A medicinal bath isn’t as simple as throwing a few pieces of Dragon Clan parts into water; it requires ritualistic refinement, decoction, and then mixing with water at the appropriate temperature.

Moreover, Lu Xingzhou’s injuries haven’t fully healed yet, so a healing medicinal bath can be combined with it.

Watching Long Qinghuang personally scatter herbs and mix the bathwater in the tub, Lu Xingzhou felt a tenderness in his heart.

In truth, using the remains of the Dragon Clan for such a purpose is an act of great rebellion. Anyone else doing this would surely enrage the Dragon Clan and face execution. Even the pureblood dragons and demi-dragons killed during this internal strife, though traitors, would be properly buried by the Dragon Clan, not easily desecrated by other races.

But when the Dragon Empress herself does it, one can only feel that it’s the most difficult act of kindness to betray.

After all, she was even willing to cut off her own flesh and blood.

“Alright now,” Long Qinghuang said, having prepared the medicinal bath. She felt a small sense of accomplishment from doing something for her lover, and happily turned around, “Come, try the water temperature?”

As she turned, she saw Lu Xingzhou gazing at her with soft eyes, the meaning of which she understood.

Long Qinghuang smiled then, her eyes curving, “Weren’t you going to tame me? If I really let you tame me, you’d be too soft-hearted.”

Lu Xingzhou shook his head with a smile, undressed, and entered the tub.

Long Qinghuang naturally stood behind him, gently massaging his shoulders, “Why don’t you think I’m fawning over you because you haven’t helped me reverse my qi channels and regulate my fertility yet? I’m just at your mercy.”

Lu Xingzhou replied, “Chen Yu can handle the matter of regulating a Dragon Clan body alone. There’s nothing to hold you with… but I looked at the elixirs he gave Long Yun, and their quality is lower than I expected… perhaps I’ve made great progress in the past six months and don’t think much of them.”

Long Qinghuang laughed aloud, “Alright, alright, Lu Da Dan Shi, give your sharp critique of his elixirs. What’s wrong with them?”

“His elixirs are effective for Long Yun because Long Yun herself is strong; she wasn’t as severely affected to begin with. If it were an ordinary Dragon Clan member, his elixirs would be much less effective, perhaps even useless. But they’d certainly work for you.”

“Why are you so honest?” Long Qinghuang said, “You should say they’d definitely be ineffective for me, and then have me at your mercy.”

Lu Xingzhou pressed down on her massaging hand, “Isn’t it you who has me at your mercy now?”

“I’ll crush you,” Long Qinghuang increased her strength slightly, “Injured, yet you still go and chew on female sworn brothers. Are you that hungry? Isn’t there anything for you to eat in the imperial palace?”

The Dragon Empress adding strength was no ordinary increase. Lu Xingzhou winced in pain and grabbed her hand, then, with a decisive move, pulled her entire body into the tub with him.

Long Qinghuang was drenched, biting her lower lip as she looked at him.

“Is this what you mean by there being something for me to eat in the imperial palace?” Lu Xingzhou lowered his head and kissed her.

“Don’t…” Long Qinghuang maintained a bit of clarity, pushing against his chest, “You’re taking a medicinal bath; you need to circulate your qi to absorb it. Don’t get distracted.”

Long Qinghuang seemed even more dedicated to his body cultivation than he was himself.

After all, that was related to whether he could break through her defenses.

Although it seemed barely possible now, “barely” was still barely. Who wouldn’t want a truly joyful union instead of worrying about whether he could enter?

Lu Xingzhou himself, always harboring the thought of leaving, had been somewhat reserved and hesitant to get serious, thus not as dedicated to body cultivation.

Seeing her expression at this moment, he didn’t know whether to be touched or to laugh, “Then, my body cultivation master, assist me in guiding it, and I will also assist master in regulating…”

Long Qinghuang paused, “How to regulate… hmm…”

Her lips were sealed, and Long Qinghuang once again felt a dizziness more pleasant than before.

When Yin-Yang Jiyi Gong merged with Dahuanxi Jile Jing, the dual cultivation effect was ten times greater than before. Lu Xingzhou found that if he only needed to address Long Qinghuang’s fertility issues, he didn’t even need elixirs; dual cultivation alone could solve it, and perhaps with better results than elixirs, as it was very specific to the problem.

Of course, he couldn’t do this for the entire Dragon Clan…

When one round of “regulation” was complete, Long Qinghuang had completely melted into a puddle, soft and unmoving in his arms.

Lu Xingzhou himself was also absorbing the medicinal power from the bath. As Long Qinghuang went limp, a faint golden light appeared on his skin, with dragon patterns faintly visible.

At the same time, he also felt his “second brother” become even more invincible.

Long Qinghuang looked at his dragon patterns with misty eyes, reaching out a finger to trace them, “How majestic.”

It was unclear if she was referring to the dragon patterns or his “boat.”

With a splash, Lu Xingzhou picked her up horizontally. A water-based spell cleansed both of them from head to toe, washing away the remaining medicinal bath, and then they tumbled onto the bed together.

Long Qinghuang chuckled, “Are your water-based spells used for this kind of thing?”

“Cultivating immortals is for the convenience of doing things ordinary people cannot,” Lu Xingzhou said righteously.

“Then…” Long Qinghuang lay beneath him, her arms wrapped around his neck, “Do you want to do something now… something ordinary people cannot?”

