Chapter 266

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Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Bronya stood in the corridor outside the hall, hands clasped before her.

"Bronya, nervous?" Kokolia lightly patted her shoulder.

"Mother, I... am a little nervous."

Bronya was not lying.

She really was nervous; her heart rate had not dropped below a hundred since just now.

She was about to face the Xuan Emperor in her capacity as a subject, to face that man who stands at the pinnacle of the universe.

After the Xuan Emperor ascended, Sha Jin had come to Yaliluo-VI.

At the time, he came in his capacity as one of the Company Stone Heart Ten to collect a debt; that astronomical figure was one Yaliluo could not fill even by selling everything.

So Sha Jin acquired Yaliluo.

Thinking back now, the faces of the Yaliluo people all wore that expression of desperately holding back laughter.

Yes, Yaliluo had become a Xian Zhou subordinate force.

Xian Zhou sent people over, and the Herta Space Station also brought along a corner of a knowledge base.

Within three days, they pulled Yaliluo into the threshold of a mid-tier interstellar civilization.

Yet this was their first audience with the Xuan Emperor.

Nervousness was unavoidable.

"It's fine, don't put too much pressure on yourself; just observe proper etiquette."

Kokolia finished speaking, watched Bronya take a deep breath, her shoulders squaring again, her spirit returning to her eyes bit by bit.

She nodded in satisfaction.

"Yo—"

A lazy greeting came from behind.

Kokolia and Bronya turned simultaneously, only to see a tall white-haired man strolling over leisurely, with a tiny... Bronya? beside him.

"Greetings, General Jing Yuan." The mother and daughter immediately performed the sleeve-folding salute in unison, movements crisp.

"No need for excessive courtesy." Jing Yuan waved his hand with a smile, stepped half a pace to the side, revealing the mini Bronya behind him.

"This is the Stellaron Hunter, Yin Lang."

Yin Lang's gaze swept over Bronya from bottom to top, then top to bottom.

Her expression froze for a fraction of a second.

How is she this big?

Yin Lang: (ᗜ‸ᗜ)

"Hello there~~ Yin Lang... Ma'am..."

Bronya, under Yin Lang's gaze bouncing back and forth between her chest and face, barely maintained a polite smile.

"Hello... Bronya... Miss..." Yin Lang nodded, a barely perceptible stutter in her voice.

"Hehe~~" Jing Yuan took in the interaction between the two, "Presumably here to see Xuan Ge? Why don't we go together."

"Ah~~ The honor is mine." Bronya saluted again, her movements a few degrees more forceful than before.

Jing Yuan said no more, fished out his token and waved it toward the palace gate.

The Shen Wu Imperial Guards verified it with a glance and stepped aside to let them pass.

Passing through layer upon layer of palace gates, the group finally stepped into the main hall.

Bronya had imagined many scenarios of meeting the Xuan Emperor.

He might be reviewing memorials, stacks of documents half a person high piled on the desk;

He might be discussing military affairs with the generals;

He might also be standing before the Star Chart, quietly planning the chess game of the entire universe.

But she never expected......

Xuan Ge was being held by the neck by Ting Yun, acting spoiled over the chessboard.

"Your Majesty~~ I regret this move."

Ting Yun pressed her whole body against Xuan Ge's side, the fox ears atop her head rubbing against his cheek one by one, her voice both coquettish and soft.

"Alright alright, I allow you to take it back." Xuan Ge raised a hand to scratch his cheek; Ting Yun immediately pressed her ears against his fingertips.

He took the opportunity to scratch those fluffy fox ears; Ting Yun narrowed her eyes in comfort, her fox tail shaking into a fluffy wave behind her.

Ting Yun picked up a white stone, then backhandedly grasped Xuan Ge's hand, guiding his fingers to press down on the stone together, speaking in a spoiled tone:

"Your Majesty~~ You say, where should this stone of mine be placed?"

Xuan Ge smiled, supporting her hand, and steadily placed the white stone on a spot on the chessboard.

Just right to break up the four-in-a-row she was about to make.

"Ah~~ Your Majesty you're so mean~~" Ting Yun looked down, saw the four-in-a-row was gone, and immediately curled her legs up, nestling her whole body onto his lap.

Xuan Ge's palm supported Ting Yun's waist, sensing several familiar auras approaching from outside the hall.

He lowered his head to look at the delicate, soft, fragrant little fox in his arms, and softly reminded her: "Someone's come."

"No~~ I don't want to leave~~" Ting Yun twisted her body slightly in protest, her fox tail slapping the Dragon Throne in displeasure.

The visitors are none other than those coming to report on the Star Sky Martial Arts affairs; anyway, they don't need Xuan Ge to handle them personally, they'll say their piece and leave.

