On the rooftop.
Moonlight as if cleansing.
Beneath the night sky, all was still and serene.
Xie Daoyun stood on the edge of the rooftop, gazing distantly at the neon lights on the street.
Fang Yu, too, approached her at this moment.
"Speak."
This "speak" seemed a bit urgent. In reality, Fang Yu was preoccupied with Ye Wenjun in the room. Concealing a beauty in a golden house was enchanting, especially since she was barely dressed—a normal man would inevitably have her on his mind.
Hearing Fang Yu’s urging.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Xie Daoyun’s expression as she calmly said, "Your Majesty, do you dislike conversing with the Ice Woman?"
"What are you thinking about?" Fang Yu felt puzzled.
Looking into the distance.
Xie Daoyun sighed softly again and said, "I remember, the Dragon Emperor used to be a resolute and decisive man, towering and swift as thunder... Everyone who met him was touched by his charismatic personality, all who were defeated by him were subdued by his cultivation and strength... The Dragon Emperor was also the only person in the last thousand or so years who mastered the professions of Alchemist, Array Master, and Doctor simultaneously..."
Fang Yu was taken aback, silent.
Xie Daoyun continued:
"In those years, many barbarian tribes invaded Huaxia. All were defeated by the Dragon Emperor and thereafter submitted to Huaxia. In the Western Regions, the Dragon Emperor was heralded as the War God, in the Northern Desert he was revered as the Guardian God. In Taia, the Dragon Emperor was known as a teacher, a mentor; in Donglai, the Dragon Emperor was even called the Emperor, the future of his people."
"How glorious was the Dragon Emperor back then," Xie Daoyun remarked.
At this point in the conversation.
Fang Yu felt a bit puzzled; this phrasing sounded awkward—
"Speak plainly; I dislike beating around the bush."
"Yes!"
Xie Daoyun slowly turned around to face Fang Yu, the moonlight casting upon her.
Everything was pale, even her eyes seemed white.
The night could not obscure her radiance.
"After emerging from the Secret Realm, I was eager to find Your Majesty... After crossing mountains and rivers, I reached Yanjing... a city completely unfamiliar and strange to me. There, women wore scant clothing, men could hassle women at will... I thought, this isn’t a land governed by the Dragon Emperor... I disliked seeing such a city. Hence, I went to the Ye Family of Yanjing, and then came to Jiangzhou... Unexpectedly, Your Majesty went to Taia, even obtaining memory fragments... My question is—"
Her tone paused, "Have you truly forgotten the promise you once made to me?"
"A promise?" Fang Yu was taken aback.
Racking his entire brain, he could not recall any memory of Xie Daoyun...
He only knew that Xie Daoyun was one of his most capable subordinates, utterly loyal and resolute.
Beyond that, he knew nothing.
"Indeed, Your Majesty’s memories have not fully recovered," Xie Daoyun sighed.
"Yes, a few fragments are still missing."
Xie Daoyun suddenly looked up and asked, "Could it really be, Your Majesty, that you do not remember who assaulted you?"
Seeing her urgency in asking this.
Fang Yu puzzledly said, "Are you very concerned about the answer to this question?"
"Yes, I am very concerned."
"Is it that important?"
"Important."
This pressing tone made Fang Yu slightly uncomfortable.
Especially since she was a Supreme Heavenly Rank powerhouse, inherently exuding an imposing aura.
Fang Yu turned away, gazing into the distance, and calmly said, "No matter who attacked me, I will eventually find out... As for who it was, it doesn’t matter right now."
"Your Majesty..."
"Speak."
"What about Empress Ziwei? The Five Great Divine Palaces were originally yours... When you fell in the great battle, Empress Ziwei became the greatest beneficiary... Haven’t you ever suspected her?" Xie Daoyun said, somewhat anxiously.
"Empress Ziwei?"
Fang Yu recalled the scenes when he first met Empress Ziwei... Honestly, he had ample reason to suspect that Empress Ziwei had a hand behind whatever happened.
This was once the partner of the Dragon Emperor.
To have someone close betray you, how heartbreaking and hateful that must be!
However...
All these were, after all, the past of the Dragon Emperor!
Sometimes, Fang Yu thought that he was not really the Dragon Emperor... merely someone who inherited his belongings. Even during the inheritance process, the Dragon Emperor tried to take over his consciousness and body, which disgusted Fang Yu.
Fortunately, Fang Yu won.
With the posture of the Dragon Emperor, facing the people and objects of the past, was entirely out of gratitude for the inheritance.
Perhaps, sometimes, Fang Yu also felt he was the Dragon Emperor... However, after the return of Taia, this feeling became increasingly weaker.
"Now is not the time to have conflicts with Empress Ziwei..." Fang Yu calmly said.
"Could it be... Your Majesty plans to join the Five Great Divine Palaces?"
"Perhaps..." Fang Yu said.
These three words seemed to provoke Xie Daoyun.
Causing a slight change in her expression.
For over a thousand years, she could ignore anything happening around her... except she couldn’t overlook matters concerning the Dragon Emperor.
Empress Ziwei, once the partner of the Dragon Emperor.
Also, a great enemy!
Xie Daoyun’s emotions became increasingly agitated, and after holding back for a long time, she suddenly spoke, "You... are not the Dragon Emperor!"
Fang Yu was startled.
Tears streamed down her exquisitely beautiful face.
"The Dragon Emperor I know, is decisive, stands tall against the heavens, uncompromising, clear in love and hate..."
"The Dragon Emperor I know, conquered the world, none did not submit."
"The Dragon Emperor I know, in every action, towers over the masses, looks down upon the world, a true hero among heroes!"
...
This was the loudest that Xie Daoyun had ever spoken.
With tears, with reluctance...
Just as she wanted to continue—
Fang Yu suddenly said, "Enough!"
This one word, bore the mighty presence of the Dragon Emperor.
Directly subdued her.
"The decisiveness, the standing tall against the heavens, the unwavering word, are you suggesting I go to my death? How sure are you to defeat the Empress, who can even give away the Fire Dragon Order? Over a thousand years, you have been recovering your strength underground, how much do you know about the Empress’s power?"
Xie Daoyun was speechless.
Fang Yu continued, "Decisiveness, I have it; standing tall against the heavens, I have it; uncompromising, I have it... Towering over the masses, I have it... Looking down upon the world, I have it too!"
Each word resonated deeply in her soul.
"A true hero... I certainly am one! I clearly distinguish right from wrong, I am true to my friends and family... Tell me, which part of me doesn’t qualify as a hero?"
Xie Daoyun was speechless again.
Fang Yu further said:
"To conquer the world? To make the masses submit to me?"
"Or that ridiculous rash impulse you mentioned, charging senselessly into a crowd, slaughtering tens of thousands of enemies with a wave of a hand, standing atop heaps of bones, creating a laughable image of a heroic legend?"
Following that, he scoffed coldly—
And roared: "This emperor warns you for the last time... If you harbor other intentions, feel free to leave any time. We will have no more ties. Today is not like the past; I am no longer the Dragon Emperor of the past, nor do you need to mold me into the person you want me to be!"