Black Angel (1-8 complete)

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This post was last edited by www0698 on 2014-11-7 05:32 Episode 1
Chapter

1: A Journey to Learning (Part 1)

It is said that beyond the vast ocean, where the sea and sky meet, lies a boundless and mysterious unknown continent called Central Continent. There, in the beginning of time, before the separation of Yin and Yang, humans, ghosts, dragons, and beasts coexisted peacefully. The humans who settled in the central part of the continent first established a monarchical kingdom, named "Holy Dragon." Due to its pleasant climate and fertile land, immigrants from all directions flocked to settle there, and through the joint efforts of various ethnic groups, a prosperous and powerful nation was created. Here, the people lived in peace and contentment, officials performed their duties diligently, and scholarship and culture flourished—a golden age unseen for millennia. In

the 120th year of the Holy Dragon Kingdom's rule, one early summer day, two young lecherous men appeared in the city square of the eastern trading city, commenting on the newly erected statue of the Queen.

“Hey Xinran, something seems off about this statue!”

“What’s wrong, Mingyuan?”

“No, no, I mean… Her Majesty’s breasts, aren’t they a bit… a bit too full?” As he spoke, the short, stout young man named Mingyuan gestured to his chest. “My cousin is only sixteen; her breasts couldn’t possibly be that big.”

“Girls! Of course, the fuller the breasts, the better. I quite like them—does Mingyuan not like them?” the boy named Xinran retorted.

“I personally quite like your statue, but my cousin—I mean Her Majesty the Queen—she might not like it.”

“It’s alright, as long as we like it,” Xinran comforted him with a smile. “Your cousin is far away in the Holy Capital; she might never come to Goode in her lifetime. Even if she does see this statue in ten or eight years, she’ll be a mature woman by then, and her breasts will be about this size.”

The two men discussing the Queen’s breasts in public were both prominent figures in the trading city.

The short, chubby boy was named Long Mingyuan, the current queen's cousin. At the tender age of twenty, he was appointed governor of the wealthiest city in the country, a remarkable achievement for a young man. Despite being the lord of a city, Long Mingyuan appeared almost like a follower in front of his good friend, Su Xinran.

Those who met Su Xinran for the first time were often captivated by his handsome appearance and elegant demeanor, sometimes even unable to distinguish whether he was male or female.

Especially now, as he crossed his arms and gazed at the floating clouds, his fair, jade-like face was more perfect than a jewel-sculpted statue. His jet-black hair, though not deliberately styled, was free and unrestrained, and when the wind ruffled his bangs, his beautiful forehead shone like a mirror.

His bright eyes, shifting with the sunlight, radiated a captivating and mysterious light, making one involuntarily wonder about his thoughts, accompanied by a touch of melancholy.

However, this close-up profile didn't last long. Su Xinran was a half-human, half-vampire hybrid; while he could live in the daytime, he couldn't endure prolonged exposure to the scorching sun.

"Brother Mingyuan, let's sit down and cool off! I'm about to faint..." He lowered his head, lazily walked into the shade of a tree, sat down, and picked up a pebble, absentmindedly drawing something on the ground. When he was lost in thought, his expression resembled that of a sweet young girl, his bright white clothes standing out against the green trees, making him appear even more ethereal.

Who would have thought that such a beautiful and elegant figure, like a fairy descended from heaven, would be the absurd ghost known as the "Nightmare of the Trading City"? If anyone didn't believe it, they could inquire in the streets and alleys; the stories of the young master of the Su family's misdeeds would go on for three days and three nights.

Su Xinran's evil wasn't the kind that involved bullying men and women; his terrifying aspect lay in his endless pranks and his fearless personality. He was more like a mischievous, unruly child who was both exasperating and impossible to control, than a resentful villain.

Before Su Xinran was born, his parents were already renowned throughout the land.

The Su family's ancestors were not native to Central Continent; they had immigrated from the Silk Kingdom across the vast ocean at the end of the Flood Era. They started by trading real estate and for centuries had been one of the wealthiest families in the eastern part of the empire. Many such immigrant families existed in Central Continent. Immigrants from the Silk Kingdom alone made up a quarter of the country's total population.

Su Xinran's father, Su Jiusi, graduated from the Holy Dragon Academy, the Holy Kingdom's premier academic institution, with degrees in diplomacy, military affairs, and finance. He was hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius and a leading figure among young talents. After completing his studies, Su Jiusi took over the family business from his father, maintaining the family fortune while simultaneously engaging in the arms trade, profiting immensely from war, and quickly becoming one of the wealthiest men in the Holy Kingdom.

Su Jiusi entered officialdom through commerce, serving successively as a diplomat, finance minister, principal of the National Holy Dragon Academy, and governor of a trading city in the Holy Dragon Kingdom. He resigned at the age of fifty to retire and enjoy his later years. Long Mingyuan, the newly appointed governor, was his student at the Holy Dragon Academy. Despite being a member of the royal family, Long Mingyuan dared not speak arrogantly in front of his teacher. Because of this relationship, Long Mingyuan and Su Xinran had been like brothers since childhood.

Su Xinran's mother was even more prestigious, being the last princess of the Ancient Salan royal family, a vampire kingdom on the Eastern Dark Continent. Eighteen years ago, King Gusaran died suddenly, and the royal family fragmented. Many powerful earls and dukes declared themselves kings, claiming to be Gusaran's successors. Su Xinran's mother, as the most legitimate heir, naturally possessed the most powerful influence.

The Holy Dragon Kingdom, using a succession dispute within the Gusaran royal family as a pretext, launched an invasion. This was met with fierce resistance from the vampire tribes. Humans were already far weaker than vampires, and the hasty deployment further exacerbated the situation, resulting in a disastrous defeat. Instead of gaining any advantage, the vampires seized numerous towns in the north, turning them into Gusaran territory. Only the awe of the kingdom's guardian deity, "Holy Dragon Othello," prevented further incursions.

This battlefield defeat forced the Holy Dragon Kingdom to seek diplomatic advancement. They dispatched the then-diplomat, Su Jiusi, to the Gusaran royal family, ostensibly to support the last princess, Cecilia Gusaran, in unifying the entire territory, but in reality, to observe the situation and assess her potential.

Cecilia, indeed politically inept, not only failed to discuss state affairs but also developed a romantic relationship with the diplomat. Later, she resolutely relinquished her right to the throne and married Su Jiusi. Regardless of their initial motives, their union undoubtedly brought immense political benefits to the Holy Dragon Kingdom. As part of the princess's dowry, the Kingdom of Gusaran became a province of the Holy Kingdom. Although opposition still existed, at least nominally, the major threat on the eastern border had been dealt with.

Cecilia did not return to her homeland with her husband after the marriage, but remained in the mainland as the first governor of the Gusaran province. She only visited the Su family mansion in the trading city each winter to spend a few months with her husband. This separation was partly because vampires cannot leave the Dark Continent to live in the sunlight, and partly a hint at Su Jiusi's clever arrangement. As long as his beloved wife remained in power in the Gusaran province, the Su family's position in the Holy Kingdom would not be shaken. As for the women, Su Jiusi already had one wife and three concubines; when he missed new lovers, he had his old flames to keep him company, so he didn't feel particularly lonely.

Cecilia was also happy to obey her husband's arrangements. At the time, she felt guilty and dared not see her husband until her son was born, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It turns out that Su Xinran wasn't Cecilia's son with Su Jiusi. As for who his biological father was, even his mother probably couldn't say. Vampires have never cared much about relationships between men and women. Cecilia had been involved with countless men before marriage; who knows who fathered Su Xinran? Only after discovering she was pregnant did she choose Su Jiusi, the most suitable man among all the men, and marry him.

The female vampire's romantic history ended with childbirth. Since giving birth to her precious son, Cecilia has been a devoted wife and mother. However, even after racking her brains, she still couldn't figure out who the child's biological father was.

Xinran's appearance resembled her vampire mother in three parts, her human father in three parts, and a fairy in three parts. Yet, upon closer inspection, she seemed to resemble none of them. Cecilia had secretly told her son that, based on the timing of her pregnancy, she was in mourning for her father's sudden death when she conceived, and had neither the courage nor the opportunity to engage in casual relationships. How could she have gotten pregnant? It was utterly incomprehensible. If there was any omen, it was just a strange dream. One night, she dreamed of a giant black dragon engulfed in flames, which rushed into her arms, and shortly afterward, she discovered she was pregnant. In that case, Xinran must have been a product of a dream. Not being able to find her biological father was certainly unfortunate, and now being called a "nightmare" was quite fitting.

Due to her mother's influence during her childhood, Xinran's personality also possessed a certain demonic quality, and she often acted unpredictably. At a young age, she was bold, reckless, and ruthless, and as for her philandering and lustful vices, those could be attributed to her father.

After turning ten, Xinran was sent back to the Holy Dragon Kingdom to be raised, as agreed by his parents. His mother was naturally reluctant, but his father had a more compelling reason—it was to give him a more complete and civilized education. The golden age of vampires was long gone; those elegant and refined counts and ladies could only put on airs in gloomy castles. Vampires almost never reproduced, so the concept of schools didn't exist.

His parents' idea was good, but it came too late. Xinran had lived in the eerie castle for ten years, and his heart had long since become wild. He wasn't without curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, but this was limited to what interested him. He would rather rummage through piles of ancient books for a secret recipe for evil magic than sit obediently in a classroom and learn by rote. Thus, his father's educational plans were repeatedly forced to fail.

Initially, Su Jiusi wanted to cultivate his son into a financial talent, someone who would eventually take over his business. But Xinran had absolutely no interest in that. His disinterest in politics stemmed from a child's instinctive aversion to complex power struggles. His lack of interest in business arose from his childhood abundance; he simply didn't grasp the importance of earning money. He might enjoy making money, but he enjoyed spending it even more. Earning and spending simultaneously meant ending up empty-handed—what was the point of learning?

When his son grew a little older and more sensible, Mr. Su wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, discussing the Su family's standing in the business world and its glorious history, hoping to instill a sense of family pride and inspire ambition. Besides, wouldn't it be shameful to live in a trading city and not know how to do business?

But Xinran retorted, "What's the use of learning to make money? Dad, you've earned enough for me to live on for a lifetime."

"My money is mine, not yours!"

"When you die, half will go to my sister, and the rest will all be mine, right? Dad, instead of worrying about me being poor in the future, you might as well die sooner so I can spend money freely sooner!"

... Being cursed to die early for trying to educate his son, Mr. Su's feelings were easily imaginable.

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Chapter One: The Pursuit of Education (Part Two)

After his first failed attempt to educate his son, Master Su changed course, deciding to abandon politics and business and have his son study religion and history. The Su family was powerful and influential, but had few supporters in religious circles. If Xinran were to diligently study theology and history, with the support of the Su family, becoming an archbishop would be a certainty.

Master Su's plan was meticulously crafted, but unfortunately, his son was disappointing. The first day he took him to the local church to meet the priest, he caused a great embarrassment. The priest, hearing that Master Su intended to send his son to study at the church, immediately welcomed him. Seeing the boy's handsome features, as if carved from jade, and his sweet, charming manner, the priest was already seven-tenths fond of him. The priest said to him, "Young Master Su, it's good that you're interested in studying the sacred scriptures, but you must brush up on your history lessons, otherwise you won't understand the texts."

Su Xinran thought the priest was looking down on him and said unhappily, "History? I know it very well."

The priest smiled and said, "Then tell me about the founding history of the Holy Dragon Kingdom."

"That's common knowledge, it's no problem for me," Xinran raised his little face and began to speak fluently, "In the beginning, the creator god Kusuo created the world from the void, filling the universe with chaotic energy. The clear energy rose to become the sky, and the turbid energy descended to become the earth."

At this point, both the priest and Master Su nodded frequently, their faces full of smiles. But then, this kid couldn't help but start spouting nonsense.

"Then the great god Kuso, dwelling above chaos, cried out, 'Let there be light,' and there was light; he cried out, 'Let there be water,' and there was water. Seeing his prey, the god, delighted, cried out many more times for this and that. Unlike a beggar, no one rolled their eyes at him when he cried out. Thus, our world came into being with light and darkness, and with the four elements: wind, fire, water, and earth.

" Initially, fire dominated. The earth was covered with volcanoes like boils, constantly spewing lava and poisonous steam, baking the newborn world until it was a scorching red, like a hot pot. Therefore, that era was called the 'Age of Fire.'

"In this distorted environment, only heat-resistant plants and animals can survive. Among them, the most powerful are the Balrogs. They are giants living in flames, drinking lava, feeding on the fruits of the Spark Tree and with fire lizards, fire bears, and fire demons. They employ fire dwarves and fire spirits as servants, and use diamonds to build numerous magnificent palaces inside volcanoes, living a life of extreme luxury. The great god favored the Balrogs, granting them a thousand years of lifespan.

" Unfortunately, the Balrogs' good fortune didn't last long; the Age of Fire only lasted ten thousand years. Then, tectonic shifts occurred, the earth was flooded, and most of the volcanoes that once covered the world sank into the sea. The Balrogs suffered annihilation, like embers falling into a bucket of water, sizzling and hissing as they kicked the bucket. These once invincible giants left their descendants only their bodies, cooled by seawater and turned into rock, their only use being to frighten the poor in front of their mansions.