"Are you sure?" Xuan Ge asked again.

"Of course~~" Ting Yun reached her hand into Xuan Ge's collar, her fingertips brushing lightly across his collarbone.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Fine." Xuan Ge quietly tightened the arm around her waist a little more, preemptively cutting off all her possible escape routes.

The palace doors were pushed open.

Ting Yun glanced sideways — General Jing Yuan was standing right at the doorway.

The air froze for a fraction of a second.

Ting Yun lowered her head to look at her current posture:

Her clothes were disheveled, both shoulders exposed, even her northern hemisphere on full display, and she was still sitting sideways in Xuan Ge's arms.

And standing at the doorway was her former superior, General Jing Yuan of the Divine Strategy.

Her face instantly burned from her ears down to her neck, and she violently tried to scramble away.

Xuan Ge's arm was already locked tight, not moving an inch.

"Ah ah~~ Your Majesty~~ no..." Ting Yun buried her entire face into Xuan Ge's chest, not daring to look at Jing Yuan again.

Jing Yuan: (°o°)

Jing Yuan and Yin Lang's gazes simultaneously took on deep disdain.

The two spoke in unison, their voices sinking to their dantians.

"Hah—pfft! Foolish Ruler!"

Bronya quickly lowered her head; she had only accidentally caught a glimpse a moment ago.

That one glance had already given her young heart a ruthless lesson.

Xuan Ge glanced at Bronya first, then unhurriedly pulled Ting Yun's collar up a bit, covering that blindingly white expanse.

Then he raised his eyes to look at Jing Yuan, "Jing Yuan, I'm a Foolish Ruler — then what are you?"

"Good question." Jing Yuan put his hands behind his back, his tone righteous and confident, "I am naturally the General of the Divine Strategy."

"Heh." Xuan Ge laughed once, "So you're the General of the Divine Strategy. Then the day after tomorrow, you go fight the Burnwind."

"Tch~ fight then fight. Marshal Hua isn't afraid of the Burnwind." Jing Yuan unflinchingly shoved the responsibility onto Hua right there on the spot.

Xuan Ge ignored his nonsense any further, lowering his head to say to Ting Yun in his arms, who was already burning hot enough to fry an egg: "Alright, you go rest first."

Ting Yun nodded, turned her back to the palace doors, and stood up quickly, not staying even a second longer, so anxious she directly used Path Power to flee.

Xuan Ge stood up, his gaze passing over Jing Yuan and Yin Lang, landing on that little girl who had been maintaining a salute posture the whole time.

"Bronya, right."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bronya saluted with clasped fists, her movements more proper than some Xianzhou people's.

"Worthy of where he is." Xuan Ge looked at her, suddenly bringing up a name.

Eight hundred years ago, a man from Yaliluo came alone to the Xianzhou Luo Fu, stood on the Star Sky Martial Arts arena, and fought a battle record no one expected.

His name was Igor.

Bronya had clearly done her homework; she immediately knew who the "he" in the Xuan Emperor's mouth was.

Jing Yuan also put away his playful expression, his gaze drifting slightly farther.

He also recalled that man he had fought to a standstill.

Xuan Ge descended the throne, walking until he stopped before Bronya.

"You've read the history of Shen Wu, so you should also know — back then, when I was not yet a General, not yet a Commandant, but had an army in hand, I did not choose to save Yaliluo-VI."

He looked at her and asked: "Do you hate me?"

Bronya shook her head slightly.

She had long known the Xuan Emperor would ask this.

"No hate. Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him to fish. Senior Igor brought back many forging techniques to Belobog, and your military strategies."

"Although the cold tides eroded by the Stellaron keep spawning, pressing down our last spark, we can still resist, guarding the final hope."

Xuan Ge picked up her words.

"The Stellaron's might is not something mortals can touch. No matter how profound the forging or military strategies, the premise of all this is — there must be someone who can do it."

"Humanity is like a giant tree, tightly connected to each other, constantly growing."

"People shape history, history creates heroes, heroes inspire the future, and the future gives birth to new people."

He paused, tilted his head to look at her, a trace of approval at the corner of his mouth: "I think highly of Luka. Let him keep swinging his fists."

He raised his hand and patted Bronya's shoulder, "We will make time to go take a look at Yaliluo."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Bronya's shoulders, which had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed.

She raised her head to look at Xuan Ge, pursed her lips, and showed the first truly relaxed smile since entering the hall.

"Oh — right." Xuan Ge seemed to suddenly remember something, his tone jumping from solemn to casual in an instant.

"Belobog's specialties, next time Shen Wu will specially purchase more."

Bronya froze for a moment, then slowly lowered her head, looking at the black stockings on her legs.

Her ears reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.