Atkin

Chapter 544 Life is like an ant

Deep in the majestic and solemn palace of Zhuli Kingdom, time passed by quickly as if being pulled by an invisible force.

The people of the Tan family have been endowed with a mysterious and strange ability since birth - the ability to freely change their identity, form, and image, and even the form of their life can be changed by fate.

At this moment, Tan Sheng sat upright on the king's throne, but his eyes revealed a hint of loneliness and anxiety that was difficult to conceal.

He knew very well that his time as king was running out, and he might never see his daughter Tan Luozhen again in this lifetime.

He slowly stood up and walked towards the huge hourglass in the palace with heavy steps.

The fine sand in the hourglass passed away silently like the messenger of time, and every grain that fell seemed to strike heavily on his heart.

"Luozhen, I wonder what my identity will be when we see each other next time?" He murmured to himself, his voice echoing in the empty palace, carrying with it endless melancholy and confusion.

He had fought hard for the identity of king, but now he was about to lose it, and his heart was filled with nostalgia; and the unknown identity that was about to come was like a fog, filling him with panic and making him at a loss.

There are less than 15 days left to the turning point of fate. During these short yet long 15 days, every minute and every second seems like torture.

In these last moments, the temptation of power and wealth was like a ghost, tightly entangling Tan Sheng.

Although he was about to leave, he still wanted to bring all the wealth of Zhuli Kingdom under his control.

Relying on the wisdom and strategy accumulated from years of struggling in the vortex of power, he began his final layout.

There was a shrewdness and calculation in his eyes. Every decision and every step was carefully considered to ensure that there would be no mistakes.

He kept pacing in the palace, talking secretly with his confidants, and issuing orders one after another, as if he wanted to hold the fate of the entire country firmly in his own hands.

At this time, Tan Luozhen was still immersed in her own vision and fantasy of the future, and knew nothing about the mysterious fate of her family.

She didn't know that she also possessed the magical and awe-inspiring ability to transform.

In the days to come, she may appear as a gentle and beautiful woman, or she may suddenly transform herself into a heroic and free-spirited man; she may rely on her keen business acumen to become a shrewd and capable businessman, dominating the market; she may see through the world, put on a cassock, become a monk devoted to practice, and pursue inner peace; she may even turn into a smart bird, flying freely in the sky; or turn into a light leaf, dancing in the wind; or become a breath of invisible and colorless air, blending into the vast heaven and earth.

Mr. Tan originally planned to wait until his daughter got married and then carefully tell her the secret at an appropriate time.

He was well aware of the weight of this secret and feared that revealing it too early would trigger a series of unexpected changes, making the already complicated situation even more difficult to control.

But now, fate played a cruel joke on him.

He was about to disappear with this secret, change his form, and step into the unknown.

However, Tan Luozhen is still unaware of when her life will end and when she will be reborn. She is like an ignorant lamb, walking alone in the fog of fate.

After some painful thinking and struggle, Tan Sheng finally decided to write the future of the country into his will.

He summoned the important officials in the court and announced solemnly: In fifteen days, the king will go on a long journey.

At that time, the power of the country will be handed over to the person who holds the jewel seal.

In order to ensure that the power would be passed on as he wished, he carefully made two ruby ​​seals early on.

One copy he put on his daughter's finger himself. The light of the ruby ​​flickered on Tan Luozhen's fingertips, as if telling of the family's mission and responsibility. The other copy he held tightly in his own hand.

From then on, the king of this country would either be himself or his daughter Tan Luozhen.

In this chess game of power, Tan Sheng made the last move, and then quietly waited for the decision of fate. At the port of Zhuli Country, the surging crowd was like a raging black tide, rushing towards the boarding place. The noise was like surging waves, one after another, ruthlessly impacting Tan Luozhen's nerves.

She huddled in the waves, her figure small and disheveled, like a dead leaf blown wildly by the wind, completely losing the dignity and pride she had in the palace.

She wrapped herself tightly, with only a pair of panicked and anxious eyes revealed under the layers of clothes, looking around in the gaps between the crowd.

Those eyes, originally bright and lively, were now filled with panic and helplessness, like a trapped beast eager to break free. Every look was filled with a fiery desire for freedom, but in the face of the cold reality, they were replaced by fear and despair again and again.

Before my eyes, the guards at the port looked stern and their inspections were strict to the point of being abnormal.

Everyone who boards the ship must show their port certificate and undergo a thorough and almost harsh inspection.

Tan Luozhen looked at this scene, and her heart full of hope instantly became like bubbles in the sun, shattered without a trace with a "pop".

Despair and regret spread rapidly from the soles of her feet like a surging black tide, completely drowning her.

She couldn't help but curse wildly in her heart: "Why is my father so alert! Where on earth can I get this fatal proof?" Her voice was so low that it was almost a whisper, but it was full of anger and helplessness, like a wounded little animal, wailing alone in the darkness.

She paced back and forth at the port, her steps hurried and messy, the soles of her shoes rubbing against the ground, making anxious sounds.

She was anxiously thinking about countermeasures, and a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes from time to time, but was swallowed up by endless darkness a moment later.

She tried countless methods, but each time, she was fiercely blocked by the ruthless reality, like a fly that crashed into the glass again and again, with its head broken and bleeding, but could never find a way out.

Finally, she felt as if her spine had been pulled out, her legs went limp, and she slowly squatted down against the wall.

Her body curled up like a wounded snail, trying to find a sense of security in this small space.

She let out a heavy and desperate sigh, which was filled with endless pain and unwillingness: "I'm so angry! I've been feeling suffocated in this Zhuli country for a long time. I just want to get out, but why is it so difficult?"

At this moment, her hair was disheveled, with a few strands of hair sticking to her sweaty cheeks. She looked disheveled and no longer had her former glory.

Tan Luozhen once thought about buying a fake certificate to get away with it, but the cruel reality once again dealt her a fatal blow.

At this port, if anyone is caught using a false certificate, the guards will arrest him without mercy.

They were escorted and, in front of a crowd of onlookers, suffered the beatings required by the law. Their screams echoed in the air and their blood dyed the ground red. Many people lost their lives in agony. Others, even if they managed to escape the beatings and successfully boarded the ship, were regarded as hidden dangers by the profit-seeking and ruthless ship owners and were ruthlessly thrown into the sea in the vast ocean.

Those people struggled and called for help in the waves, but they could only watch themselves being swallowed by sharks and become innocent souls at the bottom of the sea, each death more miserable than the other.

Thinking of this, Tan Luozhen's body couldn't help but tremble. Fear was like a cold dagger, piercing straight into her heart.

At this moment, she was not only desperate because she couldn't leave, but also terrified by this cruel reality.

The precious incense burners she brought with her, which had been her confidence and support in this world, had long been snatched away by brutal robbers or cheated away by cunning liars with sweet words.

Now she is penniless, isolated and helpless, and can't even afford to buy a fake certificate.

"This Zhuli country is full of robbers and swindlers. How did my father govern it?" She complained secretly in her heart, her eyes full of disappointment and resentment, but what's the use of complaining?

At this moment, Tan Luozhen deeply realized that without her father and the protection of the King of Zhuli Kingdom, she was nothing.

The life of luxury and regal attendance in the palace seemed like a distant and illusory dream. Now, faced with the strict inspection at the port, she was helpless and could only endure the fate's tricks at this bustling port.

The crowds around her were still surging, but she felt like she was on a lonely island, surrounded by the darkness of despair, full of regret but with nowhere to escape.