"The Age of Flood replaced the Age of Fire. The rulers of the Flood Age were the sea giants. They had human bodies and fish limbs, less robust than the Balrogs, but more beautiful and intelligent. The Creator God favored the sea giants, granting them lifespans of two thousand years.

" Over these long years, the sea giants developed an extraordinary civilization. They cultivated pastures on the seabed, planted deep-sea plants, and raised manatees that produced sweet milk. They also built prosperous and thriving cities on the seabed, complete with all necessary amenities. There were eight streets dedicated to mermaid brothels alone, and the spire of one sea emperor's palace rose from the seabed, piercing the sky, arrogantly encroaching upon the realm of the gods.

"The intelligence and power of the sea giants brought not only wealth but also the seeds of corruption. They grew increasingly arrogant, despising the gods dwelling in the heavens and instead idolizing Bella, the Arctic Demon Mother. The great god, upon learning this, sent angels to warn the heretics, but the sea giants remained unrepentant and continued their ways.

" Thus, the angelic army marched to the sea, waging a life-or-death war against the sea giants, led by the Arctic Demon Mother. The war lasted a thousand years, until finally, the great god Kuso reaffirmed his supreme authority. The sea giants were banished to the distant, frigid depths of the Arctic Ocean. Kuso cursed them to never see the sun again, their souls condemned to a life without water in hell.

"The sea giants' rebellion alarmed Kuso. He commanded the sun to hang in the sky for a thousand years, drying up the seas and revealing the earth. The largest landmass, shaped like a cross, was located in the center of the ocean and was called Middle-earth, the later home of humankind."

"After the Age of Fire and the Age of Flood, the great god Kuso felt that the power of the earth's creatures was becoming increasingly difficult to control. Therefore, he chose the relatively weak humans as their representatives, making them the masters of the Third Age—the Age of Earth. Learning from the lessons of the sea giants, Kuso granted humans a lifespan of less than a hundred years, and they were threatened by disease.

"In the Age of Earth, the four elements were distributed in a balanced way, with none holding an absolute advantage. The elemental magic that once filled the heavens and earth disappeared, leaving only a small amount in the scarce magic crystals. Magic crystals were difficult to mine, and humans could not use elemental magic to modify nature like the fire demons and sea giants; they could only survive by farming and hunting."

"On this newly born land, the power of the Balrogs and the sea giants was not completely replaced. Their descendants survived in the forms of human subspecies and magical beasts, gradually adapting to life on land. Among them, the cruel and powerful predators frequently attacked human villages, their atrocities of slaughtering the innocent and raping women becoming a shared nightmare for humanity. However, some magical beasts were captured and tamed by humans for their own use. These tamed magical creatures were called 'servant demons.' Compared to other creatures, humans in the Mud Age were very weak, and their survival to this day is entirely due to the help of the servant demons.

"The Mud Age lasted for thousands of years, and humans did not create a civilization that threatened the status of the gods. The theme of war remained the symphony of swords and armor. Even among human races, peaceful coexistence was difficult; they attacked and deceived each other. There were tyrannical kings, untrustworthy merchants, and wealthy but unkind tyrants everywhere."

"The Great God was content with this world. He preferred to encourage humanity to fight amongst themselves rather than unite to challenge his authority. Nevertheless, he was not entirely at ease. He feared that the nightmare of the Flood Age would resurface in humanity. Therefore, he sent his daughter Mary to Earth to establish the Cult of Kuso, spiritually ruling over humanity. The core of the Cult of Kuso's doctrine was 'patience.' Preachers said that as long as one endured the suffering of this life, one would be rewarded with a blissful heavenly afterlife.

The Cult of Kuso painted a rosy picture of heaven, but this did not lessen the suffering of life. A terrible prophecy secretly spread among the unbelievers: one day, the Age of Earth would be replaced by the Age of Hurricanes, and a silver-haired, black-eyed, half-human, half-machine man would emerge from the darkness, leaving behind countless corpses of the powerful!"

"Five hundred years ago, the vanguard of the Hurricane Age descended upon the human world. He was a demon king from beyond the heavens, revered by his followers as the savior of the dark world, the 'Black Angel.' He planted strange plant seeds on the earth, which bore mechanical fruits. The Black Angel's followers possessed minds far superior to humans and bodies of steel, powered by the omnipresent wind and sunlight, and rallied under his banner to wage war against humanity. The war between humans and machines lasted for three hundred and eighty years, with humanity suffering a crushing defeat and on the verge of extinction. The defeated humans prayed to the great god Kuso for help and received a divine reply: he sent his son Othello to the mortal realm, summoning an army of metal dragons to fight alongside humanity's allies.

The final battle between humans and machines culminated in a decisive duel between Othello and the Black Angel. Othello transformed into the 'Holy Dragon,' defeating the 'Evil Dragon' that the Black Angel had conjured. From then on, the age of machines ended, and humanity once again became the masters of Middle-earth, honoring the goddess Mary as their queen and establishing the holy city of Eden, thus beginning the Holy Dragon Dynasty." The Holy Dragon Othello, who had rendered outstanding service, remained guarding the Holy Capital, becoming the dynasty's patron saint. To commemorate the Holy Dragon's achievements, subsequent monarchs of the Holy Kingdom adopted "Dragon" as their royal surname.

"However, the Hurricane Age did not end. The 'Mechanical Fruit' was buried throughout the world, gradually being utilized by humanity, becoming a pillar of civilization in the new era alongside 'Magic Crystals' and 'Servants'. The Black Angel fled into the Abyss, awaiting its resurrection in endless darkness. When the hurricane returned to the mortal realm, a steel-blue sunset would envelop the world, and the resurrected Black Angel would summon a new era's hurricane, blowing Kuso's paradise, along with all the injustices and misfortunes of the world, to the ends of the universe." Xinran

finished speaking in one breath, feeling quite pleased with herself. However, Master Su and the priest were ashen-faced and speechless.

"..."

"Father, Father, am I right?"

"Son... let's go home," Old Master Su apologized to the priest in a flustered manner, "I'm sorry, the child was just talking nonsense, please don't take it seriously."

The priest nodded calmly, only saying "Don't bother seeing me out," and then turned and left.

That evening, the Su family received a warning from the Holy See, forbidding them from promoting heretical doctrines or slandering the great god Kuso. Old Master Su was inexplicably wronged and had no way to express his bitterness. He could only give his son a severe scolding and warn him not to believe heretical propaganda. Little did he know that Xinran had indeed seen the above text in a history book, but it was a folk history work found in the basement of the vampire king's palace, which mostly recorded the past events of the early days of the Holy Kingdom, and also truthfully recorded the invasion of the Black Angels, which greatly embarrassed humanity. The current history textbooks, however, have been strictly censored by the National Cultural Bureau, and all words related to the Black Angels have been deleted. No wonder the priest was terrified after he said those words and immediately reported him to the Vatican.

The Holy Dragon Kingdom is a patriarchal society founded on religious faith. The Vatican's power is immense, almost rivaling that of the Holy Queen. Therefore, even someone as wealthy and powerful as Master Su dared not disobey. That very evening, he went to the church to confess and gave the priest ten thousand Holy Dragon gold coins. The priest, after receiving the money, looked much better and gently advised Master Su: "Your son is quick-witted and exceptionally intelligent, but those who are too clever are ultimately not suited for religious work. You should have him study the arts instead."

Master Su thought about it at home and realized it made sense. His son was unsuitable for politics or business, and the path of becoming a priest was also blocked. So, letting him study the arts was a good idea. A merchant family producing an artist would show that Master Su wasn't just after money.

And so, Su Xinran was sent by his father to study literature. The twelve- or thirteen-year-old spent his days with a group of court poets, but instead of becoming a poet, he learned to write novels—the very thing the upper class looked down upon.

If he had focused on writing good novels, it might have been a path to fame. However, Xinran was in his adolescence while in literary circles, and the naive teenager was easily attracted to erotic literature, yearning for the romantic life depicted in those novels. Su Xinran not only personally experienced these romantic affairs but also wrote erotic novels to promote them. If it had been entirely fictional, or if he had written about his girlfriends, he could have earned the reputation of a romantic genius. But instead, this little boy set his sights on his father.

The Su family had two wives and three concubines. Besides his aging first wife and his beloved vampire-like wife not being around, the remaining three concubines were in their prime. The Su family also suffered from a certain licentiousness; although over fifty, he was still quite proficient in bed. Su Xinran, writing an erotic novel, shockingly used his own father as the male protagonist, creating a book titled "Su Datou's Dreamy Spring Night."

After being printed and published, it became an instant bestseller, selling out quickly. Upon learning of this, Mr. Su immediately sent someone to buy a copy and read it, becoming increasingly disgusted with himself. He summoned his son and gave him a severe scolding, saying with a mixture of laughter and tears, "I'm angry that you wrote about your father and aunt in such a vulgar way, but what angers me even more is that you dared to give your father the nickname—Su Datou?! I am Su Datou, and you are Su Xiaotou! You little rascal!"

At the time, Mr. Su was troubled by balding in his old age; his thinning hair naturally made his head appear larger. The nickname "Su Datou" had already circulated among the servants, but he was unaware of it. Now that his son had written it into a book, he was naturally filled with shame and indignation.

"Dad, it's true I was wrong to write this book, but it's not all bad for you." Xinran, after being spanked by her father, looked pained and grimaced, but her witty remarks remained unchanged.

Old Master Su glared at her, slammed his hand on the table, and roared, "You rascal! Is there anything good going on?!" "

You're over fifty, but your performance in the book is still incredibly vigorous and unstoppable. Everyone will envy you when they know. You'll be so proud!"

"..."

Old Master Su was speechless, only able to manage a bitter smile. His son was ultimately his own; he couldn't bear to hit or scold him. The negative impact had already been done, so he could only buy up the books and destroy the printing plates to settle the matter. Because of this, the publishing house complained, accusing him of interfering with freedom of publication. He had to pay compensation, apologize, and buy back the copyright at a high price . The nickname "Su Datou" was already widely known; there was no way to stop it.

He could only accept his bad luck. "Su Datou's Spring Night Dreams" sold tens of thousands of copies, and Xinran, as a bestselling author, made a considerable fortune. This made him realize that making money was truly a joyful thing, and his views on business changed.

Old Master Su, angry at his son's antics, strictly limited his allowance. Xinran was short of money and felt life was difficult. He suggested to his father that he go back to learning business and earn money himself. But this time, the old man refused, glaring and scolding, "I told you to learn poetry, but you went and wrote pornographic novels! Now you want to learn business? Are you trying to traffic women? No way!"

The old man's words proved prophetic; Xinran later indeed became a human trafficker. But that's a story for another time.

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Chapter Two (Part One)

After Xinran's failure in his literary pursuits, Master Su was somewhat disheartened. A friend had advised him to send his son to join the army and learn martial arts, but he thought it inappropriate. First, he couldn't bear to see his precious only son suffer; second, he knew his son's temper—even without martial arts training, he was already causing chaos; if he had a weapon, he might even commit murder. Just when he was at his wit's end, his eldest daughter returned home.

The Su family's son was disappointing, but their daughter was outstanding. Master Su's daughter with his first wife, named Hongxiu, is three years older than Xinran and is the sworn sister of the current Holy Queen. She lived in the palace as a child and received the full education a princess should have. Five years ago, she was sent to the magic academy Shiva to study, and later entered the Holy Dragon Temple to cultivate, becoming the youngest and most beautiful priestess in the temple.

Master Su, seeing his son's lack of ambition, felt he couldn't entrust the business to him and had been trying to persuade his daughter to give up her priesthood and return home to inherit the family business. After much persuasion, his daughter finally returned home, marking Xinran's first meeting with her sister, Su Hongxiu. Xinran was thirteen years old that year.

Master Su had initially worried that the siblings wouldn't get along, but it turned out his worries were unfounded. After returning home, Su Hongxiu seemed to fall in love at first sight with her mischievous younger brother, and the two were inseparable, always having something to talk about. Master Su couldn't understand how his pure, noble, and taciturn daughter could be so close to his playful son, so he asked Xinran what she and Hongxiu had talked about. In his own opinion, women who become obsessed with religion become dull, cold, and uninteresting, just like Hongxiu's mother.

However, Xinran said, "My sister knows a lot about the outside world, and I love listening to her."

"Is that so? You're so childish. When you grow up, go out and see the world for yourself, and you'll know everything. Your sister grew up in the palace and hasn't seen much of the world," said Master Su.

"Actually, there's something else," Xinran smiled mysteriously, "I don't believe my sister can become the Dharma King, so I test her practice every day."

"Dharma King?!" Master Su was stunned by those two words. He had never placed high hopes on his daughter before, but now, hearing that she had a chance to become the supreme leader of the Kuso Holy Church, he was overjoyed.

"Hmm, if Hongxiu really has a chance to become a Dharma King... it seems I have to make some moves." "

Dad, don't rush to give money to those charlatans. I don't think my sister can become a Dharma King."

"Nonsense! What makes your sister unqualified to be a Dharma King?"

"She lacks willpower and can't withstand the test!"

"How do you know that?" Old Man Su was so focused on spending money to bribe the cardinals of the Dharma King's Hall to pave the way for his daughter that he didn't pay much attention to his son's warning.

