“Your Majesty?”
Xu Ming felt a bit nervous.
Not only was he nervous, but even his Little Brother was getting nervous.
As soon as his Little Brother got nervous, he imdiately stood up straight!
At this mont, there was actually no need for his Little Brother to sit upright, but Xu Ming simply couldn’t control it.
He even worried whether his Little Brother might end up touching the Dragon Empress.
“Don’t move.”
The Dragon Empress took another step forward, and Xu Ming sucked in a sharp breath.
His body pressed against the Dragon Empress, sending a shiver through him.
“Let check your body,” the Dragon Empress said.
“…?” Xu Ming was montarily stunned, even thinking he had misheard.
Wasn’t this the kind of line he had only seen in certain movies from his past life? Usually, in such scenarios, a so-called “body check” would soon lead to an educational session… an intense educational session.
The next mont, the Dragon Empress embraced him completely, their bodies pressing tightly together. Xu Ming felt his mind go blank.
That soft sensation was almost too much for him to handle, making him want to imdiately engage in so one-on-one tutoring with the Dragon Empress.
Her skin was unbelievably smooth—like silk soaked in milk—soft yet warm, like water that sohow had temperature.
Xu Ming even felt as if the Dragon Empress was lting into him.
However, that mont of indulgence quickly faded as he sensed the Dragon Empress’s spiritual energy entering his body, checking his condition.
When the dense spiritual energy first entered him, Xu Ming’s own energy instinctively resisted.
But soon, under his conscious control, he relaxed, opening up all his ridians and spiritual power, allowing the Dragon Empress to examine him freely.
After a while, the Dragon Empress slowly opened her eyes, looking at Xu Ming with so doubt. “Your injuries… are already healed?”
When Xu Ming had taken that sword strike, he had sustained significant injuries. From the Dragon Empress’s perspective, those wounds couldn’t possibly have healed so quickly.
Even though she had ordered her attendants to send him rare and precious healing elixirs, it still shouldn’t have been possible for him to recover so fast.
At the very least, he should have needed half a year.
Xu Ming nodded. “Your Majesty, my self-healing ability is quite strong, and thanks to the valuable elixirs you sent, after these past few days of recovery, I’ve pretty much healed.”
The Dragon Empress nodded, not pressing the issue further.
To her, as long as Xu Ming was fine, that was all that mattered. How he recovered so quickly wasn’t sothing she needed to concern herself with.
“As long as you’re well. This pool has a very simple na—Dragon’s Eye. Cultivating here yields twice the results with half the effort. I won’t be leaving for a few more days, so you should stay and cultivate here. When the ti cos, we shall bathe together,” the Dragon Empress said calmly.
“…”
For a mont, Xu Ming didn’t know what to say.
Even though she claid that cultivating here would be beneficial, to him, it was obvious that the Dragon Empress simply wanted to take a bath with him—hence why she had called him over.
“What? You’re unwilling?” The Dragon Empress frowned slightly at his silence.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling, Your Majesty. I just feel… that this might not be entirely appropriate,” Xu Ming said, his tone laced with both apprehension and disbelief at his own good fortune.
Truth be told, he was worried that if he stayed here for too long, sothing dangerous might happen.
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it,” the Dragon Empress said flatly, looking at him with a calm gaze. “Besides, you’ve already touched everything you should touch… and even what you shouldn’t have. For you to say it’s inappropriate now—isn’t it a little too late?”
Xu Ming: “…”
He really wanted to protest that none of it was his fault!
From start to finish, he had been completely passive in all of this!
But honestly, when the Dragon Empress’s body pressed against Xu Ming’s chest, the sensation was simply too overwhelming.
Even calling her a “peerless beauty” didn’t seem sufficient to describe her.
If not for Xu Ming’s relatively strong willpower, there was no way any normal man in his position could remain steadfast under such temptation.
“Your Majesty, I have a few questions I’d like to ask,” Xu Ming said, looking into the Dragon Empress’s eyes.
The Dragon Empress nodded. “Ask freely. As long as it is sothing I know and sothing I can tell you, I will answer. However, if it involves too great a karmic burden, I won’t speak of it. It’s not that I wish to keep secrets from you, but rather that I am protecting you. Knowing such things would bring you no benefit.”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s trust and concern. But… shouldn’t Your Majesty let go of first?”
