275: Both are very good

Of course, Tu Nan immediately had no time to care about any of this.

This birth process was truly arduous and long.

[System... am I going to die here? You said I could only have three births?]

So this is what it feels like to be in near-death pain?

It turned out that the pain from the previous two times hadn't reached the extreme; Tu Nan felt she was about to lose all capacity for thought.

Tu Nan was practically torn apart by the pain, her mind a blank slate.

[Hold on! I supplemented your genes!] The System's voice was cracking, [Don't give up, hold on even for my sake!]

Just as she was about to curse, she suddenly realized someone was firmly gripping her hand—The Emperor.

Forcing her eyes open, she saw The Emperor's unwavering gaze.

"It hurts so much." His pupils were slightly dilated, and he looked somewhat dazed.

"You..."

Tu Nan guessed what was happening.

The Emperor snapped back to reality. He slowly looked at Tu Nan and pouted slightly.

"It's actually this painful..."

He complained, his hand gripping Tu Nan's trembling slightly, yet he held her tightly without any sign of letting go.

"Feeling better now?" He managed an awkward smile, not forgetting to boast, "I didn't know Empathy could be used this way; it's my first time trying it."

He was sharing Tu Nan's pain.

Tu Nan hadn't expected him to do this.

"What are you looking at?" His expression changed when Tu Nan stared at him, and he said fiercely, "I'm only taking the pain for my Children; I don't care about hers."

Then, the cold sweat on his forehead became more profuse, while the pain in Tu Nan's body grew lighter.

Speaking against his heart.

Tu Nan squeezed his hand back, finally understanding why Your Majesty had long believed he was unfit to rule but still couldn't bear to give him up.

He hadn't done anything wrong; his good and evil were both in a state of Chaos, merely lacking guidance.

Your Majesty was waiting for the moment he would step across the Critical Point, but he never reached it.

Perhaps Tu Nan could.

"You can't calculate it that way," Tu Nan told him. "You bore half the pain for both Children, because my love for them is identical."

"I must bear the same share of pain for them, and so must you."

"They are twins; neither of them will be treated differently, right?"

The Emperor didn't know if he caught the meaning of her advice; he pursed his lips and remained silent.

"You will love these Two Children, regardless of their genes, Talent, or color." Tu Nan asked him softly, "Let them both have complete love, and let them choose their future path according to their own will. What do you say?"

Tu Nan kept staring at him, which was why she didn't miss his almost imperceptible movement.

This person nodded very slightly.

After a long while, though he was weak from the pain, he revealed a pure smile.

Perhaps his mother had once loved him this way—The Emperor was willing to believe it.

The Children were born just like that.

This time, the System settled the score very quickly; if someone hadn't intervened, It would have nearly worried Itself to death.

[Collected Mutated Gene: Ancient Azure Dragon (Divine-Grade)

Collected Mutated Gene: Ancient White Dragon (Divine-Grade)

Can supplement host gene chain: 15% + 20%]

It was very simple, much less than the previous rewards.

Tu Nan looked at the Two Children placed safely beside her, took a breath, and immediately asked the System.

[Where's the reward? Did you swallow it? And what does 'can supplement' mean? Are you not supplementing it?]

The System cried out that It had been wronged.

[Huh? Didn't you complain that the rewards I gave were useless and insisted on choosing yourself?]

[...I guess so. So what can I choose?] Tu Nan asked It.

[They are all related to gene improvement,] the System told her directly, fearing she thought she could instantly become overwhelmingly powerful. [It's just adjustment and strengthening; it's not like you can turn from a cat into a dog.]

That wasn't necessary, but while she chatted with the System for a long time, The Emperor finally finished looking at the infants and shifted his attention.

"What is It muttering about? Is It ever going to finish?"

He was very dissatisfied. "No matter how urgent it is, you should rest first. Hounding you, hounding you—the Children are so small, they can't possibly go there to work."

"How outrageous! The Bugs have been causing trouble for so long anyway, what's the harm in delaying a bit longer?" He poked the Children's faces repeatedly, clearly reluctant to leave.

"They're so small, how can they travel on a starship? And warp jump... ah, and then leave the ship. That's not good, is it? Will it affect their development?"

In short, he was ten thousand times unwilling.

Tu Nan didn't interrupt his worries at this moment. Love was born this way: he suffered pain for the Children, worried about them, and then accompanied them.

Since he had concerns in this world, he wouldn't bear to see it turn bad.

That's wonderful... Tu Nan turned her head to look at Your Majesty, who was quiet on the side.

Did he foresee all of this long ago?

But Your Majesty... how could you bear to abandon everything you loved in this world?

She gently exhaled the melancholy in her heart.

***

Kong Jiamu brought Little Bird to see Tu Nan the next day.

"Mei-mei~"

Little Bird could already say simple words effortlessly, but to resist Miao Miao's Rote Learning Methods, he often deliberately played dumb.

Peacock also saw the two infants, the future heirs of the Empire.

"They're quite... cute," he praised stiffly.

The Emperor snorted coldly, highly dissatisfied.

"The cutest," he corrected.

Peacock didn't agree. He rubbed his chin on Little Bird's fluffy hair, unable to say that The Emperor's Children weren't cute, so he could only say:

"They're about the same as this silly boy, both good."

The Emperor was furious!

Little Bird, however, foolishly disagreed with his father's opinion.

"No! Mei-mei, the cutest."

The childish war between the adults instantly ceased. Tu Nan burst out laughing and waved to Little Bird.

"Come here, let Mommy kiss good Little Bird. Don't worry, all of you are the cutest. Mommy loved you earlier, so for the sake of fairness, I need to spend a little extra time with your sisters, right?"

Little Bird nodded generously. "It's okay! You can do that!"

He was generally a broad-minded Child, except when dealing with his own father.

Sure enough, he immediately started complaining.

"Stinky Bird wants to steal me!" He squinted at his father.

? Kong Jiamu bumped him with his head. "Have some conscience! Didn't you tell Little Fish that I wouldn't come to pick you up? Now that I'm here, you're complaining again?"

Hain told him to quickly take Little Bird away from the Capital City for the Children's safety.

If it weren't for Your Majesty's Secret Order, he would have come sooner.

Tu Nan looked at Kong Jiamu and understood everything.

"You know," she stated affirmatively.

Peacock nodded; he was very calm.

So calm that Tu Nan felt it wasn't like him.

Kong Jiamu probably knew what she was thinking. He glanced at Your Majesty on one side, and The Emperor sitting beside her.

Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and showed a carefree smile.

"Don't think too much, Empress Your Majesty. You have plenty of things to worry about. As for me... I was never proper anyway, and thinking about it, being free and easy by myself isn't bad either?"

"Besides, now I have this little guy to keep me company."

"I'll take him away temporarily. When the time comes, call me."

"I'm leaving."

He held the Child, waved his other hand casually, and turned to walk out.

"Stinky Bird, your eyes are peeing!" Little Bird exclaimed.

Kong Jiamu's shoulders and back visibly stiffened, and then—he instantly ran out of sight.

This style was truly Peacock-like.

Tu Nan's eyes held warmth.