Chapter 250: A fated encounter- side story 2
Chapter 250: A fated encounter- side story 2
The moment Elder L brought a red-eyed and slightly sobbing boy home, Leo instantly welcomed this new friend.
"A brother?" Leo, as bright and innocent as ever, was joyful as he heard his father say, "Indeed. Min has no home to return to, so treat him well!"
"I will!" Leo took Min's hand and his eyes sparkled.
Min felt a bit uncomfortable but he shyly gave a sad smile. So, this was a council family. As Leo showed him around, Min's eyes sucked in this new place he'd live in. Howwonderful.
"Your mother left you?" Leo sat with Min on his bed and patted his back.
Hearing this, Min forced himself to tear up again and snivelled, "Yes."
"I'm sorry," Leo sadly replied before he grinned, "It's fine! Cry as much as you want! I won't blame you. My grandma also left my dad for the Mortal World, so we're sworn brothers! Or blood brothers! Or-"
"Really?" Min stared with big eyes at Leo before saying, "I'm sorry too."
"It's fine! My dad said it's been a long time, he doesn't mind."
But, of course, Min already knew about this, hence he targeted Elder L. If Elder L saw the familiar scene, how could he have the heart to abandon Min and not help him? How could he let what happened to him repeat itself?
Everything was going as planned. The next step was-
"Hey, you know what'd cheer you up? Meeting my friend!"
"Friend?"
"Yes, she's very cute and kind. You'll love her!"
"Really?"
"Yes, you should've heard of her! It's Lia, the K family's daughter!"
Min's eyes widened. Everythingha, everything was really too easy.
"...I've heard of her," Min tried to be brave and wiped his tears away, before shyly saying, "I-I'd like to play with you guys."
"Sure!" Leo was happy to have another friend and brother. Most of the other families' kids were snobbish or had to approach.
And so a week later, Min met Lia. At first, Min was quite curious how a person with power and might over everyone was like, but he was hugely disappointed. This dim-witted girl was like everyone else, chasing after him the second she layered her eyes on him. Disgusting. Women were truly stupid.
Such a lowly and dumb girl, how in the world was she allowed to have powers while he, the true heir of the Immortal King, didn't? How could someone who was this ungraceful, utterly dense and materialistic be allowed to have power? If one had power they should make use of it and be powerful!
But all this girl did, was to chase after him. He knew nothing about him and just like any other girl saw only his appearance.
Just disgusting.
"Min! I brought you something!" Lia shyly handed Min a gift.
"Thanks," yet Min endured to humour her. He still needed her. Although he hated it, it was to his advantage that she was falling for him. When the time was right, she'd definitely make him the Ghost King, for this, he had to endure the K family's daughter.
The one with power. Min hated to act nice to her, so he acted neither nice nor cold. Just enough to keep her hanging on to him and sometimes he showed her affection a tiny bit so she'd fall for him even more.
Min was manipulating her, playing her like a puppet in his hand. It was no different than all the other people in the past he used to his advantage.
And so a couple of years went by. Min was out travelling through the Immortal World, as an excuse to get away from Lia. It was a good thing her duty was to purge ghosts or else, she'd cling onto him the whole time.
It was also during this journey that Min accidentally bumped into a lanky guy. Intrigued by how suspicious the lanky guy acted, Min confronted him, "What are you doing scurrying around? What are all these books for?"
Seeing how the lanky guy carried four large bags, as big as a medium-sized luggage, Min was curious.
"It's for studying."
"Studying?" as far as Min knew, the Immortal World didn't have schools like Mortal World. Everyone was taught by their parents or the everyday life.
Immortals lived too long to need to cramp all studying in the beginning of their lives as the mortals did.
"Yes, yes," the lanky guy hastily said, feeling his spine go numb under Min's gaze.
"What for?"
"I'm studying about powers."
Min was instantly intrigued, he graciously took two bags and said, "Let's continue at your home."
The lanky guy was confused but understood that Min was also interested in this topic.