"Sigh, if you don't believe me, I won't say anything. Anyway, my sister is no good. She can't even pass my test. Going to the Dharma King's Hall would just be a disgrace." "

You little rascal, you know nothing about religious affairs, don't interrupt and spout nonsense." "

Hmph, I don't know anything about religious affairs, but I do know that the Dharma King, regardless of gender, must remain chaste for life and cannot marry—"

"Your sister never intended to marry." "

Sigh, Father, my sister won't like being the Dharma King; she won't be happy that way."

"I have my own plans, what do you know!"

That evening, Master Su invited his first wife, Madam Song, and Su Hongxiu to his study to discuss his daughter's future. His daughter was indeed reluctant to go to the Dharma King's Hall. Master Su earnestly advised her, saying that the old Dharma King had just passed away, and if they didn't seize the opportunity, someone else would snatch it up, which would be detrimental to the family's future. Su Hongxiu was still unwilling and appeared dejected, as if she had suffered a defeat. During her time cultivating in the temple, she was listed as one of the seven beauties of Central Continent by gossipy people and given the nickname "Ice Rose," demonstrating her consistently cold and unflappable demeanor. However, not long after returning home, she seemed like a completely different person.

Her birth mother, Madam Song, noticed something amiss and asked if she had found someone she loved. Master Su quickly said, "If you have someone you love, that's fine too. You don't need to become the Dharma King anymore; it would be good to have a son-in-law to inherit the family business." He had given up on his son.

Su Hongxiu hesitated for a long time before shaking her head and saying, "I don't have anyone I love." "

Then you should go to the Dharma King's Hall. Whether it works out or not, it doesn't matter."

"Father, you make the decision. I will obey."

And so, the next day, Su Hongxiu returned

to the Holy Capital to meet with the four cardinals, accompanied by Master Su. After some negotiation and investigation, coupled with Master Su's connections and financial offensive, Miss Hongxiu reluctantly ascended the throne of the Dharma King. This time, even Her Majesty the Holy Queen had to kneel before her in repentance.

Master Su returned home triumphantly. He had started with four carriages, but by the time he arrived, there were forty. They were laden with gifts from priests and bishops from all over. Even the priest who had previously dismissed Xinran after reporting her had come to visit, offering to become Xinran's theology tutor. However, Master Su was no longer the same man. Having a daughter who was now a French queen, why bother training another charlatan? He flatly refused.

Xinran knew her sister had become a French queen, but she wasn't happy at all. Partly it was because they might never see each other again, but there was a deeper worry. Master Su praised the four cardinals of the French court, calling them highly respected and learned. Xinran, however, dismissed them with disdain, saying, "Those people are all damn good-for-nothings." He had good reason to say this, but dared not say it outright, otherwise, he might lose his life.

Xinran was saddened for a while after her sister became a French queen. However, she quickly cheered up again. Old Master Su visited the Holy Capital and was in high spirits. Compared to the bustling trading city, he felt the Holy Capital was too small to cultivate truly talented individuals. He planned to send his son to study there. He had been the administrative principal of the Holy Dragon Academy, the nation's highest institution of learning, and many of his former subordinates and students held positions of power and taught there; securing a place for his son would be a piece of cake. The only problem he couldn't solve was what to study. He increasingly realized that Xinran was like a quagmire; no matter what kind of fresh water you poured in, what came out was still mud. This precious son wasn't incompetent; he was obsessed with evil arts.

Now, he had no choice but to consult Xinran himself. Without hesitation, Xinran said, "The murals in the Dharma King's Hall are beautiful and magnificent. I want to go there to observe and learn how to paint murals." In truth, his real intention was to meet with his sister.

Old Master Su didn't care about any of that. If his son wanted to study murals, so be it. Besides, his sister could take care of him. So he confidently sent his son to the Dharma King's Hall. After his daughter, another young man from the Su family entered the "most sacred place on earth."

As for what Xinran did in the most sacred place, it was simply appalling.

Three months later, this lively young master was returned to the Dharma King's Hall untouched. The reason given was that he was too childish and unsuitable for the solemn environment of the Dharma King's Hall. This was, of course, just a polite excuse. In fact, Old Master Su had already learned from Hongxiu's letter that his son had caused a great deal of trouble and almost implicated his sister. Helpless, he had no choice but to send him home.

On the very night his son returned home, Old Master Su prepared bamboo sticks and a leather whip, intending to give him a good beating. He could tolerate his son causing trouble at home before, but to go to the Dharma King's Hall and cause such a scene, embarrassing his sister, was simply outrageous and deserved punishment!

Xinran knew he had gone too far and there was no way he could avoid a beating. He obediently knelt in the corner, awaiting his father's judgment, not daring to argue.

Once Old Master Su's anger subsided, he felt a surge of paternal affection and asked his son what he had done. Before

Xinran could even speak, Old Master Su interrupted, "You brat, you didn't exactly paint erotic pictures on the walls of the Dharma King's Hall, did you?" "

Yes." "

Hmph! Just as I expected," Old Master Su pressed, "What else did you do?" "

I also treated the nuns." "

Healed them? If the nuns are sick, they'll naturally go to the temple for treatment. What does that have to do with you? Besides, you don't know anything about medicine; treating patients haphazardly is tantamount to harming them!" "

Those kinds of illnesses, the temple can't cure at all. Not only can it not cure them, it's practically adding fuel to the fire."

"Huh, is that so?" Old Master Su was curious, and at the same time, he hoped his son could really do something that even the temple would be ashamed of.

"The nuns have been in the convent since they were young, and they've never been close to men in their lives. They don't even understand their own anatomy or physical condition. It's no wonder they get sick—"

"Don't talk dirty! What kind of illnesses are they?"

"Insomnia, nervousness, anxiety—so many!"

"I've never heard of those illnesses."

"Actually, they're not serious illnesses, purely psychological problems. They get sick because their desires are unfulfilled." Xinran shrugged, nonchalantly.

Old Master Su's face changed. He grabbed his son's hand and whispered, "You wouldn't be... with those nuns..."

"No, Dad, if I did that kind of thing in the Dharma King's Hall, I'd be struck by lightning! Besides, with thousands of nuns, how could I handle them all by myself?"

"Then what did you do?"

"I set up a matchmaking agency for them. I have some friends at the Holy Dragon Academy, so I let the male students from the academy and the nuns from the Dharma King's Hall make friends and even date. I provided the venue, prepared some fruit, candy, tea, and snacks, and everyone listened to music and danced together." "

Good heavens, you could do something so absurd!" "

I didn't do it for free. I earned several hundred yuan in referral fees for each dance. Since they joined my matchmaking event, all the nuns' illnesses have been cured. Dad, I did a good deed, didn't I?"

Hearing his son's words, Old Master Su felt a little annoyed. Thinking to himself, "That old bastard from the French Royal Hall is really outrageous! My son just held a salon and invited nuns to dance—it's their honor, otherwise those old spinsters would never have a man visiting them until they die! And yet he sent my son back because of that! It's fucking outrageous!" He immediately considered writing a letter to his daughter to complain.

Putting aside the feud with the French Royal Hall for now, his son's future was still a worrying matter. He was almost sixteen, and other children were already excelling in their studies; the son of the richest man in the trading city couldn't continue to be so carefree. Just as Mr. Su was worrying, Xinran was short of money again. He was getting on in years and embarrassed to ask his family for money, so he decided to find his own way. After much thought, he decided to go back to his old ways: writing erotic novels. And

so, the unfortunate "Su Datou's Spring Night Dream" once again topped the bestseller lists for restricted works in major bookstores. This time, however, the author had returned from studying art and added erotic illustrations to the original text, winning over even more readers.

While strolling down the street, Mr. Su was fortunate enough to buy an illustrated edition of "The Dream Seeker." He smiled after reading it and took it to see his son.

"Xinran, do you really want to write erotic novels that badly?" "

No, Dad, I just want to earn some pocket money. I'm not interested in literature, and writing novels all the time will make me nearsighted and deplete my kidneys. I want to save my kidneys to have more romances."

"If you need money, you can tell the family. Don't joke about your father anymore."

"Okay, then I won't write about Su Datou anymore," Xinran scratched her ear, looking troubled. "But Dad, Su Datou already has a certain reputation among readers. Many readers have written to ask me to continue 'The Dream Seeker II.' Changing the protagonist halfway through might upset the readers."

Mr. Su had earned all sorts of good and bad reputations throughout his life—a cunning businessman, a corrupt official, a lecher—but he never had a bestselling novel protagonist. Now, having been criticized by his son in writing, and thus documented for posterity, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Ultimately, young people can't stay idle; they need something to do.

Old Master Su couldn't shoulder the burden of educating his son alone, and just as the winter solstice approached, his beloved wife Cecilia traveled from the Dark Continent to meet him. After their reunion, the topic of their child inevitably came up. Old Master Su bluntly stated that Xinran was beyond redemption. His mother, of course, was unhappy, confidently declaring, "Xinran is a good child with ideals and ambitions; he disdains trivial matters and will become a great person in the future."

Old Master Su secretly chuckled at his wife's wishful thinking, then summoned Xinran and asked him directly what his grand ambitions were.

"My ambition is to have more relationships than Mom and spend more money than Dad,"

Xinran said in front of his parents.

Cecilia was amused by her son's frankness, but Old Master Su couldn't laugh. If her son said he'd married more wives than his mother had lovers and earned more money than his father had inherited, he might be very happy. But—this kid only wants to date and not settle down, because he doesn't want to be bound by family or controlled by his wife; he only wants to spend money and not save it, a typical spendthrift!

Cecilia gently lifted the awning that shielded her from the sun, pulled her son into her arms, and comforted him. She suggested to her husband, "Why not let Xinran learn magic? He loved it when he was little." "

Xinran, do you like magic?"

"A little bit."

Old Master Su thought for a moment, learning magic seemed quite promising. In the Holy Dragon Kingdom, magic is divided into two major systems. One lineage is the Royal Palace and the Temple, and the other is the Crystal Academy in the magic city of Shiva. The Royal Palace and the Temple study magic for religious research purposes, and it is also used on the battlefield during wartime. Shiva scholars study magic for civilian use, such as using magic to build indoor vegetable gardens with spring-like weather all year round. This is certainly more beneficial to the citizens, so every city hires renowned magicians as consultants. If one is willing to study at the Crystal Academy, it's also a path to advancement.

Master Su's plan is excellent, but unfortunately, his son is unwilling.

"Those magicians aren't true magicians; they possess no magic power themselves, merely relying on their research into various magic stones to borrow the power of nature. They're like paper tigers, utterly unworthy of respect."

"Then why do you say you're interested in magic!"

"What I'm interested in is... alchemy!" Xinran didn't dare to directly tell her father that she was interested in "evil magic.

" "Isn't alchemy just about playing with magic stones and minerals all day long..." Old Master Su said dismissively. Compared to crystal magic, which had high practical value, alchemy seemed somewhat impractical. So many people studied alchemy, but ultimately no one had actually refined gold.

"Oh well, whatever, if you're going to learn, it'll be alchemy, otherwise I won't." "

You silly child, our family only knows respectable magicians, they don't practice alchemy."

Cecilia said, "Honey, I know a friend who knows a little about alchemy, we can ask her to be Xinran's teacher."

Old Master Su said with little interest, "Is she another one of your old flames? That kind of person can't come into the Su family."

"Look at what you're saying, she's a respectable person," the vampire princess was very pleased with her husband's jealousy, it proved that she hadn't aged and was still important in a man's heart, "Besides, my friend is an old witch."

"What's her name?"

"Grandma Crystal who lives in the mangrove forest."

"Her reputation isn't very good, she was imprisoned a few years ago for selling fake gold."

"It's okay, she's settled down now." "

Alright then... let's give it a try."

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Chapter Two (Part Two)

The next day, Xinran, with a gift, followed her mother to the mangrove forest to visit Grandma Crystal.

Granny Crystal lived in a dark, filthy cave, looking like a groundhog. Her long white hair hung down to her waist. When Xinran and her son visited, she was holding a crystal ball and muttering incantations.

"Oh dear, isn't this Princess Cecilia? What wind blew you here?"

"Hehehe~ Hello, Granny Crystal, the winter wind brought me here."

Granny Crystal put down the ball, clapped her hands, and two yellow dogs ran into the cave, rolled on the ground, and turned into two stone benches.

"Please sit down, these are my servants, don't be afraid." The "don't be afraid" was addressed to Xinran.

Xinran sat down with an air of nonchalance, thinking to herself, "This old woman probably doesn't have any real skills, otherwise she wouldn't use such shabby servants."

Granny Crystal squinted her dim old eyes and sized up Xinran for a while, then turned to Cecilia with an ambiguous smile: "You're truly remarkable, to have found such a handsome and lovely man."

"Granny, you've misunderstood, he's my son." "

Oh? Your son is already so grown up? Sigh, it seems I really am getting old. Back in the day, we were known as the golden branches and jade leaves of the ancient Salan Kingdom."

Xinran almost burst out laughing upon hearing this. This old woman and her beautiful mother being called golden branches and jade leaves was simply too hilarious.

"Sigh, there's nothing one can do, humans age easily." Granny Crystal glanced at Xinran unhappily, thinking that Cecilia had brought her son today to show off to her.

