Huo Yuhao stopped losing blood under the coagulation effect of the silent and dark domain. However, when his body was completely naked, his wounds were bared for the Dragon Emperor Douluo to see.
A smile surfaced across Long Xiaoyao"s face, “If not for the fact that this dragon pill requires you to have no resistance, and that you must be in your absolute weakest state, why would I make you go through so much pain? Haih, to be honest, I was moved by you earlier, and almost couldn"t lay my hands on you. It"s just that Mu En made me do this. In fact, you wouldn"t need this dragon pill if you weren"t improving so quickly. However, the time seems to be right now. This is because I can"t stop Xishui. I shall leave the responsibility of resisting the Holy Ghost Church to you. Young fellow, you must do your best!”
As he spoke, Long Xiaoyao moved his hands and turned Huo Yuhao"s body continuously. His wounds were quickly st.i.tched up. However, he was still very pale from losing so much blood.
However, it was at this moment that a layer of dim golden light was exuded from the dragon pill in his mouth. The golden halo spread down to his entire body.
Long Xiaoyao also carried Tang Wutong over and placed her beside him. The smile on his face intensified. “What a touching scene! If such a young lady doesn"t fall for him, it"ll be really weird. This young man is so dumb. Unless there are twins, how can you find two people who look so alike in this world? Surely there isn"t a second Three-Eyed Golden Lion, right?”
If Huo Yuhao were still alive, he would almost surely be shocked by Long Xiaoyao"s words. Evidently, the Dragon Emperor Douluo was very aware of his matters.
……
Sun Moon Empire. Radiant City. Imperial Palace.
Xu Tianran quietly sat in a chair that was decorated with all types of treasures and rubies. Not far in front of him, Ju Zi was kneeling with one knee on the ground and her head was lowered. From the side, it was clear that she looked a little pale.
“Get up. It isn"t fully your fault.” Xu Tianran waved at her.
Ju Zi lowered her head and said, “Your Majesty, it"s my mistake. If I were more alert, we wouldn"t have suffered such heavy losses. We"ve lost soldiers and resources this time. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Xu Tianran stood up and walked in front of Ju Zi, lifting her up. He gently patted her shoulder and said, “Alright, it happened too abruptly. Who would have expected the soul beasts in the Extreme North to suddenly turn violent? According to what you mentioned, there were at least two savage beasts attacking you. They"re likely to be two of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North. It already wasn"t easy for you to escape. The conditions in the Extreme North are rigorous, unlike any other place. It"s simply too harsh. It"s a place that favors those ice-type soul beasts. It seems like we made a wrong strategic move this time, and ignored such an important aspect.”
Ju Zi continued to lower her head and said, “I am guilty.”
Xu Tianran pulled her hand and walked all the way until the side, sitting down with her. “What"s the crime? Over the past year, you"ve given your all for me and the empire. You"ve become much thinner. You"ve contributed so much to the empire and have risen quickly in the military. You are known as the female warrior of our military. What"s a single mistake worth? No one is always victorious. When we fully occupy the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling Empires, I"ll let you command the entire military to destroy those soul beasts in the Extreme North. Then, all the rare metals will still belong to us. With all those soul beasts around, I don"t believe the Dou Ling Empire will be able to obtain anything either. You don"t have to think so much.”
Ju Zi lifted her head at this moment and was moved as she said, “Your Majesty, thanks for sparing me.”
Xu Tianran smiled as he looked at her. After this, he sighed and said, “The situation at the frontline is very stable now. We have taken over most parts of the Heavenly Soul Empire. However, our forces are a little overwhelmed because of the Star Luo Empire. This was especially so during the earlier stages of the war, when a lot of our resources were drained, and we weren"t able to supply enough reinforcements to the frontline. Right now, we"ll maintain the status quo and not rush into attacking further. Otherwise, we"ll give the three empires opportunities if our fighting lines are overstretched.”
Ju Zi"s confidence was restored when they began talking about the frontline. She furrowed her brow slightly and commented, “Although our fighting lines are a little overstretched now, the regions of the Heavenly Soul Empire that we"ve occupied are still considered quite stable. You are right. We must further stabilize the situation at the frontline. We must quickly get rid of the problems that the Star Luo Empire is bringing us from the back to resolve the dilemma. I suggest that we ask the Death G.o.d Douluo to attack the Ming Dou Mountain Range once again after we"ve acc.u.mulated further resources. We"ll be able to threaten the Star Luo Empire then. It"s only when we strengthen our defense at the Ming Dou Mountain Range that we can continue to attack without any worries.”
