Chapter 169 Chapter 169 “She can’t live without him…

In the end, Lan Qi didn't say good or bad.

He just asked Jiu Zhao to go back, ending this farce which was euphemistically called "wife serving husband".

Jiu Zhao didn't feel disappointed even though he didn't get the ideal answer.

Even if they could form a bond and achieve the fusion of body and soul, they could then freely mobilize the power of true blood no matter how far apart they were. However, letting her out of their sight and wandering around was ultimately unsafe - if she died, her bloodline would randomly awaken in the Phoenix.

Given Lan Qi's personality, it would be strange for him to agree unconditionally.

Jiu Zhao walked slowly back to the bedroom.

After a struggle in Qingbo Palace, it was already night in the Burning Sea.

There is no sun in the demon realm, so the days are always short and the nights are always long.

It was just past the middle of the afternoon. Jiu Zhao used a wooden frame to prop up the lattice window, and a huge full moon hung high in the night sky.

It is an illusion projected by the ancestral god, and is significantly different from the real moon that exists in the Three Pure Ones Heaven.

The edges are hairy, and surrounded by layers of dark clouds, it exudes a gloomy and cold feeling.

Jiu Zhao stared at it intently.

That forbearing and desolate look gradually faded from the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, and his lips returned to a half-pursed line.

Her face became expressionless.

The cold wind rushed between the eaves and pillars, and rushed into the warm palace like a bird seeking food.

Jiu Zhao couldn't help but shiver.

A head with a long, slender neck snaked forward from behind her and said slowly, "What a pity! I can't hug you and keep you warm."

Although the words were full of pity, the expression was not so.

His peripheral vision caught sight of Wu Zhu's leisurely face. Jiu Zhao didn't respond to him, but sat down and poured himself a cup of tea brewed on the suspended magic fire.

"Fortunately, Lan Qi couldn't read your mind, otherwise he would have known how well you acted just now."

The dragon's body gradually solidified and turned into a human body. Wu Zhu wanted to close the window for her, but he could not touch the outside world, so he had to give up.

He pretended to sit down, facing Jiu Zhao across the long table, a slight smile on his pale lips.

Jiu Zhao remained unmoved by his teasing. She sipped her hot tea gracefully and replied from within her spirit realm, "I'm not acting. These are all my true feelings."

"I live in your brain, your heart, your blood and bones. I am you—

"Every word you said to Lan Qi was free of any emotional fluctuations."

“Does it have to be emotional?”

Jiu Zhao didn't deny Wu Zhu's ruthless revelation. She put down her teacup, propped up her chin with her hand, and continued casually, "If I had any feelings, I wouldn't be able to control myself when I met him and Zhu Yan again, and I would want to die with them."

Living in a world full of lies.

Only when she was talking to Wu Zhu, or herself, could she be frank and honest.

Wu Zhu stretched out his hand and touched her fingertips which were loosely holding the teacup.

He carefully controlled the angle and posture, pretending to place his hand on the back of Jiu Zhao's hand and gently caressing it: "Now, don't you miss it?"

"In no mood."

Jiu Zhao cut him off without hesitation. "What does this world have to do with me? I just want to live without any burdens."

"Or I could just die without any worries."

The night wind continued to blow into the empty temple, causing the magic fire to sway back and forth.

Reflected in the depths of Jiuzhao's pupils, it turned into two clusters of light that were struggling and refused to go out.

Wu Zhu said nothing more.

Suddenly, there was another laugh, as vague as the moonlight.

…

After his immortal power was damaged, Jiu Zhao's perception of the outside world became much sharper.

She vaguely felt that Lan Qi was moved by her words.

This feeling was manifested in the fact that she was no longer subject to strict restrictions and could wander around the Jiwu Palace at will.

Jiu Zhao spent five days visiting all the places he could.

Apart from the guards who stood motionless like clay puppets, most temples were usually deserted.

After taking a quick look at the furnishings and scenery, she felt bored and asked the palace servants to lead the way to where the ladies-in-waiting lived.

But for some reason, those who saw her only bowed politely and answered her questions, no longer having the arrogant attitude they had when they first met.

Qiong Xing, who was in the lead, still seemed dissatisfied. Jiu Zhao teased her, hoping to see that lively and interesting expression on her face again.

The result was disappointment.

They seemed to have received a warning from Lan Qi or someone else to be respectful to Jiu Zhao, the future empress.

Jiu Zhao came twice more later. Qiong Xing couldn't afford to offend her, so she simply avoided her and stopped meeting her on the grounds of being busy.

…

When the solemn Jiwu Palace lost its last bit of brightness, Jiu Zhao was disappointed and decided to leave the palace.

On the eighth day, she went to the bedroom where Lan Qi lived.

But the young man decisively rejected it.

"The Burning Sea is not like the Three Pure Heavens. Even in the capital, crises occur from time to time. What can you do outside with your current condition?"

Lan Qi is very busy.

The final battle with Sanqingtian is imminent, so he withdrew his troops back to Fenye Sea to prepare for his wedding with Jiuzhao.

Having been away from the capital for a long time, a lot of less important government affairs have piled up and need to be dealt with.

These days, when he opened his eyes, he was either about to summon his ministers into the study, or on his way to the main hall to attend court.

After he rejected Jiu Zhao, he did not stay and led his group away in a mighty manner.

