Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 34 Empress Zhangsun Arrives

Lin Luo's peaceful days lasted for three whole days.

This has far exceeded his expectations.

He had assumed Li Shimin would come the next day—but he didn't.

He didn't come on the third day either.

Xiao Xiao said he was probably busy dealing with the mess left by the aristocratic family—the recovery of stolen goods from eleven corrupt county magistrates, the scheduling of replanting in various counties, and a pile of government affairs that needed to be cleaned up after the rain.

"He's the emperor after all," Little Owl yawned, half-closing his eyes. "He can't come shopping every day."

Lin Luo thought it made sense.

So he happily lived as a salted fish for three days.

On the first day, I slept until noon, fed the elf, played cards, and lost seven rounds to Little Owl.

The next day, I slept until the afternoon, fed the elf, played cards, and lost twelve rounds to Little Owl.

Day 3

He hadn't even gotten out of bed yet—

"Boss!!"

Little Owl's voice came from the front door—

It wasn't a lazy voice.

It was the kind of sound that said, "Something big is about to happen."

"We have guests!!"

"Don't open the door! We're closed today!" Lin Luo rolled over.

"The boss—is Li Shimin."

"…………"

Lin Luo sat up.

"And—he brought a woman with him."

"???"

Magical Artifacts Shop, front entrance.

When Lin Luo changed into clean clothes and came out, she saw an unexpected scene.

Li Shimin was not wearing his dragon robe today—he was dressed in a dark gold casual outfit, with a jade belt around his waist, and he was even carrying a food box in his hand.

And next to him—

A woman wearing a light blue dress was standing there.

Her long hair was tied into a simple bun, her face was gentle, and her temperament was like water.

She is beautiful without makeup, but more beautiful than any woman who dresses up carefully.

She gently placed her hand on Li Shimin's arm, her gaze curiously surveying the facade of the Magic Treasure Shop.

Empress Zhangsun.

Lin Luo silently gasped inwardly—

He had never met Empress Zhangsun, but he could guess from Li Shimin's attitude towards her—

In this era, there was only one woman in the entire Tang Dynasty who could make Li Shimin take the initiative to support her arm and personally carry her food box.

"Manager," Li Shimin smiled, "I'm not here on business today."

"I've come to—show my wife around the house."

He tilted his head slightly towards the woman beside him: "Guanyinbi, this is the shop I told you about."

Empress Zhangsun gave a slight bow and a gentle smile to Lin Luo:

"Shopkeeper, His Majesty has been telling stories about your shop over and over again these past few days, which has really piqued my curiosity."

"Please forgive my intrusion in visiting today."

Lin Luo: "…………"

The empress's manners were a thousand times better than the emperor's.

He quickly ushered the people inside—

"Please come in, please come in, Little Owl—serve tea!"

"Here it comes..." Xiao Xiao yawned as he brought out the tea.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong did not come today.

Li Shimin left them in the palace to oversee the Ministry of Personnel's efforts to recover stolen goods.

So there are only three people today.

Yes, three people and a shopkeeper's elf.

The moment Empress Zhangsun stepped into the backyard—

She was stunned.

This is what the backyard looks like:

Dimo crouched on the roof, his golden wings shimmering slightly in the sunlight.

Shui Lanlan was lying on the edge of the water tank, her bow bow askew at a 60-degree angle, blowing bubbles with the two little fish in the tank (whose origins are unknown).

Outside the wall, the figures of several water-type Pokémon could be seen appearing and disappearing—the tentacle lights of the Twin Lanternfish flickered in the shadows.

Xiao Xiao leaned against the door frame, dozing off, his short, gray hair swaying gently in the breeze.

Then--

On the roof beam.

A small white sprite perched on the crossbeam, its large amber eyes curiously watching the stranger at the door.

Abu.

The moment Empress Zhangsun saw Abu—

Her breathing paused slightly.

"This one..."

"Abu, the juvenile form of a legendary dragon-type spirit," Lin Luo introduced. "Very timid and shy—"

Before he could finish speaking—

Abu jumped down from the roof beam.

Everyone was stunned.

Including Lin Luo.

Abu jumped off the roof beam very lightly, and his four little paws landed steadily on the ground.

Then it raised its head and looked at Empress Zhangsun.

He tilted his head.

Slowly—

Step by step—

He walked up to Empress Zhangsun.

There was no shaking.

It didn't tuck its tail between its legs.

They didn't hide behind Dimo.

It walked quietly up to her, tilted its head, and looked at her with its big amber eyes.

"Awoo."

The sound was very soft.

It's like saying hello.

Empress Zhangsun squatted down.

She didn't rush to touch it—a woman's intuition told her that this little sprite needed respect, not touch.

She simply squatted there, looking Abu straight in the eye.

"Hello, little one."

Her voice was very gentle.

Gentle as water.

Abu looked at her.

I looked at it for three seconds.

Then--

It stretched its head out and nuzzled Empress Zhangsun's hand.

The moment the white down touched the skin—

Empress Zhangsun's eyes lit up.

"So soft..."

Abu's tail wagged gently.

Lin Luo watched this scene from the side, and his jaw almost dropped.

Abu—

That's Abu, who's only been here for over thirty days and is so socially awkward that he only recognizes Lin Luo and Dimo—

He actually hitched a ride with a stranger he had only met once.

In Abu's social anxiety level, this is equivalent to an ordinary person giving a two-hour public speech.

