Huan Changming seemed to disdain answering Lu Pianpian's question and ordered, "Bring him in."
Halfway through the palace banquet, Lu Pianpian suddenly disrupted things. She was led to the front of the hall by the imperial guards and saw that all the people sitting around her were ministers. In the hall, there was a floating platform with an egg as tall as a child on it.
The eggshell was pale gold with a ring of white lines around it, emitting a fluorescent glow. It appeared gentle and harmless, but Lu Pianpian sensed an eerie aura emanating from it.
Jingyi bowed to Huan Changming, "Your Majesty, we cannot hatch this dragon egg whether we soak it in water or burn it. Why don't we let Young Master Lu give it a try?"
Huan Changming sat on the high place, his gaze turning to Lu Pianpian with a deep look.
Jing Yi continued, "Young Master Lu has studied the magic of the immortal sects and possesses great supernatural powers. He must know better than the rest of us how to solve this problem."
Huan Changming gestured to Mu Lingzi, who thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "It's worth a try."
Huan Changming stood up, walked to Lu Pianpian, and said condescendingly, "Lu Pianpian, if you can find a way to hatch this egg, I will forgive you for your crimes of fleeing without permission and kidnapping an important official."
It's truly a case of "if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."
Lu Pianpian shifted to a sitting posture on the ground, her back straight as a pine tree, looking fearless of authority. "Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."
"You're courting death!" Huan Changming's eyes widened in fury. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
"Then kill me!" Lu Pianpian met his gaze without fear. "If I beg for mercy even once, I'm not Lu Shaoyan!"
"Very well...very well! You truly deserve to be a righteous disciple of the immortal sect. I will grant your wish today!"
Huan Changming was furious. When he picked up Lu Pianpian's sword from the ground, he lost his composure and touched the blade, cutting his palm. The stab made him pull his hand back, and the blood dripped onto the dragon egg next to him.
A burst of golden light suddenly emanated from the dragon egg, and with a cracking sound, a fissure appeared in the center of the egg.
The thing inside the egg began to violently pound against the shell, trying to get out. The gaps widened as it pounded, and it shattered into pieces. A young dragon, entirely white with golden scales, flew out and immediately saw Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming in front of it.
The young dragon let out a roar at the two of them, the sound so powerful that it deafened everyone in the hall.
Jingyi covered his ears and said, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly, protect the emperor!"
His shouts seemed to enrage the young dragon, whose roar became even more deafening, sending doors and windows flying.
The Imperial Guards were too busy protecting themselves to shield Huan Changming. Huan Changming and Lu Pianpian were closest to the young dragon and were therefore more severely impacted than the others.
Jingyi drew the Imperial Guard's sword, ran over with all his might, and stabbed the young dragon in the belly.
Mu Lingzi shouted, "Jingyi, stop!"
But his voice was drowned out by the dragon's roar. Enraged by Jing Yi's injury, the young dragon charged at him. In a panic, Jing Yi grabbed Lu Pianpian and pulled her in front of him as a shield. The dragon's sharp claws tore through Lu Pianpian's clothes on her shoulder, and blood splattered everywhere.
The young dragon's cries stopped abruptly. Huan Changming snatched Lu Pianpian from Jing Yi's hands and angrily rebuked Jing Yi, "Who told you to push him!"
A note from the author:
In these past few chapters, Huan Changming has been furious with Lu Pianpian every day, acting like a madman, with a noticeable increase in exclamation marks.
Chapter 34
The young dragon curled its tail to cover its wound, flitting around the road, looking somewhat aggrieved and remorseful.
Huan Changming grabbed the young dragon's body with his bare hands and scolded, "You little beast, how dare you hurt him!"
Seeing this, Jingyi's expression darkened, and he advised, "Your Majesty, this demonic dragon's origins are unknown, you should not..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huan Changming gave him a cold glare. He clenched his fist inwardly. "Your Majesty, I was only worried about Your Majesty's safety and had no intention of harming Young Master Lu. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
The young dragon was being choked by Huan Changming and couldn't breathe, but it didn't attack Huan Changming like it did when facing Jingyi. Instead, it looked at Huan Changming with its round eyes and whimpered, as if it was begging him.
"Let it go..." Lu Pianpian gritted her teeth, snatched the baby dragon from Huan Changming's hands, and pushed Huan Changming away. "Do you want to kill it?"
The baby dragon returned to Lu Pianpian's arms, nestled against her chest, heartbroken. It wanted to tell Lu Pianpian that it hadn't meant to hurt it.
