Qi Gaoming asked the official, "Sir, when will His Highness release my family?"

Official: "Please wait a moment."

The official continued walking forward.

Qi Gaoming, however, was knocked unconscious by the stick behind him.

The official walked away and disappeared.

The crown prince met the official in a secret room.

The official gave the crown prince a long, rambling report.

The crown prince nodded and said, "I guessed it was him a long time ago. But we don't have enough evidence yet, so let's not alert him."

Official: "Yes, Your Highness!"

When Qi Gaoming woke up, he found himself thrown into a prison.

Qi Gaoming found it unbelievable, thinking: Didn't they rescue me? How did I get back? What happened?

Compared to the heart-wrenching screams in the prison, the palace was filled with singing and dancing.

After listening to the official's report, the crown prince returned to the banquet without showing any emotion.

Chirp chirp ate the delicious food with gusto.

It's been so long since I've had food from the palace. It's delicious, the food from the palace is still the best!

The Emperor felt a little sad when he heard this: He had been so busy with state affairs lately that he hadn't been able to get away from his beloved Qiuqiu to come to the palace for quite some time.

After feeling guilty for a while, the Emperor still didn't forget the important matter. He tentatively asked, "Xu Ruyun, everyone says that the sword in your house is a demon. What do you think?"

Xu Ruyun: "Your Majesty, I dare not harbor any demons!"

【My Emperor! Open your eyes and look! This is no demon! It is an ancient divine sword, the Flame God Sword. Can't you see it, even with your dragon body and dragon eyes?】

Xu Ruyun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Luckily, the Emperor couldn't hear her. Otherwise, if Qiujiu spoke of the Emperor so casually, she wouldn't have enough heads to gouge out.

The Emperor truly heard these words.

But the emperor was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was very happy.

The Flame God Sword! It really is the Flame God Sword! It is truly a blessing for the Great Dragon Kingdom to possess such a sword!

The Empress Dowager examined the Flame God Sword carefully and then said, "Emperor, don't you think this sword looks familiar?"

The Emperor examined the sword carefully and said, "Now that Mother says so, it does look somewhat familiar."

The Empress Dowager looked at the palace maids and eunuchs and said, "You may all leave!"

The palace maids and eunuchs replied, "Yes!"

After all the palace maids and eunuchs had left, the Empress Dowager carefully recalled the events.

Empress Dowager: "Alright, there are no outsiders now. Do you all remember? When the demonic energy first invaded the palace, it was Qiuqiu and this sword that saved everyone!"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, the Third Prince stood up excitedly and said, "I remember, I remember! The situation was critical, and it was Qiuqiu who summoned a sword. After the sword flew over, it emitted thousands of rays of light, scaring away the demons that came to the palace to harm everyone. It was that sword, the Flame God Sword! The ancient divine sword!"

The Queen covered her mouth in surprise.

Empress: "An ancient divine sword? Heavens! Heaven bless our dynasty! Heaven bless our dynasty!"

The Empress Dowager was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. She clasped her hands together and looked out at the sky to pray.

Empress Dowager: "May our ancestors bless us! Our Great Dragon Kingdom will no longer be at the mercy of others, and our Great Dragon Kingdom will soon take off!"

The emperor was so happy that he ran down from the dragon throne, picked up Qiuqiu and spun her around several times, and then kissed her on the face several times.

The Emperor: "Chirp chirp, my dear chirp chirp!"

[Is everyone really that happy? Is it really necessary? It's just a sword, isn't it?]

The Emperor thought to himself: "As for it, as for it. The ancient royal texts say that since the ancient gods disappeared, the spiritual power of the mortal realm has grown increasingly weak. Demons may invade the mortal world in the future. But if any country has the Flame God Sword guarding it, that country will surely be the most peaceful. Not only peaceful, but perhaps even receiving tribute from all nations."

Thinking of this, the emperor felt very pleased.

However, ideals are often beautiful, but reality is often harsh.

Just then, a battle report came from outside.

"Report—"

The emperor had decreed that no matter what he was doing, battle reports must be delivered to him without any hindrance.

In the past, war reports always described how border conflicts were initiated because other countries had bullied or provoked them. I guess this time will be no exception.

Sure enough, when the emperor received the war report, he told everyone, "The Great Silver Kingdom was unwilling to accept the compensation it didn't get last time, so it's causing trouble on the border again and trying to start a war."

Crown Prince: "Father, we can't spoil them this time!"

Third Prince: "That's right, we all have the Flame God Sword, what are we afraid of them for! We can't let them get away with this!"

The Emperor smiled slightly and said, "With the Flame God Sword, everyone feels much more confident!"

【Of course we're confident. Even without the Flame God Sword, they can't do anything to us. What kind of Great Silver Kingdom is this? They're always trying to scare us with a cannonball that won't even go off!】

Your Majesty: What? The cannonball from the Great Silver Kingdom didn't go off? I've been threatened by the Great Silver Kingdom for eight whole years! Eight years! How much silver have I paid them, how many of my treasures have I lost!

If only I had met Qiuqiu sooner! But it seems that Qiuqiu wasn't even born eight years ago.

After hearing what Qiuqiu said, the Emperor felt even more confident.

Your Majesty: "The matter of the Flame God Sword in our Great Dragon Kingdom should not be publicized for now. This time, I will personally lead the army to fight on the border!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress was terrified and turned pale. Fearing for the Emperor's life, she wanted to offer advice, but remembering that the empress should not interfere in politics, she swallowed her words.

Empress Dowager: "Emperor, aren't you afraid of risking your life by personally leading the expedition? You are my only son."

Your Majesty: "Mother, rest assured. I plan to take Qiuqiu and the Flame God Sword with me this time. Let the Great Silver Kingdom witness the might of my Dragon Kingdom!"

Hearing the Emperor's words, the Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good! With Qiuqiu following you, I'm at ease. Go, go with peace of mind!"

The Emperor looked at Xu Ruyun and then at Qiuqiu, asking, "Madam Xu, do you agree?"

Xu Ruyun: "It is an honor for Your Majesty to have Qiuqiu follow you! If she can truly share Your Majesty's burdens, then Qiuqiu should be the first to step forward."

My dear mother, are you really so sure you'd let me go?

Xu Ruyun patted Qiuqiu's back, saying in her heart, "Qiuqiu, my daughter, your mother can't bear to part with you either. But His Majesty has already said so. How can I refuse?"

The Emperor asked Qiuqiu, "Qiuqiu, would you like to come with me? There lies territory we once lost, and I want to reclaim it this time!"

[I forgot, I forgot, His Majesty still harbors this grudge. Of course, we must get our revenge. Anyone who offends our Great Dragon Kingdom, no matter how far away, will be punished!]

Chiu Chiu nodded and said, "Yes, Chiu Chiu is willing to go!"

During the morning court session, the emperor announced his intention to personally lead a military campaign, which was met with unanimous opposition from the ministers.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Last time, it was a cannonball from the Great Silver Kingdom that almost... Alas! Anyway, you absolutely cannot go there in person!"