"Granny, in order to achieve immortality, you went to search for the Philosopher's Stone, the secret of alchemy. You should have made some progress by now, right?" "

Ha! What a load of rubbish, the Philosopher's Stone! That kind of thing doesn't even exist!" Granny Crystal cursed angrily.

"You wasted decades of your youth only to realize it doesn't exist? You're really slow on the uptake," Cecilia laughed arrogantly.

"Hmph... your mouth is still as venomous as ever. Doesn't your man get tired of it?" Granny Crystal sneered sinisterly.

"Oh ho ho ho ho~~ Not at all! My husband loves my mouth. Every time we're in bed, he wants me to serve him with my mouth first~"

"Hey... Mom, can you say a little more? I'm collecting data for 'Su Datou's Spring Night Dream,' would you like to be the female lead?"

"Son, I've read your book, it's well-written, but I'll pass on the female lead role. I don't like being the object of people's fantasies."

"Oh." Xinran pouted in disappointment.

Granny Crystal, ignored, muttered dejectedly, "What do you want from me?"

Cecilia patted Xinran's back: "Son, hurry up and become my apprentice."

Xinran stood up unhappily, but didn't bow. He had no intention of taking an ugly old woman as his teacher; a beautiful woman would be a different story.

Granny Crystal had no intention of taking on a disciple either, saying sternly, "Alchemy doesn't exist. Don't waste your energy."

"I heard you've created gold—"

"All fake! I make a living by divination now; I haven't practiced alchemy for a long time."

Xinran suddenly kicked the stone bench away.

"These two chimeras are your creations too, aren't they? The laws of the Holy Dragon Kingdom forbid the creation of chimeras. Have you gotten senile and forgotten even that?"

Granny Crystal paused, then flew into a rage: "Get out! Get out! If you want to mess with this old woman, go ahead and sue me. I'm not afraid!"

Xinran pulled his mother's hand and left the cave. Granny Crystal raised her wand, and the stone door slammed shut.

Cecilia frowned, neither blaming her son for his slip of the tongue nor Granny Crystal for her rudeness, and pulled her son's hand out of the woods.

"Don't be disappointed, Xinran. I'll introduce you to a better alchemist. Granny Crystal isn't worthy of being your teacher."

"Perhaps, but this trip wasn't entirely fruitless."

Xinran smiled and pulled a crystal ball from his pocket—the very same crystal ball Granny Crystal used for divination.

"Ha! When did you steal this, you little rascal? You're really something."

"Mom, there's something even more amazing." Xinran lifted the crystal ball and smashed it to the ground, shattering it instantly. Inside the crystal ball was a small hexagonal black ore.

"Such an antique storage magic stone, at least five hundred years old." Cecilia was quite surprised by her son's discovery.

"Not that long ago, Mother. It's the masterpiece of the great alchemist Douglas, three hundred years ago. It contains his life's research findings; this is the legendary 'Secret Magic Scroll.'"

"Good heavens! The evil alchemist Douglas, isn't he Loki's chief of staff?! Such a precious thing, I can't believe it fell into Granny Crystal's hands, that old fox!" "

Mother, if Granny Crystal had known the 'Secret Magic Scroll' was hidden inside the ball, she would have smashed it open long ago. I guess she thought the crystal ball itself held some secret, which is why she hid here to secretly study it, but unfortunately, it was all for naught." "

How do you know all this?" Cecilia was surprised that her son's knowledge far exceeded her own.

"When I lived in the vampire palace, I often went to the underground library to read. One book mentioned the whereabouts of Douglas's treasure, specifically the crystal ball. I recognized the crystal ball as soon as I entered the cave, which is why I deliberately provoked Granny Crystal. She got angry and put down the crystal ball, giving me the opportunity to steal it."

"Haha~ Son, you're amazing. I hope you can become a great person like Douglas, but don't be as evil as him." "

Oh, Mom, I'm already evil enough; I don't need to become even more evil. Besides, the crystal that seals the 'Secret Magic Scroll' is extremely evil. Every time it's opened, a large amount of life force is drained. I don't want to be drained to death before I've mastered it, so it's best not to look at it for now. And don't tell Dad, okay?" "

Son, this kind of restriction doesn't work on us vampires. Even if your life force is drained, you'll still be resurrected as long as you're nourished by fresh blood," Cecilia reminded her son.

"Come on, Mother. I hate this about you the most, you can't shake off your bloodlust... Blood is such a filthy thing! I'd rather die than drink someone else's blood!" "

...Sigh, you're really not like a vampire's son. Human civilization has changed you."

The mother and son walked away, their angry roars echoing from the cave behind them. Granny Crystal, having discovered the lost treasure, cursed Xinran and her son, but couldn't chase after them—the stone door had been enchanted by Cecilia and couldn't be opened from the inside. The mother and daughter

returned home, and as expected, didn't mention their gains. When the mother returned to the Northern Kingdom, Xinran's alchemy studies came to nothing.

At this time, the real estate business was booming, and Master Su had expanded into the construction business, feeling increasingly overwhelmed. He sent Xinran to the construction site to supervise, to prevent the contractors from cutting corners. When the young master of the Su family arrived at the construction site, instead of supervising, he mingled with the engineers, learning how to build palaces and houses. He was undeniably intelligent; within six months, he had become an engineer without any formal training. On construction sites, he revised blueprints and plans, creating bizarre buildings that resembled postmodern abstract paintings.

After receiving complaints from clients, Mr. Su had no choice but to send his son home. Unexpectedly, the original owners of Xinran's abstract buildings didn't want them, but many prominent figures in the cultural world offered high prices to buy them. It was said that this type of architecture was a popular form of performance art, uninhabitable but possessing high collectible value. Mr. Su was skeptical, unsure whether his son had unintentionally created performance art, or whether performance art, like his son, was simply a farce.

Regardless, with people paying high prices for his designs, the designer's fame spread rapidly. The Su family's good-for-nothing youngest son, Xinran, had spent seven years learning seven different skills, failing at everything, yet his untrained architectural skills had garnered relatively high praise.

Old Master Su attributed all this to his own teaching and his son's talent, unaware that those who spent vast sums to buy performance art buildings were all his precious son's agents. Using his father's money to buy his father's houses built his own reputation; this brilliant move showed that Xinran had surpassed his teacher.

Xinran's fame as an architect was purely unintentional, but in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, he was a highly sought-after commodity.

This person was none other than Long Mingyuan, the young governor of the trading city. Long Mingyuan was Xinran's father's student in the Holy Capital, and in terms of scheming and speculation, he had truly inherited his teacher's skills. He and Xinran had a good relationship, a mixture of genuine friendship and mutual exploitation. Having become governor at a young age, he was naturally a master of flattery and diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the Holy Queen's sixteenth birthday was approaching. Although the old king had nominally abdicated and become the retired emperor, he still held considerable power. His daughter's presence was mainly for training. Since the old king was still alive, there was no need for an excessively extravagant celebration of his daughter's birthday. The capital city also promoted the idea in this way. However, Governor Mingyuan was young and sought to stand out from the crowd; only in this way could he gain the emperor's favor. He and the Holy Queen were cousins, their relationship deeper than that of ordinary rulers and subjects. He thought that even if he only held a small celebration for his cousin's birthday, no one would accuse him of sycophancy.

Submitting the plan to the city council for discussion was no problem; approval was assured. However, how to celebrate was the issue. Too extravagant would invite slander, too meager would be worse than nothing. After much deliberation, they finally decided to build a sixteen-foot-tall jade statue of the Queen. Long Mingyuan recommended Su Xinran as the chief designer to sculpt the statue.

Having the powerful Su family responsible for sculpting the Queen's statue would simultaneously appease the two major power groups. Even if the Queen was dissatisfied with the statue, she wouldn't be able to refuse out of respect for the Su family. A triple win.

Su Xinran readily accepted her old friend's invitation to oversee the design of the sculpture. Extravagantly luxurious, the completed statue of the Holy Queen, placed in the center of the square, eclipsed even the resplendent Governor's Mansion.

The statue garnered widespread praise from the citizens, who hailed it as the "jewel of the trading city." Was it a case of casting pearls before swine, given that this "jewel" was crafted by the "nightmare of the trading city"? No one seemed to care.

For a time, praise overshadowed criticism, and people seemed to have forgotten the disgraceful past of this eccentric young master. Master Su also publicly praised his youngest son, saying he was intelligent and talented, and would surely inherit his business.

Particularly striking was the sculpture's material: crafted from a single piece of water magic crystal. So much so that mages from the magical city, after viewing the statue, exclaimed in unison: "So much water magic crystal! Enough for ten lifetimes!" Such extravagance was something no other city could afford, except perhaps the wealthy and powerful trading city.

However, the orthodox mages failed to discover the hidden secrets in the statue's material; otherwise, those old scholars would have done more than just lament; they would have suffered nosebleeds.

After the statue's completion, Long Mingyuan came to observe and critique it almost daily, always accompanied by Su Xinran. Su Xinran cared more about the Queen's statue than the Governor, but he wasn't particularly interested in it during the day. Every evening after dinner, as the moon rose, he would come to the square to admire his masterpiece. Only then could he truly understand the Queen's statue's secret.

Who could have imagined that the dignified and elegant Queen statue, clad in dragon robes, would reveal its true form under the moonlight, transforming into a naked female statue? The refractive index of the water magic crystal was truly magical. It appeared one way in sunlight and another way under moonlight.

Besides Su Xinran, many citizens also inadvertently witnessed the Holy Queen's body at night. But even if they saw it, who dared to speak out? Did they not want their heads?

However, nothing stays secret forever. The secret of the Queen's statue circulated privately and soon became known throughout the city. Now, when people mention the Queen's statue, they often wear a knowing smile. But beneath the smile, perhaps they also worry about how long Su Xinran's life will last. Everyone knows he's really gone too far this time.

Only Governor Long Mingyuan remains in the dark. It's understandable that he doesn't know; what governor stays up in the middle of the night to look at a statue?

Therefore, the Queen's statue in the trading city, like the Emperor's New Clothes, has become an open secret, and also a well-known joke.

Jokes are meant to be entertaining, but if the person involved knows, it's anything but pleasant.

Just today, after viewing the Queen's statue, Long Mingyuan proudly told Xinran, "I've written a letter inviting Her Majesty the Queen to come to the city to see the statue in person. She'll be very happy." "

...Brother, you really wrote a letter?"

"Of course! Her Majesty the Queen has already agreed. Haha~ Brother Xinran, we're going to be in the limelight now!"

Xinran touched her hair and smiled bitterly, "Hopefully we can still weather this storm..."

Mingyuan looked at his companion suspiciously and said, puzzled, "Brother Xinran, your eyes are so strange. You haven't fallen for Her Majesty, have you?"

Xinran smiled slightly and remained silent.

Mingyuan looked up at the statue again, scratched his head, and muttered to himself, "But speaking of which, Her Majesty is truly a peerless beauty. If she weren't the ruler of a country, and not my cousin, I really would..." He didn't dare to say what he really wanted to say.

Xinran casually tossed aside the pebble in her hand, watching it stumble and roll into the ditch. She said thoughtfully, "Your cousin is trouble, and my sister is even bigger trouble. With both troubles coming at once, I'm afraid I'm doomed this time."

"Xinran, is His Majesty the Dharma King coming too?" Mingyuan asked excitedly.

"I'm already home, I arrived this morning." "

Oh dear! If I had known this would happen, I should have built a statue for His Holiness the Dharma King," Long Mingyuan slapped his forehead, full of regret.

"No need, my sister wouldn't like a pregnant statue."

"You, what did you say?"

"My sister, she's pregnant."

"His Holiness the Dharma King is pregnant? Impossible—" Mingyuan jumped up in shock.

Xinran frowned and snapped, "Shut up! You think others don't know?!" "

I... I won't tell anyone," Long Mingyuan lowered his voice, grabbing Xinran's hand and asking urgently, "Tell me quickly what happened—which bastard has disgraced His Holiness the Dharma King?" As he spoke, his mind raced. The Dharma King is the highest leader of the Holy Church, it's impossible for him to be pregnant, but who can say for sure what happens in the court? Perhaps it's an affair with some powerful figure... To win the favor of the holy Dharma King, even to offer oneself in marriage, must be an earth-shattering figure!

"Don't spout such nonsense!" Su Xinran raised an eyebrow and smiled, pointing to her own nose, "You bastard

, you're right here." Long Mingyuan stared blankly at her, wondering if he was dreaming. To commit adultery with his own sister—how could he do such a thing and even talk about it? Even if it was the "nightmare of the trading city," wasn't this going too far?

"Mingyuan, Mingyuan," Xinran patted his back, speaking calmly, "I have to leave home for a while. Once my sister is alright, I… I might not come back."

Long Mingyuan looked up, staring blankly at the devilish boy, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure whether to scold him or comfort him.

"Get me a national pass, and a fake ID." "

Those are minor things! The problem is—you can't just leave like this!"

"By the way, I also need a job. Hmm, does the Adventurers' Guild have any vacant civil servant positions?"

"You bastard! You beast! Why don't you become a bounty hunter and get eaten by wild dogs?!" Long Mingyuan could no longer tolerate Xinran's coldness.