Mu Lingzi flashed between Lu Pianpian and Huan Changming, saying, "You're really lucky. The first thing this demon dragon saw after hatching was the two of you. It already considers you its parents."
Jingyi said, "So, Your Majesty can now command this dragon at will?"
“That’s right.” Mu Lingzi chuckled. “It’s only just hatched, yet its dragon roar just now possessed such immense power. Its future power is immeasurable.”
As he said this, he looked at Huan Changming and found that Huan Changming did not seem to listen to what he said. Instead, he stared intently at Lu Pianpian, who was holding and stroking the baby dragon, as if he wanted to devour her alive.
"Guards!" Huan Changming snatched the young dragon back from Lu Pianpian's arms. "Lock it in the water dungeon! No one is to release it without my permission!"
Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards were about to approach when the young dragon roared at them, frightening everyone into not daring to go forward.
Huan Changming snorted coldly and threw the young dragon into Mu Lingzi's arms. "You little beast, if you dare to disobey me, I will definitely tear out your tendons and skin you alive!"
The young dragon closed its mouth in mournful silence, letting Mu Lingzi use magic to restrain its movements.
Lu Pianpian pushed herself up from the ground. "Since you're not willing to let me go, then lock me up with it."
He would rather be locked up with a beast than stay in his palace.
Huan Changming smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Lu Pianpian, you're delusional."
"I won't let you have your way!"
After saying that, he grabbed Lu Pianpian's wrist and dragged her back.
Leaving Jingyi and the assembled officials behind in the hall, the officials couldn't help but ask the new emperor's favorite, "Lord Jing, who exactly is the young master who was taken away by His Majesty?"
Jing Yi's expression was somewhat stiff. After a long while, he recovered and explained to the officials, "He is just an insignificant prisoner. You need not worry about him."
Under the soft moonlight, the palace servants inside the hall lit candles, then all withdrew from the hall and stood guard outside the door, holding their breath and not daring to eavesdrop on the movements inside.
Huan Changming tore off Lu Pianpian's outer robe, tied her hands and feet, pushed her onto the bed, and stood by the bed, saying in a vicious voice, "Lu Pianpian, you have defied me and talked back to me time and time again... Do you really think I dare not do anything to you?"
Despite the pain from her wounds, Lu Pianpian sat up from the bed and shrank into a corner. "I told you, do whatever you want with me! If you don't kill me, I will definitely find a way to escape from here!"
Huan Changming suddenly bent down, grabbed Lu Pianpian's left foot, and pulled her forward, dragging her from the corner to his body. "If you dare to run away again, I'll break your legs!"
"Then hit me!" Lu Pianpian said fiercely, unfazed by his threat, "As long as I have a breath left, I will not stay here to be humiliated by you!"
A surge of resentment was stuck in Huan Changming's chest, unable to go up or down. He couldn't see through Lu Pianpian. Just a moment ago, Lu Pianpian could gently comfort that beast, so why was she so confrontational with him now that it was Huan Changming?
In Lu Pianpian's eyes, was he not even as good as an animal?
Thinking of this, Huan Changming felt the resentment stuck in his chest growing stronger and stronger. "Lu Pianpian, are you determined to go against me?"
"Why?!"
Lu Pianpian, her legs bound together, secretly exerted force and kicked Huan Changming in the chest, sending him flying off the bed. "Because what you did makes me feel ashamed!"
After being kicked to the ground, Huan Changming remained motionless for a long time. Lu Pianpian took the opportunity to try to escape, but as soon as she took a step forward, Huan Changming suddenly braced himself on the edge of the bed, got up from the ground, and cast Lu Pianpian into his shadow.
When Lu Pianpian saw Huan Changming's face, which was abnormally red, she immediately remembered how he had acted the same way before. She subconsciously stepped back, but Huan Changming pounced on her, grabbed her waist with one arm, and pulled her into his arms.
Huan Changming's strange illness flared up again at an inopportune time. He buried his head in Lu Pianpian's shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm having an attack, and I need you to cure me..."
If it were her former gentle and kind junior sister who fell ill, Lu Pianpian would feel ashamed, but she would still do her duty without hesitation.
But now, in front of Lu Pianpian, he is a tyrannical and scheming man, which makes Lu Pianpian feel disgusted.
Just as Huan Changming's lips were about to touch his, he disgustedly dodged to the side, "Don't touch me!"
Lu Pianpian's words and actions revealed his disgust and unwillingness. Huan Changming viciously pinched Lu Pianpian's chin, forcing him to look at him. "What? Now you're starting to dislike me? What were you doing the last few times?"
