Chapter 231: You Can't Even Break My Defense

Lu Xingzhou dared to say he didn't know what Long Qinghuang was thinking at that final moment, but this Demon Empress sister seemed truly intent on snatching him back to be her concubine out of lust.

This is normal for those in power; it's exactly the same nature as a male emperor taking a fancy to a commoner beauty's looks while touring the countryside—just take her back to play with. Especially when demons abduct humans, do they need reasons?

Being handsome is unavoidable.

It's also much the same result as a commoner beauty scolding an emperor for lust and bullying the weak with strength; with words said to this extent, an emperor has his pride, and even if he pretends, he must pretend to be "not so shallow." Anyway, there are proper matters to attend to now, it's not the time, so it's better to put it aside for now and keep her by his side to tease a bit.

It seems the problem of his life is no longer an issue; in such a situation, the other party generally won't randomly harbor murderous intent. If it were a male emperor, he might even be holding the little beauty, but unfortunately, this is a female dragon, so it becomes "giving you the chance to court me."

Lu Xingzhou truly had a head as big as a bucket.

According to this trend, if Mr. Ye doesn't come to save him, won't he really be taken back? He needs to think of a way to escape.

The only comfort is that this one is probably still a virgin dragon. Otherwise, if it were that kind of Empress with three thousand male consorts, she certainly wouldn't stop at just teasing with a finger under the chin... so even if she really took him back and forced him, it seems he wouldn't lose out too much...

While he was full of worries, Long Qinghuang was not at all conflicted about the previous conversation; essentially, she just saw an interesting toy, so there weren't so many unnecessary thoughts. Rather than being interested in Lu Xingzhou, it's more that at least currently, her interest in A Nuo is greater.

At this moment, Long Qinghuang was holding A Nuo's hand very kindly, walking and chatting idly: "I haven't asked little sister your name yet?"

A Nuo said: "My name is A Tuan."

"A Tuan..." Long Qinghuang pondered: "What cultivation method do you practice?"

A Nuo scratched her head: "I practice a body-forging method called the 'Mountain-Opening Art'... its grade is passable."

"Mountain-Opening Art? What is that thing?" Long Qinghuang asked in surprise: "Your brother practices a Super-Grade cultivation method, which must be far stronger than this thing, why doesn't he teach you?"

A Nuo said: "My physique is special; I can't really retain 'Qi', and energy all transforms into physical strength, so it's more suitable to practice body-forging methods. Master... Brother, after obtaining that set of methods, once wanted to teach me, but I couldn't learn it."

Long Qinghuang frowned slightly, looking at A Nuo with confusion.

Upon first meeting, she felt A Nuo had a strange sense of familiarity, but the observation results showed she didn't belong to a demon transformed into human form, so she couldn't judge the situation for the time being. Hearing this made it even stranger; A Nuo's description sounded very much like a demon's innate talent. Most demons rely heavily on their own physiques; although some groups like the Fox Clan focus on spellcraft, more groups still cultivate to transform into physical strength.

Or simply put, humans have many body-forging methods that were figured out by referencing demon cultivation techniques, so back then, when the Governor of Xiazhoucheng, Xu Bingkun, hit a bottleneck, he tried practicing demon cultivation methods to break through.

A Nuo's situation is very much like a demon's, but she has absolutely no demon energy; even her level of observation couldn't reveal her true form, which shouldn't be a demon's behavior.

However, there are many strange innate physiques in the world; it is said that the direct descendants of the Heavenly Yao Holy Land in this generation possess the Ice Soul Sword Body, which also behaves very differently from ordinary people. Long Qinghuang, even with her arrogance, wouldn't think she could recognize every special creation in the world, so she could only hide her confusion in her stomach to avoid misjudging and losing face.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly cast a technique to block Lu Xingzhou from eavesdropping behind her, and asked in a low voice: "A Tuan, have you ever thought that you are very suitable for learning demon cultivation methods?"

A Nuo shook her head like a rattle drum: "No, I still have to live in human countries; what if I grow a body full of fur?"

"Why must you live in human countries? The Demon Realm is not barbaric."

A Nuo still shook her head: "But I can't have a body full of fur."

"Who said learning demon cultivation will make you grow a body full of fur?"

"Everything I've seen before was like that..."

