Now let's go to Jiang Li's current background.
Like said earlier, the body was created for him, so his current identity didn't appear in the story. He was now Luke Wade, the firstborn of Marquis Allen Wade and the heir to Wade's marquisate.
As a high noble of course, his family were staying in the capital and only sending people to their fief to manage it. Sotis the father would visit the territory, but because he was working as an advisor in the palace, he couldn't stay there for long. Once in a while, the Marquis would bring his whole family there to enjoy the countryside and breathe so fresh air devoid of the capital's pollution and corruption. But they were staying more in the capital since that was where their connections were, plus it was a symbol of privilege. Only nobilities with both hereditary titles and fiefs could stay in the capital.
According to the system, Jiang Li would be in the world where the female lead had already gone back in ti. The only problem was that it would happen twenty years in the future. Well, he was not truly concern about how long he would have to wait before the plot comnced. It was just a certain thought always popped up in his head every ti he felt bored to death.
'I feel like rooting out the imperial family or preventing the male lead's birth to save so effort.'
He passed his few years frequently saying this to himself and hearing warning from the system.
Sohow, without him noticing, he grew older and until he beca thirteen years old. He reached that age doing his lessons and searching around for anybody who could be Ye Xinya. However, his luck in his family did not extend to that matter. Despite the effort put in, he never saw her.
It seed like he had guessed before she only appeared right before or while the plot was unfolding.
And it also seed like the plot was finally done being rciful to him since, on his thirteenth year in this world, bad news passed into his ears from the mouth of their family doctor.
It was after he woke up learning that he passed out twelve hours ago while in the middle of his sword training.
All of a sudden, Jiang Li's bedroom beca strangely populated yet very silent. For a mont, when he road his eyes around, he wondered if the Marquis whimsically had called a eting for servants in his room.
anwhile, under the nacing yet scared eyes of Jiang Li's father and mother, the doctor awkwardly shook his head. He then spoke in a soft but sad tone. "I'm sorry, Marquis Wade, Lady Helena. While it's unfortunate, I have no choice but inform you two that Young master Luke has that curse."
The thirteen-year-old boy sitting in his huge bed stared awkwardly at his father who suddenly sported a very grim expression, then to his mother who seed to be on the verge of crying.
'Curse? I'm healthy a day ago, but suddenly felt so ill and weak. Is this what the system warned about before? About how the one manipulating the plot will start to notice for real and act against ?' He sneered in his heart.
"Doctor Julius, please forgive our ignorance. But will you please... clarify to us what you an?"
In a trembling voice, the lady who was clutching her chest for seemingly having trouble breathing braved asking. However, it could be seen from the expression in her face that she had an idea what it was and only asked in hopes that the doctor would tell her that her guess was wrong.
As if heaven was laughing at her, the doctor shook his head again. He glanced at Jiang Li, showing hesitation for a couple of seconds. Then he returned his eyes at the marquis who was now hugging his silently crying wife.
"It's the Grim's Heart Curse. I don't know what happened for the young master to suddenly contract it." Sitting on the edge of Jiang Li's bed, the doctor chanted sothing and then his hand hanging in the air above Jiang Li's chest suddenly emitted a mysterious glow.
A mont later, the doctor who was actually also a magic-user chanted so incomprehensible words again and willed for a large oblong-shaped water screen to appear before them. The boy initially exclaid in surprise for the world this ti was dieval but here he was, seeing a magic version of blue X-ray.
It didn't take long for his expression to change into a frowning one, one of his brows raised up.
"My son's heart suddenly beca halved?"
The lady, who had grasped what the image ant, gasped for more than five seconds before fainting.
"Dear!" Horror was on Allen Wade's countenance as he caught his falling wife.
"In the whole continent, it was a common knowledge that a person cursed to only have half of his heart remaining would only be able to live up to 20 years old."
The doctor sighed, his eyes full of pity went to Jiang Li. The boy was popular for being a genius, especially in sword fighting and was predicted to be a future pillar of the empire. He was young and his future was very bright. In a few decades, he might even be able to elevate Wade's Marquisate into a Dukedom. Why was heaven so unfair to him?
When he was about to pat the head of the beautiful boy, he suddenly stilled since he finally noticed that sothing was wrong. He blinked and then looked at the boy's expression again. The servants and even the couple had already broken down into sobs and panic. But how co this kid Luke looked so nonchalant?
Didn't he hear him saying he only has 7 more years to live?
The doctor unnerved by the look on the Marquis' heir's face could only try to convince himself that maybe the kid was actually deafened by the earlier announcent he made and was yet to recover from the blow. He didn't know that the patient he just diagnosed was just used to not caring about his life expectancy due to being a world-hopper.
'It's just the plot telling I only have a year to fight against it since the saintess, that villainess, will only be summoned to this world seven years later. But what's the big deal? It's more lenient than He Chen's three months deadline.'
