344: He's here! He's here! He flew in, covered in rouge!

Time froze here.

Inside Fengming Hall, all sounds ceased.

Ji Hongxue's gaze was fixed immovably on the small black insect performing some bizarre ritual on the mirror.

Her mind was blank.

As the Great Xia Empress, she had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, personally experienced the invasion of Heavenly Demons, and her Imperial Heart had long been tempered to be indestructible.

But the scene before her completely shattered her understanding.

This transcended life and death, transcended common sense, and reached an unimaginable state of absurdity!

A Mosquito.

On her mirror.

Using her rouge.

Writing!

If such madness were to spread, the Historian wouldn't know how to record it!

Su Chen, the “Master Calligrapher” she was watching, had already pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion.

The rapid consumption of Divine Soul power made him dizzy. His six legs, covered in sticky rouge, were sore and heavy, almost numb.

[Hold steady! Just a few more characters! The Revolution has not yet succeeded, Comrades must still work hard!]

He mobilized the last trace of his Divine Soul power, precisely controlling his slender Mosquito Legs to draw the final difficult strokes on the mirror surface.

[Wait!]

[Husband!]

[Lord!]

[Come!]

[Collect!]

[Dog!]

When the final stroke of the character “Dog” was drawn with his last ounce of strength, the stroke, due to excessive force, dragged out a long, greasy red streak on the mirror surface.

Success!

Su Chen's spirit relaxed, and he could no longer hold on.

His six legs went soft, his body tilted, and he dropped straight down from the mirror surface.

With a “plop,” he plunged headfirst into the soft rouge paste, splashing up a nearly invisible red ripple “flower.”

[Whew... Finally... Finished writing...]

[This Divine Son is exhausted... This drained my mind more than fighting the Crazy Woman Ye Linghan for three hundred rounds...]

He lay sprawled on his back in the fragrant rouge paste, panting heavily, too lazy to even move a single wing.

In front of the mirror.

Ji Hongxue's gaze finally shifted slowly away from the Mosquito that had “accomplished its mission and retired.”

She looked at the complete line of red characters on the mirror surface, which emitted a rich and familiar scent of rouge.

“Dare to die? I'll spank your butt raw! Wait obediently for your Husband to come and collect the dog!”

A short line of text.

The handwriting was shockingly ugly, crooked, inconsistent in depth, practically a Ghost's Scribble.

The content was even more vulgar, overbearing, and unreasonable, filled with the unique ruffian arrogance of a certain scoundrel.

However, the instant Ji Hongxue clearly saw these words.

Her Imperial Heart, which had already sunk into the abyss, was suddenly grabbed by an invisible force and fiercely, violently, dragged back to the mortal world!

Boom—!

Grievance, ecstasy, shame, bitterness... countless complex emotions instantly broke through the dam she had built with death!

“Clang!”

The Dagger, tightly gripped and already stained with blood, slipped from her powerless fingers.

The Dagger struck the cold floor tile, emitting a sharp, crisp sound.

This sound was like a signal, completely shattering the silence in the hall and awakening her withered Soul.

“Su Chen...”

Ji Hongxue's red lips parted, and she breathed out this name that intertwined her love and hatred.

It's him!

It must be him!

Besides that smelly scoundrel!

Who else in this world would dare to speak to her this way, except for that guy who always used the most flippant tone to make the most overbearing declarations?!

“I'll spank your butt raw...”

“Husband...”

“Collect the dog...”

He really came!

He arrived in this unbelievable way, precisely at her most desperate moment!

In an instant, all the fear, despair, and crushing pressure vanished completely!

Replacing them was the ecstasy of having something lost and found, a warmth capable of melting permafrost!

“Pfft...”

She looked at the line of uniquely ugly characters on the mirror, imagining the scoundrel hiding in a corner, enjoying her current distress, and picturing his ridiculous appearance using a Mosquito to write.

She couldn't hold back anymore and actually laughed out loud.

But as she laughed, tears burst forth like a broken dam, turning into uncontrollable weeping.

She suddenly rose from the dressing table, like a child who had lost the whole world only to find it again in an instant.

She looked around the empty hall, frantic yet full of hope, and shouted with all her might:

“Su Chen?! Is that you?!”

“You scoundrel! Where are you?! Show yourself!”

Her voice was laced with sobs, urgency, and a hint of deep, ingrained dependence and coquetry that she herself hadn't noticed.

However, Fengming Hall was empty, and only her echoes spiraled among the beams and pillars.

The black Mosquito “playing dead” in the rouge box had already quietly flapped its wings and slipped away through the gap in the window lattice the moment her emotions broke down.

[Oh my god, this silly girl's reaction is a bit too much.]

[I almost got exposed. Fortunately, This Divine Son is exceptionally witty.]

Su Chen flew to a carved Roof Beam in the distance and glanced back at the stunning Empress who was crying and laughing like a madwoman in the hall, feeling both amused and inexplicably heartache.

[But... judging by her state, she's safe now. She truly is a woman who causes trouble.]

[Alright, Husband's “Calming Pill” has been delivered. Next, it's time to properly prepare for tomorrow's 'Collecting the Dog' Grand Ceremony.]

Su Chen flew toward the depths of the night sky, still feeling lingering fear.

Only Ji Hongxue remained in the hall, calling out the name that had granted her a new life, over and over again.

She extended her slender Jade Fingers, touching the drying rouge characters on the mirror with immense care and reverence.

The touch was warm and gentle, as if she were touching the rarest treasure in the whole world.