The kingdom was unaware of the Empress Dowager's passing. In fact, the moment Hua Shen had dealt a ruthless hand towards his ex-fiancee and her family, the Dowager's position had been extremely shaky to the point that her existence became enshrouded in mystery. While the higher-ranked ministers were aware of her powerlessness, even the lower-officials didn't know if she really existed after some point.
Thus, when she finally died the other day, it wasn't surprising that her burial was extremely quiet. Even if the citizens knew, they'd probably only ask, "We still had an Empress Dowager?"
As for the Second and Third Prince's stance on her sudden and timely death, they had no real opinion. After all, while she was indeed Hua Shen's birthmother, she had no blood relations to themselves.
Days passed by leisurely and slowly in the kingdom of Hua.
It hadn't even been two weeks since Li Feifei and Hua Shen had arrived in Hua Kingdom, yet they had already departed to another kingdom. In the first place, they only stayed for so long because Hua Shen insisted that Li Feifei had to give the citizens that much time to grow accustomed to their Empress. In fact, even Hua Shen didn't give his citizens an entire two weeks to grow accustomed to their new Emperor. Truly a hypocrite ah.
Though that was the excuse he'd used on the surface as there was no way Li Feifei would listen to him just because of that anyway, Hua Shen actually managed to keep her in his kingdom for so long by personally escorting her to the best places in the kingdom. He also ended up showing off more of his skills when he dropped by one of the kingdom's barracks and completely annihilated his soldiers during training.
The best show was when Long Zheng along with the three other generals that remained in Hua ganged up to try taking Hua Shen down! Unfortunately, they couldn't even scratch his clothes before he finally stopped dodging and blocking to counterattack.
The moment he raised his wooden practice sword, the four generals didn't even see the trajectory of his swings before they were done in.
Even if others would see his overwhelming might and only feel hopeless, these four generals were the best in their kingdoms for a reason. Instead of despairing over their loss, the four trained even harder, inspiring their downtrodden troops, that had just been massacred by Hua Shen, to also persevere in order to be able to protect their master rather than being protected!
Hua Shen was well aware that his wife was most entertained when there was action, so after the one-sided beat down, he chased away all of the soldiers from the training ground before abducting Li Feifei from the side and bringing her onto the field.
Luckily her clothes weren't overly gaudy to the point that they would get in the way of their first spar in this world. She wasn't like those Chinese cultivators who could slash someone with just her sleeves. Thus, she fastened the ends with spare cloths so that they wouldn't get in the way later. Rolling them up or simply cutting them up were actually her initial intentions, but she didn't even have to look at Hua Shen to know that he was glaring at her.
With him around, she'd somehow forgotten that this was, in fact, an ancient world where women showing just a little bit more skin was inappropriate. The fact that Hua Shen also acted like an old man in this regard amused her.
Without Hua Shen having to say anything, Li Feifei had already pulled out her Sword of Oblivion from the system space. Those watching at the side only saw their Empress materializing an eerie, foreign black sword with beautiful violet gems embedded within the pommel and the blade. It hummed lowly like a predator growling as it waited for the perfect chance to pounce on its prey, sending cold shivers down the spines of the anticipating soldiers.
Truthfully, Li Feifei had made the action seem as if she had pulled her sword from her left palm. This was simply just to put on a show for the onlookers for obvious reasons.
Thankfully, her devil was a lovestruck fool who mimicked her performance as he similarly pulled his own translucent sword from his space, also garnering the amazed exclamations from the soldiers. In this way, his baby wouldn't be seen as the only weirdo amongst them all.
Speaking of that sword of hers, how could Hua Shen not know how she'd gotten her hands on it?
Taking into consideration the fact that the competition had just recently restarted, even though his wife was indeed impressive for a newcomer, but no matter what she would not have been able to get the points needed from these low-level worlds to buy that sword.
Furthermore, when he'd clashed with Wen Ren, that mad dog, in the past, that sword had made some appearances occasionally.
The only reason he didn't pay any mind to it was because it was a sufficient sword for her to use for now. Of course, there was the lingering discontent as to how much she seemed to rely on it, but Hua Shen had reasoned with himself that she didn't have a better alternative, and after personally examining her stats and skill level through this spar, he would make her a more fitting weapon to use later.
Hua Shen had originally planned to take care of it sometime in the werewolf world, but unfortunately, unexpected events had taken place. Then, in the alien world, his wife had been diagnosed as pregnant before he could properly assess her. Of course, he could just ask for the numbers on her status window, but Hua Shen knew better than anyone that those were just weightless figures on a holographic screen as opposed to the practicality and insight he could gain by directly sparring.
The petty man could only grit his teeth and continue letting his wife swing another man's sword around.
Fortunately, in this world, he had made himself a chance to finally gauge her strength and skill level so that he could immediately get to the blacksmithing. He didn't want to see her swinging that damn sword around anymore!
Completely unaware of what her devil had in store for her, although Li Feifei knew that she definitely was not a match for her man as a sparring partner, but it still excited her to finally get some action after such a long period of peace ah!