"No way, I don't know martial arts, I can't be a bounty hunter, I'm too bad, wild dogs would give me diarrhea. I mean, at least I could be a postman or something, right?" "

You fucking go be a damn postman and deliver damn mail! I'll take care of it for you!" Mingyuan shouted angrily. The guards, noticing the governor's outburst, rushed over

. "Get out of here, all of you!" Long Mingyuan shouted, dismissing the guards and shoving Xinran aside. "You get out too! We'll meet at the back gate of the governor's mansion at ten o'clock tonight. I hope you're still alive by then."

Xinran smiled slightly. She helped him up by the shoulder, casually plucked a green leaf from a tree, put it in her mouth, and blew out a melodious note.

"Let me tell you, Brother Mingyuan, you don't need to take it so seriously. I like my sister, and she likes me too. She never wanted to be that damn Dharma King in the first place, so if she gets fired because of this, it might not be a bad thing. If that happens, I'll marry her. But not now. I don't want to get married, and she doesn't want to disappoint her family, so we have to go our separate ways. No one owes anyone anything, and no one did anything wrong. If there's any fault, it's only because we were born into the same family. But this kind of nonsense is decided by my dad's bird, what does it have to do with me? So, you don't need to be angry. Cheer up and deal with your queen cousin. Hopefully, she won't arrive tonight. Goodbye."

With that, Su Xinran whistled and drifted away.

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Chapter Three: The Elopement (Part 1)

Your Majesty the Holy Queen:

...The boy named Su Xinran you mentioned in your letter is still alive and well under his father's protection. Given his various absurd behaviors, I believe that such days will not last long. Furthermore, to celebrate Your Majesty's sixteenth birthday, the Lower Kingdom has commissioned a jade statue unlike any seen or heard of in history. Only its magnificence and nobility can truly reflect Your Majesty's greatness and divinity. This statue is now completed and placed in the central square of the Lower Kingdom. If Your Majesty has the leisure, why not come and see it for yourself? If this can be accomplished, it will be a great fortune for the people of the Lower Kingdom.

...

Cousin Mingyuan The morning glow

illuminated the horizon, and resounding cries awakened the roosting birds on the grassland. Banners fluttered in the morning breeze as the Queen's Guard, clad in mechanical armor, drove their heavy mechanical horses forward to the solemn strains of military music, facing the rising sun.

At the center of the guard was a golden dragon, carrying the Queen's phoenix palanquin, strode steadily across the plain. This was Othello, the guardian deity of the Holy Dragon Kingdom.

This invincible dragon has guarded the Holy Kingdom for 120 years. Whenever the nation is in peril, it always steps forward, summoning the Metal Dragon Clan to help the kingdom defeat powerful enemies. Othello's contributions are immense to the Holy Kingdom's rise to become the most powerful nation in Central Continent and its long-term stability. The thousand-year-old dragon has become a symbol of the Holy Kingdom's authority; without its presence, the monarch's authority is meaningless. In the scriptures of the Kuso Holy Church, the Holy Dragon Othello is revered as the spiritual leader of the Kuso God on Earth.

Besides protecting the kingdom, the Holy Dragon also shoulders the responsibility of assisting in the education of the national army, essentially acting as the king's teacher. Over the past 120 years, it has nurtured nearly forty wise rulers, but it has been quite a headache with the young Queen Long Qi.

This little queen has been exceptionally mischievous since birth, showing little respect for her teachers. While outwardly gentle and obedient, she is actually full of cunning schemes.

“Your Majesty, why have I been so quiet? Am I about to misbehave again?” The Queen had sat silently in her palanquin for half an hour, which made Othello uneasy.

“When I speak, you scold me for being talkative; when I'm silent, you complain about my quietness. What am I supposed to do?” the sixteen-year-old Queen complained softly. As she spoke, she reached out a slender finger to lift the curtain and gazed absently at the horizon. Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on her lips.

Othello continued to instruct his student telepathically: “Your Majesty, this road is difficult to travel. Please don't act recklessly. If you get tired, you can sleep on my back for a while. Is the palanquin very bumpy? I will try to slow down.” “

The palanquin is very comfortable, Teacher. I was thinking, if I were to ride you to the battlefield like this, wouldn't the enemy laugh at me?”

"Why bother going to the battlefield! Besides, don't I still have the mechanical divine armor 'Holy Angel'? If you wear 'Holy Angel' and ride on my back, you'll look majestic, like a grand marshal, and the enemy won't dare laugh at our queen for being a little girl."

"Actually, I don't like war."

"Who doesn't?" The old dragon sighed, "No one likes war, but wars never seem to end. Your Majesty's trip this time is ostensibly a pilgrimage combined with bandit suppression. The pilgrimage is real, the bandit suppression is just lip service, I have no reason to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid." The queen retorted unhappily, "Can't my army defeat bandits?"

"That's not how it is," Old Dragon patiently explained. "With such a large-scale bandit suppression, the bandits aren't fools. Why would they stay at home to be wiped out? They would have run away long ago. Besides, this time the opponents are orcs. Those guys aren't good at fighting, but they're masters of escaping. Speaking of the orc bandits in the eastern mountains, we've tried to suppress them countless times over the past ten years, but every time we've come up empty-handed. The bandit leader, Bear King Mickey, has no ambition and will never amount to anything."

"Isn't there also the 'Wilderness Demon Panther'? I heard that although she's a one-legged bandit and a woman, she has the ability to defeat ten thousand men." "

That Wilderness Demon Panther, also known as the Overlord Flower or Big Sister Flower, is said to be the most beautiful woman in the orc kingdom, like a thorny black rose among the seven famous flowers of Central Continent." When talking about this famous female bandit, Othello's tone was no longer as relaxed as before.

"I heard she specifically targets treasure hunters and adventurers." "

Hmm, it's despicable that she steals the treasures others have worked so hard to obtain."

"I'd love to meet this tyrant." Her Majesty, young and impetuous, felt a surge of desire to compete with a fellow woman.

"It's best not to do that. The Tyrant is the daughter of the Beast King, her martial arts are superb, especially her swordsmanship."

"How about the royal secret Dragon Sword Technique?" "In

terms of swordsmanship, the Dragon Sword Technique is unparalleled in the world. Only the Wind Sword Technique of the Northern Mercenary King's family can rival it. However, in terms of swordsmanship, the Beast King's 'Iron-Blooded Seven Kills' is also exceptional. Which is stronger depends on the individual. Your Majesty is a swordsmanship genius seen only once in a century in the royal family. The Tyrant may not be your match in terms of technique, but in actual combat, it's hard to say." Othello's words were fair. One was a member of royalty, a golden princess who had never even seen blood, while the other was a ruthless bandit who roamed the wilderness and killed without blinking an eye. They were worlds apart in experience.

The little queen, unconvinced, said with great interest, "I've also witnessed the swordsmanship of the Amanrada family. I once privately sparred with Duke Roland."

"And the outcome?"

"A draw."

The old dragon laughed heartily, "Duke Roland, the world-renowned 'Sword Saint of Wind,' is considered one of the four greatest swordsmen of our time, alongside the Beast Master, the Old Man of the Mountain, and the Black Prison Demon Lord. Could he have deliberately let me win?" " No,

that's not it! Sister Roland is a heroine, the strongest warrior in the Holy Kingdom. She wouldn't do anything so dishonorable." The queen pouted, throwing a tantrum, "Teacher, you always underestimate me." "

No, no, I was just thinking, why was Duke Roland born a woman? Even his name sounds like a boy's. He should just become a man."

"Forget it! You just like to look at young people with old-fashioned eyes. You're such an old relic!"

"I don't mean to dislike Duke Roland, but isn't it a bit too rude for two ladies, both among the Seven Beauties of Middle-earth, to draw their swords against each other?" the old dragon teased the queen with a smile.

"What 'Seven Beauties'? That sounds awful!" The Queen blushed and angrily shouted, "It's all those busybodies' fault for talking nonsense, naming seven beauties and ruining their reputations. After this pilgrimage, I'll also rate the seven most handsome men in Central Continent, hehe."

"You're actually quite happy, aren't you? After all, you're the queen of beauties."

"Not at all." The Queen said this insincerely, but a smug smile appeared on her face. "Teacher, since you're so interested in gossip, do you know which other beauties we'll encounter on this pilgrimage?"

"That's easy for me." The old dragon laughed, "I heard that His Majesty the Dharma King recently returned home to visit relatives and is currently in the Trading City. The Trading City is our first stop, and since His Majesty the Dharma King and I are like sisters, of course I'll visit him." "

Hmm, actually, there's something else. My cousin Mingyuan wrote to say he built a statue for me and invited me to see it.

" "Such glory so soon after becoming Queen! That Mingyuan kid really knows how to flatter."

"What nonsense! Am I a 'horse'? You're getting more and more prone to talking nonsense."

"Alright, alright, besides Mingyuan and His Majesty the King, does Your Majesty have any other plans in the trading city?"

"Hmm…" The Queen hesitated, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, "I… I want to take a few days off." "

Hmph! I knew you were going to run away. Where are you planning to go this time?" The old dragon revealed an expression of certainty.

"I'll just wander around the trading city; I don't like being accompanied by a large group of people." "

It's strange, why does Your Majesty always disappear for a while whenever you go to the trading city? What has bewitched

you?" "Oh, please stop nagging," the Queen stamped her foot and whined, "I just want a vacation!"

"You are the king; if a subject gives himself a vacation, can anyone object? But what about the pilgrimage?"

"I have a plan." With that, the Queen whistled. A white bird flew into the phoenix carriage, landing and transforming into a small palace maid dressed in white. The divine bird, the lark, was the Queen's servant spirit acquired in her childhood and her most trusted maid. Ordinary larks can only imitate the calls of other animals, but the Queen's servant spirit can transform into other people's appearances.

"Your Majesty, did you summon me to go out on business?" The lark immediately understood her mistress's intention. It was clear that the Queen's runaway departures were not uncommon.

"Bailing, I'll immediately put on my clothes and transform into my appearance to temporarily take my place at the pilgrimage."

Bailing smiled wryly upon hearing this: "How long will Your Majesty be gone this time? I'm worried I'll be exposed."

"Don't worry, I'm your best double. How could anyone easily see through me? Just be careful in everything you do, I'll be back soon." While instructing Bailing, the Queen quickly took off her dragon robe and crown, and then quickly stripped Bailing of her dress and put it on herself. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt she still didn't look like a commoner. With a heavy heart, she cut off two-thirds of her long hair and tied it into two buns. Now she looked more like a little maid. The Queen smiled with satisfaction, adjusted her long dress, and was confident that she wouldn't be recognized even if she walked on the streets of the trading city.

"Your Majesty, please come back as soon as possible." The imposter queen sat in the phoenix carriage with a bitter face, watching her mistress drive away expectantly.

Long Qi, having escaped the guards in disguise, felt a great sense of relief. Humming a little tune, she skipped and hopped across the field.

"Awooo! Awooo!"

A little donkey caught up, following the Queen closely.

"Huh! Strange donkey, what do you want with me?" Long Qi raised her eyebrows, questioning the donkey.

The donkey raised its head and spoke in human language: "Your Majesty, I am Othello." "

...Why did Teacher turn into a stupid donkey?"

"Because he has to look after even more foolish students."

Long Qi was furious and grabbed the donkey's ear, scolding, "You old geezer, go back right now!"

"If Your Majesty doesn't go back, I won't go back either." Othello, now a donkey, indeed had a bit more of a donkey's stubbornness.

"Oh dear teacher, I can slip away, but you can't. You're so conspicuous; if you disappear, the guards will go crazy."

Othello yawned and sneered, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. You have a double, and I, this old man, also have a shadow warrior. I've already arranged for the silver dragon 'Water Mirror' to impersonate me, and she's currently heading towards the trading city with the guards."

The little queen stood there for a long time before realizing she had been tricked by the cunning Holy Dragon. Helpless, she had no choice but to take him with her. So she mounted the donkey and sullenly headed towards the trading city. Othello galloped away, quickly leaving the guards behind.

"Your Majesty, I sneaked out here so furtively, could it be to see my sweetheart?"

Long Qi's heart pounded, and she quickly feigned nonchalance, saying casually, "No, that's not true." However, a figure both familiar and unfamiliar involuntarily surfaced from the depths of her memory, becoming clearer and clearer.

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Chapter Three: The Elopement (Part Two)

Long Qi's first visit to the trading city was seven years ago, at the invitation of the then Governor Su Jiusi. At that time, she was just an innocent little princess, unaware of the dangers of the world. Feeling bored in the Governor's mansion, she sneaked out to play in the back garden. In a moment of weakness, she encountered someone she shouldn't have.

A group of children were playing hide-and-seek in the garden, about the same age as Long Qi, all local boys. Long Qi watched enviously, wanting to join in. But as a princess, she was too embarrassed to speak up. Just then, a blindfolded little boy, pretending to be a ghost, groped his way over, chattering incessantly, "Don't run—I saw you a long time ago!"

Long Qi was startled and froze in the flowerbed, too afraid to move. The little boy didn't come closer; he just grabbed here and there, spinning in circles. It turned out he was just bluffing.

Long Qi found his appearance truly comical and couldn't help but laugh. This was bad. The boy's ears were as sensitive as a rabbit's; they pricked up at the sound, and he pounced like a hungry tiger, pinning her down in the flowerbed.

Long Qi was terrified and forgot to protest, struggling desperately. The boy was incredibly strong and ruthless; he pressed his hand against her nose, squeezing hard, and the poor little princess's vision went black, tears streaming down her face.

