In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

But in the end, she was also an empress, and she carried an indelible pride in her bones. Even when it was just the two of them alone, she couldn't just change her mind.

Not to mention having to wear a collar... Just thinking about it made her feel incredibly ashamed.

and so.

“Mr. Xu… no matter what, I… I am still the Empress of the Empire…”

After hesitating for a long time, she decided to try, blushing and stammering, "If I really wear something like this, it will arouse suspicion... don't you think?"

A white dress paired with a black choker—anyone who isn't blind would probably notice her in a second.

"Oh, so you're going to back out?"

Xu Shi's face suddenly turned cold. He sat down, crossed his legs, and stared at her, saying, "If this were five minutes ago, you might have had the right to refuse, but now... you don't."

"Or do you want me to whip you before you'll do it obediently?"

The voice wasn't loud; Xu Shi had never been one to speak loudly. But anyone could clearly hear the sudden chill in his tone, and the unquestionable authority unique to those in positions of power.

"I, I didn't..."

Dongfang Xiao hurriedly explained that she was genuinely afraid that Xu Shi would pull out a leather whip and hit her the next second. She even unconsciously took a few steps back and bumped into the desk.

"If there is no such thing, then why disobey the master's orders?"

Xu Shi showed no mercy whatsoever, raising an eyebrow and pressing closer, "Do you know what happens to disobedient, naughty children?"

"I……"

Dongfang Xiao didn't know, but she guessed what it probably was.

Xu Shi's hawk-like gaze made her increasingly afraid. Her throat bobbed, and finally, she could only grit her teeth and stammer, "...Master, Master..."

As she spoke, she picked up the collar on the table, reluctantly unfastened the clasp, and prepared to put it on with a feeling of humiliation.

"...Fine, considering it's your first time, let's leave it at that."

Just then, Xu Shi once again pressed her hand at just the right moment. "I've thought about it, and it's true. It's easy for people to see through us... You don't have to wear the collar for now, and you don't have to call me master in front of outsiders."

"……Oh."

The little empress couldn't remember how many times she had felt relieved, but undeniably, Xu Shi's understanding had made her feel a little more grateful.

She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if she actually appeared in front of everyone wearing a collar and kept calling Xu Shi "master".

"Then... what should I call you from now on?"

She even asked the question on her own initiative, seemingly seeking reassurance.

Hearing her ask that, Xu Shi's brows gradually relaxed, and he once again revealed his usual satisfied smile.

The so-called "training" is actually a gradual process, like boiling a frog in warm water. Pressing the spring too tightly is not a good thing. The ultimate goal is to gradually lower the bottom line of what she can tolerate. As long as this goal is achieved, that's enough.

Just like he had done before, long before all of this had even begun, he had already replaced "Your Majesty" with "Miss Dongfang". The only time he called him that again was only in a joking and teasing tone. Respect? Not at all.

In this way, when she is asked to call him "master" again, the little slave girl, or rather, the little empress, will have much less resistance in her heart.

The fact that she changed "朕" (the imperial "I") to "我" (I) just now is the best proof of that. That should be the limit she could bear in a short period of time. After adding a little more pressure, no matter how unwilling she seemed, at least she had already gotten through this hurdle in her heart.

She even starts considering how to address people now; she's already learned to share her master's burdens, which is fantastic!

Look, she made us thank you.jpg

Unbeknownst to him, he had subtly taught Dongfang Xiao her first lesson about being a slave—although it seemed like he was still making concessions, her request and his orders were two completely different things.

Everything a slave has can only be given by their master; they have no right to ask for it.

As for what to call them publicly afterward, that is indeed a question that is neither too big nor too small.

After careful examination, Xu Shi finally settled on the title of "Imperial Tutor"—as someone who brought new technologies to the Hualan Empire, he was indeed a good fit for the title, and it sounded much more friendly than stiff titles like "Envoy" or "Master".

Afterwards, Dongfang Xiao would also read out the relevant imperial decree, and from then on, his entry and exit from the palace would be more legitimate.

The most ingenious thing is that this title is something Cheng Gujian doesn't have—before this, the Little Empress's nominal teachers were only those female officials who taught knowledge or court etiquette. This way, they wouldn't openly clash with him, and it could also dispel his inner doubts to some extent.

"Even so, if you come too often, he'll definitely get suspicious..."

The problem was solved, but Dongfang Xiao was still a little worried, "If he finds out, won't he also..."

Before the real showdown, she certainly didn't want Cheng Gujian to notice anything unusual, otherwise all her efforts would be in vain.

"Well... you can rest assured."

Xu Shi waved his hand dismissively, "Firstly, you need to treat my wife's illness. Until she is fully recovered, it's normal for us to come every day."

"Second..."

As he spoke, he gently grasped Dongfang Xiao's wrist, a red light flashing in his eyes like electric waves.

