“And you, my dear sister?”

Yuan Muyu sat there in a daze, her mind blank, as the two women subjected her to an inquiry and a playful gaze. She considered trying to explain a few things but felt that anything she said would sound hollow. Besides, she didn’t want to expose her identity because of this—though she couldn’t quite explain why she felt that way either.

Time seemed to stretch on for a long while, yet it felt like only a few breaths. Yuan Muyu heard her own voice reply, “I… I will naturally… demand an explanation.”

Long Qinghuang was nearly bursting with laughter, though beneath her amusement was a genuine desire for retribution. She deliberately added, “Does sister also think the King of Hell is a cold and heartless individual?”

“No…” Yuan Muyu had only uttered half a sound before she clamped her lips shut. After a long pause, she softly hummed, “Mm.”

That single “mm” seemed to drain all her strength, leaving her drenched in cold sweat as if she were completely depleted.

Long Qinghuang continued her pursuit, “How does sister plan to demand an explanation?”

“I…” Yuan Muyu gasped, her voice so low she could barely hear it herself. “I don’t know…”

Long Qinghuang’s lips curled slightly. Shen Tang finally gave the two of them a strange look, sensing that their attitude seemed a bit off.

Just then, a Wuyi (shaman-doctor) rushed over and knocked on the door from outside, “Your Majesty.”

Long Qinghuang waved her hand, and the door opened on its own. “Come in, and help properly diagnose my sister here.”

Several Wuyi cautiously entered and examined Yuan Muyu. They were all shocked and exchanged glances. Her external aura didn’t reveal anything; she looked like a frail young girl. But upon taking her pulse, they realized, ‘Heavens, she’s a Chaopin (transcendent-grade practitioner)!’

‘This age, she must have gone through menopause long ago. Why is she feigning a fragile young girl?’

The Chaopin’s internal conflicts, self-doubt, and negation regarding her cultivation path had led to disordered Qi and blood, blocked meridians, and even a scattered and restless spirit. What could they possibly do to treat such a Chaopin cultivation issue?

The Wuyi wiped cold sweat from their brows and cautiously said, “Your Majesty, we… we cannot cure the root of this young lady’s problem. We can only help stabilize her heart脉 (meridians) and nourish her body, but these are not fundamental cures. Ultimately, it depends on the young lady herself. If her heart脉 remains persistently blocked, she might start spitting blood at any moment, or even suffer physical damage and a decline in her cultivation.”

Long Qinghuang smiled outwardly, but her eyes held no mirth; they were somewhat cold. She could actually discern these things herself. The reason she sought retribution was to make the King of Hell spit blood, but she didn’t. From her appearance, she had already vomited several times before. Could it be that she had grown accustomed to it, and the stimulation was no longer enough? But she didn’t say anything, only commanded, “Just prescribe the medicine.”

The Wuyi let out a long sigh of relief. As long as they weren’t forced to completely cure her, it was fine. The highest-ranked among them was only a Sanpin (third-grade practitioner), how could they treat a Chaopin’s cultivation problems?

An old Wuyi took out a few insects. “Young lady, you have stagnant blood blocking your heart脉. We will use witchcraft to draw it out. Don’t be nervous, these insects only look frightening.”

The wriggling insects were truly disgusting. Shen Tang, standing nearby, covered her nose and turned away, not wanting to look. But Yuan Muyu remained expressionless, unfazed. “It’s fine, go ahead.”

The King of Hell had seen countless piles of corpses and blood, and corpse worms were common, let alone these.

However, just as the insects touched Yuan Muyu’s wrist, before they even began to suck blood, Long Qinghuang started retching.

Yuan Muyu: “?”
Shen Tang: “?”

The Wuyi were greatly alarmed: “Your Majesty!”

Incredible! A few mere insects made the mighty Yaohuang (Demon Emperor) dry heave! Could it be that Your Majesty also had hidden injuries from cultivation?

Immediately, a Wuyi anxiously asked, “Your Majesty, would you allow your subject to examine you?”

Long Qinghuang also found herself feeling inexplicably unwell. How could a few insects make her nauseous? Wasn’t this ridiculous? Could someone be casting a spell on her again? She nodded, “Very well, take a look.”

The Wuyi carefully examined her for a moment, and their expressions all turned strange, as they exchanged glances again.

“What’s wrong? What are those expressions?” Long Qinghuang said displeased, “Speak directly if you have something to say!”

“Um… Your Majesty,” the old Wuyi cautiously said, “You… are with child.”

“What!!!” All three women stood up simultaneously, overturning chairs with a crash. Three pairs of beautiful eyes widened, sweeping across all the Wuyi in the room. “Say that again?”

All the Wuyi smiled apologetically, “It’s true, Your Majesty is with child, absolutely certain.”

Long Qinghuang’s stunned expression turned to wild joy. “Rewards! Each and every one of you, you shall be handsomely rewarded!”

