Just as Ye Chen was looking at the enormous world map and thinking about the empire's future development.
In outer space above Blue Star.
A Zhui's figure appeared silently. A hundred years had passed, and she had returned to check on the development of Blue Star's civilization.
Looking at the blue planet before her, A Zhui thought of the man in her memories. I wonder how that guy's doing now. He probably hasn't died, has he?
Though the unknown type of gene in his body might only be geared toward extending his lifespan, rather than combat.
A hundred years ago, after discovering that Ye Chen's lifespan had surpassed the limits of an ordinary human, A Zhui had assumed that he might have a Super Gene from the old Shenhe Civilization, one that had drifted through the universe before being activated by chance.
This wasn't the first time A Zhui had seen a case like this.
After all, before the Shenhe Civilization fell, it had been at its peak, with influence spanning the entire Known Universe. The number of mass-produced Super Genes it created during that time was probably impossible to count.
After the Shenhe Civilization fell, many weak genes—some without even a name—drifted through the universe. It was perfectly normal for a lucky person to accidentally activate a gene hidden in their body.
Qilin was one example. She had a mass-produced Super Gene created by the Shenhe Civilization in her body.
Blue Star, Yanhuang Empire, Xuanhuang City, Imperial Palace.
A Zhui appeared above the palace. The night shrouded her figure in darkness.
Hovering in the air, A Zhui peered through the walls of Qiankun Hall and saw Ye Chen inside. He wore a fitted black Star Robe, his hands clasped behind his back as he studied the enormous world map before him.
"Heh, after a hundred years, this young man's grown even steadier. He's a mature Emperor now."
A Zhui had complicated feelings about the man who had suddenly barged into her simple life.
She might have been several thousand years old, but angels had incredibly long lifespans. And as a Battle Angel, her life for thousands of years had consisted of either accepting missions or carrying them out.
Her life had been so simple that she could see its end at a glance.
When she first realized that Ye Chen had not only kissed her and stolen her first kiss, but had also cuddled her like a hot-water bottle and slept with her for an entire night, A Zhui had truly wanted to cut him down with her sword.
But in the end, her heart softened. Besides, the angelic justice she had been taught would not allow her to casually kill an ordinary human.
At first, she had thought that human lives were too short, that they withered away after a mere hundred years. Perhaps, by the next century, Ye Chen would have died of old age, and become no more than a brief passerby in her long life.
But to her surprise, when she returned to Blue Star a hundred years later, she found that Ye Chen was not only still alive, but had built a vast empire from nothing, with his own two hands.
When she learned of this, a trace of curiosity stirred in A Zhui's heart.
That tiny spark of curiosity made ripples in the lake of her heart, which had long been calm.
Hovering in the air, A Zhui looked at Ye Chen inside Qiankun Hall, and a feeling of joy rose within her—one she hadn't even noticed herself.
"A Zhui, I knew you were hiding something from me! So you rushed all the way to the Chiwu Star System to see your young boyfriend, huh?"
A teasing voice suddenly rang in her ear. A Zhui, who had been staring at Ye Chen in a daze, jumped in surprise, and her face flushed.
Turning around, she saw a beautiful angel with a mischievous smile and another with a composed air.
They were Angel Yan and Angel Mo Yi, who had secretly followed A Zhui here.
Some time ago, Angel Yan had noticed that A Zhui was acting strangely. She seemed unusually interested in this otherwise ordinary Chiwu Star System.
Curiosity stirred in Angel Yan, so she brought Mo Yi along and secretly followed A Zhui here.
Then they saw that after reaching this blue planet, A Zhui hadn't done her usual scan of Blue Star's Dark Data from space. Instead, she had headed straight for the skies above a country on the planet.
At that point, Angel Yan knew exactly why A Zhui had rushed here: it was for someone.
Seeing Angel Yan's mischievous grin, A Zhui's face reddened, as if she'd been caught doing something naughty by her parents.
"Sister Yan, don't say things like that. I... I just came to check on the development of civilization in the Chiwu Star System, to make sure no demonic forces had infiltrated it."
"Oh, is that so? Hahaha! A Zhui, has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar? Your face is so red right now.
"Come on, stop hiding it. Tell me what's going on. I don't believe some ordinary man from an ordinary planet could make you care about him this much."
As she spoke, Angel Yan went over to A Zhui, looking thoroughly intrigued.
Angel Mo Yi beside her also stared at A Zhui with wide, sparkling eyes.
Under the curious gazes of her two close friends, A Zhui wanted the ground to swallow her up. This was so embarrassing.
She couldn't exactly tell them that an ordinary man had forced a kiss on her—and then cuddled her like a hot-water bottle and slept beside her all night.
"Sister Yan, I really did just come to check on things and see how civilization here has developed. I didn't have any other reason."
Seeing A Zhui like this, Angel Yan shook her head with an amused smile.
Then she activated her eye scan and began reviewing Blue Star's Dark Data from the past few centuries.
A Zhui opened her mouth as if to stop her, but then thought better of it. Wouldn't that just make her look even more suspicious?
"Tsk, this mortal Emperor's something else. He stole my A Zhui's first kiss, and he even stole her heart. Would you call that love at first kiss? Heh."
[For the purposes of this setting, the system has filled in Ye Chen's complete Dark Data. In other people's eyes, Ye Chen is a native of Blue Star.]
After looking at the Dark Data from two hundred years earlier, Angel Yan couldn't help but marvel.
She couldn't help thinking that it really was fate: A Zhui had happened to find Ye Chen after an unknown attack knocked her unconscious.
Then, in a daze, he'd cuddled her like a hot-water bottle and slept with her for an entire night, before going on to steal her first kiss. He had left a deep mark on her otherwise uneventful life.
If he really had been just an ordinary mortal, that would have been one thing. His life would have lasted barely a hundred years, and after Ye Chen died, the mark he'd left on A Zhui's heart would gradually fade.
But Ye Chen wasn't just capable of surviving. He was also full of energy, and had managed to build a vast empire.
That only deepened the mark he had left on A Zhui's heart.
He had succeeded in sparking her curiosity, and little by little, she had fallen for him.
Before you continue