Lu Xingzhou hesitated slightly. Just then, a rooster crowed in the distance.

They both paused, then simultaneously burst into laughter.

They had actually stayed in the bathtub all night; dawn had broken.

“When I’m with you, I truly become a complete muddle-headed ruler,” Long Qinghuang slowly got up, “But this time, the peace of the Dragon Clan and even the entire Demon Realm relies entirely on your breaking of the deadlock. I truly don’t know how to evaluate it.”

Lu Xingzhou asked, “How do your courtiers evaluate it?”

There was a hint of a smile in Long Qinghuang’s eyes, “Do you care?”

If he truly intended to leave, he wouldn’t care what the Demon Court thought of him.

Lu Xingzhou did not reply.

Long Qinghuang perceived the complexity in Lu Xingzhou’s heart and said no more, getting out of bed to get dressed, “For the qi channel transfer, you’ll need to set up a formation, I presume?”

“Mm.”

“You can ponder it first… hmm, these next few days, I’ll also have Long Ao and the others come to you for treatment.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, “You should go to court.”

Long Qinghuang gazed deeply at him once more, then finally turned and left the bedchamber.

Lu Xingzhou let out a long breath, lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thought for a long time.

For the next few days, Long Qinghuang seemed to be busy, rarely visiting Niluan Gong. When she did come, it was to tend to his medicinal bath.

Lu Xingzhou had nothing else to do. Besides practicing cultivation, he focused on researching the qi channel transfer formation and refining elixirs to regulate the Dragon Clan’s bodies.

Pureblood members of the Dragon Clan entered the imperial palace in batches for diagnosis, and each of them looked at Lu Xingzhou with an indescribable expression.

How to put it… a large part of this recent turmoil was centered on the Dragon Clan bloodline, aiming to make the pureblood Dragon Clan infertile, allowing the demi-dragons to rule.

Yet, the Empress still sought an outsider, and then would still bear demi-dragon offspring, without considering pureblood succession. This made the whole affair seem somewhat ironic.

However, it was this Lu Xingzhou who had completely seen through the events, whether it was the secret dealings of the Sacred Mountain or Long Yun’s decade-long rebellion. Without Lu Xingzhou, no one knew how things would have turned out. All members of the Dragon Clan owed him an immense debt of gratitude, making it impossible for them to voice any opposition.

Not to mention that matters of body regulation and qi channel transfer were now in his hands, leaving them all disgruntled and utterly repressed.

“Why that expression?” Lu Xingzhou, while feeling the pulse of Long Ao before him, leisurely said, “Are you Long Ao? The commander of the Dragon Clan Imperial Guard?”

“Mm.” Long Ao didn’t know how to face this person, only grunting in a muffled way.

“You hold a high position and great power, then,” Lu Xingzhou said, “Why isn’t ‘Tian’ added to your name?”

Long Ao: “?”

“In your position, you must have significant influence and advisory power over the Empress, right?”

Long Ao replied in a muffled tone, “I am trusted by Her Majesty.”

“But I feel that Your Excellency has not been diligent.”

Long Ao’s face showed anger, but he quickly sighed in helplessness, “Yes, we were very negligent. We are all very grateful for your great help.”

Lu Xingzhou shook his head, “I wasn’t talking about that.”

Long Ao paused, “Then what?”

“A large part of this incident was a conflict over bloodlines. Shouldn’t you have argued strongly, strongly urging the Empress not to associate with a human?”

Long Ao raised an eyebrow, astonished.

Behind Lu Xingzhou, there was a danlu (elixir furnace). A’nuo was sitting there, hands tucked in, watching the elixir. At this moment, she said, “Master, the elixir is ready.”

Lu Xingzhou opened the furnace, retrieved three elixirs, and handed them to Long Ao, “One per day. With your foundation, you should be fine in three days.”

Long Ao was delighted, “I heard Long Yun took many to recover… will three really be enough?”

“Chen Yu is Chen Yu, and I am Lu Xingzhou.”

Long Ao looked at him deeply, then lowered his voice, “Do you truly want us to advise Her Majesty?”

“Yes,” Lu Xingzhou said calmly, “In fact… it’s also for her own good… she and I… are not suitable.”

Seemingly calm, yet his tone was disjointed, Long Ao could detect the complexity in his heart, and instead regarded him with higher esteem, “You are different from what we thought.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, “I don’t care what you think.”

In the distant imperial study, Long Qinghuang, who was discussing matters with the newly appointed Prime Minister, suddenly fell silent.

“Your Majesty?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m a bit tired. Prime Minister, you should also go back and rest. We’ll discuss this another day.”

“Yes.”

Long Qinghuang leaned back in her chair, somewhat lost in thought.

Yes, they weren’t suitable. I knew that.

If I absolutely had to be with you, there would be many more troubles. I also knew that.

But I can’t bear to… Is it easy to fall in love even once?

You can’t open your mouth to bargain with me, but instead you incite my subjects to admonish me. You truly are something. With such an active and resourceful mind, why isn’t it used to consider how to appease the dissatisfaction of my subjects, but instead used to deal with me?

A hint of anger flashed in Long Qinghuang’s eyes, but then it gradually faded, and she sighed softly.

