322: To reward the Princess Consort...

The night breeze was cool, blowing against his slightly feverish forehead, but his mind was still replaying that strange conversation he just had with Long Qingcheng—or rather, with "Sister Long" and "Her Majesty the Queen."

Nothing in the world could be stranger than this.

Who would have thought that the Dragon Emperor, who awed the Demon Domain, and his own elusive Revered Master would share such a deep history?

And her private persona, so different from her courtly image, made him both laugh and cry, yet he found it... quite interesting.

When he returned to the main pavilion of the Dragon Perching Garden, Pei Shuyun had not yet retired for the night.

"You're back?" She set down her book and rose to meet him. "His Majesty the Dragon Emperor summoned you alone; what was it for? Did it go smoothly?"

She keenly noticed a lingering strange expression between Li Shengyuan's brows, appearing both like a smile and a sense of wonder.

Li Shengyuan walked up to her and took her hand, feeling the slight coolness of her fingertips; the smile on his face became genuine and relaxed.

He didn't answer immediately but instead pulled her down to sit with him on the edge of the couch.

"Shuyun..." he called softly, his tone playful. "In the coming days, I'm afraid we really must take a good 'tour' of this Holy Dragon City. Let's do as... 'Her Majesty the Queen' said."

"My... Queen?"

Pei Shuyun was slightly stunned, and then a clear look of confusion and astonishment appeared in her beautiful eyes.

She scrutinized Li Shengyuan's expression, and after confirming he wasn't joking, her confusion deepened.

"Shengyuan, are you talking about... His Majesty the Dragon Emperor?"

She truly couldn't associate the Dragon Emperor—who was so majestic in the Holy Dragon Palace and so domineering during the announcement in the square—with the title "Her Majesty the Queen," which carried a hint of playfulness or even a certain special taste.

"That's right, it's her." Li Shengyuan nodded affirmatively. Recalling Long Qingcheng's smug yet overbearing manner, he couldn't help but laugh again.

He took out the golden dragon scale and toyed with it in his hand, a smile on his lips.

It seemed to carry a trace of Long Qingcheng's unique fragrance... Pei Shuyun's gaze lingered on the clearly extraordinary dragon scale for a moment before moving back to Li Shengyuan's face, the confusion in her eyes gradually replaced by a look of realization and... something even more peculiar.

She was a woman of keen wit. Li Shengyuan's tone, his demeanor, and this sudden intimate title and private gift... all indicated that in that short span of time, the relationship between Li Shengyuan and the Dragon Emperor had undergone some unexpected and extremely subtle change.

"It seems... you two had a 'very deep' conversation."

Pei Shuyun drawled, her eyes darting as she looked Li Shengyuan up and down, as if trying to find something different about him.

She suddenly covered her lips and let out a low, mischievous giggle.

"'Her Majesty the Queen'... Tsk tsk, Lord Li, I really didn't realize you were into this sort of thing?"

Li Shengyuan's face flushed at her blunt teasing. He cleared his throat and said helplessly, "Don't guess blindly. There's another reason for this. It's a long story; I'll tell you in detail when we have time later."

"In any case, this 'Her Majesty the Queen'... is one of our own. At least in this Demon Domain, we've gained a powerful ally."

Although he didn't explicitly mention their sect's connection, the words "one of our own" were enough for Pei Shuyun to understand the weight of it.

She stopped pressing for details, though the trace of suspicion in her eyes did not fade.

However, she soon tucked away her playful thoughts and leaned softly into Li Shengyuan's arms, her slender fingers tracing idle circles on his chest.

She tilted up her charmingly beautiful face, her eyes brimming with allure. Her red lips parted slightly as she breathed out a scent like orchids.

"Since Your Majesty... oh no, Her Majesty the Queen has spoken and told us to enjoy ourselves, and since she's become 'one of our own' with you, Shengyuan, it seems the great task of dealing with the Demon Cult and purging the Demon Domain is just around the corner."

Her voice was sweet and soft, carrying a hint of lazy temptation. "After all the traveling, venturing into dangerous lands, and living in fear, we can finally settle down now, Marquis Li..."

She suddenly changed her form of address, her eyes shimmering as she looked directly at Li Shengyuan. Her tone held a hint of coquettishness, as if seeking a reward, along with a bold hint.

"Should you... properly reward this Princess Consort, who has followed you all this way, offered counsel, and is now a 'great contributor'?"

She whispered those last few words almost against Li Shengyuan's ear, her warm breath carrying her unique fragrance, instantly tugging at his heartstrings.

Looking at her vibrant red lips so close by, her eyes filled with charm and cunning, and her soft body pressed tightly against him, Li Shengyuan felt a sudden surge of heat rise and sweep through his entire body.

The tension, schemes, and fierce battles of the past days, combined with the complex emotions from his information-heavy and strangely ambiguous conversation with Long Qingcheng, seemed to find an outlet at this very moment.

His eyes suddenly darkened, churning with undisguised desire and burning affection.

"What the Princess Consort says... is absolutely right."

Li Shengyuan spoke in a low, husky voice, his arms suddenly tightening as he pulled the beauty in his arms even closer.

His other hand rose gently, lifting Pei Shuyun's delicate chin with an irresistible force.

"This Marquis... will 'reward' you properly right now."

Before his words could fade, he lowered his head and precisely captured those two slightly parted, irresistibly tempting red lips, kissing her deeply.

"Mmm..."

Pei Shuyun only had time to let out a short moan before all her breath was stolen by this aggressive and possessive kiss.

She stiffened slightly at first but then relaxed submissively, her slender arms wrapping around Li Shengyuan's neck as she responded passionately yet clumsily, completely surrendering herself.

Their lips and teeth intertwined, their breaths merging.

Inside the silent main pavilion of the Dragon Perching Garden, the temperature soared.

The moonlight outside seemed to shyly hide behind the clouds, leaving only a hazy glow that cast an ambiguous veil over the intertwined breaths and soft sounds within... Their clothes slipped off quietly at some point, tangling together on the carpet.

Li Shengyuan scooped up the beauty in his arms—who was already limp with passion, her eyes like silk—and strode toward the large, soft bed in the inner chamber.

The curtains swayed gently as the blankets billowed like red waves.

That night, the spring evening was all too brief, worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Outside, the lights of Holy Dragon City remained brilliant, guarding this Sky City suspended above the Nine Heavens and reflecting the charming warmth and delight filling that corner of the city...