The Empress Returns

Zhou Hao had been cultivating nonstop for the past two days, striving to reach the Spiritual Consciousness Realm so he could get out.

At this moment, he was deeply immersed in cultivation, unable to extricate himself, when suddenly he sensed something and opened his eyes—only to immediately see the aloof and stunning Murong frowning as she scrutinized him.

"Ah..."

Zhou Hao frantically covered his private parts and scrambled away from Murong like he was fleeing.

"Old hag, you..."

"Slap~"

She struck him across the face from a distance, her voice icy. "Rude. Address me as Your Majesty."

"You damn old hag, how dare you hit..."

Zhou Hao was furious, but the next moment, another "slap" rang out, and his left cheek was smacked, perfectly symmetrical with the right.

"Now do you know what to call me?" Murong looked down at him from on high, asking slowly.

Zhou Hao gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, "Just wait until I get a chance—I'll make you pay."

That was what he thought, but with his current lack of strength, he could only swallow his pride and bide his time.

After sorting out his thoughts, Zhou Hao obediently called out, "Your Majesty."

"Mm." Murong nodded in satisfaction, then wrinkled her nose in disgust and asked, "Why are you so stinky? Go take a bath first."

Zhou Hao's mouth twitched, and he pouted. "Where's the water around here?"

It wasn't like he liked being this way!

Murong's slender finger lightly tapped, and a stream of water poured down over Zhou Hao's head.

Zhou Hao immediately shivered, his teeth chattering. "Th-this is... way too c-cold, isn't it?"

The moment the icy water touched his body, he was frozen stiff, unable to run even if he wanted to.

A flicker of embarrassment finally crossed Murong's expressionless face, but it vanished in an instant, and she said nothing—though she quietly adjusted the temperature of the ice water.

Feeling the change, Zhou Hao's trembling body gradually relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

He thought he was going to freeze to death!

Murong waved her hand, and a grand, imposing Ice Chair appeared. She sat down on it, staring straight at Zhou Hao.

To be honest, Zhou Hao felt incredibly uncomfortable under her gaze. Having a woman watch him bathe was an indescribable experience, and the most awkward part was that he actually got a reaction.

He quickly turned around, presenting his backside to Murong—too damn embarrassing.

Murong, however, showed no reaction and urged him, "Hurry up. I don't have much time."

Zhou Hao secretly rolled his eyes, then turned back with a smile. "If you're in a rush, we could shower together! Take care of what needs to be done at the same time—no time wasted."

Murong raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of her mouth curling up. "I wouldn't mind, but I'm used to bathing in ice water at that temperature just now. If you can handle it, I'm happy to oblige."

"Uh..." The smile on Zhou Hao's face instantly froze. He opened his mouth and choked out a cowardly reply.

"I... I was just joking. I'll be done washing soon—won't keep you waiting."

Damn, that sounded like I'm some kind of gigolo. Even Zhou Hao looked down on himself as he said it.

Murong gave a slight nod, her red lips parting. "Your talent is decent. You've already stepped into the cultivation realm in just three days."

She had no idea what realm Zhou Hao was in now, because she hadn't bothered to learn much about low-level cultivation stages. Anything below the Divine Realm was no different from an ordinary person in her eyes.

Zhou Hao gave an awkward laugh, thinking, "Should I give that old man's ring to this old hag or not?"

No way, he decided—he'd keep the Ring of Holding for himself. She didn't know about it anyway.

Murong had no clue what he was thinking. She glanced around the surroundings, eyed the coffin in the middle, raised an eyebrow, and then turned her gaze back to Zhou Hao.

"No wonder you entered the cultivation ranks so quickly—you've obtained a legacy."

Zhou Hao's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his face calm. "Just a small legacy, nothing worth mentioning."

He didn't know how she'd figured it out, but lying definitely wasn't the best move. A vague, downplayed mention would do.

Given how arrogant this old hag was, she probably wouldn't care about a legacy like this anyway.

Sure enough, Murong showed no reaction to Zhou Hao's answer, her tone flat as she said, "To give you a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and a Fire-Phoenix Egg, this legacy is decent enough."

With that, she reached out and lightly beckoned, and the two eggs in the corner flew over to her.

"Just who is this old hag? She knows what kind of eggs they are with one look," Zhou Hao thought in astonishment.

The information Du Tianhong left behind had praised these two eggs to the skies, calling them ultimate divine beasts, but this old hag didn't seem to care at all.

That made Zhou Hao both curious and worried about Murong's identity—curious out of genuine interest, and worried that her status was too formidable, leaving him no chance to ever turn the tables.

Murong continued, "Next time I come, I'll bring you two fire crystals. They'll help you hatch these eggs faster."

Zhou Hao was momentarily stunned and blurted out, "You'd be that generous?"

Murong's gaze immediately cut toward him like a blade. "What did you say?"

"N-nothing... I was just trying to say thanks—thanks for your generosity." Zhou Hao waved his hands frantically, flustered.

Murong shot him a glance and said softly, "You are, after all, the father of my child. It's only right to give you some consideration."

These words left Zhou Hao stunned in place. His mouth fell open as he asked in shock, "You... you're pregnant?"

How could it be so fast? Only three days had passed since their first time.

"No." Murong shook her head, confident. "But... we will be."

"That's good." Zhou Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought he was some kind of stallion.

Murong watched his relieved expression, frowned in displeasure, and asked, "You don't want me to get pregnant?"

"No, no." Zhou Hao waved his hands repeatedly. "I do. To be honest, I really like kids too, but this kind of thing takes luck. If it doesn't take, there's no helping it."

That's what he said, but inside he was cursing: Screw that. I'd never have kids with you of all people!

Murong's icy gaze swept over Zhou Hao, making him feel uneasy, before she slowly asked, "Done with your bath?"

Zhou Hao nodded. "Done."

Would he dare say no? The look in Murong's eyes felt like she might beat him up at any moment.

Murong waved her sleeve, and the water vanished. Then she stood up, and the Throne of Ice disappeared with her. Next, the clothes on her body dissolved into specks of light, revealing her lithe form once more before Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao couldn't help swallowing. Even though he'd seen it last time, looking now felt even more thrilling than before. His heart pounded wildly.

He stared at Murong, dazed, and asked, "Can I move on my own this time?"

"You may." Murong's crisp voice came through, and the next moment she had already pounced onto Zhou Hao.

What followed was a steamy, indescribable affair...