He had already done everything he promised “Dragon Maiden,” and more, even serving as the stabilizing force of the Demon Realm this time. He never owed anything; it was always she who owed him, the entire Dragon Clan owed him.

The more he refined elixirs and set up formations there, the more she owed him.

Long Qinghuang closed her eyes with a touch of sadness, listening to Lu Xingzhou, who had just sent Long Ao away, calling out to A’nuo, “A’nuo…”

“Ah? Master.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Lu Xingzhou was silent.

A’nuo reached out and waved her hand in front of Lu Xingzhou’s eyes, “What’s wrong, Master? Something on your mind.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Your situation would be more beneficial if you stayed with your Dragon Sister, you…”

A’nuo directly replied, “Aren’t you staying?”

Lu Xingzhou said in a low voice, “I have done everything I should, with a clear conscience.”

“And I didn’t take anyone’s body, I maintained control, so I don’t owe any debt, right?”

“Hey, you’re just a child…”

“But a debt of love is also a debt, Master.”

Lu Xingzhou fell completely silent.

A’nuo said, “I don’t care. Wherever Master is, I am. If Master leaves, I leave too. I’ll repay the debt of Long Sister’s guidance later.”

But I can easily repay, Master, what about you?

Lu Xingzhou silently began to survey the ley lines for setting up the formation, no longer speaking.

Long Qinghuang’s infrequent visits these past few days might not have been due to busyness, but simply because she didn’t want to face him.

Sheng Yuanyao also had important work to do these days.

Previously, some bilateral exchange issues officially discussed with the Honglu Temple had been put on hold due to the chaos at the Sacred Mountain. The so-called special crop seeds and such hadn’t even had time to be given to the envoy mission before the mission had been raided and fled.

As a result, the chief envoy couldn’t leave, the deputy envoy was dragged back, and the other members of the mission, not daring to return to face punishment, all sheepishly came back.

So this time, the mission’s actual work began in earnest, loading various crop seeds onto carts. While busy, Sheng Yuanyao practiced her cultivation, wrote her “Records of Travels in the Demon Realm,” and her days passed quickly.

The people at Honglu Temple were even following her updates.

By the time the envoy mission’s tasks were almost done, Sheng Yuanyao finished her update, looked up at the calendar, and realized another seven days had passed.

Seven days without seeing Lu Xingzhou… was he locked up in the palace again?

Sheng Yuanyao’s mind conjured images of Lu Xingzhou being tied to a bed, juiced, his face sunken like a skeleton, and she couldn’t sit still.

So she went directly to Xiao Liang, “Go and inform your palace that Lu Xingzhou is our Great Qian’s chief envoy. All recent diplomatic negotiations require his approval and decision-making. What is the meaning of keeping a Great Qian envoy locked up in the palace?”

Xiao Liang’s face turned green, “You might as well use my tail to make a brush.”

Sheng Yuanyao’s expression was blank, “This is a matter of bilateral relations, as serious as can be. If you can’t even convey this, what kind of official are you? I’ll write in my book that the Honglu Si Qing of the Demon Realm is a useless sellout.”

Xiao Liang jumped up, “Don’t write that! I’ll go inform them right away!”

He returned not long after, “Um… Deputy Envoy Sheng, County Viscount Lu said you can just enter the palace to find him. He’s already informed the guards.”

Sheng Yuanyao’s mouth was half-open. She knew that Lu Xingzhou wasn’t tied up and being juiced, but could even command the palace guards. Why did she feel more worried instead of relieved?

Looking at this situation, he wouldn’t really stay here and become empress, would he?

Sheng Yuanyao went to the imperial palace with a heavy heart. The guards glanced at her, and indeed, no one stopped her. Instead, shortly after entering, she ran into a round-faced little girl: “Are you Deputy Envoy Sheng? My name is Xiao Kui. Her Majesty asked me to bring you in, saying you wouldn’t know the way.”

Sheng Yuanyao was stunned, “Her Majesty?”

“Although he wants me to call him ‘Daddy,’ I’m not stupid.”

Sheng Yuanyao grew even more worried. How could he have even acquired a daughter…

“Why is your imperial palace so deserted?”

“Oh, there used to be over a dozen people, but Her Majesty pointed out that some had backdoors planted by the Sacred Mountain, and the Emperor drove them out. The Emperor wanted to kill them, but Her Majesty stopped him, saying they didn’t know, and their crime wasn’t punishable by death.”

Sheng Yuanyao: “…So how many people are there in the imperial palace now?”

“That’s right.” Xiao Kui puffed out her chest, “Her Majesty says I’m the Grand Supervisor of the Imperial Household now.”

Sheng Yuanyao’s mouth twitched.

A Grand Supervisor of the Imperial Household for a few people—what a grand official.

Is this still an imperial palace?

Aside from its large size, if one were to say it was a young couple living in a manor with a few maids, would there be any problem?

Upon reaching Niluan Gong, she saw several Dragon Clan members thanking Lu Xingzhou profusely as they took their leave, “Thank you, County Viscount.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, “Thank you so early? My elixirs aren’t even confirmed to be truly effective yet; you’d at least have to conceive to know, right?”

“Pshaw, Chen Yu’s were effective, so how could the County Viscount be inferior to him?”

Actually, the most crucial thing was Lu Xingzhou’s encouragement for everyone to offer remonstrance, which had made their impression of him unprecedentedly good. He sought nothing from this place, so there was nothing to question.