Her hubby's sword entirely juxtaposed from her own, what with its translucent and crystalline appearance that glowed a blinding white. As it was pulled from Hua Shen's system space, its high cry resonated with the low humming of the Sword of Oblivion, offsetting the deadly tune that had been ringing throughout the training ground before and easing up the soldiers' tense bodies.
She'd only gotten a minor glimpse of it in the last world in addition to the fact that at the time both of them were immersed in a fast-paced battle, so Li Feifei did not notice before the Chinese characters engraved on the sword's blade, "miracle," or more directly, "holy relic."
Sometime in the alien world, Li Feifei had asked 001 how much that sword was sold for in the system store out of curiosity. However, 001 had answered that such a divine weapon did not exist in the store so she knew that he was either lucky enough to pick it up in a random world in the past or it was made by himself.
Of course, there was no way a pro could get by with a boss drop for more than a millennium no matter how OP that drop was said to be, so Li Feifei only had one thing to comment about Hua Shen's seemingly endless skill set.
The devil's naming sense sure was very "creative" ah!
Seemingly having noticed his baby's gaze lingering on the characters engraved on his sword's blade, Hua Shen inexplicably felt that he needed to explain himself.
So, he did with a very earnest expression, "Baby, even though I made this sword but I didn't name it."
The soldiers at the side all inhaled sharply at the unbelievable words of their Emperor. Sure enough, their Emperor was a peerless talent in whatever he wanted to do!
If he said he wanted to be a warrior, he would remain undefeated under the Heavens. If he said he wanted to smith swords and spears, then his weapons would be undefeated under the Heavens! The future of Hua was bright and seemingly endless! The soldiers truly felt proud of being born in this generation.
Long Zheng's eyes were complicated as he looked at Hua Shen. They were obviously the same age, but the disparity between the two of them was even wider than tens of thousands of the entire continent lined side by side.
The only thing that reassured Long Zheng was the fact that Li Feifei was obviously not the type to fall for a man's talents, as even after finding out that the Emperor of Hua was not only a peerless warrior but also a master blacksmith she didn't even bat an eye.
Instead, Li Feifei's beautiful black irises were shining with an understanding expression as she spoke convincingly, "It's okay. I understand."
But she already couldn't hold back a puff of laughter as she imagined a holographic name tag floating conspicuously above that sword, "Holy Relic. It is truly a holy relic...pft."
This lukewarm response caused that proud emperor to purse his thin lips in indignation and helplessness, having been misunderstood by his wife. Obviously, the sword could also be called Miracle, but why did his silly wife only consider the more embarrassing and tasteless name Holy Relic? Moreover, he really did not name his sword ah!
Finally finished teasing her man, Li Feifei lifted her sword with her right hand, positioning herself for the spar. The previously playful air had lessened somewhat, replaced by a more serious and fierce one.
Similarly, seeing as his wife was done playing around, Hua Shen readied his sword also in his right hand, with his left hanging behind his back. As her senior in swordsmanship and her man, Hua Shen gave her the first hit.
Knowing his intention, Li Feifei did not let him down as her figure flashed before suddenly appearing beside Hua Shen towards his left. The black sword whistled through the air, leaving behind a dark stream of light as it was swiftly swung downwards towards Hua Shen's leg in an attempt to hinder him for the first strike.
Li Feifei knew she was not his match, so the first thing she should try was obviously to handicap her opponent before he had the chance to make his move.
Unfortunately, even if he loved and doted on his baby to the heavens, Hua Shen could only show his respect for her by not belittling her. So, although her speed may not have been within the realm of the humans in this world, in Hua Shen's eyes her movements were akin to an average man's walking pace.
He internally commended her for her precise judgment before shifting slightly and twitching his right wrist, using his sword to fling hers back towards herself. Although Li Feifei's decision was correct, her ability to carry through was lacking due to her lack in experience when compared to her opponent.
But Hua Shen knew that he was an unfair match to begin with and that Li Feifei's proficiency was already above average for a new competitor in the Void Competition. In the first place, his main objective in this sparring match was to gauge his wife's proficiency with her stats and skills in order to make her a perfect weapon that would grow along with her.
Having achieved thus in addition to his desire to respect Li Feifei by not deliberately going easy on her, Hua Shen went on the offensive right after his counter, not giving Li Feifei any room to breathe. Even if he was determined not to go easy on her, using his full strength was out of the question so he deftly swung his sword towards the black sword that was resisting his previous deflection back towards Li Feifei's figure.
The two blades once again clashed; the brute force involved this time elicited sparks and contrasting flashes from both swords. The Sword of Oblivion was encased in darkness from its afterimage after having been forced back towards its master, while the Holy Relic's form couldn't even be discerned, only leaving behind a piercingly blinding white light from the collision to make its existence known to the world.
Li Feifei had no complaints towards his aggression. Rather, she felt excited and invigorated, investing even more effort and thought into her movements.
When she clashed blades with Hua Shen, she only knew that his stats were way beyond her own—which was to be expected. More so, his ability to make use of those stats and his skills gave her insight as to his monstrous and boundless experience.
