The Empress Who Cracked Melon Seeds

What met Murong's eyes was a large red bed, with nine red curtains hanging directly above it, propped open to the sides, encircling the large red bed.

"Did you design this meticulously?" Murong asked with a slight smile.

Zhou Hao scratched his head sheepishly and replied with a laugh, "It was hard enough to get a bed, so I thought I'd decorate it a bit to give it a newlywed feel, since we're practically newlyweds anyway."

He had asked Ma Hongyun for these red cloths, and it had taken quite some time!

Murong felt a touch of emotion and said with a gentle smile, "Then let's keep it like this for now. We'll do it next time."

She thought for a moment and then added, "Hmm... if you want to do it now, that's fine too. I'm willing."

"I'm not willing," Zhou Hao retorted, rolling his eyes. He knew that if he started something like this, he'd have to deal with the consequences later.

Murong chuckled, covering her mouth, and teased, "If you're feeling weak, you can take that [Foundation Strengthening Pill]."

"Do I look like someone who gets weak?" Zhou Hao pouted, then changed the subject, "Where are your books?"

Amused by his expression, Murong waved her sleeve, and twenty-three books appeared above the large red bed.

"They cover alchemy, artifact forging, humanities, geography, and more."

Zhou Hao walked over and picked up the topmost book, titled "A Blind Man's Travels."

He frowned at the title and asked, "What's this book about?"

Murong also walked over, picked up a book, and casually flipped it open. She explained, "That book is an autobiography, a record of a congenitally blind man's journey through the universe. He visited many places and conducted thorough explorations of local cultures, so it should be very helpful for you to understand the outside world."

Zhou Hao nodded, glanced at the author's introduction on the preface page, and murmured softly, "Wang Lei? God Lord cultivation, known as one of the strongest God Lords in history, ranked tenth on the historical God Lord rankings."

He looked up at Murong, surprised, "This is quite a background! But is it really okay to brag so much about yourself in an autobiography?"

Murong turned a page and replied casually, "The introduction was added by someone else. Wang Lei does have that kind of strength, but God Lord is still a bit too weak."

Zhou Hao's mouth twitched. God Lord was weak? God Lords were stronger than Mu Jinyin.

Murong saw his expression and chuckled, "God Lords are really nothing. You'll reach that level too, it's just a matter of time."

Zhou Hao nodded slightly, full of confidence, "With my talent, reaching God Lord will naturally be a piece of cake."

"Are you getting arrogant?" Murong suddenly closed the book and stared at Zhou Hao, asking.

Zhou Hao was taken aback by her tone and asked, confused, "What's wrong?"

Did he not have the right to be arrogant?

"Bang~"

Murong unexpectedly flicked his forehead hard, "Confidence is fine, but arrogance is not. Humility leads to progress, understand?"

Zhou Hao rubbed his forehead speechlessly and pouted, "I was just saying it, did you have to hit me?"

Murong rolled her eyes slightly, "You're radiating arrogance from head to toe, do you think I'm blind?"

"Hehe~" Zhou Hao sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Honestly, he did feel a bit arrogant, mainly because everything had come so easily.

Murong walked to the window, opened it, and looked out at the scenery. "For cultivators, the heart is very important. You're a bit restless now. After you've experienced more and settled down, you'll realize that no matter who it is, no matter how talented, the path of cultivation is arduous.

Talent merely gives you a chance to climb a peak, but a peak with no visible end has different challenges at every stage. One wrong step could lead to an abyss.

Therefore, cultivators need to constantly examine their hearts, maintain a calm mind, and ensure the ground beneath their feet is solid, not be deluded by what they currently possess."

Zhou Hao fell silent for a moment after hearing this. Murong's words had an impact on him, especially the last sentence, which felt like it was directed right at him.

In truth, he also felt he was becoming a bit restless.

He looked up at Murong sincerely, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your guidance. I've benefited greatly."

Murong nodded with satisfaction and waved her hand, "In short, read more books and settle yourself down. Your cultivation journey has just begun, stay steady."

Zhou Hao gave a wry smile, "Understood."

Murong's serious expression instantly turned into a smile as she changed the subject, asking, "Where are you now?"

Zhou Hao looked at her changing expression and thought with a wry smile, Truly an Emperor, so capricious. This change of expression is too classic.

He walked to the window and looked down at the activities of the villagers. "This is a mountain stronghold. I'm staying here for now, planning to understand the situation before I leave."

"What's this plane called?" Murong asked calmly.

Zhou Hao immediately replied, "Sky Dome Continent."

"Sky Dome Continent?" Murong murmured, then nodded slightly.

Zhou Hao grabbed a handful of something and offered it to Murong, asking, "Do you want some?"

He had gotten these from Ye Zi. These sunflower seeds were made by them themselves, and they tasted quite good.

Murong glanced at him, her gaze dropping to his hand. She reached out her jade-like hand and took a small portion, asking, "What is this?"

She had never eaten anything with such low energy before.

"Sunflower seeds. The people in this stronghold grow and eat them themselves," Zhou Hao explained.

The Shilpo Mountain Stronghold, having lived too comfortably, had many people who maintained the habit of farming, living self-sufficiently. After all, the one thing they didn't lack here was land.

Murong nodded gently, glanced at Zhou Hao, imitated him by cracking one open, and tasted it. She nodded slightly, "The taste is alright."

"Pfft~" Zhou Hao couldn't help but laugh at her cracking sunflower seeds. The thought of an Empress sitting by the window cracking sunflower seeds struck him as wonderfully amusing.

Murong continued to crack sunflower seeds, looking at Zhou Hao with a puzzled expression. "What's up?"

Zhou Hao smiled and waved his hand. "Nothing, I just think you're cute."

The moment she heard the word "cute," Murong's icy demeanor instantly appeared.

Zhou Hao immediately shut his mouth and said with a sheepish grin, "Don't get worked up, don't get worked up."

Ever since the "contrast moe" incident last time, he knew Murong was extremely sensitive to the word "cute." So, he often couldn't resist teasing her. Although he was always trembling with fear, it was just too much fun.

Yes, alas~ he was just playing~

"Hmph~" Murong snorted, raising her fist as a warning. "If you call me cute again, I'll smash you."

Zhou Hao nodded with a sheepish grin. "Understood, won't happen again."

He said that, but he actually found Murong's current reaction quite cute.

Of course, he wouldn't say it out loud and court disaster. Now that Murong had issued a warning, if he did it again, he might actually get a good beating.

"You better mean it." Murong spoke, but the sunflower seed she was about to crack paused halfway to her mouth. After a moment's hesitation, she cracked it anyway.

How could cracking sunflower seeds be cute? What nonsense.

Thinking this, she shot Zhou Hao another glare.

Zhou Hao just laughed it off, maintaining his fawning smile.

When Murong ran out of seeds in her hand, she naturally reached over and grabbed a handful from Zhou Hao's, continuing to crack them.

To be honest, it wasn't that they were particularly delicious, but the more she cracked them, the more addictive they became.

Seeing that there weren't many left, Zhou Hao grabbed another handful from his Storage Ring. He had plenty of seeds; he could crack them until the end of time without any issue.