The next second, the little queen was surprised to find that the surrounding furnishings had completely changed—it felt a bit like a dungeon. Although the decoration was still luxurious, it was somewhat dim at first glance, with only the candlelight flickering on the walls.

Immediately afterwards, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if she had suddenly been transported to another place, and even felt a little nauseous and wanted to vomit.

"This is?"

She asked in a murmur.

"Welcome to Myanmar... Welcome to my world, my dear little queen."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "No one will disturb you here. This will be your paradise from now on."

"Threshold Space", activated!

"Well……"

Through his concise explanation, Dongfang Xiao gradually understood everything.

While astonished by the other party's bizarre ability, she also saw that the collar had appeared out of thin air around her neck—it wasn't difficult to do this in a space dominated by Xu Shi.

Including her clothes... at first glance, they seem unchanged, but upon closer inspection, they look much rougher.

Simply put, the parts that should be covered are completely exposed, while the parts that shouldn't be covered are still tightly wrapped up.

It is true that birds take off their underwear.

"ah!"

The little queen gasped in surprise, the lingering dizziness causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

How could she possibly accept such a sudden change? She had never worn clothes like this before!

"Now you have nothing to worry about, right?"

Xu Shi once again put on a stern face, his cold gaze flickering in the candlelight. "There's no excuse you can find here."

"so……"

"So, kneel down."

Xu Shi snapped his fingers, and a soft whip appeared in his hand.

Dongfang Xiao blinked blankly.

After a moment, she sighed resignedly, knelt before Xu Shi, and lowered her proud head.

"host……"

My head is pounding, this cold just won't go away, and the worst part is that my little one keeps coming up with new symptoms every day. The day before yesterday it was dizziness, yesterday it was a dry and sore throat, and today it's a nonstop runny nose. What's going on...? Could it really be another positive case...?

By the way, I'd like to ask for your monthly votes. We're a bit short of 1000, but I hope everyone will keep trying.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 261 I have to give my family an explanation.

2023-09-11

There's an old saying that goes, "A day in the cave is like a thousand years in the world."

This statement still applies in the present context, because Xu Shi, having finished his initial training of the little empress, discovered that the flow of time in the "threshold space" seemed to be different from that in the outside world, and was much slower overall.

Considering it was his first time and that some time had already been spent on it, he deliberately held back during his first lesson with Dongfang Xiao, which lasted a full hour.

When the ability was dispelled and we returned to reality, only a quarter of an hour had passed on the clock on the wall, indicating that the ratio was one to four.

Is that really how it is? He vaguely remembered that his last mental exchange with Miss Black Rabbit wasn't like this; it was a one-to-one exchange back then.

However, the "threshold space" was not fully utilized that time; at best, it connected to the channel, rather than being completely enclosed like it is now... presumably, that's the difference.

Wow, that's interesting.

Doesn't this mean that more time can be squeezed out in the future...? This was the first thought that came to some people's minds. After all, there were other things to do when they visited Dongfang Xiao in the future. His fiancée's complications also needed to be treated, right?

This is simply wonderful... As for the rest, he will not consider them for the time being. He has none of the enthusiasm of the protagonist in traditional fantasy novels who, after discovering a treasure that can compress time, will start to bury himself in cultivation.

That's not our style, sorry, I can't do it.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Xu Shi smiled, then looked at Dongfang Xiao, who had also returned to reality after his ability was deactivated and was panting heavily.

"Little...I'm still a little dizzy..."

The little queen was still somewhat dazed, and after a long while, she weakly replied, "Mmm..."

She seemed unable to clearly separate the two different worlds, her mind was a complete mess, and it took her a while to realize that the shameful clothes had returned to normal and the filth on her body was gone.

She then straightened up from her semi-paralyzed state, and her breathing gradually returned to normal.

The blush on her face lingered, though her body hadn't undergone any real physical training; the memory was unmistakably etched into her mind.

It was so embarrassing... Just an hour ago, she was still an innocent young girl who had never even held a man's hand, so even though Xu Shi felt that she had already restrained herself, those methods were still a bit too much for her.

She couldn't help but think to herself, "I never expected you to be like this, Xu Shi..." This guy is really wicked.

As for the dizziness, it was constant and seemed to have little to do with how Xu Shi treated her.

Xu Shi was naturally aware of this. It seemed that this was the mental effect of the "threshold space" on those affected. Just as he had expected, it was not too bad, but it definitely existed.

But if it's only this level, it seems to be within an acceptable range... Perhaps we can really do as Xia Wuyou said before and let her come in to cultivate as well?

Of course, this may be related to the fact that Dongfang Xiao himself possesses the ability of holy light, so he has a higher resistance in this regard. We still need to observe further.

"Then take a good rest."

He didn't really care what the little empress was thinking, he just patted her head and said, "That's enough for today, we'll continue next time."