Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Actually, whatever the East Sea Dragon Palace was planning had nothing to do with Xu Ming.

No matter what kind of schemes the East Sea had, Xu Ming could simply stand by and watch.

At the end of the day, he was merely an envoy—sent to the North Sea for diplomatic purposes, to establish ties with the Wu Kingdom.

As for any other troubles the North Sea might face, what did that have to do with him?

So what Xu Ming was really thinking was whether he could use this situation to gain some support from the Dragon Empress.

Of course, he couldn’t just say to the Dragon Empress, “I discovered that the East Sea might be plotting something. Unless you agree to help me obtain the Linglong Pearl, I won’t tell you what it is.”

If he said something like that, it would be equivalent to blackmailing the Dragon Empress.

Someone of her status and power would never allow herself to be threatened. If he tried, their relationship would only deteriorate.

In fact, saying something like that was practically asking for death.

Moreover, someone like the Dragon Empress was bound to have immense confidence—so much so that it bordered on arrogance.

Even if he tried to threaten her, she wouldn’t accept it. She would simply believe she could handle everything on her own, perhaps even choosing to wait for the situation to unfold before crushing it with sheer strength.

To those with absolute power, all schemes and conspiracies were nothing more than fleeting illusions.

This was the mindset of all true powerhouses.

The stronger a person was, the more they believed that their strength alone could resolve anything.

But that was exactly what their enemies might exploit—this blind confidence of the Dragon Empress—leading to consequences beyond her expectations.

So instead of playing games, Xu Ming would simply tell her what he had seen.

If the Dragon Empress found his information valuable, then she would naturally repay him for it.

Because for someone of her stature—unless she was utterly shameless—she would definitely not like owing anyone a favor, let alone someone as junior as Xu Ming.

And just as Xu Ming finished speaking, the curtains were drawn back, and the Dragon Empress drifted over.

She was still dressed in that same thin, revealing nightgown.

Every time Xu Ming saw her like this, he felt an uncontrollable fire burning in his gut.

If not for his spiritual power forcefully suppressing it, he might have already lost control.

The Dragon Empress floated to him, her pair of deep blue eyes blinking as she gazed at him.

“Speak. What is it?”

“Your Majesty, today when I visited Coral Sea, I saw a strange phenomenon over a certain fish lake—an aura of literary energy so dense it had become tangible, forming droplets of ink that fell into the lake. The East Sea Crown Prince was there, chanting some sort of incantation, weaving strands of energy into intricate patterns…”

Xu Ming relayed everything he had witnessed in precise detail.

The Dragon Empress listened quietly, blinking but showing little reaction. Her expression was so calm it seemed as if none of it mattered to her in the slightest.

Seeing this, Xu Ming sighed inwardly.

It seemed that, to the Dragon Empress, this information was indeed insignificant.

Or perhaps, she already knew about it.

“Interesting,” she said with a nod. Then, she clapped her fair, delicate hands together.

In the next instant, two masked women appeared before her, kneeling on one knee.

Xu Ming hadn’t even noticed their presence.

“You two, go investigate what the East Sea people are up to. If necessary… kill them.”

Her voice carried an undeniable authority, making Xu Ming break into a cold sweat.

Wait—what did she just say?

If necessary… kill them?

That was the Crown Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace she was talking about.

And she spoke of killing him as if it were nothing.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The two masked women responded with a single word before vanishing from Xu Ming’s sight.

The Dragon Empress looked at Xu Ming and spoke slowly, “Don’t worry. They only appear when I summon them. As for everything that happens here, everything we discuss—besides you and me, no third person will ever know.”

“As for those people from the East Sea… if they die, they die. The East Sea doesn’t have just one prince. If I kill him, I can simply support another one in secret. When the time comes, I’ll offer some explanation to that old man. What, do you really think he would risk everything just to go against me?”

Xu Ming cupped his hands in a respectful bow. “Your Majesty’s wisdom is beyond my comprehension.”

He noticed something—the Dragon Empress was no longer referring to herself as ‘Zhen’ (the imperial pronoun for an emperor) but was instead using ‘I’.

That subtle change meant she was lowering herself slightly in front of him.

But why?

Xu Ming couldn’t understand why her attitude toward him had shifted so dramatically in such a short time.

Could it be…

No way. That would be impossible.

“Your Majesty, I have a question. May I ask?” Xu Ming said.

The Dragon Empress nodded. “Go ahead.”

Xu Ming locked eyes with her, staring directly into her deep blue, slit-pupiled gaze.

“May I ask, Your Majesty… did something unusual happen with the stone I tested earlier?”

Silence filled the imperial chamber.

This question was practically the same as asking, ‘Am I your long-lost lover?’—just in a more indirect way.

After a long pause, the Dragon Empress finally met his gaze and said, “You’re overthinking it.”

Xu Ming: “…”

“What’s wrong? A little disappointed?”

The Dragon Empress sat down, her legs crossing over one another. The slit in her gown slid across her thigh, revealing flawless, snow-white skin.

“Not at all. It’s just that Your Majesty has been treating me too kindly, and I can’t seem to find a reason why,” Xu Ming replied honestly.

“I simply appreciate you, that’s all.” The Dragon Empress poured herself a cup of tea. “You visited that old turtle’s residence?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“That turtle should have asked to seek an audience with Beihai (North Sea).” She poured a second cup of tea, tapping the table lightly.

Xu Ming stepped forward and sat across from her.

“A word of advice.” The Dragon Empress rested her chin on her hand, looking straight at him. “Don’t agree to anything he asks of you. Just stay by my side obediently.”