"How long have you been researching?" Min sipped on the tea the lanky guy poured him. The lanky guy lived in a fairly large home but didn't seem like he had money, but Min didn't care about it.
"My whole life."
"That's...long?"
"I'm already in my 400s," so the lanky guy could be considered to be in his early middle-age.
"Why are you interested in it?"
The lanky guy wanted to ask Min the same but didn't dare, so he answered truthfully, "I've heard you can attain powers a certain way without a Ghost King."
"You can?" Min showed visible interest, so the lanky guy continued, "Yes, yes!"
"So, do you have powers?"
"Of course not," the lanky guy was lying, "To attain power, one has to have a burning desire and in an abyss, one's desire will be granted."
Min understood, if he didn't threw a piece of truth to the guy, he wouldn't tell Min everything.
Min picked up the cup again and asked, "Have you heard of the Immortal King?"
At this, the lanky guy's eyes lit up briefly and the conversation was rolling as both sides were willing to reveal their cards.
"I heard the Immortal King was a being chosen by heaven who created the Ghost King."
"Heavens?"
And so Min found out about this entity being heavens, and the golden power one could attain.
"There are two ways to become the Immortal King, one's to be acknowledged by heavens and pass their trials and the other one is the golden powers, that is to take all the golden cores of both the council and hidden families," the lanky guy explained.
"The hidden families" Min has known a bit of his past as his mother recounted to him when she was still on the more sane side but how did this guy know?
Just who was he? But up until the lanky guy's death and Min's death, Min and no one else ever got to know. A person who knew everything yet was powerless. Just who could it have been?
"The first is impossible. After the Immortal King, heavens has never shown itself. In fact, it might be just a legend after all, but I highly doubt it, so the best choice is to attain the golden power. It's more achievable. For that the golden cores and a trigger are necessary. The trigger needs to be stationed in the abyss and has to continuously suck the power and life force out of a person with power. It cannot be your own as a Ghost King and it has to be a powerful and ancient one," the lanky guy continued.
"The K family."
"Exactly," the guy nodded, "the power is needed to trigger the abyss, and the abyss feeds on powers because it is connected to heavens and only in the abyss, after attaining all golden cores and absorbing the power that has been nurtured in the abyss, can you become the Immortal King, because all power of origin will be created inside you again."
"I see," Min was trembling with excitement. His goal, no, his fate to become the Immortal King was getting closer and closer.
The lanky guy was the first one Min choose to trust and confide in. Since that day, they formed a bond and the lanky guy knew of Min being a descendant of the Immortal King. Once Min became the Ghost King, the lanky guy's research, especially ideas of experiments could be continued in secret.
Min and the lanky guy were on a wavelength but also had their own hidden agenda.
Soon, the day came when Lia couldn't take it anymore, "Min, you're always playing hot and cold with me. Do you like me or not? Can we not marry? I can give you everything!"
Min smiled coldly but it looked dazzling in Lia's eyes, "Of course, I am interested in your proposal. Make me the Ghost King and I'll marry you on the day I'm crowned."
The trial to become a Ghost King can only be done by someone with power, and the K family as the right hand, the attendant of the Ghost King had the right to crown the new Ghost King.
So, Lia fit the role perfectly. All these years of patiently manipulating and grooming her worked out. There were times when Min noticed Lia had enough of it and wanted to leave him, so for that, he went out of his way to woo her again. He wished he didn't have to but in order to achieve his goal, a clingy pest like her was nothing. In fact, Min could see Leo liked Lia.
Min had no idea what Leo saw in her but if he could, he would've given her to Leo. Min had complicated feeling towards Leo, although Leo was a simpleton and one of the stupid people Min condemn everyone to be who wasn't him, Min couldn't deny that from the day he was adopted, the L family treated him very well.
This was their only saving grace but Min had already been crooked the day he was adopted, so no amount of love nor care could change him.
And when he became the Ghost King, the whole tragedy finally began and lasted for a long time.