Just by exposing the Sacred Mountain incident and rooting out the traitors, he was a benefactor to the Dragon Clan. Now, by treating and assisting with fertility, he added favor upon favor. Lu Xingzhou’s prestige among the Dragon Clan was now ridiculously high.

Sheng Yuanyao felt that if Lu Xingzhou returned and wanted to rebel, he could easily gather a Dragon Clan army to help him fight the Qian Dynasty capital.

Watching the several Dragon Clan members leave, Sheng Yuanyao swayed languidly as she entered, “Is Her Majesty at peace?”

Lu Xingzhou rolled his eyes and sat back in front of the elixir furnace, “What’s wrong?”

Sheng Yuanyao scoffed, “You’re really treating me like a visiting guest, aren’t you? Have you forgotten that the place you should be living is Honglu Temple?”

“There’s no other way, so just put up with it.”

Sheng Yuanyao said, “I thought you were imprisoned. Since it’s so lenient, and your prestige is high, with no one able to restrict you, why haven’t you been to Honglu Temple these past few days?”

Lu Xingzhou sighed. Of course, he was afraid you’d be tied up by the tyrannical dragoness.

The atmosphere these past few days has been strange; it’s easy to imagine the tyrannical dragoness’s irritation, with her accumulated anger almost at max. If she really vented her anger on you, your head would crack.

Sheng Yuanyao continued, “Also, everyone’s official business is truly finished. When can you leave?”

Lu Xingzhou couldn’t answer that question, so he had to change the subject, “How’s your cultivation progressing?”

“Not bad. The Dahuanxi… um, it’s a bit awkward to practice alone, but I can still do it, and the effect seems decent. All my martial arts are progressing smoothly, it’s just that the Wind-Thunder Physique feels a bit like a chicken rib, not as useful as I thought before.”

“Of course, you just touched a bird. How big of a leap did you expect?”

Sheng Yuanyao ground her teeth, “Can you use a different word?”

“In any case, that physique can only be considered activated; it’s still a long, long way from completion. At the very least, you need to soak in some medicinal baths, right? But you’ve come at just the right time.” Lu Xingzhou turned to Xiao Kui and instructed, “Xiao Kui, go draw a tub of hot water.”

Xiao Kui became alert, “Her Majesty, what are you going to do?”

“I want to stuff you in the tub when you call me ‘Her Majesty’.”

Xiao Kui: “…”

“I’m preparing a medicinal bath for my sworn brother. What are you being so alert about? Is there no place in this huge palace for someone to bathe? Go on, go.”

Xiao Kui went off suspiciously.

Sheng Yuanyao was quite pleased, “You prepared a medicinal bath for me?”

“Mm, I haven’t had much to do these past few days, so I pondered the demon clan’s medicinal bath body tempering method; it’s not hard to learn. It’s a pity that the thunder bird only has its bones left, so it’s not easy to concoct a perfectly complete formula, but by combining it with some other compatible herbs, it can still provide basic body tempering for you. Originally, it would be better for you to take it back and soak there, but since it’s my first time concocting this type of medicinal bath, I’m not entirely confident, so it’s best to be close to me so you can call out if anything feels amiss.”

If I really called out, would you rush in and look?

Sheng Yuanyao stifled a retort, but felt quite happy inside.

So she casually patted Lu Xingzhou on the shoulder, “Not bad, not bad. You haven’t forgotten your sworn brother just because you’re getting cozy with the Dragon Empress.”

Long Qinghuang, who was discussing matters with others, fell silent. Her divine sense focused on Sheng Yuanyao’s hand resting on Lu Xingzhou’s shoulder, and she remained silent for a long time.

Coming here and urging Lu Xingzhou to leave was one thing, but constantly touching him without reason. I haven’t even touched him these past few days.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty?”

“Mm, it’s nothing, continue.”

“We all believe that Your Majesty detaining Lu Xingzhou is truly inappropriate.”

Long Qinghuang suppressed her anger, feigning indifference, “Mm, you’ve all been buzzing the same thing in my ear recently, and you still think it’s not enough, is that it?”

“I won’t speak of the issue of his offspring with a hybrid. But Your Majesty, his heart is indeed not here. What’s the point of such awkwardness? If word gets out, outsiders might misunderstand, thinking our Dragon Clan is ungrateful and has imprisoned a benefactor.”

Long Qinghuang fell silent, this time not refuting.

“Lu Xingzhou has recently regulated the bodies of our clansmen and reversed the qi channels of the Sacred Mountain. This is a truly great kindness and benevolence to our clan, showing ultimate righteousness. Yet, his small wish we cannot fulfill. Your Majesty, a dragon should not act in this way.”

Long Qinghuang’s thoughts once again drifted to Lu Xingzhou. He was carefully preparing a medicinal bath for Sheng Yuanyao, just as she had done for him that night.

The irritation grew stronger and stronger.

You use the tenderness I showed you to treat someone else.

Is he even going to help her with the bath?

As soon as she imagined such a scene, Long Qinghuang couldn’t stand it. Her dragon claws clenched the armrest of the chair, making creaking sounds.

“Your Majesty?”

“Silence! Don’t you have any other official business to discuss?”

