After Lu Xingzhou uttered that sentence, Long Qinghuang’s words became sparse.

She gazed intently at Lu Xingzhou, unconsciously munching on something, her cheeks moving with each bite.

Perhaps she shared the same experience as Lu Xingzhou, finding the person before her much more real.

Their previous interactions had been minimal, leaving only a rough impression. Even during their most extensive contact in Dongyue Hanchuan, Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice were essentially captives, deliberately trying to please her. At least half of their performance was fake, and any talk of “admiration” was likely also false.

Aside from knowing that the man was handsome and intelligent, Long Qinghuang frankly didn’t understand him.

What did he like, what didn’t he like? What were his ideals, what did he want to achieve?

She knew nothing.

But at this moment, she saw the tenderness in Lu Xingzhou’s eyes, a fondness and appreciation deeper than any affectionate gaze she had witnessed before.

Long Qinghuang was also clever; she at least learned what Lu Xingzhou liked.

He liked civilized nations, and he liked magnanimous leaders.

He liked the woman before him to reveal her true self, to recall her youthful gluttony from eight hundred years ago, rather than being a distant emperor who decreed life and death from a throne.

So, the previous attempts to “snatch a man” were truly laughable—snatching someone she didn’t even know.

Long Qinghuang suddenly chuckled, laughing at her inexplicable obsession from before. Then she swallowed the food in her mouth with a gulp, muttering, “The taste has changed a bit.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, “It’s still delicious. What is this? Don’t tell me it’s ambergris.”

Long Qinghuang gave a faint smile, “The ambergris is right here. Want to see if it’s fragrant?”

Lu Xingzhou’s heart fluttered.

Oh my, this woman is flirting with me.

However, Long Qinghuang didn’t continue to flirt. She simply smiled and said, “It’s just the meat of a certain type of shrimp from the sea. The easternmost part of the Demon Realm is also near the sea, but the journey is long, and transportation is inconvenient. These are all transported back and forth by flying demons. Eat more.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “This was originally Longdu, not the capital of all demons, right? Only dragons lived here.”

“Yes, it only expanded into Yaodu after the unification of the Demon Realm.”

“So traditional dragon food is still fish and shrimp… Does that mean dragons are essentially an aquatic species?”

“Initially, yes.” Long Qinghuang smiled faintly, “Dragons bring rain and clouds, so they are naturally aquatic creatures.”

Lu Xingzhou felt that her words were becoming more flirtatious with each sentence. Where was the girlish charm from earlier? How did she become so regal again?

“Although I still retain my aquatic talents, our branch separated from the sea dragons a long time ago… Many of our kin are no longer associated with water; there are more fire dragons and earth dragons now.”

“Why did this separation occur?”

“There’s nothing special about it; it’s just a natural evolution based on the environment. It’s like your human race: if you were to divide those who make a living in the mountains from those who make a living at sea into different groups, there wouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Lu Xingzhou nodded.

“Originally, when dragons walked the world, they were highly respected and revered by humans. Don’t many of your people still call themselves ‘dragons’ now?”

“Yes. Um… Why did you stop interacting later, and even become labeled as ‘demons’?”

“If I told you that humans provoked us first, would you believe it?”

Lu Xingzhou paused, neither confirming nor denying, but merely smiled, “I’d like to hear the details.”

“As human cultivators grew stronger, they harbored many ideas… For example, some wanted to eat dragon liver and phoenix marrow, and others wanted to tame dragons…” Long Qinghuang said languidly, “I wonder if one such person is sitting right in front of me.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

“As for eating dragon liver or using dragon sinews, let’s not get into that for now; only a few would actually do such a thing. As for taming dragons… we don’t really care about such ideas, as long as they can actually achieve it.” Long Qinghuang casually ate her food, saying calmly, “The strong rule the weak; that is the constant law of nature. Humans can tame horses as mounts, so naturally, they can set their sights on stronger dragons. The prerequisite is that you must be stronger than me, overwhelmingly strong, so strong that dragons know resistance is futile. Then, naturally, it’s possible. Frankly, it’s the same for kin against kin; many people are willing to be dogs for others, is there a difference?”

Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, “Seems about right.”

“So, my capturing you was originally not a problem; you are too weak right now.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Long Qinghuang said leisurely, “The reason I am willing to give you respect is because strength isn’t solely about power; wisdom is also a form of strength. Since I need to rely on it, I naturally cannot treat you as a toy. Your respect is earned by your own efforts, and it is well-deserved.”

Lu Xingzhou couldn’t help but ask, “What if I were stronger than you?”

Long Qinghuang smiled, “You can make me your mount. Do you have that ability?”

Lu Xingzhou fell silent.

However, Long Qinghuang didn’t continue the topic there. Instead, she returned to the original subject: “Although we acknowledge submission to the strong, we must at least fight to know. Unfortunately, humans were unable to conquer us… and eventually, it became a division between humans and demons.”

Lu Xingzhou asked, “If you think that way, why didn’t you consider conquering humanity?”

“Initially, no. Because at first, we thought humans were the strongest… All demons, after enlightenment, faced the hurdle of transforming into human form, which made us instinctively believe that humans were the strongest race in this world. And it was largely true; although humans are inherently weak, their cultivation speed far surpasses other races, almost as if they are uniquely blessed… Unfortunately, after fighting, we realized they were just so-so.”