When she regained her senses, the boy, still veiled, straddled her arrogantly, singing, "Today I, an old man, display my might on the battlefield, capturing a bandit chieftain!" As he sang, he groped her face, muttering, "Why don't you surrender? If you don't surrender, do you think I can't guess who you are? Hmm, your skin is so smooth, could it be that effeminate Mingyuan? Now let me touch your belly, no, no, it's flat and soft, not Mingyuan's big belly... This is unbelievable, who are you?" As he spoke, he reached inside her clothes.

Long Qi, a princess, had never been so offended before. What was even more embarrassing was that, in her desire to stay cool, she wasn't wearing any underwear under her veil, and the boy's hand had immediately touched her private parts.

"Why are there two marshmallows hidden on your chest?"

Whether it was fear or excitement, Long Qi felt flustered and disoriented as he touched her. She felt two vortexes of shame, guilt, and pleasure opening up on either side of her chest, strange ripples spreading outwards, numbing every inch of her skin, making every pore stand on end. An unprecedented thrill rose from the depths of her heart, as if she were dreaming.

Just then, the boy suddenly pulled down the ribbon, their eyes meeting. He then smiled knowingly: "So it's a girl, no wonder you smell so good." He felt no embarrassment at his indecent behavior; on the contrary, he seemed quite pleased with himself, straddling Long Qi, lowering his head, face to face, looking her up and down.

"Strange, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

Long Qi choked back tears and nodded, struggling to say, "Get away..." She had already recognized this little rascal as Su Xinran, the young master of the Su family. However, he ultimately failed to remember that the girl he was riding beneath was the future queen of a nation. Scratching her hair, she said impatiently, "I don't care who it is, once I've caught them, they're mine."

"If you don't leave, I'm going to scream for help!" Long Qi regretted not having a sword in her hand to kill this villain herself.

Xinran wasn't afraid of her screaming for help; she was only worried that if someone else came, she wouldn't be able to continue playing with this strange little girl. So she chuckled and negotiated, "Don't scream, let's talk nicely and be friends, okay?"

"You're bullying me!"

"I didn't..."

"You're still sitting on me."

"This is the rule of hide-and-seek; the winner has to ride on the loser for fifteen minutes. You barged in and ruined our game, so you should be punished."

"I don't want to..." Long Qi pleaded weakly, like a bird falling into water. She dared not resist firmly; within the other's small body lay an extremely terrifying and violent power. That power was also an irresistible temptation, making her unwilling to break free from the half-playful, half-humiliating contact.

"Really only a quarter of an hour?"

"Really!" Xinran said sincerely. "After we finish, we'll start again. If you catch me, I'll let you ride for a quarter of an hour too."

Long Qi smiled through his tears and said softly, "I don't want to, that's too embarrassing."

"What's the big deal? It's just a game. Hey, what's your name?"

"Long Qi."

"! What a grand name, like a big shot. My name is Su Xinran."

Long Qi repeated his name, suppressing a laugh, and said, "You don't sound like a good person just from your name."

Xinran was greatly annoyed and sighed, "I don't like this name either—Su Xinran. I've already lost, what's with the 'Xinran'? If I keep going like this, won't I lose for the rest of my life?"

"That's not necessarily true." Long Qi was surprised that he could remain calm in such an embarrassing situation and still have the mood to comfort him. "Xinran means happy. You're happy whether you lose or win." "

Thank you for your kind words, but we'll have to wait until I actually win."

"You caught me, so you win." "

Hmm, that's true," Xinran habitually scratched the back of his head and laughed, "And I'm actually quite happy right now. Anyone would be happy to catch such a pretty, gentle, and cute girl while playing hide-and-seek."

Long Qi smiled along with him, feeling sweet inside from his praise.

"Alright, let's get up. If this keeps up, I might start thinking of taking her as my wife."

With that, Xinran stood up gracefully, then helped her up, brushing the dust and weeds off her skirt.

"Ouch, my legs are so numb."

"Sorry, it must be because I pressed on them." Xinran then took it upon himself to squat down and gently massage his numb calves. His unintentional tenderness made Long Qi feel like she was bathed in a spring breeze, completely forgetting the humiliation she had suffered not long ago.

"If your leg doesn't hurt anymore, let's play hide-and-seek together."

"No, I... I have to go." Long Qi lowered her head, warning herself that she couldn't have any more contact with him. It was against etiquette.

"Then we'll just have to say goodbye. Let's shake hands and be good friends."

Long Qi took his hand, shyly raising her head to carefully examine Xin Ran for the first time.

Xin Ran's pupils were originally as black as a cat's eyes, similar to those of an ordinary child, but now they were changing due to some frightening yet unfathomable emotion—a fiery red flame was rising from the core of the pupil, seeping outwards and merging with the black background to become a purple with a strong sense of depth, from dark to light.

Various layers of purple expanded within the pupil. It wasn't a color belonging to the realm of painting, because it was alive, like looking down at the sea from high above. Because of the distance, the sea seemed small, shrinking into a spherical pool, but it was even deeper, so it was unfathomable, and black.

The iridescent light in Xinran's eyes was that pitch-black, sea-like pool, from which grew tiny red worms. They swarmed from the bottom to the surface, gathering in ever-growing numbers until they were densely packed together. Yet, their wriggling movement persisted, radiating outwards and shooting into Long Qi's eyes. She suspected the worms were about to enter her eyes, and an overwhelming fear gripped her.

Fear brought her back to her senses amidst the impending loss of control. She covered her face and fled. She dared not look at Xinran, dared not listen to him speak, and dared not answer his questions—she had a premonition that if she uttered a sound, she would be sent flying into his eyes and melt into water.

Long Qi fled to a banana tree, hiding in the bushes, panting, enjoying a sense of relief akin to escaping death. She didn't understand what terrible thing that child had done to her. The intense demonic aura she had sensed in that fleeting glance had deeply tainted her once pure heart, like an invisible hand from the darkness, tightly gripping her soul. No matter when or where, she couldn't escape his control.

"Long Qi, where have you been hiding? Long Qi, Long Qi, come out quickly~ You really can't withstand the test. If you want to be friends, why are you afraid to look me in the eye? Are all human hearts so fragile?"

Xinran walked over, talking to herself. Long Qi quickly turned and hid in the flower bushes. Xinran walked past her and shouted, "Long Qi, your name sounds too important, not suitable for being friends. From now on, I'll call you Long'er, okay? If you're willing to be friends with me, I'll call you Long'er next time we meet. You must agree, okay? Long'er, did you hear that? That's your name. Only I can call you Long'er. You have to remember that. Sigh, I thought you would become my first love, but it seems like it was all for nothing again~" She walked away, talking to herself.

Long Qi walked out of the flower bushes, gazing at his back as he disappeared into the shadows. The strange feeling Xinran had exerted on her faded away like the tide.

Years later, Long Qi returned to the trading city. As soon as he entered the city gates, that strange feeling returned. A young man in white, carrying a green leaf, brushed past him. In the distance, in the square, the Queen's crystal statue stood like a god under the midday sun.

As the sun set and dusk enveloped the earth, a piercing scream erupted from the trading city's municipal square.

"Heavens! How could the Queen's statue turn into a naked woman? What the hell happened?!"

The governor, busy arranging the celebrations, finally saw the Queen's true form and immediately coughed up blood and fainted.

After emergency treatment, Long Mingyuan finally awoke, his first words being: "Smash it...smash the statue immediately..." "

Governor, if we smash the statue, what will happen when Her Majesty the Queen arrives? We can't just say the statue has already been smashed, can we?" the advisors said hesitantly.

"Immediately summon all the artisans in the city to rebuild the statue at lightning speed, and make sure it's completed before dawn!"

"That's probably..."

"Probably my foot! If it's not completed on time, you'll all die with me!"

The advisors dared not say more and slunk out of the ward.

Long Mingyuan grew angrier the more he thought about it: In the end, it was all Su Xinran's fault. He just left and left, leaving me to clean up his mess. It was too hateful. No, he had to get revenge. He

immediately summoned the head of the Adventurers' Guild and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to do this morning?" "

It's ready, Your Excellency. A letter of appointment as a senior special envoy of the Adventurers' Guild, and a pass."

"Senior special envoy? No, change him immediately!"

"That's already the highest position." The guild leader thought the governor thought the position was too low.

"Change him to the lowest-ranking position!"

"The lowest-ranking position is a postman, that's not an easy job."

"Don't worry about it, just do it. Remember, prepare the most difficult mail for that kid to deliver, and send him to the most dangerous place."

"Yes, ma'am." The chairman replied, completely bewildered.

At this moment, Su Xinran, already burdened with trouble, was unaware that her friend was kicking her while she was down. Long Mingyuan, furious, was also unaware that not only was the Queen's act a double act, but even the Queen herself had been switched; the fake Queen was still dozens of miles away, while the real Queen was already wandering the city.

It was the height of summer, but the trading city had already entered a turbulent period.

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Chapter Four: A Secret Affair

On a gloomy summer afternoon, the sky was overcast, and a cold wind foreshadowed an impending downpour. Su Xinran returned home with a heavy heart. Instead of immediately going inside, she ran to the orchard and picked a ripe fruit from the "telephone tree."

The so-called Telephone Tree, as the name suggests, is a mechanical tree that can produce telephones.

The Central Continent is barren of iron ore, and most everyday utensils and tools are made of wood or pottery. Electrical appliances and machinery all grow from these "Mechanical Trees."

In ancient times, the Central Continent had no mechanical civilization, nor did it possess Mechanical Trees. It wasn't until five hundred years ago, when the Hurricane Clan, under the leadership of the Black Angel, invaded the Central Continent, that they spread mechanical technology there. After the Black Angel's defeat, mechanical civilization was deemed an extremely dangerous heresy by the Kuso Holy Church, and all related materials were destroyed. Despite this, the seeds of mechanical civilization remained. The destroyed mechanical scraps retained the psychic power of the Hurricane Clan, and nourished by soil, sunlight, and rain, they evolved into a hybrid of mechanical and plant life—the ancestors of the Mechanical Tree.

Initially, Mechanical Trees were very rare, growing only in the southern highlands of the Holy Dragon Kingdom. The southern city-states, being closer to the trees, greatly benefited from the fruits they produced. Later, a city was built in the south specifically for trading and researching mechanical trees, which is today the renowned "Mechanical City" of Grass.

As time passed, the terrifying legends of the Black Angel faded from people's minds, and the mechanical tree and its fruit were no longer considered abhorrent. Since the previous Holy King legalized the planting, sale, and use of mechanical fruits, mechanical trees were transplanted throughout the kingdom.

Although mechanical trees were widely planted, they were far from widespread, due to their inherent limitations.

First, its growth rate is slow. The more intricate and complex the mechanical fruit, the longer it takes from flowering to maturity. For example, a telephone takes ten years to flower and bear fruit. Even if you pick it immediately after it bears fruit, it's useless; it must hang on the tree for a year to store a phone number. If it hangs for five years, it can store five, and so on, but generally, it cannot exceed ten years, otherwise it will rot!

A five-year-old telephone fruit is enough to cover the living expenses of a middle-class family for a year. Therefore, it's clear that telephones are not something ordinary people can afford. Of course, this only applies to ordinary families. The Su family, who are incredibly wealthy, are an exception.

The telephone fruit's shell resembles a coconut and is extremely hard. Xinran struggled to crack it open, took out the "telephone," quickly dialed a number, and after a brief ringing tone, a gentle female voice came from the other end.

"Is that Xinran?"

"Sister, I'm back."

Su Hongxiu sighed deeply and said in a low voice, "Come to my room quickly, be careful."

"Okay."

Xinran stuffed the phone into the bushes, climbed over the fence, and came to the back window of her boudoir.

Su Hongxiu opened the window and let her younger brother climb in. Seeing that no one was around, she breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled her brother into the house and sighed, "Why did you suddenly come back? You scared me to death."

A downpour was approaching, and the cold wind made the window paper rustle. Xinran saw that her sister was only wearing a thin nightgown, so she quickly hugged her and sat her on the embroidered couch, rolled up the quilt, and covered her sister with it. Su Hongxiu let her younger brother, three years her junior, hug her, feeling both happy and sad, overwhelmed with emotions. She softly said, "Xinran, I'm not cold. Come on in too."

Xinran obediently crawled into the covers, embracing his sister's soft, boneless body. The familiar fragrance filled his nostrils. Beyond the tenderness and affection, there was the intimacy of blood ties. This double attraction made him unable to control himself, tightly holding Hongxiu's waist, wishing he could melt into her arms.

Hongxiu ruffled her brother's hair and sighed softly, "You, you still love to be pampered." Xinran

looked up and smiled, "It's only natural for a brother to pamper his sister; there's nothing shameful about it." Suddenly remembering something important he hadn't asked, "Sister, how did Dad react?"

"Ugh, he was almost furious! He gave me a severe scolding and said he'd skin you alive when you got back!" Hongxiu shuddered, recalling her father's furious expression when he learned of her pregnancy.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"How could I dare tell anyone! Don't you think I'm embarrassing enough?"

Xinran said nonchalantly, "I hope as many people as possible know, preferably the whole world, so you won't have to become the Dharma King."