“This is official business… uh…” The old dragon saw Long Qinghuang’s ashen face and finally changed his words, “It is rumored that Ye Tinglan has returned to Gandu, which may be a sign of reconciliation with Gu Zhanting. Your Majesty, when the Qian Emperor and the Heavenly Jade Saint Lord join forces again, it will be detrimental to us.”

“Then what are your thoughts?”

“I heard that Lu Xingzhou has a grudge against the Huo family, and the Huo family are close ministers of Gu Zhanting. Lu Xingzhou and Gu Zhanting will inevitably have conflicts because of this. And Ye Tinglan is Lu Xingzhou’s master, and will only side with Lu Xingzhou. Perhaps causing the Heavenly Jade Sacred Land and the Qian Emperor to become estranged again will fall on Lu Xingzhou.”

Long Qinghuang: “You fu…”

A vulgar word caught in her throat, finally not bursting out.

Although it was irritating that these birds always brought every random remark back to Lu Xingzhou, on closer thought, what they said wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Especially holding Lu Xingzhou captive, it might provoke Ye Tinglan’s desire to attack the Demon Realm, thereby fostering a renewed alliance between the Heavenly Jade Sacred Land and the Qian Emperor.

Continuing to hold Lu Xingzhou would be detrimental in every way.

Long Niang felt incredibly aggrieved. From the Demon Realm to the Great Qian, the whole world didn’t want her and Xingzhou to be together. The crucial point was that Xingzhou himself was also backing away. Otherwise, even if the whole world opposed them, what could it do?

The Dragon Empress, with power over the world, rarely failed to get what she wanted. Unexpectedly, having fallen in love once, to get a man proved to be so difficult!

Sheng Yuanyao had already gone to take her medicinal bath, entering an adjacent side hall, with A’nuo helping inside. Lu Xingzhou, at least, didn’t follow in, which made Long Qinghuang feel slightly better.

But the irritation still couldn’t be suppressed.

The old dragons saw that the Empress’s expression was on the verge of exploding, so they dared not continue talking about Lu Xingzhou and instead chose to discuss some internal political and personnel matters. Long Qinghuang made an effort to discuss them, and before she knew it, dusk had fallen.

Sheng Yuanyao had a wonderful medicinal bath; the effect was surprisingly good. In the tub, she clasped her palms together like a blade, making a virtual cut in the air, and could feel the wind and thunder rising dramatically.

Sheng Yuanyao stroked her chin, thinking to herself, perhaps she shouldn’t go out so directly. If she stayed longer, he would worry, then open the door and rush in, seeing…

Immediately, she snapped out of it, tapping her head.

She was truly going crazy, ever since she started practicing that damned technique.

“Sister Yao?” A’nuo called from outside the door, “Master said you’ve been in there a bit too long. Nothing’s wrong, is it?”

“Oh, no, no.” Sheng Yuanyao hastily got up to wipe herself, fumbling to put on her clothes.

Rushing out the door, she saw Lu Xingzhou and his disciple standing there, looking at her a bit strangely, “Why are you panicking?”

Sheng Yuanyao stiffened her neck, “No, who said I was panicking?”

Lu Xingzhou eyed her suspiciously, “This medicinal bath, no matter what, has a certain wildness of demon beasts. Based on my experience, there’ll be a little… that. You wouldn’t be in there by yourself…”

Sheng Yuanyao’s eyes widened, “Lu Xingzhou, do you want to die?”

So it was the influence of demon qi earlier, not that I was going crazy, Sheng Yuanyao felt a sense of relief, while still making a gesture to hit him, “Am I really that lustful?”

Lu Xingzhou grabbed her wrist.

But Sheng Yuanyao had soaked for too long, her legs were a bit soft, and she stumbled, falling towards him.

With a “bang,” the armrest of the chair in the imperial study was crushed, and Long Qinghuang, who had been in the middle of a discussion, had vanished.

All the old dragons were stunned, “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

Sheng Yuanyao swore she didn’t do it on purpose, but she also swore she never thought such a short distance would fail to connect.

Her back collar inexplicably tightened; she had been grabbed.

Lu Xingzhou’s eyes widened, and Sheng Yuanyao stiffly turned her neck to see Long Qinghuang’s ashen face.

Who could understand? Such a short distance, and someone could come from the imperial study to the back palace to grab people. What kind of speed was that?

“No sooner had you arrived than you wanted to persuade Xingzhou to leave!” Long Qinghuang pointed a finger, sealing Lu Xingzhou’s acupoint, then grabbed Sheng Yuanyao and lifted her towards a pillar.

“Then flirting and touching indiscriminately.” Long Qinghuang pulled out a rope, heaven knows where it came from.

“Taking a medicinal bath for so long, just trying to trick a man into coming in to see you!” The rope wrapped several times, tying Sheng Yuanyao to the pillar.

Sheng Yuanyao struggled valiantly, but how could she overcome the Dragon Empress’s power? She was tied up as firmly as a shrimp.

“And even after the bath, you can’t behave, immediately leaning on a man as soon as you step out!” Long Qinghuang tied knots in the rope, “Female sworn brother, calling you female sworn brother, I’ve tolerated you for too long!”

“No, listen to me…” Sheng Yuanyao felt more wronged than a dog. She really didn’t lean on the man on purpose just now!

Why wouldn’t this tyrannical dragoness listen to explanations!

“I am an envoy of the Great Qian; you cannot do this to me!”