Jiu Zhao fell far behind. When the deep horn sounded and he saw him enter the hall to start the morning court, he quietly came out from behind the doorpost, picked and chose a step that looked shiny, and sat down with his knees hugged.

On both sides, the guards' gazes were fixed on her as if they had substance.

In the past, Jiu Zhao hated the moment when everyone looked at him.

That meant she must have made another mistake that was shameful and would cause gossip in their eyes.

Now, the mood is different.

She hummed a song, took out a cloth bag from her bosom, picked up a piece of pink lotus cake and put it into her mouth.

As the Empress Dowager, no one dared to grab Jiu Zhao's arms and throw her out.

We sat like this for two hours, and then the horn sounded again.

The court officials rushed out, and the looks they gave Jiu Zhao were filled with more malice and strangeness.

The whispers that could clearly reach Jiu Zhao's ears were heard from time to time:

"Why is she here?"

"Are you waiting for His Majesty?"

"To sit on the black jade steps without any scruples, what a sight..."

"I heard that when she was still a fairy princess, she was arrogant and extravagant, and had a bad reputation."

"No wonder he committed patricide..."

“Ahem!”

Zhu Yan, who came out late, interrupted the ministers' evil remarks with a cough.

He came before Jiu Zhao and performed the same demonic ceremony as he did before Lan Qi: "Your humble servant greets the Empress."

The law does not hold everyone responsible.

Due to Jiu Zhao's embarrassing identity, she could only pretend not to hear it even if she heard it.

It's impossible for someone to make enemies with most of the powerful officials in Burning Sea before she even becomes the queen.

Those demons who made comments did so out of this cautious mentality.

But it’s different with Zhu Yan as the first to speak out.

His humble greeting contrasts with the disrespect of others.

Seeing this, they had no choice but to stop whispering and come forward one by one to greet Jiu Zhao.

…

After recognizing the ministers of the demon clan one by one, the lotus cakes in the cloth bag were all gone.

She burped a little, and estimated that it was time for Lan Qi to come and call her into the hall, so she closed her eyes and wiped her mouth contentedly.

A moment passed, and before the envoy's call came, a figure appeared sitting beside him.

“Your Majesty the Queen.

"Even though you've fallen into the Sea of ​​Burning Karma, there are still people who don't forget to stand up for you."

The palace door was not closed, and Lan Qi, who was sitting at the highest point, had obviously witnessed the whole process.

He seemed to be mocking Zhu Yan's "heroic rescue of the beauty", but his tone did not show any emotion.

"It's not about being the first, it's what happens."

Jiu Zhao shook the cloth bag, put it back on his lapel, and said to him, "I am the queen you personally chose. No matter what the reason behind this, they should have been respectful to me. They acted this way not only to insult me, but also to test your attitude."

Lan Qi avoided answering and just asked, "Are you speaking for Zhu Yan?"

No sound was heard, and Jiu Zhaoqing's pupils, which were visible to the bottom, stared at him without blinking.

That’s right.

Why did he ask this?

It seems like she is jealous of her husband.

Lan Qi felt a rare sense of embarrassment in his heart. He was silent for a few breaths and asked again: "Do you really want to go out that much?"

Jiu Zhao nodded solemnly: "You are not unaware of your harem. Most of them are quiet and work-conscious. The female officials who came to see me last time were quite interesting. However, I have visited them twice recently, and they always said that they were busy preparing for the wedding and couldn't spare time.

“I’m getting bored being stuck in the house all the time.

"After all, the Burning Sea is where I'm going to live for a long time. It shouldn't be a problem to go out and walk around and familiarize myself with the environment, right?"

This statement sounds reasonable.

Lan Qi looked back at her and asked tentatively, "So, do you want to go out by yourself, or with someone?"

"Naturally it's best with you."

Jiu Zhao blurted out without thinking.

What greeted her was another silence with only the sound of the wind remaining.

Amid the sound of the wind, the two looked at each other.

After a while, Lan Qi's voice lowered.

He turned his face away completely and asked, "Why?"

"If you don't stay by my side, you won't feel at ease, right?"

Jiu Zhao blinked as he looked down at her. "Besides, for me, our conversation a few days ago was already a complete and complete confession. I'm the abandoned crown prince of the immortal race, in a foreign land, surrounded by hostility. After we get married, whether or not you declare me 'deceased', I want to live well. All I can do is hold on to you and rely on you."

Only rely on Him.

Hold on to him.

After that ambiguous moment, Jiu Zhao's answer, which was pure and clear-headed about the situation, once again turned into an invisible hand, slowly plucking Lan Qi's heartstrings.

He doesn't believe in promises, vows, and short-lived love talks.

Only something that can be held firmly in the palm of your hand can give people absolute peace of mind.

But today, Jiu Zhao has lost everything.

A noble status, the honor of a celestial being, and the power to make countless people die for him at the command of a single word.

She was, and was only, a bird locked in a golden cage by him, singing melodiously, and could not live without him.

So, what's wrong with her needing him and longing for him?

A pleasure far more intense than physical intercourse spread, blending into the bones and blood, and shaking the limbs.

Lan Qi looked away in time to prevent Jiu Zhao from noticing the morbid joy in his eyes.

He took off Yufeng's gorgeous black robe and draped it over Jiuzhao's shoulders.

He tilted his head again, still looking dignified and gentle like a gentleman: "Okay, wait for me for two days. After I finish dealing with government affairs, I will accompany you out of the palace."