Huo Yuhao said, “So Xu Tianran really was hurt. It’s a pity we couldn’t kill him. Otherwise, the Sun Moon Empire’s army would collapse on its own.”
Ju Zi suddenly laughed. “I think so too. It’s a pity that you didn’t kill him. However, I have to tell you that the Sun Moon Empire wouldn’t be in chaos even after he dies. This is because I’m still here.”
“What if you were dead too?” Huo Yuhao’s voice suddenly turned cold.
The smile on Ju Zi’s face became even more captivating, “Don’t try to scare me. That trick won’t work on me. I’ve already seen through you. If you could really bear to kill me, you wouldn’t have brought me here. You would have killed me when we were in the tent earlier.”
As she spoke, she leaned on the sides of the table and stood up. Then, she moved in front of Huo Yuhao and looked at him, saying, “You can’t bear to kill me, right?”
Huo Yuhao was forced to move back a little. As he looked at Ju Zi, he felt very helpless. She was simply too clever! Yes, he wouldn’t have brought her here if he was determined to kill her.
“Yes, I can’t bear to kill you. However, since you’re here and have seen my greatest secret, do you really think I’ll let you off?”
Ju Zi laughed and said, “It’s not important whether I go back. The more important thing is, how will the Sun Moon Empire’s army react if I go missing? Should I analyze things for you? If you plan on keeping me captive, I would say that’s a wrong move.”
“What?” Huo Yuhao was a little astonished as he looked at her. In fact, he had really wanted to keep her captive in here. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her here.
In terms of military matters, Ju Zi was an absolute genius. Without their marshal, the Sun Moon Empire’s army would be without a leader. When that happened, there was bound to be internal chaos. That would make them easier to deal with.
Ju Zi laughed and said, “If I’m around, Shrek City will be fine. However, I can’t guarantee that if I go missing. I can even say that Shrek City will be in danger. Think about it. If I’m missing, wouldn’t Shrek naturally be the most likely culprit? Given that, the Sun Moon Empire’s army and my subordinates will first think of attacking Shrek and asking for me.”
“If I’m held captive here, I can’t send any instructions. Once they can’t find me, they’ll definitely enact vengeance on Shrek City. Do you really think that Shrek can handle our army? You should have seen how strong we were when we dealt with Di Tian today.”
Huo Yuhao said, “I can bring you back to Shrek City and make you appear on the city walls. Once your subordinates see that you’re there, will they dare to attack the city?”
Ju Zi laughed coldly and replied, “You’re overthinking things. In this world, there are at least two people who can command the army. One is my husband, who’s the current Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. Once I’m captured, they’ll immediately send word back to Radiant City. My husband can even forsake his own son. What do you think he’ll do for me? Furthermore, that would only give him the perfect reason to attack Shrek City. If I’m dead, he can easily find another person to replace me. That person is the military supervisor of the Sun Moon Empire’s army, Zhong Liwu. You should know how vicious the Holy Ghost Church is. If I’m in the army, I can still suppress them. Once I’m gone, you should know about the hatred between the Holy Ghost Church and Shrek City. He can’t wait to lay his hands on Shrek City. When that happens, he’ll definitely activate all my subordinates to attack. In addition, he also wants me dead. If I’m dead, there’s one less person in the empire that can restrain him. Isn’t that a good thing for him? He can kill two birds with one stone.”
“If they can destroy Shrek City, those from the Holy Ghost Church are willing to pay any price. After destroying Shrek, they’ll strengthen their control over the Sun Moon Empire’s army and launch an all-out war. When that happens, who can stop them? Do you really think that the Sun Moon Empire’s army is better under their control, or mine?”
Ju Zi left Huo Yuhao wide-eyed in shock with her words. As he looked at her serious face, he couldn’t speak for a long time.
His reason for finding Ju Zi today had been very simple. He wanted to hold her captive to alleviate the crisis that Shrek was currently facing. At least he could threaten the Sun Moon Empire, so that they wouldn’t act recklessly. After that, he could also judge who Ju Zi’s real target was.