“I don’t care what kind of envoy you are; if Gu Zhanting came, I’d kill him!” Long Qinghuang grabbed the dumbfounded Lu Xingzhou beside her and strode towards the bedchamber.

After two steps, she remembered something, turned around, picked up A’nuo, and with two swift motions, tied her next to Sheng Yuanyao, “You ungrateful little white-eyed wolf! Still ‘wherever Master goes, I go’? I’ve been good to you for nothing. To prevent you from releasing your Sister Yao, then suffer with your Sister Yao!”

A’nuo: “???”

“I absolutely didn’t mean that!” A’nuo struggled, “Dragon Sister, I was wrong, I’ll help you hold down Master!”

Long Qinghuang paid her no mind, pulling Lu Xingzhou into the bedchamber, “Xiao Kui, and that pig! Anyone who dares to release them, I’ll roast you!”

“Bang!” The palace doors closed. It was only then that Lu Xingzhou made a sound: “Holy crap!”

Sheng Yuanyao struggled fiercely, “Monster, release him! What are you going to do!”

A’nuo opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Useless sworn brother, useless disciple.

A’nuo actually knew that Dragon Sister’s suppressed anger these past few days was about to burst. Who could withstand such a barrage of criticism from so many clansmen? Sister Yao was merely caught in the crossfire, becoming the last straw that broke the Dragon Empress’s patience, and an excuse.

Master, may you be blessed.

With a thud, Lu Xingzhou was thrown onto the bed, his acupoints sealed, making him unable to struggle. “Hey, hey, hey, Your Majesty, you… no, listen to me, that was truly an accident just now… Yuanyao didn’t do it on purpose, and I certainly didn’t…”

“Does it matter?” Long Qinghuang interrupted.

Lu Xingzhou paused, looking at her somewhat reddened eyes, and closed his mouth.

Long Qinghuang straddled him, her slender fingers gently stroking his cheek, “How badly do you want to leave, to collude with so many of my officials, bombarding me?”

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips and didn’t answer.

“I was wrong too… why try to warm your heart?” Long Qinghuang’s eyes held a touch of madness, “This is what I should have done to you on the first day I captured you in the Demon Realm, isn’t it? I only needed to make you serve me, why say so much… Emperors are solitary, never meant to talk of love.”

“No…” Lu Xingzhou sighed, “I don’t… mm mm…”

His words were cut off by a fierce kiss, all words pushed back down his throat.

Long Qinghuang mumbled indistinctly, “Don’t speak… I know you have a silver tongue, but if you say a few words, I’ll become soft-hearted again.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Long Qinghuang violently tore open his clothes, lowered her head, and kissed him.

“I know you’ve actually always wanted my body, but you’ve been restraining yourself,” Long Qinghuang murmured, “You don’t want to abandon me after having your way, you don’t want to just leave after… that’s your morality. But Lu Xingzhou, you have morality, I do not.”

With a “rip,” his pants were torn.

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

“Are you still trying to use the technique you just cultivated to keep your heart as still as water? It’s useless.” Long Qinghuang lightly stroked his “little boat,” then raised her head and gave a seductive smile, “Although your technique has some profoundness, unfortunately, you’re just a beginner. No matter what, it can’t withstand the blood of our Dragon Clan.”

Lu Xingzhou’s eyes widened, and he saw Long Qinghuang bite her own lip, then kiss him again.

Dragon blood, carrying a hint of fishiness and faint sweetness, entered Lu Xingzhou’s mouth.

If ordinary Jiaolong blood could be incredibly aphrodisiac, then what about the blood of the Dragon Empress?

The desires that had been forcefully suppressed by his cultivation technique instantly raged and surged. In an instant, the ferry crossed the wild river, and the boat drifted freely.

Long Qinghuang finally shed her clothes, her perfect body glowing softly like jade in the night. She kissed him gently again, her voice softening, “Am I not beautiful?”

Lu Xingzhou finally sighed, “Beautiful, but you truly don’t have to be like this… hmm…”

Feeling her straddling him, it was already a siege upon the city.

Long Qinghuang paused, her eyes finally showing some complexity, “I know this will make you very angry… but I… I’d rather you hate me.”

She slowly sat down.

Sheng Yuanyao also wished she had never learned that broken divine ability to hear information carried on the wind. Heaven knows the first thing she used it for was to listen to this. She couldn’t help but struggle desperately, “Monster, stop!”

Unfortunately, the course of events was not influenced by the will of the melon sister. Lu Xingzhou had soaked in medicinal baths for so many days, and his perfected Golden Dragon Body Tempering finally exerted its first effect at this moment.

The Dragon Empress’s defenses were breached in one go.

Long Qinghuang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, and Lu Xingzhou also frowned at the same time.

In such matters, going straight to the point is not a good experience.

Fortunately, neither party was a delicate flower. After enduring the initial discomfort, they finally began to adapt.

Long Qinghuang gasped, whispering in his ear, “Much more comfortable than kissing… should have done this a long time ago…”

Lu Xingzhou ground his teeth, “Is that so? I don’t think it’s enough.”

The Yin-Yang power brought by this act far surpassed all other methods. The Yin-Yang Jiyi Gong and Dahuanxi Jile Jing operated fully, utilizing her vast primordial Yin to break through the restriction she had placed on him.

Lu Xingzhou could move again.

Long Qinghuang was soaring on her boat when she suddenly found the boat out of control, as if it had encountered a stormy sea, beginning to violently pitch and roll.