Shen Tang’s mouth hung slightly open; she was utterly dumbfounded.

Equally bewildered was Yuan Muyu. She stared blankly at Long Qinghuang’s belly. As she watched, she, who had not stirred her injuries even when directly confronted and challenged, suddenly felt a sweetness in her throat and “噗” (pū, a sound like spitting) spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. Then, the world spun, and she fainted.

Long Qinghuang didn’t even spare her a glance. She excitedly paced around the room, her hand unconsciously touching her belly, looking down with a soft glow in her eyes.

Shen Tang’s shoulders slumped. She felt utterly defeated. That hateful “outsider” (mistress) already had an illegitimate child, sniffle…

Didn’t they say that the more powerful the life form, the harder it was to reproduce? And the reproduction of the Dragon clan had been further hampered by witchcraft. Now that the problem was just resolved, shouldn’t it take some time to recover? How did it become a hit with just one shot?

Was it that Xingzhou was too fierce, or was this Yaohuang a chosen dragon maiden?

Shen Tang, given her identity, also considered other implications… This was not just a matter of status in the ‘backyard’; it actually had extremely important and far-reaching effects on the entire world order. The heir of a powerful empire was being conceived; this itself was an extremely important political event, and its father was a human from Daqian…

Furthermore, during the Dragon Emperor’s pregnancy, it would be highly unlikely for her to participate in intense battles. Direct military campaigns would definitely be out of the question, and the potential warfare in the Northern Borders would truly be halted this time. But what if Gu Zhanting wanted to fight?

Long Qinghuang quickly thought of this as well, her expression shifting from joy to a hint of wariness. “You’d better truly have no connection with Gu Zhanting anymore.”

Shen Tang gave a slight bitter smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t spread the news. But once the pregnancy shows, it might be hard to hide. What then?”

“The future is for the future,” Long Qinghuang said lightly. “My Dragon clan’s martial luck was stolen, and it’s now recovering. Give us some more time, and we might not be without new Chaopin.”

Shen Tang nodded, then bent down to pick up the unconscious Yuan Muyu.

Long Qinghuang chuckled, “You care about her?”

Shen Tang replied, “Although she’s a strange person, and it’s hard to build any relationship with her… perhaps it’s because she’s ill? Otherwise, why would Xingzhou like such a strange person?”

Long Qinghuang sneered, “Who told you Xingzhou likes her? Even if he did, that’s in the past now.”

Shen Tang: “Ah?”

Long Qinghuang said coldly, “She is the King of Hell.”

Shen Tang immediately loosened her grip, and Yuan Muyu, who had just been propped up, lay down again.

This time, however, Long Qinghuang couldn’t bear it. The mother dragon, who had just conceived a baby, felt a rare softness in her heart. She sighed and, with a wave of her hand, a gentle current of energy wrapped around Yuan Muyu, sending her to the bed.

Looking at the pale Yuan Muyu lying on the bed, Shen Tang felt no sympathy, and said coldly, “No wonder your words always seemed to hint at something. So you recognized her early on.”

“Mm,” Long Qinghuang carefully cradled her belly and sat back in the soft chair.

Shen Tang couldn’t help but say, “Are you being careful now? Last night, weren’t you quite capable of breaking up our fight by yourself?”

Long Qinghuang nodded earnestly, “But I’m pregnant now.”

Shen Tang took a deep breath. “It’s not even showing yet; who are you cradling your belly for?”

“I’m pregnant, with Xingzhou’s child, you know.”

Shen Tang clamped her mouth shut, her hair nearly smoking. She really couldn’t continue this topic, for fear of being infuriated to death. So she changed the subject: “Since you recognized the King of Hell, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“If I had told you earlier, could we have collaborated on that ‘condemnation’ just now?” Long Qinghuang said leisurely, “I wanted to curse her directly to her face, and she couldn’t refute it.”

Shen Tang said, “It would have been the same to curse her directly even if you revealed her identity.”

“That’s not the same; the fun is different… If her identity was revealed, could you make her curse herself?”

Shen Tang said sarcastically, “Your Majesty, at such an advanced age, you still have quite a childlike innocence.”

“That’s right, I even thought I wasn’t myself before, but it turns out it’s because I have a baby, hehe.”

You can denounce all you want, but you didn’t have to unleash a forbidden curse; even I was indiscriminately blasted along with her. My head is still buzzing, and all those palace intrigue tactics I learned went down the drain, absolutely useless.

Long Qinghuang, however, was already writing a letter with a smile.

Shen Tang knew without even looking that it could only be a letter to Lu Xingzhou, announcing the good news. Perhaps she would even make a claim as the rightful empress, snatching the man and infuriating everyone.

Shen Tang, who had no intention of returning to the capital after being away for so long, suddenly felt a strong urge to go back and see.

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