Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 369 We're in league with Long Qinghuang
Long Qinghuang left, and Lu Xingzhou tried to practice the body-tempering method by himself.

A short while later, A'nuo came in. Lu Xingzhou stopped his body-training exercises and turned to ask, "How was it?"

Ah Nuo said, "Xiao Kui is fine, but we have found other people who seem to have problems."

"Was there a backdoor during the demon transformation, or was it out of malice?"

“There must have been a backdoor when they transformed into demons, so there shouldn’t be any problems with their motives,” Anuo said. “On the contrary, people like Xiaokui are truly gifted and transformed on their own.”

Lu Xingzhou: "...I can't tell."

Ah Nuo spoke up for Xiao Kui: "A pure heart is also a kind of talent."

"Are you the master and am I the master?"

Ah Nuo didn't bother with him and said with a grin, "Sister Long must have a keen intuition. The only people she trusts the most are Xiao Kui and a few others. Although she may not have noticed the problems with the others, she subconsciously keeps them at a distance and makes them do odd jobs."

"That's no use. Xiao Kui is too naive. If she finds out any secrets, she'll easily be tricked by others. But then again, Long Qinghuang lives alone in the deep palace. She won't meet anyone here, and she certainly won't have any secret discussions in her bedchamber, so there's nothing to leak. On the contrary, my ambiguous relationship with her these past two days is probably known to the Holy Mountain now."

Ah Nuo stroked her chin: "So it doesn't seem like anything?"

“It’s really nothing, but it makes us even clearer that there’s something wrong with the Holy Mountain.” Lu Xingzhou squatted down and rubbed A Nuo’s cheek. “Even if Xiao Kui is fine, you still need to be careful and not let her tell anyone that you can read minds. This has become our secret weapon now. We’ll know even more when we get to the Holy Mountain.”

Ah Nuo hummed in agreement.

"You don't need to worry about anything else. Just focus on your cultivation. Even if Long Qinghuang asks us to leave the palace, stay if you can. If you must go out, just stay between the palace and the Honglu Temple. Don't go anywhere else. Always remember you have a natural enemy, so don't let your guard down."

"I understand." Anu blinked.

In the past year or two, my master has become more and more playful and seemingly unreliable. He no longer inspires confidence and reassurance with his previous quiet and strategic approach. But in reality, he has never changed.

Anuo would bet that if her master didn't want to come to the Demon Realm, he definitely had a way to prevent it. The reason he accepted this "royal mission" was at least half for Anuo's cultivation and to try to resolve Anuo's bloodline issue. Similarly, if her master wanted to leave the palace, he had a hundred ways to coax Sister Long into letting everyone go. The reason he stayed here was because he was afraid something might happen to Anuo.

Ah Nuo thought for a moment and asked with a smile, "Then does Master still want to secretly learn the body-tempering method from me? Is Sister Long going to teach me personally now?"

Lu Xingzhou kept his hands clasped and remained silent.

After a long pause, he asked, "Have you noticed any changes since you started practicing this?"

Ah Nuo said, "The effect is very good. Although my cultivation level didn't increase, I can clearly feel that my strength has increased a lot, and I know how to use it. I didn't know that my physical body had such powerful strength hidden inside."

Lu Xingzhou nodded. This body tempering technique wouldn't significantly boost his strength, since his main cultivation was Qi, and his physical body was limited. Further strengthening wouldn't make a substantial difference, and he could never be on par with exceptionally talented individuals like A'nuo or the Dragon Clan. Therefore, his goal was simply to strengthen his body to the point where it would be convenient for certain things; he didn't have high expectations…

But for Anuo, it was a true path to enlightenment. It could be said that Anuo had only now officially embarked on the proper path of cultivation.

Fortunately, it's not too late.

I wonder if this will be beneficial for her growth... A'nuo is already eleven years old this year, not six. If she continues like this, A'nuo herself will obviously be very unhappy. But there's a problem: A'nuo reached the third rank too early. What if her body solidifies?
Just like Yuan Muyu, who has always been a flat-chested, charming little vixen, A Nuo will always be a child.

Just imagining it is unbearable. I hope that A'nuo is similar to the demon race, and that neither her lifespan nor her physical size is calculated according to human standards, otherwise A'nuo will be crying.

