Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"No! What's thrown is thrown. If I go back on my word, my Shangguan Family's reputation will plummet!"

The person inside seemed to choke on the remark, saying irritably, "Ahem, I think it's because you find him handsome!"

"Father! What are you talking about! I'm face-blind; I have no idea what's handsome and what isn't!" Shangguan Qingrou retorted, displeased.

"Alright, alright, alright! You're face-blind! But let me be clear: if his abilities fall short, you'd better not harm him."

"I know!"

Outside, Shangguan Qingrou, dressed in a red gown, replied as she lightly tapped her toes on the ground. Like a fairy skimming over water, she chased after the fleeing Ning Xuan!

「Downstairs.」

The crowd that had surrounded the Embroidery Pavilion, three layers deep, finally realized what had happened. Then, the air filled with curses.

"Damn it, which blind dog dared to compete with me?!"

"Shit, the embroidered ball was clearly coming for me! How dare that son of a bitch snatch food from the tiger's mouth!"

"You damned mutt, you're dead meat!"

The place instantly turned into a chaotic marketplace, with countless people cursing up a storm. Those who considered themselves powerful didn't join the verbal fray, instead immediately giving chase.

Phew, good thing I ran fast, otherwise… HOLY FUCK!

In an alleyway, Ning Xuan stopped and heaved a long sigh of relief. But when he patted his chest and glanced back, he saw the red gown floating through the air toward him from the distance!

Without a second thought, Ning Xuan prepared to run again.

"Stay where you are!"

The woman's sharp command echoed throughout the entire city.

Naturally, Ning Xuan had no intention of listening to her and vanished in an instant. He ended up in a hidden corner, where he heard a voice descending from the air. After it gave a detailed description of his clothes and appearance, it declared, "You caught my, Shangguan Qingrou's, embroidered ball! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you!"

The corner of Ning Xuan's mouth twitched. Then, something even more outrageous happened.

"Miss Shangguan, take a look. Is it him?"

Ning Xuan heard another voice. Immediately, he saw portraits fluttering through the air. One happened to float down right in front of him.

Ning Xuan stared at it. It wasn't just similar—it was a damned perfect likeness!

Oh, crap! I'm really screwed now!

Ning Xuan decided to stop running. He took the initiative to send a voice transmission to Shangguan Qingrou. "Miss, what do you want?"

Shangguan Qingrou didn't respond. A moment later, however, a figure in a red gown landed not far from him.

Looking at Ning Xuan, Shangguan Qingrou said nothing and simply removed her veil, revealing a face with brows like distant mountains and a heroic air.

Like a fool with no sense of romance, Ning Xuan showed little reaction to her face. While it had been some time since he had seen a beautiful woman, the ones he used to associate with were all peerless beauties. Shangguan Qingrou was very pretty, but she was far from breathtaking by his standards.

Of course, this was by Ning Xuan's judgment. Had it been anyone else, they would have likely been utterly smitten, completely losing their bearings.

Seeing Ning Xuan's reaction, Shangguan Qingrou was somewhat startled. But almost immediately, her fondness for him grew immensely. If nothing else, she had never met a man in this city who could remain so composed after seeing her true face. For some reason, she was suddenly struck by the urge to tease him.

"Why are you running? Do you find me unattractive?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ning Xuan replied, "I'm face-blind. I can't tell what's good-looking and what isn't."

Hearing this, Shangguan Qingrou was delighted. "That's exactly what I told my father when he said you were handsome!"

Ning Xuan's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Do you like bubble tea?" he asked eagerly.

"What's bubble tea?" Shangguan Qingrou looked completely baffled.

Disappointed, Ning Xuan quickly asked another question. "Do you know Luo Tianyi?"

"Luo Tianyi? That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere."

"Alright then," Ning Xuan muttered under his breath. "I get it. People with enough confidence all have their own little quirks."

"What?"

"Nothing. I mean, I've already returned your embroidered ball and apologized. Could you please not make things so difficult for me?"

Hearing this, Shangguan Qingrou said, "Look over there."

Ning Xuan glanced in the direction she indicated. A crowd had gathered there, all glaring at him with hostile expressions. They looked as if he had stolen their wives.

Ahem. On second thought, it wasn't just *as if*.

"I didn't call them here, but if you don't come with me, I'm afraid your life might be in danger," Shangguan Qingrou said gravely.

Ning Xuan felt a sense of helplessness. Are all the women here so fierce? We've only just met, and she's already willing to gamble her entire life to force a marriage!

"What part of me do you like? I can change it, can't I?"

"You're handsome, and you have a strong, straight nose! And I know who Luo Tianyi is now! She's the Palace Master of Bi Luo Palace!" Shangguan Qingrou suddenly exclaimed.

Because of a book she had read from Bi Luo Palace, she knew to judge a man by his nose. The book was titled *The Overbearing Demon Lord Falls in Love with Me*, and its author was none other than Luo Tianyi!

Ning Xuan was dumbfounded. This isn't just fierce anymore! She's purely after my body… I absolutely cannot stay here!

"To tell you the truth, I'm a bad person! I have many lives on my conscience!"

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Qingrou's beautiful eyes lit up. "How many people have you killed?" she pressed. "Was it nine million?"

Finding himself unable to keep up with her train of thought, Ning Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Why nine million?"

"I read it in Luo Tianyi's novel, *The Overbearing Demon Lord Falls in Love with Me*! It says, 'To kill one is a sin; to slaughter thousands is to be a hegemon. To slaughter nine million is to be a hegemon among hegemons!'"

Ning Xuan was completely stunned. How damn bored must that Luo Tianyi be to start spreading her ideology like this!

"Uh, does Bi Luo Palace have any novels written for men?" Ning Xuan asked Shangguan Qingrou, glancing at the menacing crowd nearby.

She shook her head.

A grin spread across Ning Xuan's face.

"Tell them to wait for a moment."

As Ning Xuan spoke, his figure blurred into a series of afterimages. He gathered the portraits of himself, then instantly split into two Dao Bodies.

He flipped the portraits over and wrote four large characters on the back:

Ten Thousand XX Emperor!

Shangguan Qingrou was also taken aback. But when she saw Ning Xuan conjure the Dao Bodies, her lovely eyes lit up with excitement.

Not far away, the ever-growing crowd's murderous aura, which had been intensifying, weakened substantially the moment Ning Xuan created his Dao Bodies.

"What is that guy doing?!"

"I have no idea."

"But he's definitely no good! Look, Qingrou is getting even closer to him! This is infuriating!"

"What's the use of being infuriated? Go get him if you've got the guts!"

"I'm not an idiot! He can create Dao Bodies so casually that I can't even tell which one is the original. You think I'm going to go up there and be cannon fodder?"