This shake was extraordinary, nearly dislodging half of Long Qinghuang’s soul, leaving her utterly drained of strength.

Lu Xingzhou flipped over, reversing the position, and pinned Long Qinghuang beneath him.

His eyes also held the suppressed wildness of these past few days. He roughly grabbed Long Qinghuang’s wrists and pinned them above her head, “Forcing me?”

Long Qinghuang secretly cried out in dismay. As she tried to resist, a wave of pleasure and weakness washed over her.

The Dahuanxi Jile Jing was absolutely crushing in this regard; perhaps only the Chanü Xuan Gong could withstand it, but in any case, the Dragon Niang, relying purely on her physique, couldn’t.

She tried to resist, but in resisting, her eyes almost rolled back.

“Still dare?” After a combo attack, Long Qinghuang was practically dazed, gasping weakly, “I… I dare, I dare…”

“You dare, huh?” Lu Xingzhou flipped her over, grabbed her dragon horns, and wildly thrust.

Long Qinghuang was almost deprived of thought, muddled and confused. This time, she felt like a small boat, tossed by angry waves in a turbulent sea, constantly on the verge of capsizing.

“Still dare?”

“N-no more…”

“Who is the one serving?”

“It’s… it’s me…”

“What do you call me?”

“Mas…” Long Qinghuang subconsciously uttered one character, but then bit her lower lip fiercely, refusing to speak it.

Even as Lu Xingzhou pushed his cultivation to its extreme, with golden dragons almost causing a flood, she still refused to say it.

Outside, Sheng Yuanyao, listening to the “poetry,” no longer knew what she was hearing.

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment, then slowly withdrew his power. He turned her back, lowered his head, kissed her, and whispered, “You… this kind of thing, no matter what, you’re at a disadvantage.”

Long Qinghuang felt his anger subsiding and weakly replied, “I don’t care.”

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips, then heard Long Qinghuang softly say, “Xingzhou, I want to give birth to a little dragon-human.”

“That depends on luck.”

“I have luck.” Long Qinghuang reached out to embrace his neck, softly saying, “You want to tame a dragon… it’s very difficult. But if you truly want to hear it, in the bedchamber, in the joy of lovers, I can satisfy you.”

Lu Xingzhou was stunned, then saw her lean in and whisper, “Master…”

Lu Xingzhou couldn’t hold back. A flash flood erupted.

Both lay powerlessly, silent for a long time.

Lu Xingzhou’s mood was complex at this moment. Now that it had happened, leaving would be… well… But he was forced into it, did that count?

Uh, although later, he wasn’t sure who was forcing whom.

Long Qinghuang knew what he was thinking. She rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder, calming herself for a very long time, before whispering, “You… stay with me for one last night.”

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

Long Qinghuang smiled, “What I want is a complete person… Since you’re not willing, what good is coercion? They are all right; keeping you here brings no benefit but much harm. I shouldn’t be so selfish. To have indulged in this night of pleasure, I am satisfied.”

Lu Xingzhou then realized what she was saying, “You… are willing to let me go back?”

“Yes.” Long Qinghuang whispered, “Actually, Xingzhou, you’ve misunderstood a few things…”

“What?”

“The demon race, no matter which clan, doesn’t value chastity as much as your human scholarly traditions. The so-called ‘pull up your pants and leave’ happens all the time among demons; the Dragon Clan is particularly good at it. You don’t need to feel any burden.”

Lu Xingzhou’s arm tightened slightly.

Long Qinghuang still knew what he was thinking and chuckled softly, “Are you afraid I’ll indulge with others?”

Lu Xingzhou mumbled, “Mm.”

“I haven’t fallen in love for a thousand years. Do you think I’m someone who easily indulges?” Long Qinghuang chuckled, endearingly saying, “If you want me not to indulge, then feed me well, hm?”

Lu Xingzhou flipped over without a word, and a new round of battle began.

Sheng Yuanyao, bound there, listened with darkened eyes, forced to count.

She had once heard rumors that Lu Xingzhou would have seven rounds with the Dragon Empress.

Who could have seven rounds? Not even a true dragon could do that, it’s hilarious.

Yet, counting through the night, it seemed they really did have seven rounds.

From after dinner, as darkness fell, until the faint light of dawn.

Lu Xingzhou, are you even human? Your sworn brother and disciple are tied here, couldn’t you have gone fewer rounds and released them first?

And that Dragon Empress, how majestic and domineering she was? Yet she was still sprawled out like a dead snake, calling him “master,” bah.

“A’nuo, A’nuo?” Sheng Yuanyao wanted to find someone to complain to, but saw A’nuo leaning against the pillar, sound asleep and unworried.

Sheng Yuanyao: “…”

She then remembered that others hadn’t cultivated divine abilities, so they couldn’t hear anything.

Only in a world where the melon sister was hurt did this happen.

Fortunately, Lu Xingzhou didn’t forget. When he had Long Qinghuang completely limp inside, he remembered to whisper in her ear, “Release the people outside.”

Long Qinghuang had long lost her wits from being so thoroughly… “L-listen to you…”

Lu Xingzhou sighed, “Xiao Kui, release them!”

Sheng Yuanyao burst into tears.

Did this count as her sworn brother selling his masculinity to rescue her?

