A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 582 Have we fallen for that cunning fox's trick again?!
After leaving the vampire forbidden area.

Shen Liyuan gazed at the ruins buried under the yellow sand, a complex and dark emotion flashing across his eyes. Wisps of crimson flames rose from his long, jade-like palms, soaring into the air and transforming into clusters of fiery fox phantoms that lingered, like loyal guardians, silently protecting this forgotten ancient site.

He turned to leave, but then stopped.

Looking back, Shen Tang, who was being held in her hand, was still staring blankly in that direction, her heels seemingly nailed to the ground, motionless.

He gently covered her brows and eyes with his hand, leaned down and sighed softly in her ear, his tone half-smile, "Still thinking about him?"

He held her hand against his heart, looked down at her with affection, and a hint of grievance in his eyes. "Little Tang'er, it's hard for your brother not to be jealous when he sees his female heartbroken and longing for another male."

Shen Tang snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing slightly, and whispered in protest, "I didn't... and it wasn't entirely like missing you..."

She just couldn't explain why; she felt a dull ache in her heart, as if something was blocking her throat.

Killing Necro and retaking the rebels had always been her goal. But when the day actually came, she felt empty, heavy, and inexplicably uneasy.

"Really?" Shen Li gently wiped away the moisture from the corner of her eyes, looked at her reddened eyes, and said with a helpless yet doting tone, "When did Xiao Tang'er learn to lie? You never used to lie to me."

Only then did Shen Tang belatedly realize that her eyes were welling up with tears, and she didn't know what to say for a moment, "I..."

Shen Li pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her soft, cloud-like hair with his fingers, his voice as gentle as water, "Be good, you don't need to explain to me. If you're really sad, just cry. I won't laugh at you. Keeping your emotions inside is the most painful thing."

"Treat me like a box, and throw all your unhappy emotions at me, okay?"

Shen Tang sniffed softly, her voice thick with a moist nasal tone.

Shen Li's gaze softened with even more affection.

Thinking about Necro, he was a hateful, pathetic, and pitiful person.

Shen Tang never had feelings for him while he was alive.

But at the moment he died—

Perhaps, even Shen Tang herself didn't realize that a faint feeling had stirred within her.

It wasn't necessarily love; it could be sympathy, pity, or something more complex. In any case, Necro ultimately managed to occupy a small place in her heart.

Shen Tang hugged Shen Li tightly around the waist, buried her face in his chest, and remained quiet for a while, but ultimately didn't cry. She composed herself, looked up at him, and smiled, "Let's go!"

Shen Tang is no longer the naive and carefree girl she once was. She is the ruler of a nation, and the most important lesson she has learned is how to control her emotions.

No matter what happens, she can quickly adjust her mindset and continue to embrace the next unknown journey.

Shen Li gently touched her still slightly moist eyes, and seeing her like this, his heart ached a little. But in the end, he didn't say anything more, only smiled gently and nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

On the way back, Shen Tang did not have the system teleport her back directly.

Shen Li transformed back into his original form and carried her. The two walked back at a leisurely pace, enjoying the surrounding scenery and people, which was quite pleasant.

After the rebels were subdued, their territory was officially incorporated into the Night Glow Empire.

In just one night, the territory of the Night Glow Empire doubled, and its land area was almost on par with the top empires on the three continents: the Yi Yuan Empire, the Yong Dong Empire, and the Yun Ding Empire.

However, this newly reclaimed territory is still too chaotic and needs to be re-divided into administrative districts. Shen Tang has already sent relevant officials and personnel to manage it.

"The matter of the vampires is now settled." Shen Tang shrugged, easily putting her arm around the fire fox's neck and burying her head in his furry neck. The fur was clean and smooth, without a single impurity, and smelled of an indescribable alluring fragrance.

Since Shen Li returned to the Yiyuan Empire, the two of them hadn't spent so much time together in a long time, which reminded Shen Tang of the days they spent in the polluted land.

Although that period was a very painful and dark low point for the original owner, it was the beginning of a new life for her. There was confusion, sadness, and pain, but more than anything, there was warmth, happiness, and anticipation for the future.

At that time, Shen Tang only thought about how to survive and how to improve the favorability of the beastmen. She didn't have to think about anything else. Looking back now, those days were actually quite simple and pleasant.

Shen Tang hugged Shen Li's neck, closed her eyes, and was as quiet as if she were asleep.

Shen Li also slowed his pace, and the ten fluffy and long fiery red fox tails behind him gently closed up, looking from a distance like a closed flower bud, gently wrapping his beloved female in the middle, as if afraid that she might accidentally fall down.

Shen Tang felt a soft, fluffy touch brushing against her hair. She opened her eyes again; her nose was a little itchy, but she didn't sneeze.

She wasn't asleep; she was just thinking about too many things. "Although the matter with the vampires has come to an end, it's a pity that I didn't get any useful information on this trip to the vampire forbidden area..."

She said with some regret and frustration, "I originally wanted to try to find the whereabouts of those vampires in the vampire prophecy book, but unfortunately I can't understand the text at all."

Shen Li suddenly said, "It's not necessarily that there are no clues at all. I think I've seen the ancient characters on that book of prophecy before."

Shen Tang immediately perked up, moved up a bit, and looked at him in surprise, "You know those words?"

The little female's breath brushed against his ear, making his pointed fox ears twitch slightly. He smiled and said, "That might disappoint you—I don't know what those characters mean either, but I think I've seen similar shapes before."

Shen Tang listened as he continued, "If I remember correctly, I saw my father write similar words in his study when I was a child."

"...Your father? The late Emperor Ji Jin? How could he be related to the vampires?" Shen Tang asked in surprise.

“Yes, Father is a pure nine-tailed fox. How could he possibly be related to the vampires, and how could he possibly know the vampires’ ancient script?” Shen Li narrowed his long, beautiful fox eyes and nodded in agreement. “Therefore, it’s only possible that he learned it from someone else.”

Who could this person be?

To be able to learn a foreign language to this extent, it must be someone close to him.

Shen Li thought of her mysterious mother who had died young.

Shen Li slowly stopped. "Tangtang, it seems I need to go back first and look for what Father left behind."

Although his mysterious mother beast who died young left nothing behind, not even photos or portraits of her during her lifetime, it was impossible to guess her identity or origin.

However, Ji Jin, as the late emperor, did indeed leave behind many relics.

Ji Jin was in poor health before his death, but he was good at writing and appreciating the beauty of nature. During the years he was bedridden, he wrote quite a few books.

They have all types.

Later, some of those books were left in the imperial mausoleum as burial goods, while the rest were collected in the palace's library.

However, Shen Li has rarely stayed in the palace in recent years, so he hasn't had a chance to look closely. It seems he has to go back and search carefully this time, and maybe he can find some relevant clues.

Shen Tang understood the meaning behind his words and blurted out, "I'll go back with you!"

"Great, I couldn't be happier." Shen Li suddenly transformed back into human form, pulled her into his arms, and smiled as if he had succeeded. "Anyway, Lu Xiao and the others are here to keep an eye on things for you, so why don't you go and rest at my place for a while?"

“Perfect timing. I think I’ve also come to understand some of the vampire murals. Tonight… let’s have a long talk.”

Shen Tang, "!!!"

I have a feeling that I've fallen for that cunning fox's trick again!

Today is Snake's birthday, let's wish Snake a happy birthday!