“So, instead, you were disillusioned with humans.”

“Indeed, so humans are merely one of the ten thousand races, nothing extraordinary. After I unified the Demon Realm, the humans within its borders were just one of the governed races, no different from other groups. They didn’t deserve high regard, nor harsh treatment. I would adopt human suggestions regarding civil planning and the like; other matters were just as they were.” As Long Qinghuang spoke, her expression grew serious: “I will do the same after I destroy Daqian… so you don’t need to worry.”

“Why destroy Daqian?”

“What kind of question is that? How can one allow others to snore beside their bed? Since I have unified the Demon Realm, why can’t I unify the cosmos? Ask Gu Zhanting, if he could, would he want to destroy the Demon Realm and become the greatest hegemon of all time?”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, and placed it in Long Qinghuang’s bowl, “Understood. Eat your food.”

Long Qinghuang asked curiously, “Your attitude… Do you agree with my view?”

Lu Xingzhou smiled, “From an objective perspective, there’s nothing wrong with it. Moreover, I’m not here to judge right or wrong.”

“Then what is it?”

“On the public front, I am an envoy, and understanding the Demon Realm is my duty. On the private front… it’s about understanding you.”

Long Qinghuang wasn’t sure how to feel about these words. Eating her food felt bland, and it was a while before she said, “You still treat yourself as an envoy.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “As you said… you can conquer me, if you can achieve it.”

Long Qinghuang fell silent, lost in thought.

Lu Xingzhou asked, “These are your ideas. Other races don’t think this way, do they?”

Long Qinghuang scoffed, “A group of conquered people, what right do they have to make their ideas primary?”

“Then… within the dragon race, do they all share your views?”

Long Qinghuang was about to blurt out “Yes,” but suddenly remembered the matter of the spy, and swallowed her words, hesitating, “They should. They are all dragons, so their ideas should be similar.”

“They are all humans, and Gu Zhanting and I still don’t see eye to eye. Where does your confidence come from?” Lu Xingzhou sighed, “I’m looking into these things, not just for the public and private reasons I mentioned earlier. There’s a more important third reason, don’t you know?”

Long Qinghuang’s heart stirred.

Right, he was looking into these things because he wanted to find the root cause of the spy problem.

While she was eagerly trying to persuade him to agree with her various ideologies, he was actually thinking about helping her solve a problem, and all his questions were meaningful.

Long Qinghuang felt a gentle stir in her heart, and she was speechless for a moment.

Lu Xingzhou switched to a telepathic message: “Since the spy is a high-ranking official who can directly cooperate with Gu Zhanting, there are only two possibilities: either it’s purely a lust for power and a desire to usurp the throne, or there’s an ideological conflict with you. The former is harder to find, while the latter usually leaves some clues. After we return tonight, you should also consider whether anyone around you has occasionally revealed ideological tendencies. Also, give me a list of all your suspects, with detailed biographical information for each.”

Long Qinghuang looked at him for a long moment, her gaze softer than ever. “Okay.”

Lu Xingzhou put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, “Delicious. Pack a portion for Ah Nuo, or she’ll kill me.”

Long Qinghuang’s eyes curved in a smile, “You’re really good to children.”

Somehow, she thought of having several little dragon-human children in the future, wondering if he would spoil them as much as he did Ah Nuo, always thinking of bringing them food when he ate out. He would definitely be a good father.

This thought wasn’t wrong, was it? She wanted him to be her empress or consort; what else would it be for if not to have children?

But she couldn’t say that out loud. She just said, “Are you full? You didn’t eat much.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Let’s not get too full. Let’s save some room and try other snacks?”

Seeing that he wasn’t in a hurry to go back and even wanted to save room to continue strolling with her, Long Qinghuang felt a little happy. She still said, “Okay.”

They ordered a packed meal, and Long Qinghuang called for a dark guard to swiftly deliver it to the palace for Ah Nuo. The two then left the eatery. In truth, Long Qinghuang was quite disappointed with the taste of the eatery tonight, feeling that it lacked its former flavor, and it was she herself who had said she didn’t eat much.

But for some reason, she still felt that this meal was particularly delicious.

Unconsciously, her hand was held by him again.

Long Qinghuang knew he was intentionally taking liberties, but she glanced at him, and seeing his feigned solemnity and direct gaze, she couldn’t help but smile.

Her hand, after all, wasn’t pulled back.

It was truly strange. Was it she who wanted him to be her empress or consort, or was he enamored with her and wanted to flirt?

Considering both sides had intentions, it should clearly be a mutual pursuit, right? Yet, she felt that nothing had truly begun.

No… that wasn’t right. Tonight had just begun.

“Boom!” Fireworks soared into the sky in the distance, falling like stars in a beautiful display.

Lu Xingzhou stopped in surprise. “Is today some kind of demon festival?”

“No,” Long Qinghuang said with a smile, “Perhaps people knew an envoy was coming and are spontaneously welcoming them.”

Lu Xingzhou chuckled, “Then I’d rather believe people knew there was a twilight rendezvous here and are spontaneously adding to the ambiance.”

Spontaneously my ass… the dark guards setting off the fireworks didn’t even know what they were doing. While a colleague was delivering food to a child, they were hiding far away setting off fireworks. Is this what the most elite dark guards under the Dragon Emperor should be doing? It would be more fitting if you asked us to storm the乾皇’s palace!