What Kind of Empress Is This

"You mean to tell me that you spent a whole month, alone—no wait, not alone, with little Mingyue—traveling day and night from the Mo family, covering a huge distance, and then used some method I don't even know about, without caring what state I was in, to yank me straight out of the ruins, all because you missed me?"

Ye Shu stared wide-eyed, speaking in disbelief.

Wait, was this even human?

"My dear young lady, have you ever considered that maybe I was about to pick up some great treasure inside, or that I was protecting someone, and then you suddenly pull me out—wouldn't the treasure be gone? Wouldn't the person be left unprotected?"

This wasn't just scaremongering.

If Jiang Xin had arrived a bit earlier, pulling him out while he was in the middle of wreaking havoc, then Mu Xi would have been left alone to face all those enemies. The consequences would have been unthinkable.

Fortunately, there was no "if" in this world.

But realistically, how could that even happen?

As the master of the Nine Nether Relics, Jiang Xin knew everything that happened inside. How could any of the situations Ye Shu described possibly occur?

Yet, being scolded with such a sharp tone, Jiang Xin's big eyes had already begun to well up with tears, and her voice turned timid.

"Th-then... I missed you...”

"Ugh—"

Looking at Jiang Xin, who seemed pitiful and on the verge of bursting into tears at any second, Ye Shu felt a choke in his throat. His momentum vanished instantly.

All the words he wanted to say died in his mouth.

What could he even say?

Hmm?

Here was this silly, adorable, foolish girl who would look at you with those pitiful eyes at the slightest thing, who traveled thousands of miles just to see you, simply because she missed you—and she was afraid you'd be angry.

Not being completely overwhelmed with emotion would already be surprising. Should he scold her instead?

Ye Shu just thought it was too dangerous.

The outskirts of the ruins were full of experts. If his silly wife came running over like this, what if she ran into danger?

But looking at her pitiful expression, he couldn't really blame her.

"Forget it."

Ye Shu let out a helpless sigh. Since things had come to this, the best course was to comfort this cheap wife of his first.

He casually tossed Jiang Mingyue, who was in his arms, to the side, then stepped forward and gently pulled Jiang Xin into his embrace, patting her back with a soft voice: "Alright, you see me now, don't you? I'm right here."

To be honest, it would've been a lie to say he wasn't moved.

Who wouldn't want a girl whose heart and eyes were only for you, who'd travel thousands of miles just to see you, only to say she missed you?

"Wuwu..."

Snuggled in his arms, Jiang Xin felt even more aggrieved.

After all, as the Nine Nether Empress, she was supposed to maintain her pride and aloofness. And honestly, she hadn't even missed him!

It was just that saying she was looking for an antidote was too embarrassing.

So she'd changed her story.

But the moment she leaned against this man's chest, the sourness in her heart was about to overflow, and she couldn't hold back her complaints anymore.

"You big jerk, bullying me is one thing,"

"B-but I ran all this way, risking so much danger to find you, and you still scold me... I hate you the most... Hmph..."

"..."

Looking at the sobbing, hiccuping little crybaby in his arms, Ye Shu stared at her face and suddenly seemed to remember something. He pulled out a radiant, multi-colored crown from his chest and gently placed it on Jiang Xin's head, whispering softly.

"Don't lower your head, or the crown will fall."

"Don't cry, or the petty people will laugh."

It was the Nine Nether Soul Crown he'd swiped from the Nine Nether Celestial Palace.

Hearing this, Jiang Xin froze.

She reached out with both hands, gently touching the crown's rim with her fingers, her beautiful eyes trembling, hardly believing it.

"Th-this... isn't this my crown?"

"Where did you find it?"

"Your crown?"

Ye Shu was momentarily stunned, confused. "What do you mean, your crown?"

"Well, of course, because I am the Nine Nether Empress," Jiang Xin said matter-of-factly.

Ye Shu: "?"

He'd guessed that Jiang Xin might have some connection to the Nine Nether Empress, but he'd never imagined that this pitiful-looking girl, prone to tears at the drop of a hat, could be the Empress herself.

Don't make him laugh.

Saying Jiang Xin was a reincarnation of the Nine Nether Empress was less believable than saying Jiang Mingyue was one.

So how was he supposed to believe this?

But at this point, arguing over it was pointless.

Ye Shu snapped back to his senses and waved his hand dismissively: "Nothing much. While exploring the Nine Nether Celestial Palace, I saw a crown in the treasury and thought it'd look good on your head, so I grabbed it on a whim."

"You..."

Jiang Xin looked at the crown again and again, tears brimming in her eyes.

Though Ye Shu said it so casually, she knew that the most dangerous thing in that treasury was this very crown. The formations around it were all set up by her at her peak. To get it, there was no way it didn't cost a great price.

But this heartless man actually... actually...

Actually went through so much risk just because he thought it would look pretty on her?

"You... you..."

Jiang Xin bit her lower lip tightly, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly, overwhelmed with emotion, tears falling in large droplets.

"Isn't it just a crown? Why are you this worked up?" Ye Shu held her back, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"It matters, it matters a lot!"

Jiang Xin muttered in a muffled voice: "This is the last treasure my father left me."

"Thank you, really."

Hearing this, Ye Shu was momentarily taken aback. He truly hadn't expected the crown to mean so much to Jiang Xin—it was a happy accident.

But since she was happy, so was he.

"Anyway, I'm glad you like it."

The two held each other for a while, until the sun began to set and the daylight slowly dimmed. Jiang Xin suddenly covered one side of her face, her brows furrowed tightly, her expression pained.

"Hiss... it's coming again, it h-hurts so much..."

Seeing this, Ye Shu was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"What else could it be?"

Jiang Xin shot him a glare, annoyed. "The toxin's flaring up again."

Starting a few days ago, the closer the antidote deadline came, the more frequently the toxin flared up. It made the right side of her face go numb with pain. She wished she could just pass out. Even at night, she couldn't sleep.

"Toxin? You've been poisoned?"

Hearing this, Ye Shu was alarmed.

Had she been attacked on the way here, and some residual poison was left behind?

He quickly crouched down, letting Jiang Xin lie more comfortably, then probed her body with his spiritual energy. But to his astonishment, he found... nothing.

"There's no toxin in your body at all!" Ye Shu frowned deeply.

But seeing Jiang Xin's pained expression, which didn't seem fake, left him completely confused.

Was there some poison in this world that even a half-immortal couldn't detect?

"There isn't! It's the one you gave me!"

At this point, Jiang Xin stopped hiding anything.

"I... I took all the antidote pills you gave me..." She covered her face, her voice both aggrieved and guilty, like a kid who'd been caught sneaking snacks by her parents.

Ye Shu: "............"

So after all that, this "tigress" really did finish off the antidote.

What kind of empress was she supposed to be?

He was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Have you considered the possibility that I never poisoned you in the first place?"

"Impossible!"

Jiang Xin's eyes went wide as she snapped, "Then what's happening to me right now, ugh—"

The sharp pain made her suck in a cold breath, and tears almost spilled from her eyes.

She had never hurt this much in her entire life!

She truly hated this guy to the core.

"..."

Without a word, Ye Shu reached out, forced her mouth open with his fingers, and examined it closely for a moment before letting go.

"Based on my professional experience,"

"Miss, you most likely have a cavity."