Xiao Fan slowly cut his palm with the dagger. As the dragon girl saw the crimson blood, her red eyes glimmered with a deep desire.
"Do you want this?" Xiao Fan asked, his expression serious.
If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't resort to such a method.
"Ahhh..." The dragon girl struggled fiercely, trying to lunge at the blood in Xiao Fan's hand.
Seeing this, Xiao Fan sternly commanded, "Sit still if you want it!"
"Ah! Ahhh!!" Unhappy with Xiao Fan's harsh tone, the dragon girl grew even more agitated.
Xiao Fan, however, did not indulge her. He turned and walked away.
"Ahhh!!! Ahhh..." The dragon girl screamed at Xiao Fan's retreating figure, her eyes filled with rage.
Xiao Fan acted as if he hadn't heard anything.
To help the dragon girl regain her true consciousness, he first had to tame her wild nature.
When she finally exhausted herself and her screams grew weaker, Xiao Fan returned with a bowl of food and a bowl of clear water.
The dragon girl, now too tired to struggle, still cried out upon seeing Xiao Fan but lacked the strength and intensity of before. Her voice was hoarse.
Xiao Fan noticed her dry, cracked lips and brought the bowl of water closer.
However, the dragon girl showed no gratitude. She shook her head, spilling the water, and even tried to bite Xiao Fan's hand.
Xiao Fan firmly grasped her jaw.
Looking into her beastly red eyes, he frowned slightly.
It seemed she needed more time.
When she was truly too hungry to move, she would likely become more compliant.
With that, Xiao Fan left the room again.
"Ahhh..." The dragon girl screamed after him, but this time, her red eyes held a hint of despair along with the anger.
This time, Xiao Fan waited much longer before returning.
The dragon girl was now almost entirely out of strength. Even upon seeing Xiao Fan, she could only weakly open her mouth.
Xiao Fan placed the bowl of water in front of her.
This time, the dragon girl didn't knock over the bowl. She tentatively stuck out her tongue, and feeling the moisture, plunged her whole face into the water, drinking desperately.
Xiao Fan watched with some relief.
Although there was still a long way to go before the dragon girl regained her true consciousness, at least this was a successful first step.
Outside the Haotian Mirror.
"She looks like a dog!" the Northern Empress Leng Ruoxue commented caustically.
To everyone's surprise, the Heavenly Fire Empress Huo Ling'er did not retort but instead agreed, "And a disobedient dog at that! Such a dog needs to be taught a harsh lesson."
The two of them exchanged remarks, appearing to talk to themselves but clearly intending to mock the Dragon Empress.
After all, the Dragon Empress was their adversary. If they couldn't fight her directly, they'd fight with words.
The Lunar Yin Empress Wen Yaxian shook her head in resignation. Their tempers were indeed... remarkably similar.
The Dragon Empress outwardly showed no reaction to their taunts, but her clenched fists betrayed her feelings.
Behind her, Long Guang, a quasi-emperor dragon, couldn't tolerate such insults to their Empress. He wanted to retort but met the fierce gazes of Huo Ling'er and Leng Ruoxue.
One gaze was like scorching sunlight, the other like icy frost, making him feel both cold and hot, a torture like being burned and frozen simultaneously.
Was this the so-called "hellfire and ice"?
He swallowed his retort, knowing he couldn't afford to provoke them.
The wars between Empresses were beyond the reach of others like him.
"It's horrifying to see the Dragon Empress being treated like livestock!" someone exclaimed in shock.
"You're mistaken," another replied. "Xiao Fan's methods may seem harsh, but he is trying to help the Dragon Empress regain her consciousness. It's a desperate measure."
"Though the Nether Demon Emperor Xiao Fan has committed many sins, we shouldn't unjustly attribute every crime to him."
"True, true," the onlookers agreed.
"But still, it's hard to accept! She's an Empress!" someone protested.
"Stop talking nonsense. You're just jealous. Admit it, you'd love to trade places with Xiao Fan, wouldn't you?"
Laughter erupted, and it became clear that the complainer was indeed envious.
Even the dragon clan members looked over, enraged.
"Who dares insult our Dragon Empress?" Long Guang roared.
Unable to confront Huo Ling'er and Leng Ruoxue, he could at least handle these lesser beings.
The man panicked, trying to explain, "No, no, I didn't mean it!"
He quickly hid among the crowd, fearing the dragons' wrath.
Inside the Haotian Mirror.
After drinking the water, the dragon girl regained some strength and became defiant again, growling fiercely at Xiao Fan.
Xiao Fan was unfazed, expecting this reaction. Taming a dragon's wild nature was no easy task.
Ignoring her growls, he left the room again.
In the following days, Xiao Fan repeated this routine.
Whenever the dragon girl disobeyed, he withheld food and water until she was near her limit, then gave her sustenance.
Gradually, her wild nature softened. She no longer roared at him on sight.
One day, Xiao Fan brought food and water again. This time, the dragon girl didn't knock over the items or shout at him; she just turned her head away stubbornly.
Seeing her attitude, Xiao Fan smiled faintly.
It seemed it was time for the second stage.
Xiao Fan cut his palm again.
The dragon girl, who had been disdainful, now watched the dripping blood with longing, her beastly instincts resurfacing.
Her body moved involuntarily toward his hand.
Xiao Fan sighed.
As long as she couldn't control her desire for blood and flesh, she would never suppress her wild nature or regain her true consciousness.