Xu Ming could feel that his Little Brother was no longer just “angry”—he was about to explode!
This feeling was unbearable.
“You don’t like it?” The Dragon Empress locked eyes with Xu Ming and leaned in even closer.
Xu Ming sucked in a sharp breath, already chanting a calming mantra in his mind.
“Your Majesty, I wish to ask… after the destruction of the Dragon King’s Soar, was there really no impact on the Four Seas?”
Xu Ming shifted his focus, deciding to ask the question that had been bothering him for days.
If this continued any longer, he felt like he really wouldn’t be able to hold himself back.
Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that the Dragon Empress was deliberately seducing him.
If he really was the reincarnation of her forr lover, then maybe he wouldn’t be struggling so much right now.
But the problem was—he wasn’t!
No matter how many advantages he gained, he couldn’t cross that line.
Because if he did… putting aside what the Dragon Empress might do to him later, he would be no different from those sleazy guys who took advantage of others under false pretenses.
“Of course not,” the Dragon Empress said calmly, though a hint of lancholy flickered through her eyes. “Even though I claid publicly that the destruction of the Dragon King’s Soar had no effect on the Four Seas, in truth, its impact is imnse.”
She shook her head slightly, her expression unreadable.
“Do you know what the Dragon King’s Soar actually was?”
Xu Ming shook his head. “I don’t, Your Majesty. I only vaguely heard Miss Ao ntion that the Dragon King’s Soar was suppressing sothing?”
“That’s correct.” The Dragon Empress nodded.
“The Dragon King’s Soar was created in ancient tis by our ancestors, who sacrificed their own flesh, blood, and souls to forge it.
“Its primary purpose was to reinforce a seal—to suppress certain ancient existences.
“For example, that illusion you encountered before—that was one of those existences, an opponent of our ancestors.
“And in each of the Four Seas, there exists an Abyssal Trench.
“Within these trenches, each one of those entities remains sealed.
“Killing them is nearly impossible. Even after being trapped in the abyss for countless years, even if I personally enter the abyss wielding the Imperial Seal, I still cannot erase them completely.
“Not long ago, I shattered its Heavenly Manifestation, and at most, I only managed to severely wound it. For the next millennium, it likely won’t be able to stir up any trouble.
“But what about after a thousand years? That is what worries .”
The Dragon Empress’s gaze darkened slightly.
“My father once told that those imprisoned in the Abyss are not just a threat to the Four Seas—they could threaten the entire world.
“And the duty of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas is to stand guard over those ancient monsters.
“That is why each of the Four Seas’ Dragon Palaces was built near an abyssal trench.”
Xu Ming pressed further. “Your Majesty has spoken of the Four Seas—what about the Eastern, Western, and Southern Seas? If the ancient existences sealed within their trenches were to break free, what would happen?”
The Dragon Empress smiled. “That would be their problem.
“As for , I only need to guard my own sea.
“As long as I remain worthy of my ancestors, even if the entire Four Seas were to fall, I would have done my duty.”
“…”
Xu Ming felt that the Dragon Empress made a lot of sense—she had a very open-minded perspective.
And honestly, that was the reality of the situation.
How much control could the Dragon Empress really have over the other three seas?
She wasn’t their ruler.
Whatever happened in those seas, it was up to them to handle.
Even if sothing did go terribly wrong, the ancestors would have no reason to bla her. The Dragon Empress could stand tall, knowing she had done her duty.
Seeing the look on Xu Ming’s face, the Dragon Empress continued, “But don’t worry too much. Other than that ancient monster beneath the Northern Sea’s Abyssal Trench, the existences sealed under the other three seas are comparatively weaker.
“Besides, the Western Sea Dragon King is at the Ascension Realm, and the Southern Sea Dragon King is at Half-Step Ascension. With the reinforcent of Dragon City’s formations and the power of the kings’ fate, they should be able to keep things suppressed for now.
“In the short term, there shouldn’t be any major trouble.
“The only real concern is the Eastern Sea.
“The Eastern Sea Dragon King is dead—leaderless and chaotic. There’s no one left capable of keeping that existence sealed.
“It’s very possible that the creature has already escaped… or worse, that it’s been taken by End Mountain.”
A shadow flickered in the Dragon Empress’s eyes as she spoke that na.