Jiang Li was not panicking since in his opinion he had so much ti to figure out how to extend his lifespan. If worse cos to worst, then he would use his points. Anyways, the female lead would reincarnate in two years. The world was always working against him and ensuring he would not be able to et the yet to be reincarnated female lead. He reckoned though that once the future Rumina take over her younger self, which would signal the start of the plot, he would be able to get near the leads.
...
If there was sothing he had already anticipated the mont his mother woke up, that was that his parents, in their heights of panic and indignation, would rush him into the Holy Church to get blessed. Obviously, they were hoping that the Pope's magic would be able to help him get rid of the curse which was pretty understandable since the two really loved their only child.
He was their pride so as natural as it could be, they wanted him to live a healthy life and lead their House into greatness. How could they stand there and do nothing?
"Even if the doctors can't help him, I don't believe The Pope His Holiness wouldn't be able too! I'm bringing my son to the church!" With red-rimd eyes, Helena Wade announced to her husband. Her beautiful voice, one of the many things that chard the Marquis was loud and cracking.
Allen was a wife-slave, plus he also had the sa intention even without her ntioning it, so after ordering the servants to help their weak child changed into a decent but light set of clothing, they imdiately set off. Within the carriage, both the mother and father never let go of his hands, as if they were afraid that he would just suddenly vanish.
When they arrived there, they forgot that today was the day when the old Emperor would go to the church to also get a blessing from His Holiness, The Pope.
Sohow, the two worried parents managed to anger the Emperor. On how they did? Well, they loudly begged for the Pope to prioritize them, their actions one which they would never do had there been no strong reason.
Still, since they caused a ruckus just when His Majesty was about to undergo the blessing ceremony, the old Emperor was offended and would have demoted the whole Wade Household by two ranks if not for Jiang Li.
Surrounded by several clergies and holy knights dressed in all white, plus the Emperor's entourage and guards, Jiang Li was sweating hard, not because of fear for the Empire's monarch, but the extre chest pain that he was feeling since he ca to this place. He cursed in his mind, 'Damn plot, it must have done this since it knows I'll be rushed here by my parents! This is how it wants to kill . Great! Death by Le Je Majeste or demoted into a commoner and dead from not receiving treatnt!'
To be honest, all he wanted to do was to curl up sowhere he could gasp for air more comfortably since he was also having difficulty breathing. But he had to endure it. Or else, he and his family would be f*cked up by the plot!
"Greetings, Your Majesty. This one has sothing important to say!"
Although he hated doing so, he bowed his head and even bent his waist to the tall, burly, heavily bearded old man elegantly dressed in a violet robe who was standing in front of them. The action had been very laborious because of the discomfort in his body.
'Even if I say that my parents only got anxious for my sake because of my condition, the Emperor would still treat it as a great disrespect.'
"What is it, the young heir of Marquis Wade." The Emperor's voice carried a great authority that one would just find themselves being in awe.
Seeing his son's extrely pale complexion and the beads of sweat running down his forehead, the Marquis disregarded the hostile and judging glances from those around them and interjected, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. We truly didn't-"
"I received an oracle from Her Grace, the esteed Goddess of Light!" It was Jiang Li who cut him off, which he did after gulping down a huge amount of air and yelling at the top of his lungs.
At that shout which ca from the mouth of a re teenage boy, the whole ceremonial room descended into pin-drop silence.
Many eyes widened in exasperation. After a couple of monts, so started to shake their heads and stutter claims of disbelief.
How could that be? Why would the esteed goddess revered in the whole Baler continent, give a random boy her oracle? Not even the Pope of this current generation had ever heard sothing like that from the Goddess!
"Lies!" After that one reaction, many similar others resounded in the great hall. A few even attacked his parents, blaming them for raising a scourge who dared to say blasphemous things and claim he was a ssenger of the Goddess, inside the Holy Church even!
'Why couldn't this bunch first let finish my performance?'
Jiang Li suppressed the annoyance he was feeling in his chest, not. He swept his gaze around icily, surprising even the emperor and causing the hall again to beco as quiet as a graveyard. "I am in the sacred grounds of the Great Goddess, and in front of is the greatest person in the Empire, there is no way I can lie!"
The Emperor looked through the eyes of the person who declared those words to him. The boy inherited his father's hazel brown eyes and his mother's silky black hair. Focusing on the first point, the greatest man in the empire was amazed because all he could only peer through those hazel brown orbs were calmness.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. "In an account that a once-in-a-millennium genius before said that children couldn't lie, I will hear you out." The lion-like man threw the curtsying and bowing couple a careful look before directing his eyes back to the weak young man in the middle.
This sa young boy t his gaze first for a couple of seconds before bowing again, seemingly imitating his father.
"This Goddess' servant thank Your Majesty's kindness from the bottom of his heart."
Looking around for a short while, he then continued, "The Esteed Goddess told in my dreams. In seven years, the Esteed Goddess of Light will summon the Saintess who will lead the new era of our Empire. The whole empire and the Holy Church must prepare!"
Internally he said, 'Uhhh... well, sorry, saintess and you whoever goddess, let borrow your nas because I need to save and my family first.'
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