Chapter 19: Nalan, a Ruined Man, The Noble Lady Announces Her Own Identity

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Nalan Fusui listened dumbfoundedly to the tale that seemed straight out of a fantastical night story. He felt quite uncomfortable, wondering why he always had this strange sense of being out of place. He turned his head to look around the place he was in, no mistake, it was still the familiar old spot, absolutely the hospital where he worked. After this reassurance, Nalan finally felt a bit more at ease.

"Brother, it seems you have truly forgotten your past. But don't worry, Linda will help you recover your memory, believe me. By the way, do you still have your martial arts skills?"

Shangguan Linlang immediately knew her brother had completely forgotten everything after watching his clueless face following the story of Ying Yang Que, which made her feel a bit down. Nevertheless, the Empress was always carefree and didn't dwell on it for too long before quickly asking Nalan Fusui another question that concerned her more.

"Um, I, I only practice medicine, I've never learned martial arts. Wuji, however, has learned martial arts, and he's very good at it." The topic changed so quickly that Nalan found himself struggling to keep up, stammering out a response while casually gesturing towards Xuanyuan Wuji, who was lost in thought.

"Hmm, I've been fascinated with martial arts since childhood, and I've continuously practiced over the years. My abilities are still decent, but I'm afraid I can't compare to you."

The President himself quickly explained to Shangguan Linlang when he heard his friend Fusu mention his own training in martial arts. However, Xuanyuan Wuji immediately acknowledged that he couldn't measure up to Shangguan Linlang, and didn't feel any embarrassment about being outdone by a young girl.

"Brother, you've actually lost all your martial arts skills, how could this happen? Well, even if you truly became disabled, Linda wouldn't despise you. If you want to learn, Linda will teach you. Given your smarts, in time you could surely become a top master. You know, Linda's skills were all taught by you, brother." Shangguan Linlang patted her chest confidently as she declared.

"Empress, if you insist that being without martial arts makes one a useless person, then our world is overrun with trash. Do you think there are many people like you who are so incredibly skilled that it's almost abnormal?"

The moment Shangguan Zifeng heard Shangguan Linlang's words, he fell silent. Did this little ancestor of his actually favor martial arts? Well, looking at her readiness to fight at the drop of a hat, if that's not favoring martial arts, what else could it be? Don't be ridiculous, clearly, the ancient world was one where barbarians settled disputes with their fists.

"Shangguan Zifeng, why do you always address Linda as 'Empress'?"

Nalan Fusui wanted to avoid further discussion on the grave topic of martial arts. He never felt that one day, as a doctor acclaimed internationally, he would be looked down on by a young girl and treated as a worthless person. That feeling was not at all pleasant. Moreover, him, a surgeon, really had no interest in wielding weapons and abandoning medicine for the military. It just wasn't suitable for people like him. Not wanting to be grilled over the fire anymore by Shangguan Linlang, Nalan quickly changed the subject, fearing that one day this fearsome sister would drag him into some devilish training. After all, to what extent did one need to be skilled to be considered a top master in Shangguan Linlang's mind? It was a question that Nalan dared not even imagine.

"Haha, even if you were considered my Empress's own brother, you're still not as close as she and I. You don't understand that, do you? It's a secret between the Empress and me; do you think I would tell you?"

Shangguan's boy finally managed to regain some dignity for himself, at least Shangguan Linlang hadn't told her nominal brother Nalan Fusui about her own origins. This thought made Shangguan Zifeng feel that his own position in the Empress's heart held more weight. At least they had secrets that Nalan Fusui did not know about. Just as Shangguan's boy was about to gloat for a moment longer, he was defeated again by his little ancestor, as the Empress revealed it all herself.

"Brother, after I married Han Ziye, I naturally became his Empress. So what's wrong with Shangguan Zifeng calling me Empress?" Shangguan Linlang quickly clarified for her bewildered brother.

The moment she said that, Nalan Fusui felt sure the two people in front of him must be lunatics. How could they have such delusions in broad daylight? The feudal dynasty had long been abolished, hadn't it? The Emperor was no longer in power, so how could there still be an Empress? Nalan found it utterly unbelievable. His eyes widened in astonishment, and his head simply stopped functioning.

And upon hearing Shangguan Linlang's words, the President's expression turned even grimmer. He said nothing, but his face became more and more fraught, realizing that his worst fears were upon him.

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