“But if it’s just one escapee, it’s not a catastrophe.
“To be honest, that creature in the Abyss wasn’t wrong when it spoke.
“No matter how united the Four Seas’ Dragon Kings appear, no matter how much they claim to stand together against outsiders, at the end of the day—they are still four heads with four different hearts.
“And as long as there are four different hearts, there will be conflict.
“There will always be those with strange ambitions, those who think they’re destined for sothing greater.
“You’ve probably been wondering why I allowed their plan to unfold halfway before making my move, right?”
Xu Ming nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Dragon Empress chuckled. “That’s because I wanted to obtain the Dragon King’s Soar, too.”
Xu Ming: “…”
The Dragon Empress continued, “If I possess the Dragon King’s Soar, the other three seas would have no choice but to submit to .
“But I don’t covet the authority of the Four Seas.
“I simply wished to refine the Dragon King’s Soar into my life-bound artifact.
“That way, no one else would be able to interfere with it, and the Four Seas would be much more stable.
“Even those ambitious dragons would have no choice but to endure and submit to my rule.
“So when I discovered their plan to target the Dragon King’s Soar, I realized it was the perfect opportunity.
“Everything was going smoothly—until End Mountain showed just how ruthless they could be.
“They were willing to completely sever all ties with the Four Seas, to turn us into sworn enemies, just to destroy those seals.
“No matter how much I divine or calculate, I still cannot discern what End Mountain is truly after.
“But it no longer matters.
“Whatever their goal may be, they have already declared war against the Four Seas.
“And for that, End Mountain will pay the price.”
Xu Ming: “…”
The Dragon Empress looked at him. “Do you have any other questions?”
Xu Ming thought for a mont. “Regarding Ao Jin—how does Your Majesty intend to deal with him?”
As soon as Xu Ming asked, the Dragon Empress turned her gaze toward Ao Yin’er, blinking thoughtfully.
“What you really want to ask is how I plan to deal with Ao Yin’er, isn’t it?”
Xu Ming didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Yes. Just as Your Majesty says, I am asking on her behalf.”
The Dragon Empress tilted her head slightly, looking at him with mild curiosity.
“You like that little girl from the Eastern Sea? If you do, I can make her your concubine.”
Xu Ming: “…”
He hadn’t expected the Dragon Empress to be this generous.
Though… it wasn’t entirely generosity.
Because in that mont, she had imdiately categorized Ao Yin’er as a concubine.
Not even a secondary wife.
And definitely not the main wife.
The Dragon Empress’s tone carried the unmistakable air of a main wife’s magnanimity.
A husband could take concubines—but only because she was gracious and tolerant. She was not jealous. But as for the position of the main wife?
That was absolutely out of the question.
Xu Ming quickly clarified, “Your Majesty has misunderstood. My feelings toward Miss Ao are nothing more than those of an ordinary friend. There is no other intent.
“And precisely because we are just friends—and because she is so innocent and carefree—I know she won’t be able to accept what has happened.
“But Miss Ao herself is innocent.”
The Dragon Empress only shook her head.
“Xu Ming, in this world, few people are truly innocent.
“She is of the Dragon Clan. She is a daughter of the Eastern Sea.
“From the mont she was born, she enjoyed privileges and resources that ordinary people could never even imagine.
“And in turn, she must bear the consequences that others cannot bear.
“Ao Jin conspired with End Mountain. By all rights, he should be executed in the public square, his head displayed as a warning.
“But if you wish to save him, then I will spare his life.
“As for Ao Yin’er… though she has done nothing wrong, I should imprison her in the death cells for a thousand years, to serve as an example.
“But since you have pleaded for her, I will let her go.”
Xu Ming: “…”
After thinking seriously for a mont, Xu Ming finally said, “Ao Jin deserves to die.
“If Your Majesty wishes to execute him, I will not plead on his behalf.
“But I do wish to ask for leniency for Ao Yin’er—just not because of .”
The Dragon Empress tilted her head slightly. “Oh? Then what do you an, Xu Ming?”
Xu Ming hesitated briefly before saying, “May I et Ao Jin first?
“Perhaps… he may still be of use.
“At the very least, he may be more useful alive than dead.
“If this plan fails—then Your Majesty can execute him at any ti.”
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