By mid-morning, Lu Xingzhou woke up, rubbing his lower back.

It had to be said, the Dahuanxi Jile Jing was truly a divine skill among divine skills. Even after seven rounds, he wasn’t tired and felt like he could continue. What was tired was his old back; even his dragon body couldn’t handle it.

Last night, by the end, Long Qinghuang had passed out, yet he was still full of energy, and his cultivation even felt like it had surged by a significant margin.

He hadn’t had the mind to inspect it in detail before, but now that he was awake, he realized he seemed to have reached the second rank.

The primordial Yin of the Dragon Empress was no joke, and neither was the dual cultivation effect of the Dahuanxi Jile Jing.

This speed of advancement explains why even the old turtle could surpass the ordinary ranks; it was too outrageous… and it also explains why the old turtle sought so many partners; the value of this primordial Yin far exceeded previous understanding.

A thought flashed through his mind, but Lu Xingzhou didn’t have the time to delve into it. He got up to find Long Qinghuang.

She had passed out last night; he wondered how she was recovering today…

Just as he rounded the screen, he saw Long Qinghuang leaning by the window, mending a piece of clothing.

It was the Dragon Subduing Armor that had been shattered by Pudu while shielding her… now it looked whole again.

He wondered when she had picked it up…

At this moment, the intellectual gentleness of sewing perfectly matched Ye Tinglan when they parted, showing no trace of the proud and domineering Dragon Empress.

“Awake?” Long Qinghuang didn’t raise her head, her voice gentle, “This shattered armor is proof of your sincerity… Actually, from that day on, I never wanted to keep you captive.”

Lu Xingzhou sat beside her, “Then these past few days…”

“Just couldn’t bear to let you go,” Long Qinghuang sighed softly, “And I wasn’t convinced. I’m so beautiful, yet you could resist, truly not wanting me.”

The self-absorbed little dragoness pouted slightly, captivating Lu Xingzhou’s gaze.

“Alright,” Long Qinghuang handed over the Dragon Subduing Armor, “I’ve repaired it with that golden dragon hide. Its defensive power should now exceed what it was before.”

Lu Xingzhou took it, then heard Long Qinghuang ask again, “Is this called the Dragon Subduing Armor?”

Lu Xingzhou paused, “You recognize it?”

“A’nuo told me,” Long Qinghuang smiled, “Actually, at that moment, you had already subdued the dragon.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Did I truly subdue it?”

Long Qinghuang stood up and whispered in his ear, “What do you think, Master?”

Lu Xingzhou almost wanted another round.

Long Qinghuang chuckled, stepping back half a pace, her hand resting on his chest, “Your sworn sister has returned to Honglu Temple to get ready. You… also leave, leave now, don’t make me regret it.”

Lu Xingzhou looked at her deeply, “Wait for me.”

Long Qinghuang paused, not understanding what he meant. Would he return later?

But she didn’t dwell on it. Lu Xingzhou had a strong moral compass; he didn’t want it to be just a fleeting night of pleasure. This was his virtue. Why probe and embarrass him? She simply smiled faintly, “Good, I’ll wait for you.”

“Your Majesty,” Xiao Kui said from outside the door, “The Great Qian envoy mission is waiting below Dragon Cliff.”

“Alright.” Long Qinghuang took Lu Xingzhou’s hand and slowly walked out of the imperial palace, heading towards Dragon Cliff.

Along the way, the guards who saw them holding hands averted their gaze, some even saluting. It was clear they held great respect for Lu Xingzhou himself, such that no one objected to his relationship with their Empress.

Long Qinghuang smiled, “As long as you return, the position of Empress will still be yours.”

Lu Xingzhou did not respond.

When they reached the base of Dragon Cliff, Sheng Yuanyao, leading the fully loaded caravan, glared at Long Qinghuang with eyes that could devour a dragon.

Long Qinghuang paid her no mind, “I hear Deputy Envoy Sheng has good writing skills and is writing a book… What should be written and what shouldn’t, I hope Deputy Envoy Sheng has a sense of proportion.”

Sheng Yuanyao responded with a single word, “Pah!”

Long Qinghuang smiled faintly, “Go, I won’t see you off.”

With that, she turned and left, flicking her sleeve. Lu Xingzhou watched her trembling hand from behind, his lips pressed tightly.

Sheng Yuanyao glanced at him, then sighed, “Let’s go.”

A’nuo arrived on her pig, expressing her master’s unspoken thoughts, “I’ll be back!”

Lu Xingzhou finally smiled, rubbing A’nuo’s cheek, “Let’s go.”

The envoy mission finally left the city and headed south. Their journey north had lasted exactly one month.

Long Qinghuang stood atop Dragon Cliff, watching the envoy mission gradually recede into the distance, silent for a long time.

It wasn’t until the mission was almost out of sight on the horizon that she suddenly projected her voice for several li, “Lu Xingzhou.”

Lu Xingzhou looked back. The golden figure on the cliff was now just a small speck.

But dragon might faintly emerged, spanning across the sky.

“Within a few years, I will lead my army south and unify the world. By then, no matter where you are, you will be under my rule, and you will no longer need to consider leaving or staying.”

Her voice echoed across the firmament, reverberating through heaven and earth.

End of Volume 4

That’s all for today’s update. I went to celebrate Qixi, and I wish everyone a happy Qixi Festival too!

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