"That's because each clan's methods are different, and what high-level demon arts could they learn?" Long Qinghuang said disdainfully: "If you learn from me, I guarantee you won't only not grow fur, but I can also make you incredibly strong."

A Nuo looked uninterested.

Long Qinghuang said: "It can also make you grow taller and improve your figure."

A Nuo's eyes lit up with a "Deng!", and she turned to look at Long Qinghuang.

That tall figure, the magnificent bosom, the slender waist... it was too convincing...

In terms of size, it might be comparable to Mr. Ye; but in terms of height, this Dragon Sister is the tallest sister she has ever seen, and the oppressive feeling is very strong.

A Nuo touched her index fingers together, wondering if she could grow that tall in the future?

Her heart was already half-convinced, and she asked cautiously: "Does Sister have any conditions? Should I let my brother warm Sister's bed?"

Long Qinghuang didn't deny it, smiling and saying: "Are you willing?"

A Nuo mumbled: "What use is my willingness..."

"Then do you think your brother is willing? Look at his serious, upright appearance."

A Nuo: "..."

Oh my god.

Who are you calling serious?

"My brother is a scholar, very cultured." A Nuo lowered her voice and whispered: "Does Sister know what a scholar is? It's someone who, while deeply admiring someone in their heart, still speaks of benevolence, righteousness, and morality on their lips, refusing to look at what is improper, not being lustful in wealth and rank, not standing below others, and so on... If you don't believe me, look at him quietly now; he must be staring at you in a daze."

Without A Nuo needing to say it, Long Qinghuang's divine sense had never left Lu Xingzhou; he was indeed staring at her back in a daze.

"So this is admiration?" Long Qinghuang would rather believe this man was thinking about how to escape.

Of course, her guess was the correct one.

A Nuo said: "Sister, do ordinary people care what you wear?" Long Qinghuang paused for a moment; wasn't that because the golden shine made it easy for people to guess her identity, so she needed to be low-key?

A Nuo sighed: "It's obvious; men just want to see the girl they like dressed in a way that fits their preferences, finding an excuse. Otherwise, who cares what anyone wears... Brother hasn't cared how I dress for so many years."

Long Qinghuang: "..."

"These hypocritical scholars just want a way out; what about mutual affection? If you really do 'that' and ask him to take responsibility, would he dare not take responsibility?"

"No..." Long Qinghuang had a strange expression: "How old are you?"

A Nuo covered her small mouth.

Long Qinghuang grabbed A Nuo's ear: "Little thing, are you helping your brother trick me into lust?"

A Nuo struggled: "That's because Brother likes Sister too much, forcing me to help him..."

Lu Xingzhou, being blocked, couldn't hear what they were saying at all. Originally, he was very confident in their communication; anyone who treated A Nuo as a child would make a fatal mistake of underestimating her; who knows if this female tyrant dragon might trip up on A Nuo...

But seeing that they were talking nicely and suddenly started pulling ears, he hurriedly stepped forward to intervene: "Hey, hey... how did my sister offend Your Majesty..."

Long Qinghuang let go of A Nuo, looked Lu Xingzhou up and down, and revealed a disdainful look as if seeing a scrawny dog: "Considering you have some taste, I, the Emperor, won't hold it against your little hypocritical thoughts. But I must tell you a cruel fact..."

Lu Xingzhou listened with a confused face; what was this about?

Then he heard Long Qinghuang continue: "The strength of a dragon's body is beyond your understanding; you can't even break through My defense."

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

When did I say I wanted to break your defense... wait, combining the context and this look of seeing a scrawny dog, does the 'breaking defense' you mean mean what I think it means?

No, we've already reached this kind of topic, and you're not even angry?

How did A Nuo manage that?

Lu Xingzhou glared fiercely at A Nuo. A Nuo covered her small mouth, fluttered her big eyes, and retreated cautiously.

The master and disciple had such rich experience in cooperation; Lu Xingzhou could never undermine A Nuo. Even if he didn't know what had happened, it was easy to vaguely play along: "Even if you like Sister Long, you can't just sell out your brother."

Long Qinghuang patted his shoulder: "Alright, stop being stubborn. We're almost there. If you can do the job well for Your Majesty, I might give you something to look forward to."