Hongxiu angrily slapped her younger brother, her face changing rapidly. She wanted to get angry, but in the end, she couldn't bear to scold her precious little brother. She said unhappily, "You're too willful. You never consider the consequences of your actions. If you continue like this, you'll get into big trouble sooner or later."

Seeing his sister angry, Xinran felt bad too. He said shamefully, "I do have this flaw. Sometimes I even feel hateful about myself. Sister, don't be angry. For you, I'm willing to change all my shortcomings."

Hongxiu was easily coaxed by her brother and went from anger to joy: "I'm not angry. Actually, you don't have to indulge yourself. Even your shortcomings, as long as they belong to you, I like them all..."

Sweet words melted Xinran's heart. He lowered his head and bit his sister's earlobe, whispering, "Sister, I need to check if you've been slacking off during your year-long practice in the Dharma King's Hall."

"Ha..."

Hongxiu sighed bitterly, biting her cherry lips and forcing herself to gaze into her brother's eyes. This was a secret code known only to the two of them. Four years ago, upon returning from the Holy Dragon Temple, Hongxiu was captivated by her brother's eyes and couldn't help but give up her virginity. She knew very well that this was unethical, but she still couldn't resist the unparalleled allure, and from then on, she couldn't stop. Even after becoming the Dharma King, she didn't sever the illicit love between the siblings.

Xinran had discovered since childhood that his eyes could control the minds of living beings. This was partly due to the innate desire and magic of a half-vampire, but more importantly, it was due to the evil dragon's heart lurking within him. Of course, Xinran didn't know this secret at the moment.

When their eyes met, Hongxiu's heartstrings suddenly trembled; her brother's magic was even more intense than it had been a year ago. The light emanating from Xinran's eyes was no longer a simple suggestion or hypnosis; deep within her pupils seemed to lie a kaleidoscope, revealing a vibrant and wondrous world. A single glance would drag one into an abyss.

Hongxiu silently recited sacred scriptures, suppressing her lust with a serene and tranquil mind. As a Dharma King, Hongxiu's spiritual cultivation was arguably the best in the Holy Dragon Kingdom, surpassing even the Holy Queen, yet she still couldn't contend with Xinran's magic. She could barely resist through eye contact, but Xinran, of course, wouldn't stop there. Unhurriedly, she lifted her struggling sister and, from top to bottom, unbuttoned the Dharma King's clothes. Her delicate, full breasts were freed, radiating a burning, sensual aura in the dim light. Hongxiu gripped her brother's hand tightly, breathing heavily, gritting her teeth in a final act of resistance. She wasn't rejecting Xinran's caresses, but simply conceding defeat was too much to bear.

"Sister, you're even fuller here than before." Xinran gently stroked her nipples, her fingertips trembling at the touch. Her plump, white breasts swayed as if unable to bear the weight, and her nipples swelled, hard as pebbles.

"Ah..." Hongxiu cried out softly, collapsing into her brother's arms as if exhausted, sobbing softly, "Xinran, I lost again... You're getting better and better..."

Xinran smiled slightly, kissed his sister's face, and turned away to undress. Hongxiu hugged him from behind, resting her head on her brother's shoulder, and moaned softly, "I'll help you..."

"No!" Xinran quickly moved away, "Just stay in bed."

Hongxiu was greatly disappointed and angrily punched her brother on the back.

Xinran turned his head, blushing, and said, "I'm sorry, sister, I'm shy. " Hongxiu shook her head

and smiled bitterly, "You're so strange. You're not afraid of committing adultery with your own sister, but you're afraid of being seen."

Xinran scratched his head, puzzled, and said, "That's right, I guess I'm not experienced enough. Sister, can you believe it? I've never been to a brothel before."

Hongxiu pulled her brother into the quilt and chuckled, "Don't go to those kinds of places, they're not clean."

"But I heard that only men who have been to brothels are real men," Xinran muttered foolishly. He skillfully parted his sister's legs, reached out and touched her, and found her already overflowing with moisture, sticky and sticky.

"Nonsense! Don't you have enough sexual experience? You're already quite promiscuous by not going to brothels." Hongxiu gave her brother a resentful look. She thought to herself, since their first time together, this precious brother of hers has probably done a lot of mischief with women.

"I don't know if you believe me, sister, but I've never been with anyone else but you." "

I don't believe you!" "

Oh, it's true!"

"Then why? We can't be together in this life. You're not going to stay chaste for your sister, are you?"

Hongxiu pinched her brother's nose, teasing him with a smile.

"No, it's just that I have a bit of a psychological barrier," Xinran said, troubled. "I'm afraid to take my clothes off in front of other women, you know, I feel embarrassed. But how can I do this without taking my clothes off? I'm not afraid with men, anyway, everyone looks the same, it's not like there's anything to see."

Hearing her brother's distress, Hongxiu was secretly delighted.

"Xinran, your expression just now was like a little girl's, so charming! I'm going crazy loving you." She

wrapped her legs around Xinran's waist, their naked bodies pressed tightly together. Xinran thrust forward, his hard, iron-like penis plunging into her wet, sweet hole, reaching her core with a soft, wet sound.

Hongxiu frowned, took a deep breath, and smiled shyly, "I only knew you'd grown taller, I didn't realize my little brother down there had grown too. Suddenly barging in like this, it's a bit overwhelming."

The slight pain quickly disappeared. Hongxiu raised her pink legs, clamping them around Xinran's waist, twisting her plump buttocks to receive his burning hot penis, moaning with pleasure. Xinran especially loved hearing his sister's moans; it was like singing, softly humming along with the rhythm of their intercourse.

Suddenly, Hongxiu opened her eyes, staring intently at her younger brother, and said with a half-smile, "Xinran... is coming."

Xinran nodded and quickened his movements. Hongxiu sighed, her vagina tightening as if gripping his penis with a vise, then began to churn violently. A gush of honey-like vaginal fluid spurted from his penis, soaking the sheets.

Xinran tightly hugged his sister's buttocks; the soft flesh seemed to burst with moisture, her hot, tight vagina gripping his shaft, the soft, fleshy tip enveloping the glans, sucking like a small mouth—the sensations were indescribable.

After the climax, Hongxiu felt limp all over, as if her bones had been removed. Knowing her brother wasn't quite done, she turned her back to Xinran and said shyly, "Let's try from behind. The previous position was too tiring; I couldn't take it anymore." "

I like it from behind too," Xinran said, parting her sister's buttocks and thrusting deeply inside. "This way I can touch your breasts, and your buttocks are so soft and comfortable."

Hongxiu's pretty face flushed red with embarrassment, and she scolded, "Look at you, you're saying such nasty things."

Xinran stopped talking and increased the speed of her thrusts.

Hongxiu quickly became breathless, grabbed her brother's hand and pressed it to her breast, crying out incoherently, "Oh no—no—it's happening again!"

Xinran bit her sister's ear and said with difficulty, "Good sister, wait for me—"

Before she finished speaking, Hongxiu's body stiffened, her back arching like a bow. Xinran also felt dizzy and cold all over, and a hot stream shot out from his lower body, deeply penetrating his sister's uterus.

"Oh no, I came inside again..." Xinran grabbed her hair in frustration.

“It’s alright,” Hongxiu found her brother’s worry amusing. “I just had an abortion, how could I get pregnant again so soon?”

Xinran became even more unhappy, frowning as he said, “Sister, why don’t you have the baby? I really want him to be born…” “

I can’t have a child right now, otherwise our family’s reputation will be completely ruined, and I won’t have the face to go back to the Dharma King’s Hall,

” Hongxiu said firmly. “Besides, you yourself are a child, not qualified to be a father.

” Xinran snorted dismissively and said coldly, “So, you’re still going to become the Dharma King?”

Hongxiu patted her brother’s cheek and said earnestly, “Don’t blame your sister, this is my job.” “

Let someone else do it, you don’t like it anyway.” Xinran didn’t want her sister to become the Dharma King, and more importantly, it would prevent them from being together for life.

Hongxiu hesitated, then simply told her brother, "I am the most suitable candidate for the Dharma King; no one else can compare to me."

Xinran understood that his seemingly obedient sister actually harbored considerable ambition, and since she had made her decision, he couldn't interfere. However, he didn't think much of it; he would never do something he disliked for the sake of profit and power.

After their intimate moment, the siblings lay in bed, and now it was time to discuss Xinran's future.

"Xinran, Dad's really angry right now. You'd better come with me to the capital for a while and come home when he calms down."

Xinran shook her head and smiled, "Sister, I want to go out and explore on my own."

"Then, I'll go with you!"

"Forget it, who takes their wife with them when they travel the world? Besides, your vacation is almost over, and you have to go back to work at the Dharma King's Hall. You won't have time to accompany me. I've already found a job, and I can go out and see the world while I'm at it. It's not bad."

"What job?"

"Postman!"

"...Should I praise you for being unconventional, or should I scold you for being unambitious? The young master of the Su family becoming a postman will be laughed at."

"Hehe, I was just teasing you. Actually, I asked Mingyuan to help me find a job. You know we're such good friends, do you think he would really let me become a postman?"

Hongxiu smiled and said, "Then I'm relieved."

Just then, they heard a knock on the door.

"Miss, the doctor is here to take your pulse."

Hongxiu quickly got up, opened the back window, and tearfully told her younger brother, "Be careful on the road. If things don't go well, be sure to come to the Holy Capital to find me."

Xinran put on her coat, hugged her sister and gave her a big kiss,

then turned and jumped out of the window. She slipped back into the garden and leaped out. Xinran dusted off her trousers and swaggered towards the place Long Mingyuan had arranged to meet. On the way, she passed the square and saw a group of guards moving the Queen's statue. She had a bad feeling; the nude statue had been exposed beforehand, and Brother Mingyuan was probably going to be furious. After negotiating with the Adventurers' Guild, she indeed only got the job of a postman. There was also a heavy package of long-distance letters. Xinran wanted to go find Long Mingyuan and scold him for not being a good friend, but then she thought that she had played a prank first and caused him trouble, so there was no reason to expect him to repay evil with kindness.

So she laughed it off, picked up her mailbag, mounted the post office-issued "walking bird" (a low-level servant demon often used as a single-person mode of transport), and fled the trading city under the cover of night.

Before leaving the city gate, Xinran paused briefly in the square. She noticed the guards had toppled the statue, immediately covered it with a canvas, stuffed it into a carriage, and driven away. Another carriage drove into the square, placing a similar, ordinary queen statue on its pedestal.

"A substitute made in just one night, quite fast, it's a pity Her Majesty the Queen can't see my masterpiece," Xinran thought. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a dark figure curled up not far away .

"Wake up, you'll catch a cold sleeping here. Hey, are you drunk?"

Xinran helped the person up and was immediately stunned.

"Huh, it's a young girl."

Lying unconscious in the square was a young girl in her prime, her beautiful face covered in dust, like a daisy fallen to the ground.

"Hey, girl, wake up! If you don't wake up, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

The girl slowly woke up, staring blankly at Xinran, and inexplicably shouted, "I'm so angry!"

"Hey, why are you so angry?" Xinran was confused.

"Of course I'm angry!" The girl pushed Xinran away, clenching her fists and shouting, "Where's that damn statue? I'm going to smash it!"

"Statue?"

"It's so shameful! So shameful! How can anyone bully people like this..." The girl became angrier as she spoke, her eyes filled with tears.

Xinran took out a handkerchief and handed it to her: "Wipe your face. I don't know why you're angry, you even fainted from anger. If it's because of that statue, I apologize—I did it." "

...I really don't know whether to thank you or kill you with my sword."

"Such a young age, yet so murderous! What's your name?"

The girl hesitated slightly, then said softly: "Long'er."

"Long'er? That name sounds familiar..." Xinran tapped her head, deep in thought.

The girl, seemingly afraid he might misunderstand, quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Big brother, are you a good person?"

"Of course."

"Then will you take me home?"

"...Where do you live?"

"I don't know." "You

don't know?!"

"I remembered just now, but when I saw this statue, I suddenly fainted from anger, and when I woke up, I only remembered my name."

"...It's not my fault, go find the police for help."

"No, no," she said urgently, grabbing his hand, "You made the statue, and I fainted from anger because of it, causing me to lose my memory. It's all your fault, you must take responsibility."

Xinran was furious, thinking, "Where did this unreasonable little girl come from?" He glared at her fiercely, intending to say something terrible. But upon closer inspection, he realized that the girl, after wiping the dirt from her face, was unbelievably beautiful!

Xinran stared at her intently for a long time, then suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, saying weakly, "If you insist on coming with me, then let's go together."

The girl seemed surprised that he was so agreeable, clapping her hands excitedly, "Big brother, you're so kind! By the way, what's your name?"

"Su Xinran."

"Can I call you Brother Xinran?"

"Don't try to get close to me, it's so mushy and annoying. If you want to come with me, you have to be my maid, serve me, and listen to me." "

I... I don't know how to serve people."

"If you don't know how, then learn! I'm already working so hard, how can I take care of you too?"

The girl, afraid of being abandoned, said nervously and breathlessly, "Then I'll try my best."

Xinran nodded in satisfaction, patting the girl's head, and said, "My dear, from now on you must call me Young Master, understand?"

"Understood, young master."

Xinran tried to hide her surprise, but couldn't help laughing.

"Let me tell you, I'm not going out for fun. I'm going on a very, very long journey, and it will be very tiring. If you regret it, leave immediately."