Dimo, watching from the rooftop, was dumbfounded: "Huh??"

Little brother, why are you suddenly so brave?

Li Shimin stood aside, watching his empress being approached by a small white elf—

He remembered the feeling of the pygmy fish rubbing against his thumb that night.

The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

"Shopkeeper," he whispered, "it seems your elves have a good eye for people."

Lin Luo glanced at him: "What does Your Majesty mean by that?"

"It's nothing," Li Shimin smiled.

"I just feel that the people they like are all of good character."

Empress Zhangsun smiled slightly upon hearing this.

Then he continued to rub Abu's head.

Abu wagged his tail even more enthusiastically.

(´꒳`)♡

For the next hour, Li Shimin led Empress Zhangsun on a "tour" of the Magical Artifacts Shop.

Dimo demonstrated the radiance of his wings to the Empress—illuminating the entire backyard as if it were daytime, leaving Empress Zhangsun in awe for quite some time.

Shui Lanlan poured a bowl of water into the Queen's teacup with perfect precision—not a drop more, not a drop less. The bow was tilted to one side, but her technique was not affected at all.

Xiao Xiao brewed a pot of tea for the Empress. After taking a sip, Empress Zhangsun's expression became very subtle—

"This tea... is better than the one in the palace."

Li Shimin's expression changed slightly: "Better than the ones in the palace?"

"Hmm." Empress Zhangsun took another sip. "It's fragrant and clear, with a long-lasting aftertaste."

She looked at Xiao Xiao: "Did you make this?"

Xiao Xiao nodded, his eyes half-closed: "Hmm... the boss taught me..."

"Well taught."

Li Shimin glanced at the tea brewed by Xiao Xiao, then at the tea brewed by the eunuchs in his own palace—

Suddenly I realized I needed to talk to the Imperial Kitchen when I got back.

Then Li Shimin showed the Empress the dingyu (a type of fish).

The fish tank was left in the palace—but Li Shimin had the latest holographic image of the pygmy fish projected using a Pokédex Crystal.

"It has grown bigger again." Li Shimin's voice was filled with obvious satisfaction.

It has indeed grown larger—it is now the size of an adult's palm, its fins are longer, and its body's blue color has become deeper and more translucent.

As Empress Zhangsun gazed at the image of the small fish, she recalled what Li Shimin had said that day—

"The day it transforms into a dragonfish, I will take you riding it to see the entire Tang Dynasty."

She smiled but didn't say anything.

But she gently grasped Li Shimin's hand.

Li Shimin shook hands with him in return.

Lin Luo pretended not to see it.

(///ω///) ​​It's a little sweet.

Before leaving.

Li Shimin took out a jar of wine from the food box—

"This is a piece of Zhuyeqing tea that has been kept in the palace for twelve years; it's a small token of my appreciation."

Lin Luo waved his hand: "Your Majesty need not—"

"It's not about thanking you for the rain," Li Shimin interrupted him.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for letting me know—"

"There are still many things in this world that I do not know."

He glanced at the elves in the backyard—

Dimo sunbathed on the roof, Abu curled up at Empress Zhangsun's feet and refused to leave, and Shui Lanlan blew bubbles.

"I've been emperor for three years, and I thought I'd seen it all."

"So, I ended up coming all the way to your shop—"

"I've just realized the world is much bigger than I thought."

Lin Luo looked at Li Shimin.

This was the first time he had seen this in Li Shimin—

It wasn't the majesty of an emperor, nor the domineering presence of a Son of Heaven—

It's just the sentiment of an ordinary person.

"Your Majesty flatters me." He accepted the jar of wine.

"I'm just a shop owner."

Li Shimin smiled.

There was no rebuttal.

But his eyes clearly said: You're more than just a shop owner, you know that yourself.

Empress Zhangsun led Li Shimin out of the Magic Treasures Shop.

As she reached the door, she glanced back—

Abu stood on the threshold, tilting his head as he looked at her.

A small white figure with large amber eyes.

"Awoo~"

It's like saying goodbye.

Empress Zhangsun smiled.

"I'll come see you again next time."

Abu wagged his tail.

The guest has left.

The backyard was quiet again.

Lin Luo leaned back in his recliner, looking at the jar of Zhuyeqing tea.

A twelve-year-old imperial wine.

If this thing were sold outside, it would probably be worth a hundred or eighty taels of silver.

But he doesn't intend to sell.

He plans to drink tonight.

Served with beef made by Xiao Xiao.

Delicious.

But before drinking—

He opened the system panel.

Looking at that line of text—

[Legendary Spirit Gacha Pool - One Draw Chance]

It's been three days.

I've thought about it enough.

It's time to use it.

He glanced at Dimo ​​on his shoulder, at Abu at his feet, and at Shui Lanlan beside the water tank.

"bring it on."

He pressed the extract button.

A burst of golden light suddenly erupted from the panel—

More exciting than any previous lottery draw—

A beam of purple-gold light shot into the sky—

The elven phantom spun rapidly in the light—

Faster and faster—

Faster and faster—

Then--

Sudden stop.

The light slowly faded away.

An outline appeared on the panel—

Huge wings.

A slender body.

It has two long, curved horns on its head.

Its entire body is covered in alternating dark blue and black scales.

Lin Luo stared at the silhouette—

His pupils contracted sharply.

"…………"

He knows him.

He knows him all too well.

This is--

[Congratulations, host, you have drawn a legendary spirit!]

[—Little Pal.]

……