"..." Lu Xingzhou looked up. Everyone was just walking, not moving very fast. This place was clearly still on the edge of the Frozen Moon Cold River; it didn't look like the spot where the original owner discovered the dragon bone fragments at all. Was this called "arriving"?

But he quickly realized: "Does Your Majesty think the location the original owner took the Hanlan Sect to see isn't the true place where the dragon bones were unearthed?"

Long Qinghuang said calmly: "A thousand li in every direction seems vast to others, but not so vast to me. The entire Frozen Moon Cold River is actually within my perception, yet only the bones at the place where you and I first met retained a trace of dragon bloodline... Otherwise, why do you think I appeared there?"

Lu Xingzhou thought seriously for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat grim: "How much can the ice layer obstruct perception?"

"The ice layer on the periphery means almost nothing to me; I can even see the water at the very deepest point. But the closer to the core, the different the quality of the ice becomes, and the shallower the range I can perceive." Long Qinghuang tossed the map jade slip in her hand: "Guess where the original owner found the dragon bones?"

Lu Xingzhou said: "The original owner could be easily controlled by the Hanlan Sect, so he definitely wasn't very strong. It is said that the closer to the core, the more fierce the wind blades and frost swords become. I can't even walk very far; I estimate he couldn't get close to the center either, at most the outer ring."

"Correct. The location where the original owner found the dragon bones is far from the glacier's center. If it were that location, my divine sense would have already probed very deep, and there would be nothing there at all."

"So Your Majesty walked slowly all the way, seemingly chatting, but actually diverting attention to scan the bottom of the ice layers a thousand li away."

Long Qinghuang tilted her head, revealing a hint of a smile: "You are very smart."

Lu Xingzhou said: "If bone fragments are exposed outside the ice layer, it means the entire skeleton is about to emerge from the ice, so it couldn't be at a very deep position. Therefore, either the dragon bones have already been taken by someone, or they are only in the ice layer at the very center. This is also why Your Majesty needs me. If they are in the shallow layer of the central area, buried so shallowly, no one can determine the age of the dragon bones; perhaps they are very new? So you want me to make a preliminary judgment through the surrounding plants."

Long Qinghuang smiled: "Correct."

Lu Xingzhou said: "That means Your Majesty guessed long ago that the dragon bones are at the center, and didn't even need to go to the city to ask; you could head straight for the core. So why accompany me to Hanlan City and waste time?"

Long Qinghuang put away her smile and said calmly: "The reason I agreed to go to the city with you to ask questions wasn't to confirm the location of the dragon bones, but to confirm the method of this news's spread, and who held those previous fragments."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "Your Majesty suspects this matter is a trap set against you."

"Hmm... The fragments are in the hands of the highest bidder. What has he been doing all these days?" Long Qinghuang said leisurely: "And, there is also a hidden person in this matter."

Lu Xingzhou interjected: "At the auction, the person who raised the price against the highest bidder. Someone raising the price caused the dragon bone's activity to attract attention and spread widely... It seems reasonable, but what if this was all a performance? Just a remote border city, and people who know their stuff happened to bump into each other..."

"That is to transmit it to my ears in a reasonable way. Dragon bones in the central ice layer, why would fragments end up in the outer ring being picked up? This coincidence itself is strangely odd." Long Qinghuang sneered: "They know my divine sense cannot penetrate the center of the glacier, so I must enter personally to investigate. Then they can set up a dragon-slaying trap."

Lu Xingzhou looked at Long Qinghuang, his expression somewhat complex.

This could indeed be a trap designed by humans against the Demon Emperor. His suggestion to go to Hanlan City to ask questions had instead helped the Demon Emperor sort out her thoughts, making him feel like he had betrayed his own kind. But then again, this Demon Emperor was arrogant but not rash; from the very beginning, she had been investigating and pondering from the margins. Even without him, she would likely have seen through this trap.

This is the Dragon Emperor who dominates all demons.

Perhaps she seems to have no experience in matters between men and women, but her wisdom in other aspects is certainly not low.

Long Qinghuang reached out and lifted Lu Xingzhou's chin, smiling seductively: "You humans want to kill me. You, Chen Yu... what do you plan to do?"

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PS: I have a Writers' Association meeting this afternoon; the next update will be a bit late.

(End of this chapter)