"
"Demons?" The princess narrowed her eyes.
The Household Head Hong gave a bitter smile, but still solemnly said, "I never imagined that in one of my past lives I was a man-eating demon."
As he spoke, his body trembled slightly. The thought of his past as a demon, when he loved to eat the hearts and livers of children, made him feel nauseous. For the past two days, he felt like vomiting whenever he saw meat.
The eldest princess stared intently at the other person and asked seriously, "Grandpa Hong, do you think you are human or a demon now?"
"Of course I am human!" The Household Head Hong immediately became excited, his eyes even turning a strange red. "No matter what I was in the past, since I have been fortunate enough to be human, then no matter what happens in this life, I will be a person who swears to be irreconcilably opposed to demons!"
In his excitement, he failed to notice that he was now exuding the fishy smell unique to aquatic creatures. The princess's eyes turned slightly cold, while Hong Lie took a step back in astonishment, his gaze towards his father becoming extremely complex.
He had once fought a powerful demon, so naturally he could smell its aura.
This... this is a demon! My father's entire body now exudes the aura of a demon!
"Old Master Hong, please calm down." The princess, unperturbed by the demonic aura emanating from him, slowly approached. "Calm down and look at yourself."
The Household Head Hong was startled, as if remembering something. He hurriedly rushed towards the nearby pond, and upon seeing his reflection of his face covered in scales, he panicked even more. "Your Highness, please let me explain. I don't really know what happened. After experiencing that dream of Buddha's light, it seems that not only my memories from my past life, but also my abilities and even my bloodline are slowly returning to me. I don't know why this is happening."
The eldest princess looked at the despairing old man Hong, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. This so-called Buddha Kingdom was indeed a top-tier power far surpassing the Dragon Palace. Its supernatural abilities were simply unbelievable. Not only could it awaken other people's past life memories, but it could also bring back their bloodline from their past lives. This was simply a stroke of incredible luck.
Following this model, if someone was a great figure in a past life, could they regain their past abilities after being influenced by this Buddhist light? If so, wouldn't this Buddha Kingdom be able to directly create a large army of powerful individuals? Or would they be seizing power from others' forces? How utterly shameless!
Heaven has eyes, why is the rise of humanity so difficult?
Why were the ancient demons so gifted?
How can humans, whose lifespan is less than a hundred years, possibly contend with these monsters?
Having come this far, we initially thought we had amassed enough strength to resist, but now we realize that humanity still has a long way to go before it can become the master of this world.
"Your Majesty, please believe in this old minister!" The Household Head Hong knelt on the ground, the once unyielding man now with tears in his eyes. "This old minister is loyal to the royal family, but even more loyal to my human race. This old minister follows Your Majesty because he wants to see the day when my human race is unified and no longer ravaged by demons. This old minister will never stand on the side of demons!"
"I believe you!" The eldest princess nodded directly. "Please rise, Elder Hong!"
The eldest princess personally stepped forward to support the other person. At this moment, even Hong Lie was cautiously wary of his father, fearing that he might suddenly attack and harm the prince. However, the eldest princess seemed to have no suspicion at all, and she helped the other person up with a sincere tone.
Grandpa Hong and my siblings and I have shared hardships and faith. He once refused to submit to the King of Qin, just to prevent the human dynasty from becoming a puppet of demons again. Back then, the King of Qin was so powerful, yet you stood firmly on our side. I believe that after so many years of faith, even after countless lifetimes, you will still be the Hongmen General of my Great Jin!
"Your Highness!" Old Master Hong immediately became excited.
Just as I was about to say something, I was interrupted by a cold voice.
"Well said!"
The familiar voice sent chills down everyone's spines, especially Hong Lie's.
He hadn't heard that voice in a long time, but he would never forget it!
In those days of warlord conflicts, demons ran rampant, and evil spirits filled the land. It was this man who, along with a group of people with aspirations, gradually illuminated the dark Central Plains.
He was also the man they once admired the most.
"Your Highness, King of King of Qin?"