Chapter 604 - The Demon Inside the Ring

As the city turns to chaos, the sounds of man and woman cried howling floating in the air, the children are crying looking for help and perhaps their parents but no one bothers to care everyone is to busy running for their own life as the soldiers fight with each other without care. 

Lao Min Na with her bulging stomach walks aimlessly while everyone in the manor scream and run frantically none of them pay attention to her, the concubines who use to dress elegantly and poise now look disheveled, their hair and dress are messed no one care about how they look anymore, some of them carry their children anxiously while their maids packed their belonging in hurry but many other servants didn't care anymore for they only worry for their life.

The enemy soldier hit the manor front gate as they rush in, thankfully there still soldier left in the manor but they out of number, one of the soldier warned everyone to run and the panic increasing, they forget about all the valuable stuff on the manor and just run in hasted, Lao Min Na didn't know what to do so she runs to the back door with all of them.

However the street is even more chaotic than the manor was, Lao Min Na is heavily pregnant so she is unable to move faster like other people, suddenly she hears the sound of an explosion behind her and more people run towards her, Lao Min Na was pushed to the side and accidentally hit the wall.

She winces in pained, she knew her shoulder is bruised even without looking but what make her anxious is the pained came from her stomach, she force herself to stand by leaning to the wall, she could feel the scorching heat behind her as the flame grew bigger. Lao Min Na smirked if only they knew who is the perpetrator of this calamity, even until today no one knows Zhao Li Xin identity as Long Ming, the prince's is too busy fight with each other they don't know that they are only a puppet played on Zhao Li Xin hands.

Then another sound is coming, it's the sound of a war drum then someone is screaming at the top of their lungs 

"INVASION!" 

More screaming then follow the city fall into total madness some of the soldiers take off their armour and weapon and disguised themselves as a refugee to escape the battle, they know there is no hope for the Jiang Wei Kingdom, today the Kingdom will fall and if they not run they would fall with them. 

She should be scared and drawn in sorrow right now but instead, she feel happy, very happy, finally, someone brings down this rotten place. She hates this place, this kingdom, the manor, and the people she hates them all, she hopes this place is burned to ashes and everyone dies, she pray they all would die!

She didn't know how but she ends up in the back alley, Lao Min Na look behind her and she sees people still running from the enemy soldier and from the fire, Lao Min Na look ahead of her and it's oddly empty, rather than the chaotic scene behind her she rather moves upfront. She holds her bulging stomach then staggering moves forward.

Lao Min Na didn't know how far she walks but she walk as far as she can to get away from the city, she could feel constant leaking between her t.h.i.g.h, that how she knew she will get birth, right NOW!

Lao Min Na end up on the small dark pond in a middle of nowhere, she is too tired she lean on the tree trunks covered with dirt and sweat, she feel excruciating pain in her stomach she slid down to the ground and scream as loud as she can, her screaming startled the bird near her, they flapping their wing in surprised and flew away. 

Tears streaming down her dirty face, she feel nothing but extreme pained it's so painful she wishes she just die, alone she gives birth to her child, she didn't know for how long she finally get birth to her child, she doesn't care as long as the pained is dissipated, Lao Min Na hears a faint sound of baby cry, a healthy baby would cry loudly when they were born but her baby only whimper softly.

She pushes her back to raised and lean on the trunks, the smell of blood linger on the air, she watches her baby with an empty gaze. Something stirred inside her heart but she doesn't know what it is, is it love, hatred, or sadness maybe everything mixed in one.

'Now what….?'

That was the first question that came to her head, she had no money, husband, family, not even a country. Everything is lost and she only in her early twenty. She is not an educated lady, she doesn't have the skill to sustained her life and now she is leaving with a child that's not even her knew who is the father is. Lo Min Na looks heavenward a sense of loss dawned on her as she feel overwhelmed by the darkness.

It was that day she heard a voice came out of the dark forest, and eerie voice that make skin shriveled, every sense in her body screaming to run but she can't even move her finger, just like a statue she was nail to the ground.

"What do you wishhhh for?"

A cold run to her veins as fear paralyzed her, Lao Min Na breathe quickened her eyeballs run left and right searching for the voice coming from.

"I'll give everything you dessssiree…" the creepy voice hissed.

Cold sweat drenched her back "Wh…who is it!" she mustered her courage to scream and it work she finally able to moves slightly.

"Aren't you tired to be weak, to be afraid, to feel helplessss, useless...I could give everything you d.e.s.i.r.e, everything you ever dream for…."

Her mind screams for danger, she knew whoever has this voice is not someone she could trust but his offer is too tempted to deny, to sweet to refuse.

With tremble voice, she shouts "Who….who are you?"

The voice cackle with eerie laughter "I'm your wish, your d.e.s.i.r.e, I'm everything you ever pray for….take me and I will give you everything that God never gave you"

"You will…." Lao Min Na gulped.

"Oh, yes child….power, wealth, talent, authority, you name it and it's all will be yours….if you dare to pay the price of course"

"P…price?" Lao Min Na heart sunk "I don't have money, I…..I have…nothing" she looks down in grief.

"Silly child, You have something that far better…." 

"What….what do you want?" she was baffled by the strange voice answer.

"The bastar* child…the baby you never wish for…."

"You want my baby?" Lao Min Na startled, as much as she hated her child but she's been carrying this child for seven months, how could she hated her baby completely.

"Don't you wish that baby gone, don't you wish him to die…?"

"I am, but…" Lao Min Na stare at the defenseless baby in front of her, that baby is a son, normally she would feel very happy but she can't stop thinking that this baby is dirty, he is the product of a man who hurt her, she doesn't want the baby obviously but something inside her screaming not to let the baby go. 

"One child and you can have everything in this world, you can even have many more babies afterward…..you only have to give me this one, just this one baby and this world will be yours, no man could ever stop you, every man in the world would kneel in front of your feet, The King and the lord all of them will beg for your favor, your love, your mercy…."

Is a beautiful world she can only dream for, a world where she is not bound by anything, the world where she can decide for herself, no more hearthless family, no more lied from man, no more mockery, slandering, demeaning from a stranger, the world where she can decide other people destiny, a world where she can be like him….like the sixth prince.

Lao Min Na holds her baby in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks as the baby wiggle in her arms s if he knew what coming for him.

"Come, come to me child…COME TO ME!" the voice came from the deep of the black pond. Lao Min Na stride to the pond, her steps are heavy but she keeps moving. Her body trembles profusely, fear, sorrow, hatred, and expectation molded into one. The pond surface rippled and the voice shout excitedly

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

The pond surface suddenly got darker and darker and turn into crimson red, the smell of rotten flesh evaporated on the air, Lao Min Na stare at the pond then suddenly from beneath the water a black smoke appear and it flew towards her, Lao Min Na stretches her hand, she opens her palm slowly and she feel a sudden coldness on her skin then the smoke gradually dissipated and then a dark green jade carved with black rune appears on her hand.

A cold voice came from the ring "My name is Lazarus, now, let's own this world….."

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"The Devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns, he comes as everything you've ever wish for"

By Tucker max