Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 394 Night Rain
We'll only find out what material the alchemy furnace is made of after we go back and deal with the Huo family.

It's possible that the alchemy furnace contained other exotic beast ingredients... but there shouldn't be any other exotic beast blood in A'nuo's body. Only cattle would have a dual effect, leading to this situation.

The blood theory can be verified now, so Long Qinghuang still summoned an old cow witch doctor to see Anuo.

"Your Majesty's guess is correct. This little girl must have bovine blood in her body, especially possibly the blood of a Kui ox, and it is not very compatible with her. She is easily incited to riot and boil over by us... Hmm, this incompatibility is also directly related to the difficulty she has in growing up. This child should not be so young."

The case is solved.

Lu Xingzhou stared blankly at the old ox, his feelings a mix of emotions.

This case not only uncovered the root cause of Ah Nuo's "illness," but also confirmed the long-held speculation that "Ah Nuo is a medicinal pill."

Only a single pill could explain all of Anuo's abnormalities; there was almost no need to look for further evidence.

But why couldn't anyone tell when this pill took form? It's probably because it's of a very high level.

"Then what should we do?" Long Qinghuang asked. "Should we expel the Kui Niu blood from her body? Or help her fuse with it?"

Old Niu was a very skilled shaman. After pondering for a long time, he shook his head and said, "This Kui Niu blood will likely give this child powerful supernatural abilities. Expelling it would cripple her, so it's not suitable. As for this incompatibility, it's congenital, somewhat like something caused by premature birth. It should be possible to help the child integrate properly after birth. But, alas, we can't even tell what kind of person she is, so how can we help?"

So Ah Nuo's strength is the strength of a bull?

No, not only that.

Ah Nuo must possess the power of the Dragon and Tiger, which is the source of her immense strength. However, the Dragon and Tiger power isn't involved in her blood; rather, they are refined within the environment and ley lines, and their power is absorbed. The role of this Kui Ox blood is unknown: is it harmonizing the Dragon and Tiger? A catalyst? The foundation for her transformation?
This level of elixir is somewhat beyond Lu Xingzhou's knowledge, but the logic is sound: extracting the blood of the Kui Niu could indeed cause problems with A Nuo's foundation, so it's inappropriate. Besides, how could he possibly extract it?

Long Qinghuang said in a low voice, "Gu Zhanting's injury is somewhat like that... I injected a trace of stagnant blood into his body, and it has taken root and is causing chaos in his blood. He has been trying to expel the stagnant blood I injected for ten years without success."

Lu Xingzhou was well aware of Gu Zhanting's problem: "You're quite cunning."

"It wasn't intentional to use such methods. I was also injured at the time, and I did it based on the situation of the battle."

Lu Xingzhou suddenly found it somewhat amusing: "If we intend to extract the blood of the Kui ox from Anuo, then there is an emperor who will use the power of the entire country for ten years to pave the way for us."

Long Qinghuang also chuckled.

Just kidding. I never intended to take it away anyway, so it doesn't really matter who paved the way. But it can serve as a reference.

As for "premature birth"... Lu Xingzhou was a little worried. Should he be sent back to the furnace?

Long Qinghuang suddenly said, "Xingzhou... Although we don't have a good solution for the time being, it's clear that Anuo is more likely to help with the fusion of bloodlines with me. We are professionals in the fusion of different bloodlines, while Daqian is not. And Anuo was going to learn the Opening Heaven Technique from me anyway. Taking the manual back and practicing on her own is obviously not the same as having me by her side to guide her."

Lu Xingzhou was silent.

After a long pause, he said, "Let's wait for Anuo to wake up and let her decide for herself."

Long Qinghuang stared at him intently for a moment, and finally said, "Hmm... Let the child rest, and we'll rest too?"

Back in his own bedchamber, Lu Xingzhou stood by the window watching the drizzle at night, while Long Qinghuang stood beside him, watching in silence for a long time.

In any case, Ah Nuo's situation is now completely clear. Even if the solution is difficult, at least there is a direction. The huge stone that has been weighing on my mind for so long has finally been removed.

The atmosphere should have been cheerful enough to pop a champagne glass, but instead it became even more somber.

It all boils down to the issue of his departure.

After a long while, Long Qinghuang said in a low voice, "You... take a shower first."

Lu Xingzhou was taken aback: "Huh?"

Long Qinghuang tilted her head: "I meant taking a medicinal bath. Du Juan's golden dragon corpse is extremely complete, with all its flesh and blood intact. It's much better than the things we cobbled together before. You can truly forge a golden dragon body."

Actually, I deliberately mentioned taking a shower first to see his reaction, to see if it would immediately create a romantic atmosphere in the room.

His reaction was like this, and Long Qinghuang felt a little sad, but she still walked down the steps she had prepared.

Lu Xingzhou could easily see the loneliness in her heart. He quickly moved behind her, put his arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."

Long Qinghuang tensed up slightly at first, but quickly relaxed and let herself lean against him: "You know that's not what I want."