Xu Tianran smiled and said, “My Ju Zi is a brilliant strategist now. All those elders from the military are impressed by you. You"ll arrange these strategies. I"ll tell them to the rest every time we have a mission.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please allow me to move off tomorrow and lead the Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion to kill the Star Luo Empire"s soul masters. I"ll clean them out in the fastest possible time and give the Death G.o.d Douluo the opportunity to attack the Ming Dou Mountain Range.”
Xu Tianran stood up. Along with the advancements of soul tool technology, the prosthetic legs that he had allowed him to become mobile.
He shook his head gently and said, “Ju Zi, while it"s important, we can"t finish it quickly. Leave it to someone else. I"ve already requested help from Zhong Liwu from the Holy Ghost Church. The Death G.o.d Douluo is holding the fort at the border. She"s the anchor. The Star Luo Empire is only making trouble for us. It"s fine. They can"t accomplish anything.”
Ju Zi was moved and asked, “Your Majesty, do you have something else for me to do?”
Xu Tianran nodded slightly and said, “That"s right, there"s something important I need you to do. You"re the only who can do it.”
Ju Zi quickly got up and kneeled down beside Xu Tianran before saying, “Your Majesty, please instruct me. As long as I can do it, I"ll do anything.”
Xu Tianran revealed a displeased look on his face and bent over to lift her up. “Silly girl, I"ve told you many times that we"re married now. You don"t have to be so ceremonial in front of me. Why don"t you listen to me?”
Ju Zi lowered her head and softly said, “In my heart, you"ll always be my master. I"m only your servant. My life belongs to you. As long as you need it, I"ll even die for you without any hesitation.”
Even though Xu Tianran was an anti-hero, he was still a person. In his earlier years, his biological younger brother had tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate him, and he had almost died. Ju Zi had helped him escaped even though she was hurt. All these years, he had many powerful people around him. However, he only trusted Ju Zi.
Xu Tianran embraced her. “I told you that you"re my wife, not my servant. It"s like that now, and it"ll remain like this in the future. In the future, you"ll command the ma.s.ses.”
Ju Zi gently leaned on his shoulders and revealed a satisfied smile on her face. However, she was actually sighing in her heart. Your Majesty, do you really think I don"t know your personality? If I don"t appear obedient in front of you, you"ll start to become skeptical. I understand you very well. This is why I must do this to earn your trust!
“Your Majesty, what do you want me to do?”
Xu Tianran turned serious and said, “When you left this time, the officials submitted a pet.i.tion for something.”
Ju Zi asked, “What has left you so troubled? Who"s the one who put you in a spot? I"ll go and…” As she spoke until here, a cold look flashed across her eyes.
Xu Tianran shook his head and said, “If it were anything else, who would dare to threaten me? However, this matter can"t shut everyone"s mouth. They want me to bear the Crown Prince while I"m at the peak of my reign.”
After hearing the words "Crown Prince", Ju Zi couldn"t help but tremble. She subconsciously lifted her head to look at Xu Tianran.
Xu Tianran revealed a bitter smile on his face. “You"re the only one who knows my secret. How can I bear a Crown Prince? Ever since I took over the throne, you have been my only Empress. Apart from you, I don"t have any other concubines. In the eyes of others, I appear to be very loyal to you. However, you know the true reason.”
Ju Zi naturally knew that Xu Tianran was infertile because of the injury he had sustained. He didn"t need concubines at all. On the other hand, having concubines might make things worse. This concerned his dignity as an emperor and as a man.
Ju Zi didn"t say anything. She didn"t know what to say. This concerned Xu Tianran"s face.
Xu Tianran pondered and said, “Right now, I need to have a kid. It has to be a male to shut everyone"s mouth. Even if it"s not, I don"t think they"ll say anything much, as long as there"s a kid. This is why you must remain in the palace for some time. You"re still the commander of the three armies, but don"t personally enter the battlefield temporarily. Bear me a child first.”
“This…” Ju Zi was a little dazed as she looked at Xu Tianran. After she was stunned for a moment, she lowered her voice and asked, “Your Majesty, do you want us to adopt one?”
Xu Tianran shook his head and snorted coldly, “Those old fellows are watching me. How can I adopt and keep things from them? They have people in the infirmary. We can"t mess this up. This is why we must make it real. Do you still remember? I mentioned that we can"t artificially inseminate you. Even though I can"t speak to anyone of this, I can still request a relative to find a "seedling" for you. This kid will be my heir.”