Dragon Tamer

Upon hearing about the Neon Sea, most young ladies would show a face full of longing, wishing to visit that place, to walk around, and savor the uniqueness of this special sea region. They would gradually fall into the romantic trap of the coral forests there.

However, as soon as her own lady heard of the Neon Sea’s beauty, her way of showing affection was to dominate it, ensuring that every drop of its water, every corner of its coral, belonged to her — such was the romance of a female ruler!

Perhaps for Li Yunzi, the Li Chuan Continent was still too small a place to truly showcase her talents.

“Think of it as a tour to scout the area. If there’s a place you like, just mark it on the map,” Zhu Minglang said.

Taking the ink brush from Zhu Minglang, Li Yunzi glanced at the map. She didn’t concern herself with the area of the Neon Sea but instead located Miao Kingdom, and then marked it with a stroke of the brush.

“The world is so unpredictable, it often makes people feel helpless, and I don’t like that feeling,” Li Yunzi said.

“Do you care about the issue with me fighting for a son-in-law?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“Not at all,” Li Yunzi shook her head.

Zhu Minglang felt a bit disappointed. If she had said she cared, would he have been able to gaze affectionately at her and then take her small hand, gently leaning in…

How could she not care?

“In the end, [I’m] too fragile…” Li Yunzi spoke in a very low voice, not as if she was speaking to Zhu Minglang, but more like she was reminding herself.

Yes, [she was] not strong enough.

If [she was] strong enough, [she] wouldn’t have been wounded in that battle in Rui Country.

If [she was] strong enough, [she] wouldn’t need anything like the Ancient Lantern Jade, or, even if it was needed, [she] could obtain it with her own strength, instead of Zhu Minglang going against his will to become the son-in-law of the Miao Kingdom for the sake of that piece of jade.

It was precisely because of her fragility that those who cared about her had to make sacrifices.

Li Yunzi didn’t quite like that feeling.

Uncertainty always existed. She needed to be strong enough to face it all with composure, including natural and man-made disasters, the fall of a new continent, and perhaps even the end of days that might come in the future… After all, this world was inherently unstable.

Not like this time.

A mere Rui Country had almost depleted all her energy.

Zhu Minglang understood Li Yunzi quite well. Seeing her look so worried, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

Was his wife thinking about some long-term issues again?

Zhu Minglang had long noticed that Li Yunzi’s thinking was not like that of ordinary people. Most people would encounter a problem and then think of a solution.

Li Yunzi, on the other hand, considered current problems too trivial, problems she could handle with her eyes closed. What truly worried her were the potential crises that lay ahead; she was like a master chess player who, when looking sorrowful, was not upset about the piece in front of her being taken, but often saw the outcome of the entire game being lost.

To say she was preparing for a rainy day would be an understatement…

Not liking the feeling of helplessness, and yet such a thought was too far ahead of time!

“My lady, could it be that you won’t be able to breathe easy until you unify the entire Supreme Court Courtyard Continent? Don’t think too much for now,” Zhu Minglang said with a smile.

Li Yunzi’s beautiful eyes gazed seriously at Zhu Minglang, saying, “The Supreme Court Courtyard Continent may just be a speck of dust in this world. You cannot relax before understanding the structure of this vast universe.”

In his heart, Zhu Minglang gave his wife a thumbs-up. Indeed, he had underestimated the depth of thought of Her Highness, the Female Monarch.

“My lady…”

Li Yunzi glared at Zhu Minglang!

Zhu Minglang had managed to deceive with that term once already, so it could be overlooked for then.

But why did it roll off the tongue so easily now?

They were already married to someone else.

Why not call her the Princess Consort of Miao Kingdom!

“Yunzhi, let’s not think about the distant matters for now. If you like Runyu City, we’ll take it,” Zhu Minglang said without changing his expression.

“Let’s wait and see what the Hu Family Siblings are capable of. If they can’t hold onto the city, once we get the City Lord’s Seal, we can leave,” Li Yunzi said.

Moving troops and managers over from Li Chuan was going to be a troublesome matter, so it would be best if a family that was already familiar with the place took control.

Li Chuan Continent was just Li Chuan Continent, it might only ever be a quiet corner on the easternmost part of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, but Li Yunzi’s rule couldn’t be confined to such a small area.

The current stability was nothing more than charity from the Imperial Dynasty.

Including Li Yunzi herself, on this Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, she was very insignificant.

From the very beginning, she had planned to expand.

After all, it wasn’t very comfortable to be weaker than any other power.

Zhu Minglang looked into Li Yunzi’s bright eyes, confirming once more that possibility, that the Valkyrie in front of him had left Rookie Village Island and had stepped onto the much vaster Conquest Continent!

Fine then, there was nothing wrong with Li Yunzi’s philosophy. In this world with such a severe disconnect in human civilization, countless tragedies existed, and to prevent such misfortunes and helplessness from befalling oneself, standing at the very top would never be wrong.

Besides, he himself was a Dragon Shepherd. The funds that had come from the power contest had already been greatly depleted, and if he didn’t find a new source of income, he’d have no choice but to set free the increasingly expensive dragons he was raising.

Because the dragons were expensive to feed and upkeep, Zhu Minglang had not yet dared to raise a fifth dragon, fearing it would be another money pit.

Runyu City was indeed quite good; on one hand, it was suitable as a base on the western side of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, and on the other, its potential for development was enormous—even the tolls collected could make other countries drool.

Now that he had so many dragons and many sister-in-laws to provide for, he couldn’t afford to have the attitude of eating well while the rest of the family went hungry. He needed to work hard alongside his wife.

After chatting with Li Yunzi about the interesting things they encountered on the road, before they knew it, the lights around them had all been extinguished, and it was so quiet it seemed everyone had fallen asleep.

This was the time when a man’s thick skin came into play. Unless Li Yunzi asked him to leave the room with her own lips, Zhu Minglang was determined not to go. If she hadn’t outright said it was inappropriate, they had to sleep together.

“You sleep, I’ll go to Yu Suo’s room,” Li Yunzi said, exuding her usual air of cool detachment.

“The night is deep and the autumn air is cold; I’ll leave instead,” Zhu Minglang sighed softly.

“Mhm,” Li Yunzi didn’t actually plan to change rooms.

After watching Zhu Minglang leave, Li Yunzi blew out the lamp. Her bright and clear eyes did not close, but instead, she looked at the somewhat old window as if she had no intention of sleeping, and as if she was contemplating even more distant matters.

Zhu Minglang stepped out of the room, glanced at the night sky shrouded in dark clouds, and had no choice but to share a room with Hao Ye.

Hao Ye was sleeping soundly and was surprised to see Zhu Minglang come in. “Little Uncle Master, did you upset Miss Xinghua?” he asked.

“None of your business, just sleep,” Zhu Minglang replied irritably.

“Oh,” Hao Ye simply turned over and continued to sleep deeply.