Starting from Douluo to Capture Goddesses

Green light cascaded down, with dots of energy that carried the breath of life healing falling upon Empress Zhu.

Her wounds healed in an instant.

The pain in her body disappeared, and Julia's beautiful eyes were full of shock as she looked at Xu Ran with eyes filled with wonder.

If only she could have met such a man when she was young, how wonderful would that have been? Back then, she might have fallen for Xu Ran as deeply as Zhu Qing and the others did, maybe even enough to elope with him, leaving this country behind.

Unfortunately... her fate was not good, she didn't have the kind of luck Zhu Qing Zhu Yun had.

I was born too early, and when you came into the world, I was already old.

Now she was still relatively young, though she was at an age where charm mixes with the fading glow of youth.

But compared to Xu Ran's radiance, she was too insignificant.

Such an extraordinary man as Xu Ran was unparalleled in history.

"This is truly inconceivable." At this moment, not only could Julia not feel any pain, but she also felt surprisingly comfortable, as if she had become a decade younger.

"Is your current strength really that great, even stronger than an average Titled Douluo?" Julia asked with keen interest in Xu Ran's strength, like a curious child.

"How about you let go of me first, then we can talk, okay?" Xu Ran said with a wry smile.

He could always feel those two masses pressing against his back. The Zhu Clan's genes really were excellent; not just Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun, but it seemed that every generation was this perfectly developed.

Julia was naturally the most beautiful in her generation among the Zhu family.

This feeling, did she have any idea how much pressure it put on him?

"Pfft. Are you saying you get scared too?" Julia chuckled, watching Xu Ran's embarrassed expression, her laughter shaking like blooming flowers.

In her memory, everything she had heard about Xu Ran painted him as a perfect person.

But now, he too had moments like these.

"It's not a matter of being scared or not. But don't you think this is inappropriate?" Xu Ran's mouth twitched. Indeed, Julia was pretty, but not enough to easily stir his heart.

"What's inappropriate about it? Am I not beautiful?" Julia asked, running her fingers through her luscious black hair and pouting at Xu Ran in feigned grievance.

"Beautiful," Xu Ran admitted honestly.

In terms of looks and figure, Empress Zhu was not inferior to Zhu Qing and the others.

If one had to make a comparison, Empress Zhu was like a mature version of Zhu Qing, with both figure and charm in full measure.

"Well then, there you have it. I'm not asking you to take responsibility. Even if you pull up your pants and deny everything, I won't hold it against you," the Empress said nonchalantly.

"This…" Xu Ran was somewhat stunned as he looked at Julia, who seemed quite different from the dignified, noble, and elegant Empress he had in mind.

"Why are you staring at me? Do you think I am some cheap monarch? The Empire isn't the Dai family's anymore, I'm not the empress now, so naturally, I need to find a strong person to protect myself."

"Of course, there's another reason. I liked you a bit from the moment I saw you," Empress Zhu said, giving Xu Ran an annoyed glance.

"Ah? When did this happen?"

Xu Ran was bewildered.

"That time you and Zhu Qing came to pay respects to the empress, that's when. You even took advantage of me back then. Did you really think just anyone could approach the empress's bed? And at that time, you even touched my leg and foot. Don't you know that a woman's foot must not be touched casually? Except for her own husband, nobody is allowed."

"You think I'm an idiot, unable to see that you're taking advantage of me?" Julia recounted past events.

Xu Ran felt a bit awkward as he too recalled that scene.

Back then, he used his excellent medical skills as an excuse to help Julia relax her muscles, not missing any chance to take advantage of her. He still remembered how Julia lay on the bed, her body extremely enchanting. The curve of her body as she lay on her side was indeed hard to resist.

Thinking back to that time, Xu Ran's heart fluttered.

At that time, Xu Ran wasn't as powerful, and he was worried that the royal household would target them for being with Zhu Qing. Back then, just the sight of a beautiful woman would make him...

Cough cough, it's human nature, man's true colors.

But did he have feelings for Julia back then? Impossible, right?

Xu Ran was completely baffled.

If he had known he would face such things, he wouldn't have taken advantage of her back then.

He had touched and squeezed, and now, no matter what, he couldn't be too harsh in dealing with Julia.

"Back then, I really wanted to call someone to drag your bold ass out and execute you," Julia said irritably, recalling the past.

"Then why didn't you do it?"

"Isn't it because after you massaged me, I felt great, my body felt even more comfortable and energetic. I felt like I had the vitality of my younger days all over again. That's why I softened and let you off the hook. Otherwise, for the grave sin of disrespecting the queen, you would have been dead for sure," Julia continued.

"Later, I often heard rumors about you and started collecting information about you, and that's how I slowly, secretly fell for you," Julia's voice grew softer.

"Moreover, it wasn't entirely because of you that His Majesty wanted to take action against the Zhu Clan. The family hadn't shown any desire for the throne at that time, so the Dai family wouldn't have made such a move so abruptly. After weathering so many storms over the years, the royal household wouldn't destroy the good relationship recklessly."

"It was because His Majesty found out about my unique attention to you that he became enraged and tormented me like that. I am the fuse that sparked His Majesty's decision to execute a bloodbath on the Zhu Clan."

As Julia continued to speak, Xu Ran was utterly confounded.

Indeed.

Without evidence, was it just suspicion that led to an abrupt move against the Zhu Clan? Even if they wanted to destroy the Zhu Clan, they wouldn't have treated Empress Zhu, the wife, like that.

And now, it seemed like everything had become clear.

Well, damn it.

Xu Ran was outright dumbstruck.

This was just too thrilling.

So Emperor Dai had already been...

The affair between Zhu Qing and Xu Ran had already brought great shame to the royal household, and later it embarrassed Emperor Dai even further. The union of "Zhu Zhuyun" and Xu Ran had hit Emperor Dai hard, driving him mad.

Xu Ran now understood Emperor Dai's actions.

Being in such a position was indeed humiliating.

The Dai family and the Tang family suffered the same fate.

"So now do you understand my feelings for you? When His Majesty was furiously whipping me before, I was angrily calling out your name in my mind," Julia said, pouting and looking aggrieved.

Xu Ran was somewhat speechless. He now understood why Emperor Dai had been so ruthless. A husband hearing his wife call out another man's name would enrage any man.