"I'm not afraid of hardship, and I won't regret it."

"Good job," Xinran whistled, summoning a walking bird. He bent down, picked up the girl, placed her on the bird's back, and hung the mailbag around her neck.

"Take good care of it; this is my livelihood."

"Young master, are you going to let me ride the bird?"

"No, we'll take turns. You ride in the morning, and I'll ride in the afternoon."

The girl said gratefully, "You're such a kind person. However, I have my own mount. Look—he's here!"

Xinran looked in the direction she was pointing and saw an unremarkable-looking donkey trotting over.

"Young master is taller than me; riding a donkey is better than riding a bird," the girl said obediently.

Xinran climbed onto the donkey's back with a smile. As soon as he settled in, the donkey chased after the walking bird.

The girl, clinging to the bird's neck, turned back with a charming smile: "Young master, you look so handsome riding

this donkey! You must be a big shot!" Xinran ignored her, clinging tightly to the donkey's neck, and cursed: "What kind of damn donkey is this? It runs like it's flying!" Little did he know, this donkey could actually fly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five: The Robbery (Part 1)

The summer sun blazed, the sky cloudless.

The railway tracks gleamed blindingly in the scorching sunlight. Whoosh—a sharp train whistle shattered the afternoon's tranquility. A gigantic centipede sped along the railway, its red head prostrate on the embankment, focused only on charging forward. The centipede's legs were fitted with many wheels, its hundred legs moving in unison, as fast as lightning. This centipede was actually a domesticated, large-scale servant demon, a "train beast," each segment of its body a carriage.

The train whistle sounded again, and the train beast slowed its pace, stopping at the station. The brown, hard shells where the bones were joined all lifted upwards, and arriving passengers disembarked.

A handsome young man appeared at the carriage door riding a walking bird, hopping onto the platform. Behind him, a girl of similar age in white also disembarked, and behind the two of them and the bird followed a small donkey. The two rode their respective servants away from the station, heading towards a nearby town.

The donkey ran very fast, quickly leaving the walking bird behind. The girl had no choice but to stop and wait for the young man.

"Brother Xinran, if you dawdle any longer, we won't reach Bronze Town before dark."

"Bullshit! Did I deliberately dawdle? It's all this stupid bird's fault for walking so slowly," the boy, feeling dizzy from the sun, questioned the girl irritably. "Long'er, I told you to call me Young Master, have you forgotten so quickly?" "I

know, Young Master, but why won't you ride the donkey?"

Xinran touched his knee, which he had injured from falling off the donkey not long ago, and said insincerely, "Um... I don't like the smell of donkeys. Sigh, I didn't expect it to be so hot. If I had known, I should have bought a ticket for the evening."

Long'er smiled knowingly, not pointing out that he was completely bad at riding. She bent down and took out a parasol from her bag and handed it to Xinran: "Hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon."

Xinran opened the parasol and felt a little cooler. Smiling, he praised Long'er, "You're so thoughtful. You know I'm afraid of the heat, so you specially prepared an umbrella."

"Young Master, are vampires really afraid of sunlight?"

"Of course they are. I've personally witnessed vampires turn to ashes in the sunlight."

"But why aren't you afraid?"

"I'm a half-vampire, half-human, so my resistance to sunlight is stronger than that of ordinary vampires. Even so, I can't be exposed to the sun for long."

"No wonder you look so pale, Young Master. I still have a bottle of juice in my bag. Would you like some to quench your thirst?"

"I'm not thirsty right now. We'd better conserve our water; we still have a long way to go."

Long'er nodded obediently and put the water bottle back in his bag.

Xinran glanced at her satchel and asked, "Long'er, have we delivered nine letters along the way?"

"Nine, young master." "

Hmm, then only this last one is left. After delivering these, I can travel freely."

"No, young master, there are two left."

"Two letters?" Xinran asked, puzzled. "I remember there were only ten letters in total, how come there's one extra?" "

It's eleven, no mistake," Long'er said, taking out the remaining two letters from the mailbag and showing them to Xinran.

Long'er had always kept the mailbag, so Xinran wasn't sure how many letters were in it. Seeing that there was indeed an extra letter, he could only lament his bad luck and that he would have to make another trip.

Long'er looked at the envelope and smiled, "Young Master, the address of the last letter is also near Bronze Town."

"That's very convenient. Who is the recipient?" Xinran asked listlessly. According to his temperament, he originally planned to just throw away all the mail, since no one would care. But Long'er insisted on delivering every letter.

"It's for someone named Mickey. The address only says Bronze Mountain."

"Let's ask around when we get to town." Of course, Xinran didn't know that Bear King Mickey was the leader of a band of bandits in the area. She had no doubt that this fabricated letter was secretly slipped into the parcel by Long'er.

"Young Master, your family is so rich, why do you work as a postman?"

Of course, Xinran couldn't tell the truth that her affair with her sister had been exposed, forcing her to run away from home. Saying one thing but meaning another, he said, "A good man's ambition lies in all directions. To achieve extraordinary things, one must do extraordinary work. Being a postman allows me to travel the world and see the sights of different places. Why not? Besides, being a postman is just my current job. After delivering the last two letters, I can go to the Adventurers' Guild to report for duty and be promoted to an adventurer!"

Long'er asked with interest, "Is being an adventurer a very prestigious profession?" "

Yes, being an adventurer is the most glorious profession on earth. However, there are many kinds of adventurers. There are treasure hunters and monster hunters. The highest level is the paladin. To become a paladin, an adventurer must make amazing achievements and be granted a title by the Holy Queen. This is too difficult. I don't even dare to dream of it." Xinran was quite self-aware.

Long'er said dismissively, "Young master is too modest. I believe you will definitely become a paladin."

Xinran laughed heartily, "Long'er, your little mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter. Come here—give me a kiss!" Saying that, he went to hug the girl.

"No way!" Long'er giggled and dodged away.

Xinran urged the bird to chase after him, but unexpectedly, Long'er's donkey suddenly raised its hoof and kicked him, causing him and the bird to fall to the ground, getting a mouthful of mud and sand.

Long'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly used telepathy to question the donkey: "Master! What's wrong with you? What if you hurt Brother Xinran!"

The Holy Dragon, transformed into a donkey, replied sullenly: "Your Majesty, this brat dared to flirt with you in public. As his bodyguard, it's only right that I teach him a lesson. Humph, you've only known him for a few days and you're already calling him Brother Xinran this and that so affectionately. You're the one who's crazy. A dignified Holy Queen shouldn't be neglecting her duties of pilgrimage and bandit suppression, but instead hanging out with this little hooligan! What kind of behavior is this!"

Long'er shook her head and laughed: "Master, how can you turn the tables? It was you who first put me under Brother Xinran's wing, trying to influence and educate him."

"But you didn't influence him at all; instead, you were corrupted by him." "

My main focus now is on bandit suppression. It was precisely to eliminate the bandits that I followed Brother Xinran to Bronze Mountain to scout out the enemy's situation."

"I think gathering intelligence is just a pretense; our real purpose is to flirt."

Long'er blushed and, without further explanation, helped Xinran to her feet.

Xinran reluctantly climbed onto the bird's back, glaring fiercely at the donkey: "Damn you, you little devil! One day I'll send you to the slaughterhouse!"

The donkey turned its head away disdainfully and galloped off with Long'er on its back.

As the sun was setting, Xinran and Long'er finally arrived at Bronze Town. The town was small, with a small population, and recently, bandits had been rampant, making it even more sparsely populated.

Xinran had been traveling all day and was starving. Seeing a decent-looking restaurant at the town entrance, she pulled Long'er inside and chose a window seat. The waiter brought the menu, but Xinran didn't bother to look at it carefully and ordered the most expensive dishes, filling the entire table. Long'er tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Don't order so much food, we don't have much money left."

"How much is left?"

Long'er poured all the coins from her bag onto the table and counted them one by one.

"Probably just enough for this meal." "

...Why didn't you say so sooner?" "

I...I didn't know the money was going to disappear so quickly," Long'er said, feeling wronged.

One was a rich young master, and the other was the Queen of the Holy Kingdom, both accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood. They had always chosen the most expensive and best places to eat and stay along the way, spending money like water, completely oblivious to the need for thrift.

They ate their meal listlessly, neglecting even to deliver the letter, and racked their brains for ways to make money. They secretly regretted not bringing a few copies of "The Dream Seeker" with them when they left home; selling them would at least cover their lodging for the night. Writing erotic novels or drawing erotic pictures would be a long shot, not a quick fix. After much thought, they finally decided to target Long'er.

"Long'er, I've thought of a brilliant way to make money, and I need your help."

"What brilliant plan?"

"Don't ask, just tell me if you'll help or not."

Long'er underestimated his cunning and naively said, "As long as it's within my power, I'll definitely help."

Xinran nodded in satisfaction and said, "Great! Quickly take off your clothes."

Long'er asked in surprise, "Why take off my clothes?"

Xinran grinned slyly, "You're so beautiful, and you have a great figure. Wouldn't it be a waste not to use you to make money? I'm going to take you to a tavern to dance and earn money."

Long'er was terrified and cried out, "No! Absolutely not! Don't think you can take me for a fool!" Xinran

angrily shouted, "You brat! What's the big deal if someone sees me? It won't hurt you." "

No means no! If you want to dance, go dance yourself! You don't care about me at all... You're such a pervert!" The more Long'er thought about it, the angrier she became, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Xinran, used to his own absurd behavior, assumed others were as shameless as he was, and found her agitated incomprehensible. He said sullenly, "You have to choose between dancing naked and sleeping on the streets."

Long'er felt increasingly aggrieved, sobbing, "I don't want to dance naked, and I don't want to sleep on the streets..."

However, Xinran's heart was as cold as iron, and he said firmly, "If you don't want to, then don't follow me anymore." "

I...I'd rather beg!" The poor Holy Queen finally understood that home is best, but going out is difficult.

"Don't be silly, can you beg your way home? Or just listen to me and dance!" "

I...I can find a way, can you give me two hours? I'll go find a friend to borrow money." Long'er pleaded softly. If Xinran nodded, she could take the opportunity to escape and find Othello to ask for help.

Xinran said firmly, "No! I'm not doing this for money, but to test your loyalty. Your refusal to dance nude proves you're a selfish girl, incapable of sharing joys and sorrows."

Long'er, cornered, retorted tearfully, "And when have you ever shared joys and sorrows with me?"

Xinran smiled slyly, "What you say makes sense. I didn't mistreat you when we were rich; we shared the good times. Now that we're poor, we should share the bad." "

That's right," Long'er said quietly, oblivious to the hidden meaning in his words, "I'm really not afraid of hardship. As long as you can endure it, I can definitely do it too." She thought Xinran was willing to sleep on the streets, but little did she know that this guy was still planning to do a nude dance.

"Great! I'm going to do nude dancing to earn money now, you're coming with me!"

"Uh..."

"Didn't we agree to share joys and sorrows? Let's go."

"You have absolutely no morals!" Long'er sighed deeply and said softly, "Brother Xinran, please spare me, I'll do anything except nude dancing."

Xinran wanted to hear those words, and smiled with satisfaction: "That's enough. Let's go deliver the letter first, and we'll think of something else later."

A weight was finally lifted from Long'er's heart, and she followed Xinran dejectedly. She couldn't understand how Xinran could smile so innocently while saying the most shameless things; this person was simply a mixture of angel and devil!

Xinran led the sullen Long'er to a shop according to the address on the envelope.

It was a travel prop shop, which also sold cheap mechanical fruits and magic crystals. Xinran knocked on the door and entered. A sly old woman immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, saying solicitously, "Young adventurer, what would you like to buy?" Xinran was just a postman, and being suddenly called an "adventurer" was quite flattering. He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "Excuse me, are you the owner of this shop?" "

Yes, what can I do for you?"

"There's a letter here, from the trading city."

"Oh, that must be my precious son! He works at the governor's mansion and rarely comes home."

"Then please read the letter quickly." Long'er untied the mailbag and handed the letter to the old woman.

The old woman tore open the envelope but handed the letter back to Xinran, saying embarrassedly, "Adventurer, I can't read. Could you read the letter for me?"

Xinran asked in surprise, "If you can't read, why does your son write letters?"

The old woman chuckled, "Although I can't read, the postman certainly can. I always ask him to read the letters. You must be new to this job, right? I've never seen such a handsome postman."

"Hahaha~ Of course, of course, I'll read it to you!" Xinran opened the letter and slowly read it to the old woman. The beginning was nothing more than the son's usual clichés about missing his mother, and only at the end did he get to the point—asking his mother for money. After reading it, Xinran folded the letter and returned it to the old woman, thinking that her son was so old and still asking his mother for money; he must be a spendthrift. Then she thought that she herself had always relied on her family for food and clothing, so she really had no right to criticize others. Although Xinran has many shortcomings, he is by no means lacking in self-reflection. Knowing he has done wrong, he sincerely repents. Whether he improves after reflection, or whether he will repeat the mistake, is hard to say.

The old woman carefully put the letter away and said to Xinran, "Young man, thank you for traveling such a long way to deliver the letter. I should give you a tip, but you see, my son is short of money and we really don't have any. How about this, take a look at what I have in my shop and see if there's anything you like. Pick whatever you like."
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