"Or... is it only your beloved junior brother who is worthy of your affections?"
"Don't taint the relationship between me and my junior brother with your filthy thoughts!"
"I'm dirty? Ha..." Huan Changming's eyes reddened with anger at the word "dirty." Enduring the excruciating pain, he silently chanted a spell, and his face slowly returned to the appearance he had when he was a woman. Even his voice became soft and feminine. He sobbed, "Senior brother, do you really think I'm dirty?"
"But you did those dirty things to me at the bottom of the cliff that day... Why don't you mention it at all, Senior Brother?"
Lu Pianpian stared blankly at Huan Changming's face. The stunningly beautiful face that haunted his dreams reappeared before Lu Pianpian's eyes, and the beauty's tearful voice brought up the past again. For a moment, Lu Pianpian was in a daze.
His momentary lapse in concentration gave Huan Changming an opening. Huan Changming's lips pressed against his, leaving a deep kiss. Between their lips, he heard Huan Changming's mocking voice in a man's voice: "Wouldn't you find it dirty and disgusting if it were your junior sister?"
"Isn't it still quite comfortable?"
He maliciously stuck out his tongue and licked Lu Pianpian's lips hard, his face changing back to that of a man.
Lu Pianpian's chest heaved with anger at his humiliating mockery. "Huan Changming, you disgust me..."
"The more disgusted you feel, the happier I am." Huan Changming became even more unrestrained, teasing Lu Pianpian's lips. "Tonight, I'll show you what disgust really means!"
In their several passionate kisses, Lu Pianpian, though the passive one, never resisted or struggled. But this time was different. With each deep kiss from Huan Changming, Lu Pianpian felt increasingly humiliated, his pride gradually crumbling with each kiss.
He wanted to struggle and scream, but his hands and feet were bound, and he could not struggle. His lips were also arbitrarily blocked and invaded by Huan Changming, so he could not utter a single syllable to vent his anger.
No matter what she wanted to do, she was bound by Huan Changming. Lu Pianpian's heart seemed to sink to the bottom of a pool, slowly becoming lifeless.
Huan Changming still wouldn't let him go; he seemed genuinely intent on humiliating him all night. His lips were numb from the kisses, but Huan Changming's body temperature against him grew ever higher. He felt the burning sensation emanating from Huan Changming's member, and a crack appeared in his otherwise lifeless heart. "Mmm..."
In the past, kissing Lu Pianpian would relieve Huan Changming's pain, but tonight, for some reason, although most of the pain had subsided, the fire within him burned ever brighter. He felt that simply kissing Lu Pianpian's lips couldn't quench the thirst in his body.
Huan Changming couldn't help but recall the scene from that day at the bottom of the cliff. Following his own will, he reached out with his palm towards Lu Pianpian's waist.
He seemed even thinner than before, with a waist so slender it could be encircled by a single hand, and his belt was easily untied by Huan Changming's fingertips.
Just as Huan Changming was about to slip his hand inside her clothes, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his lips. He hissed and turned back, and there was already a red mark on Lu Pianpian's lower lip.
"You dare bite me?!"
The pain on Huan Changming's lips instantly shattered all his romantic mood.
The blood from the wound on Lu Pianpian's shoulder, inflicted by the young dragon, soaked the pillow behind him. He weakly said, "Huan Changming, you disgust me..."
Huan Changming wiped the blood from his lips and sneered, "Do you really think I can't live without you?"
"Lu Pianpian, you find me disgusting? I'd like to see how long your backbone can last." He was furious, and stormed off. "I'll come back to the palace tomorrow, and you'd better not die in my bed then!"
Huan Changming stormed out of the hall, not forgetting to reinforce the formation that had locked Lu Pianpian in place once more.
After Mu Lingzi imprisoned the young dragon in the water dungeon, she came to carry out her mission. Upon seeing the wound on Huan Changming's lip, she secretly laughed at him, thinking he deserved it.
What are you doing here?
Knowing that he was in a bad mood, Mu Lingzi decided to make a quick decision. "That dragon has already been imprisoned in the water dungeon. Your Majesty will have the opportunity to tame it personally. In the future, it will surely be loyal to Your Majesty."
"I understand. You may leave."
Just as Mu Lingzi was about to leave, she suddenly smelled a scent emanating from Huan Changming. "Your Majesty, you seem to have been poisoned."
Huan Changming looked at him, "How do you know?"
Do you experience a monthly flare-up of the poison, with excruciating pain that feels like your heart is being ripped out?
Huan Changming pondered for a moment and said, "That is indeed the case, but this is an illness I was born with. How did you know that?"