Lu Xingzhou didn't elaborate on these matters, but whispered, "It seems like we're just hiding in the palace playing a game with Long Qinghuang, but in reality, we're in cahoots with her. Once we try to expose her, we'll inevitably be drawn into the vortex. Don't be fooled by Long Qinghuang's apparent invincibility in the Demon Realm and the large number of loyal subordinates she has. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, and she may not have much of an advantage. In just a few days, we'll begin to face considerable risks, unlike the seemingly peaceful situation we're in."

Ah Nuo laughed and said, "So Master has already sided with Sister Long."

Lu Xingzhou glared: "Is that even a question? Do you expect me to side with those male demons?"

Ah Nuo: "...When does Master think the risk will occur?"

"The day the army returns. After Long Lie and the others return."

"Didn't Master think they weren't the problem? This matter most likely didn't originate from the pure-blooded dragon race."

"You must remember that every individual has their own thoughts. Just because a member is a pure-blooded dragon doesn't mean that every individual within it is the same. If you exclude all individuals because of collective attributes, that's a typical blind spot in thinking."

Anuo nodded: "Did Sister Yao come with them?"

"It is said that small teams were sent over first to escort the delegation, and they should arrive in another two or three days. The main army is not that fast."

"Will Sister Yao be in danger?"

"She is safer than us. This is a proper diplomatic mission between two countries, and there are no small matters in diplomacy. Although Daqian was defeated in this battle, it is not a truly weak country. If the other side wants to maintain its position, it must act prudently. Otherwise, with internal and external turmoil, how can it remain in its position? So even if we are purged for siding with Long Qinghuang, the other side will still have to make the Daqian envoy go back and explain the situation. Not to mention that before things broke out, even if Yuan Yao was arrogant and offended people, the other side had to tolerate it."

“Then…” Ah Nuo laughed, “As the chief envoy, can you be even more arrogant?”

Lu Xingzhou also smiled slightly: "Yes."

The master and apprentice exchanged a glance and both revealed mischievous smiles.

…………

Over there, Long Qinghuang found several trusted demon clan healers.

The medical practices of the demon race are closer to those of witch doctors, or sometimes veterinarians... They are two different systems from the alchemy practiced by humans.

Generally speaking, the demon race's healers are very experienced in treating infertility and postpartum care for sows, and these are currently the best among their respective races.

Long Qinghuang did not disturb the other dragons. She first had the witch doctors diagnose her, only saying that she was feeling unwell.

The shamans examined His Majesty for a long time, then looked at each other, feeling that His Majesty was not ill...

Well, if there is any... an old witch doctor asked cautiously, "Has Your Majesty never been in heat before?"

"..." Long Qinghuang said with a straight face, "So what?"

"Then it's nothing. His Majesty has noticed something unusual about his body recently; it's just that he's in heat."

The air was awkward and silent.

If humans said this, they'd probably lose their heads. Luckily, this is the demon race. Talking about the mating seasons of different races is a biological characteristic, so it's okay to say it out loud.

Long Qinghuang was neither ashamed nor angry. She frankly admitted that she was indeed in heat, not only physically but probably also mentally.

Instead, he seized the opportunity to ask, "According to your diagnosis, will my childbirth be successful? Our dragon race has a more difficult time reproducing than others, and I am somewhat worried."

The old shaman said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, Your Majesty's health is perfectly fine. You can have as many children as you desire." Long Qinghuang said, "You make it sound so simple, then why is it so difficult for the dragon race to reproduce?"

"This...it is inherently more difficult for powerful life forms to reproduce than for other life forms; this is the natural order of things."

"Then you say that I can have as many children as I want. Do you listen to yourselves and see if your two statements match up?"

“This…” The old witch doctor wiped his sweat.

Actually, what he heard made him waver, because he had also been invited to diagnose other dragon families. He had examined both the male and female dragon couples, but the diagnosis results showed that neither of them had any problems. If they mated with other species, they could each produce a bunch of subspecies, but it was extremely difficult for them to reproduce when they mated with each other. He didn't know why.

If we were to offer a forced explanation, we could say that the combination of two dragons is so powerful that diluting it with other races makes it much easier.

