Brave Jiang Che, Fearless in the Face of Difficulties

Seeing Jiang Che's half-smiling expression, Jia Mengluo understood.

The damnable human's implication was clear enough—his treasures were only for his own women.

[What a greedy, insatiable human! Having Ling'er isn't enough... now he dares to set his sights on me?]

[Even if my bloodline withers and my lifespan runs dry, I’ll never submit to his whims!!!]

The Jia Lan Empress cursed Jiang Che vehemently in her heart.

Ever since he had used Ling'er’s life to extort a kiss from her, she had known this human harbored no good intentions. If her daughter stayed with him... Wait, no—if he truly were a scoundrel, why would he have given Ling'er the Mermaid’s Tear???

Jia Mengluo’s thoughts were in complete disarray.

She was an empress who had lived for over seventy thousand years—she had seen all kinds of people, yet she couldn’t decipher Jiang Che’s intentions.

A libertine at heart, yet he treated his women well—though at times, he was utterly wicked.

[No... Could his target have been me from the start? Using the Mermaid’s Tear as bait to lure me into submitting to him?]

But that made no sense. The Mermaid’s Tear was far too precious... Wouldn’t using it as bait be a waste?

Wait, no—how could giving it to her daughter be called a waste?

"Heh, be good, Ling'er. Step out of the dream for a moment. I need to talk with Her Majesty."

Jiang Che patted Jia Ling'er’s shoulder. The girl nodded obediently and vanished from the scene.

...

The moment Ling'er disappeared, Jiang Che slowly turned, a playful smile directed at the empress.

"Your Majesty, Ling'er’s gone now. Shall we have a little chat?"

Jia Mengluo narrowed her eyes, her killing intent so thick it was almost tangible. This insolent wretch!!!

If not for the protection of the Heavenly Dao, she could crush him with a single finger.

"Th... Thank you for helping Ling'er."

Despite the storm of emotions and fury inside her, she forced herself to grit out her gratitude.

Ling'er was clearly head over heels for him now. If she provoked Jiang Che and he took it out on Ling'er, that was the last thing she wanted.

"Heh, no need for thanks. Ling'er is my woman. We plan to have children someday. I possess dual immortal physiques... If Ling'er only has imperial blood, our child’s lineage would be inferior. To avoid tainting my immortal gifts, it’s only right to elevate her bloodline."

"After all, only immortal blood is worthy of my immortal physique!"

Jiang Che flashed a grin.

Jia Mengluo: "......"

His audacious reversal of roles left Jia Mengluo itching with irritation.

"Oh, by the way, esteemed Empress... I’ve been calling you ‘Your Majesty’ all this time. Might I know your name?" Jiang Che bowed slightly, the picture of gentlemanly grace.

"You’re not wo—Fine. This empress is named Mengluo. Jia Mengluo!" She crossed her arms.

"Got it, Mengmeng."

"You—!!!" The Jia Lan Empress nearly lost it. "Mengmeng" was a childhood nickname—no one but her parents had ever dared call her that!

"Human! You overstep your bounds!"

The empress’s rage sent fissures spiderwebbing through the dream realm. The heavens cracked, the earth trembled—yet Jiang Che remained unfazed.

"Come now, Mengmeng, no need for such temper. You can’t kill me anyway. Why not have a calm discussion?"

He casually sat cross-legged on the ground, realizing that being looked down upon by Jia Mengluo gave him a strangely thrilling sense of being scum.

"Change how you address me! Call me ‘Empress’ or ‘Jia Mengluo,’ but never ‘Mengmeng’!"

Watching her fume helplessly, Jiang Che burst out laughing.

What kind of Jia Lan Empress was this? Lived seventy or eighty thousand years?

Had she learned nothing in all that time? So easily flustered?

Probably some old maid with a fiery temper—any man who dared approach her in her youth must’ve been obliterated.

No wonder she had zero experience with romance!

The more he thought about it, the likelier it seemed.

After all, Jiang Che had been killed by her thousands of times already.

Anyone else would’ve been long buried under a forest of weeds.

After millennia of existence, she should’ve seen through everything—detached like the Supreme Forgetfulness Immortal, beyond worldly attachments.

"Mengmeng, you must’ve sensed it too, right? After Ling'er used that Mermaid’s Tear, her bloodline was completely rewritten. She no longer shares a drop of your blood... at least not by lineage."

Jia Mengluo stayed silent.

Of course she’d noticed. If not for Ling'er calling her "Mother," she would’ve thought her daughter had been body-snatched.

"So, Mengmeng... Don’t you want your own bloodline to undergo a transformation? A full ancestral revival!!!"

Jiang Che was back to his old tricks.

Women? They fell for one of three things: wealth, looks, or emotions.

His three winning strategies.

Money? He had everything—even immortal-grade spirit stones. Want an immortal physique? He could provide! Whatever she lacked, he’d supply.

Looks? Was Jiang Che lacking in that department? Please—he was a certified heartthrob.

As for emotions? With his silver tongue, that was child’s play.

...

"Abandon this foolish notion. I have no interest in men," Jia Mengluo stated flatly.

"What? Mengmeng, you... prefer women???" Jiang Che’s eyes widened.

"You—You’re the one who prefers women!!!" She nearly choked.

"Of course I do! I love women!" He spread his hands innocently.

"......" Jia Mengluo was at her limit.

Somehow, she’d even started tolerating the overly intimate nickname "Mengmeng."

Mainly because there was nothing she could do about Jiang Che!

"As an empress, I’ve long since grown indifferent to worldly matters. Cultivation... emotions... I let them pass as they will."

Jiang Che almost laughed. Oh, so now she’s the picture of serenity? Who was the one trembling with excitement at the mention of the Mermaid’s Tear earlier?

This empress... definitely hadn’t let go of her obsession with bloodline purity.

"Mengmeng, you say you’ve grown indifferent... but have you truly let go of everything? I doubt it."

He stepped closer, a smirk playing on his lips.

Until barely half a meter separated them.

"Take one more step, and I’ll give you another taste of death," Jia Mengluo warned, her gaze icy.

Hah. Like threats scared him?

Brave Jiang Che feared no hardship!

He took that step—and wrapped an arm around the empress’s waist.

Boom!

Jiang Che—deceased.