With that insight, she knew it wasn't good to continue aggressively, but it was also detrimental if she were to fully-invest on defending as it was already shown how useless attempting to block his swings would be.
Thus, she decisively took the route of the weak as soon as her blade was hit the second time: retreat.
Of course, Li Feifei wasn't foolish enough to not consider her own speed in comparison to his. Furthermore, her strength was actually greater than her agility, so she didn't dare to completely retreat.
She used the force of his offensive swing to jump back, regaining some distance between them. With Hua Shen's speed, it was entirely possible to follow her without breaking a sweat so Li Feifei did not relax even a little as she flew backward.
Sure enough, before she could completely recover her stance from having been thrown across the field, she found that Hua Shen's figure was no longer where he'd previously been standing.
In fact, he was no longer within her sight at all.
At this realization, her heart dropped at the sound of the Holy Relic tearing through the air behind her and she immediately threw her entire body forward the precise length of Hua Shen's sword, making sure to remain as close to the ground as possible since becoming airborne in such a disadvantageous battle was just seeking death.
With her lack of experience, she couldn't tell if Hua Shen was swinging high, low, horizontally from the left or right, or even vertically. Thus, she could only throw herself out of his strike range.
Obviously, it was only a temporary measure as Hua Shen was attacking aggressively. Her maxed Taekwondo skill had allowed her to smoothly reverse her body so that she was now facing the direction of his most recent swing. Unfortunately, as soon as she did so, she couldn't even grasp his shadow before hearing another hair-raising soundless whistle as Hua Shen wordlessly swung his sword behind her.
This time, her alertness was at its max and she could slightly discern the minute differences from his previous stroke.
Her instincts called out to her in alarm, 'Left, diagonal!'
Even though she knew that it was impossible to completely block one of his attacks without injuring herself in the process, Li Feifei wasn't afraid of pain. If she retreated again, then she would just be playing to Hua Shen's tune.
With eyes full of resolution, she tilted her body to the side, facing the swing. As there wasn't enough time for her to turn in order to completely face the strike head-on, she had to block her shoulder from receiving a major injury at the very least.
Li Feifei brought the Sword of Oblivion up with both hands, angling it so that it could best compete with Hua Shen's strength, and clenched her jaw tightly as she waited for the impact.
At the moment she had chosen to take on his hit, she did not notice Hua Shen's eyes waver. However, along with his hesitation was deep admiration and pride towards his wife. Since she had resolved herself so, then even if it pained him to harm her, he had no choice but to carry through.
Of course, that didn't mean he had to use his sword to finish his attack.
Lightening the force of his swing, Hua Shen imperceptibly turned the Holy Relic and let it drop towards its destination with a new purpose. Upon contact with the Sword of Oblivion, both Hua Shen and Li Feifei could feel their arms tremble due to the sheer force involved, causing them to drop the swords to the ground with a clang along the trajectory of Hua Shen's Holy Relic's diagonal swing.
Before Li Feifei could recover from the unexpected shock, she felt a large and strong hand grab her waist, pulling her body forward before her lips were attacked by another pair of familiar lips.
After gently nibbling on his wife's lips, Hua Shen's tongue snaked its way through her clenched teeth, passionately exploring her wet cavern. When she finally regained her senses, Li Feifei returned the fierce kiss in full, tilting her head so as to allow him deeper access and twirling her own tongue against his. Li Feifei's hands slid up Hua Shen's hard chest and clenched his dark robes between her fingers, adding to them their first wrinkles of the day.
The onlooking crowd had yet to recover from the adrenaline-inducing battle, yet before they even had time to cheer, a large pile of dog food was thrown at their faces! Even if they were bold soldiers who'd seen the world, they were all ancient men with a sense of propriety. When met with their Emperor so blatantly eating their Empress, the soldiers did not know whether to cheer or look away!
Fortunately, there was one youngster who did not know how to read the mood—or perhaps he did, and found that this occasion was also worth applauding—as he let out a loud and resounding, "OOOOOOOOOOOO!"
This excited shout brought everyone out of their reveries, as the training hall was soon filled with vigorous roars, commending their rulers for their might and affection alike.
Seeing as the soldiers were at an all-time high, Hua Shen and Li Feifei simultaneously decided that this moment was the best time to drop the bomb. When their eyes met as their lips were still glued together, Li Feifei was met with a soft and proud gaze. They didn't discuss beforehand this declaration to the barracks at all, which was why Hua Shen was feeling overly smug about how their minds and souls were so connected.
Reluctantly pulling away from his baby's alluring red lips that were now slightly swollen, Hua Shen kept his arm wrapped around her slender waist as he confidently declared to the surrounding men, "The entire mainland will be Hua's to conquer and unite!"
How could these soldiers not understand what their Emperor was implying? He was going to declare war on the Zhao and Shi kingdoms! With this Imperial couple, that didn't seem to be an impossibility at all!
""OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!""
Li Feifei and Hua Shen's sharp eyes didn't fail to notice a couple of shadows leaving the premises sneakily.
When they met each other's gazes once more, their ability to communicate telepathically showcased itself again.
'Hook, line, and sinker.'