Chapter 10 What Will You Use to Stop Me Next Time

Ji Junhong smiled and waved his hand casually.
"Of course, I have my own selfish motives as well. After all, I wouldn't want my younger brother and future sister-in-law trading blows in the future."
Xia Wuji narrowed his eyes and said, "That brat isn't my brother-in-law yet."
"It's only a matter of time, only a matter of time," Ji Junhong grinned.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "I also feel a strong affinity with Brother Xia, and I can tell you're not the kind of person who desires to become the master of this realm. That's why I'm proposing this. If you were someone of a radical disposition, I would have taken you down in one fell swoop."
Xia Wuji fell silent once more before asking, "And you truly believe the Dragon Kingdom and Daqi will coexist peacefully?"
Ji Junhong smiled. "As long as they don't go to war for the next two generations, that's enough. That alone would bring long-lasting stability to the mortal world. As for what happens after that, it's a matter for future generations."
"Two generations?" Xia Wuji asked in confusion.
Ji Junhong flashed a grin. "Just think about it. If Fire Boy and Lady Xia have children in the future, wouldn't they become the co-rulers of both nations? That would account for another generation."
"I'll say it again! That brat is still not my brother-in-law!"
Xia Wuji raised his voice by a full eight decibels, sounding almost shrill.
"It's only a matter of time, only a matter of time," Ji Junhong chuckled softly.
Xia Wuji sat there gloomily, his shoulders slumped like a dejected hound.
Ji Junhong's eyes rolled as he smiled again.
"Brother Xia might as well look at it this way: once we divide the realm between us, aside from those old immortals, won't the entire world be run by the four of us mammals?"
Xia Wuji was stunned for a moment, then burst into a wide grin.
"Fair enough! You Central Plains people sure read a lot of books; everything you say sounds so pleasant!"
His expression then tightened as he said earnestly,
"However, it will be quite difficult. There are filthy things lurking to the north of the Dragon Kingdom, which is the very reason we keep trying to migrate southward."
Ji Junhong froze, his brows furrowing.
"How filthy?"
"Very filthy," Xia Wuji nodded gravely. "I discovered it before I became emperor, and after ascending the throne, that sensation became even clearer. That's why I've been in such a rush to whip the army into shape and head south."
Ji Junhong rubbed his nose, thought deeply for a moment, and said,
"If this plan of ours works, once my Daqi wipes out the Liang Kingdom and you wipe out the Zhao Kingdom, we can join forces to deal with those filthy things together."
Xia Wuji pondered this and offered a solemn cupped-fist salute. "That works too."
Ji Junhong smiled and looked toward the east. "To be honest with Brother Xia, Daqi actually has filthy things in the east as well. I only sensed it after I became emperor."
Xia Wuji wore an equally stern expression as he asked, "How filthy?"
"Very, very filthy!" Ji Junhong replied seriously.
Xia Wuji realization dawned upon him. "No wonder you've been trying to unite the Dragon Kingdom and Daqi from the very beginning. So you were waiting for me right here."
Ji Junhong murmured softly, "Didn't Brother Xia harbor the intention of an alliance from the start as well?"
Xia Wuji glanced at him and suddenly broke into a grin.
He picked up his wine cup again, drained it in one gulp, and casually remarked, "I don't know why, but ever since the Heavenly Locks inexplicably opened, I've felt the mortal world is far more dangerous than before. There's this unsettling feeling that danger surrounds us from every direction, and I can't shake it off."
Ji Junhong said, "Same here."
...
Over on the lake surface, Ji Huo and Xia Xunchang were still locked in fierce combat.
Yet the two of them likely had no idea that their older brothers had already traded them away, even mapping out the future of the children they hadn't yet conceived.
At this moment, Xia Xunchang was still burning with fury, yet no matter how fiercely she attacked, she couldn't inflict any real harm on Ji Huo.
Or rather, the moment Ji Huo was injured, he would drop back to the ground, whereupon his wounds and depleted internal energy would instantly recover in a flurry of healing light.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more despair Xia Xunchang felt.
Tears welled up incessantly in her eyes, though she forcefully held them back.
She knew she probably couldn't take Ji Huo away with her today.
"Stop dodging!" she suddenly shouted.
Ji Huo subconsciously halted his defense, and the Human Emperor Sword was immediately batted away.
Following that, Xia Xunchang lunged forward once more, tackling Ji Huo straight to the ground.
Mindful of her previous tackle, Ji Huo instinctively licked his lips, unsure whether he should turn his head away or not.
However, this time all he felt was Xia Xunchang pressing tightly against his chest, completely motionless.
The scorching, soft body pressed against him, the synchronized pounding of their heartbeats, the faint fragrance wafting into his nose...
He could even feel the slight trembling of the young woman's body in his arms.
It felt as though she were weeping.
This instantly calmed Ji Huo's restless heart.
What remained was only tranquility.
Ji Huo lay stiffly on the ground, motionless. After a moment, he instinctively wrapped his arms around the waist of the girl in his embrace.
"Your younger brother is hugging my younger sister."
In the distance, Xia Wuji said expressionlessly.
Ji Junhong smiled. "Your younger sister knocked my younger brother down."
"Hmph!" Xia Wuji let out a cold snort and averted his gaze.
How long they remained locked in that embrace, neither knew, until Xia Xunchang suddenly lifted her head, rested it on Ji Huo's shoulder, and bit down hard.
The bite made Ji Huo wince, and skin was surely broken, drawing blood.
Even so, Xia Xunchang refused to let go, sinking her teeth deep into his flesh.
For a moment, Ji Huo couldn't tell whether the scalding sensation on his shoulder was his own blood or the teardrops falling from her eyes.
"Your younger sister just bit my younger brother," Ji Junhong said cheerfully.
"For a man, having an extra scar on his body is no big deal," Xia Wuji stated expressionlessly.
When Xia Xunchang finally released her grip, Ji Huo heard her whisper softly beside his ear.
Her hot, searing breath brushed against his earlobe—gentle yet fierce, burning with intensity and full of possessiveness, like a little she-panther pressing down against his shoulder:
"The next time I see you, if this scar has vanished, I will pierce your heart."
Ji Huo: "..."
The moment the words left her lips, Ji Huo felt a sudden emptiness in his arms.
Xia Xunchang transformed once more into a massive black dragon, soaring into the sky, twisting and turning as she flew upward, circling endlessly. Her voice echoed out in human speech:
"I may not be able to take you away today, but next time I'll lead the iron cavalry of the Dragon Kingdom to carry you back! Let's see what your Flying Bear Army uses to stop my Azure Dragon Army!"
"You just wait for me!"
With that, she cast one deep, lingering look at Ji Huo, lashed her dragon tail, whipped her body around, and soared northward.
A desolate, echoing dragon roar resounded all the way along her path, shaking the entire countryside.
The common folk across the capital all heard the desolate roar, lifting their heads to see a black dragon clawing its way across the clear blue sky.
Overbearing, ferocious, and radiating an unadulterated wildness.
Ji Huo stood rooted to the spot, blankly watching the black dragon gradually vanish into the firmament, feeling the lingering warmth in his embrace slowly dissipate as he remained silent for a long time.
In the distance, Ji Junhong clapped his hands and sighed softly,
"What a bold and passionate young woman."
Xia Wuji lifted his chin slightly, pride stamped across his face as he said,
"Naturally. That's my sister."
Ji Junhong beamed with delight. "That's my sister-in-law."
Instantly, Xia Wuji's face turned as dark as charcoal.