If that's the case, wouldn't that mean the heavens would destroy the dragon race?
But it wasn't this serious before, otherwise how did Long Qinghuang, Long Lie, and Long Ao come into being?
The old witch doctor couldn't explain the reason, and could only say, "Anyway, His Majesty found a human, so it's not that difficult to have a subspecies."

Long Qinghuang didn't know whether she should feel a sweet feeling or sigh.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Have you tried those labor-inducing drugs?"

"We've tried it; General Long Ao and his wife both drank it, but... it had very little effect."

Long Qinghuang finally snapped: "What do you mean by 'minimal effect'? Useless is useless!"

The witch doctors all knelt down, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

When His Majesty gets angry, his imposing presence and murderous aura can make people lose their footing.

Long Qinghuang sighed: "Have you ever tried a blood transfusion method to purify the bloodline of other races?"

The old witch doctor said, "That does exist, but the success rate is not high."

What will happen if we fail?

"lethal."

"What's the success rate?"

"Less than 50%."

Long Qinghuang remained silent for a long time before waving her hand wearily: "I understand, go ahead."

The witch doctors retreated tremblingly, while Long Qinghuang stood by the window, gazing silently at the sky, unsure of her own feelings.

While it was true that they didn't want to be blunt, it wasn't that different from being blunt; ultimately, the witch doctors genuinely couldn't see the problem. They had also been invited to examine other dragons, but they simply couldn't find the issue.

Even with the power of the Myriad Manifestations Demon King, Long Qinghuang couldn't detect any problems within herself, so it would be even more difficult for the witch doctors to do so.

Perhaps it's not necessarily a medical issue? Lu Xingzhou was just guessing; what if he was wrong?

But regardless of whether his judgment is right or wrong, the problem of dragon reproduction is an objective reality, and a solution must be found.

The final solution was still the Holy Mountain... but Lu Xingzhou believed that the Holy Mountain was the root cause of all this.

Long Qinghuang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly left the Imperial Study and went to the Rebellious Palace again.

She wanted to invite Lu Xingzhou to visit the sacred mountain together.

"The Holy Mountain? I'm not going." Lu Xingzhou assumed a horse stance in his bedchamber, seemingly practicing meditation, but upon hearing this, he didn't even lift his eyelids: "Didn't His Majesty forbid me from leaving the palace?"

Long Qinghuang gritted her teeth: "Didn't I already send you to the Court of State Ceremonial? You're not going to ban it anymore."

"It's just the Court of State Ceremonies; it didn't say that we could go to the Holy Mountain."

Long Qinghuang said angrily, "I'll take them with me, they can go wherever they want!"

"Then I would like to observe the Holy Mountain's function in the reproduction of the demon race. Which girl told me that I could visit, but it wasn't allowed to involve reproduction?"

Long Qinghuang said angrily, "I was just hesitant that day, I didn't say it so explicitly."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her sideways.

Clearly, her hesitation that day stemmed from how to refuse, not from whether she could go.

Long Qinghuang knew this too, and helplessly softened: "It was my fault, okay? I'll just give you another kiss."

I now realize that it was easy to refuse back then, but not so easy to get him to go now.

Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, "What Honglu Temple, what Holy Mountain, and you need His Majesty to take me... What, am I incapable of taking care of myself because I'm in a wheelchair? Either lift the ban so I can move around freely, or forget about it."

Long Qinghuang sighed. This little man was not only vindictive, but he was also trying to force her to submit from every angle.

Dragon taming...

But she really had to back down, and said softly, "Alright, alright, I'll tell the guards to lift the ban, and you can leave the palace at will. But if I'm not with you, be careful when you leave the palace. You might as well take a palace guard with you, so you'll have more people to serve you."

Lu Xingzhou pointed to his face.

Long Qinghuang pouted and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Lu Xingzhou then pointed to his mouth.

Long Qinghuang kissed him again.

Lu Xingzhou was about to point to something else when Long Qinghuang simply picked him up and strode out of the palace.

The person is still in a horse stance position...

Ah Nuo chased after her, calling out, "Master, Master..."

Long Qinghuang turned around and grabbed the little thing, then sped off towards the Holy Mountain.

(End of this chapter)