Lu Xingzhou didn't know how to answer, and Long Qinghuang chuckled to herself again: "But it's alright, I can see you're hesitant. What, are you having trouble saying what you want to say about negotiating with me?"

Lu Xingzhou said helplessly, "You understand me so well now?"

"Just like the methods you used on me back then, even though you were playing a game with me, you put my interests first, and I, this tyrant, couldn't act like one. I learned all of this from you." Long Qinghuang turned to look at him and blinked: "Mr. Lu, how is this apprentice's comprehension?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "He's graduated, but he's betrayed his master and ancestors."

"You're nothing compared to how much you betray your master and ancestors," Long Qinghuang said. "Speaking of which, I also taught you the Heaven-Opening Technique. I said before that I should be considered your teacher, not just Ye Tinglan." Lu Xingzhou hummed in agreement, acknowledging that.

"So..." Long Qinghuang's voice took on a slightly seductive tone, "Do you want to betray your master and destroy your ancestors?"

Lu Xingzhou gasped.

How did she suddenly become so good at this?

If a woman is willing to bite for you, what seductive and alluring thing wouldn't she do?

Long Qinghuang bit her lower lip and asked in a sweet voice, "What did you and your brother do in the Scripture Pavilion today?"

"...There really are spies? Emperors don't tolerate this."

“These are extraordinary times… Besides, I don’t do this to others, but I do it to you.” Long Qinghuang’s gentle voice suddenly turned somewhat fierce: “What, you can kiss your brothers while practicing martial arts, but it’s a big obstacle when it comes to your master?”

Lu Xingzhou sensed that Long Niang was suppressing her anger towards her female brother. If she was about to unleash a powerful attack, she might just do it. He didn't dare let her continue to build up her anger, so he immediately lowered his head and kissed her.

When I kissed her lips, I suddenly wondered if this was the first time we had ever kissed and embraced like a normal couple.
The situations that occurred before... were not quite normal.

Either the monarch is occupying the harem, or the men are engaging in rebellious and unruly discipline.

This kiss, so tender and lingering, was a moment of pure bliss between lovers.

Long Qinghuang seemed to have thought of this as well, and her heart was also moved. She closed her eyes and obediently responded.

She also felt that this kiss was different from the previous ones, and her heart was filled with extra tenderness.

Before long, the dragon's body went limp again, and she leaned against him even more weakly than before, the aphrodisiac fragrance filling the room.

"You... did you practice this on your female brother...?" Long Qinghuang almost lost her balance, her eyes glazed over: "How... how come it feels so much more comfortable than before?"

Of course, it's the divine skill, the "Great Joy and Bliss Sutra".

If the dragon girl were completely unprepared, it wouldn't be a problem for her to even call him "master."

Of course, Lu Xingzhou's answer was the textbook standard: "Simply because I have feelings in my heart."

Long Qinghuang bit her lower lip and gave him a resentful look: "Really?"

Lu Xingzhou kissed him again, responding to his words with his actions.

Long Qinghuang's breathing became increasingly rapid, and soon her mind went completely blank, unable to gather any more thoughts.

As she kissed him, Lu Xingzhou's hands unconsciously began to undo his dragon robe. The robe opened, revealing the undergarment underneath, trembling precariously, creating a striking contrast.

Especially since the two of them were facing the window watching the night rain, with the dragon robe open to the outside, the scenery was incredibly alluring. In his daze, Long Qinghuang felt a sense of instinctive shame. The night wind swept over him, tickling him like his hands.

Long Qinghuang finally regained some consciousness and pushed him away with a hint of resentment: "Are you... still trying to tame me?"

In truth, Lu Xingzhou didn't mean anything by it. It was just that when emotions ran high, things naturally became unruly. Anyway, in her Dragon Emperor Palace, there weren't even any eunuchs, just a dozen or so palace maids. So what did it matter if she was more open?

However, Long Qinghuang's question surprised Lu Xingzhou, because he only heard a hint of resentment, but no displeasure or resistance.

His hand slipped inside the bodice again, and he whispered in her ear, "Then... shall I tame it?"

Long Qinghuang's breathing quickened again. She didn't answer the question, but said in a low voice, "You should take a medicinal bath first."

Sure enough, she prefers men who are more domineering and proactive.

Lu Xingzhou then said, "I'm fine with taking a medicinal bath, but I don't want Xiao Kui to serve me."

Long Qinghuang was momentarily confused and didn't understand what he meant by that: "So?"

Lu Xingzhou reached out and gently stroked her body: "Of course, Your Majesty should serve you."

Long Qinghuang's gaze grew increasingly unfocused, and after a long while, she responded softly, "Okay."

The voice was so low that even the speaker couldn't hear it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

PS: Still asking for monthly votes, it seems like I'm about to surpass the previous rank... I glanced at the name of the previous rank's big shot, hmm... this is also a kind of fan.

(End of this chapter)