However, Huo Yuhao hesitated after hearing her words. This was because every word she said made sense.
Ju Zi raised her teacup and blew into it. She blew the tea leaf on the surface away and tasted the tea. She revealed a relieved look on her face. “Drinking a cup of hot tea is really a joy. Didn’t you want to keep me captive here? You can go now. Don’t worry. I know this is your independent space. Anyway, I can’t escape. You just need to ask someone to send me three meals every day. I can’t wait for some rest. I really have to thank you. Go on, you can go. Quickly, return. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be great for Shrek if a master like you isn’t around.”
Huo Yuhao looked at how calm Ju Zi was as she sipped her tea. He sighed and said, “Ju Zi, did you know? I was almost tempted to kill you after hearing your words.”
The teacup in Ju Zi’s hand shook slightly, and she smiled. She placed the teacup on the table before staring at Huo Yuhao. “Alright! Do it then. At least keep my corpse intact after you kill me. Please bury me too. In fact, I’m more interested in staying in your heart. If you kill me, you’ll be unsettled for the rest of your life. You’ll remember me forever then. I’ll be satisfied if that’s the case. Come on, do it.”
As she spoke, she had already shut her eyes. Her long eyelashes touched the bottom half of her face. She was abnormally calm.
Huo Yuhao only felt something stuck in his chest as he looked at Ju Zi. He slowly stood up. If he really wanted to kill her, would he have waited until now?
Huo Yuhao let out a long sigh as he left the room and took in a deep breath of the cold air in the demiplane. He knew that he had lost. Although he held Ju Zi captive here, he still lost to her eventually!
Ju Zi shut her eyes for a brief moment and didn’t move at all. When she reopened her eyes, Huo Yuhao was no longer in the room.
She also stood up and revealed a fierce look on her face, “This guy has no conscience! To think that I risked fighting the Beast God trying to save him. Hmph, guys really are jerks.”
After she finished speaking, she also laughed. Eventually, did he also not lay a hand on her?
She picked up her teacup once again. She didn’t leave the room, but continued to sip her tea quietly. After she finished her own teacup, she took Huo Yuhao’s teacup and slowly sipped on it too. She didn’t mind that he had used it earlier.
After the pot of tea was finished, Huo Yuhao returned to the room. When he saw that Ju Zi was holding his teacup, he was stunned for a moment.
“Ju Zi, what do you want? Are you really helping Xu Tianran rule the continent? You should know that this war will kill many people. Your family died in war. Why are you so intent on continuing this war?
Ju Zi turned cold. “I’m continuing this war? Huo Yuhao, ask yourself. If I wasn’t in this war, would it not happen? If I’m not around, will the Sun Moon Empire lose its ambition? Without me, can you deal with the Sun Moon Empire’s soul tools? That’s right, war kills people. However, I can touch my heart and tell you one thing. At least the number of people dying in this war is the lowest ever in history when I’m the one orchestrating everything.”
“Things change in this world. The Douluo Continent requires a powerful nation to unite and rule it. Why aren’t the three empires as strong as the Sun Moon Empire? It’s because they are technologically inferior. A unified empire can use technology to the benefit of its citizens. You should also have noticed that the Sun Moon Empire’s technology has entered the Heavenly Soul Empire after we occupied it. At the start, their people were still very resistant, and unwilling to listen. However, as time passed, aren’t they already slowly starting to recognize us? This is the charm of technology. People’s lives will only get better with progressive technology, and the future will also be brighter. That’s why I believe that a unified empire is absolutely necessary. Of course, who rules this empire is a different thing.”
Huo Yuhao silently listened to Ju Zi. After hearing her words, he gently shook his head. “We have different beliefs. We can’t watch as our empires get attacked. That’s why I was unwilling to face everything at the start. However, I’ll need to face things eventually. We are on opposing sides. The Sun Moon Empire is very strong, but it might not be able to rule the entire continent in the future. The foundation of the three empires of the original Douluo Continent can’t be corroded so easily. If things go bad, the people who really suffer are the civilians.”
