Cold.
That was Lu Ran's first sensation.
Not pain.
Not confusion.
Just cold.
A freezing chill seeped into his bones as if icy water had been poured directly into his chest. His eyelashes trembled before slowly lifting.
Golden curtains.
Heavy incense.
The scent of sandalwood mixed with iron-like blood lingered in the air.
Lu Ran stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. Black dragon carvings curled across dark wooden beams, their crimson gemstone eyes glowing faintly under candlelight.
His heartbeat skipped.
This wasn't the laboratory.
The last thing he remembered was the sharp sound of breaking glass.
A masked man.
A knife.
Warm blood soaking through his shirt.
Then darkness.
Now this.
Before he could process anything further, a piercing headache exploded inside his skull.
Memories flooded him violently.
Dragon Blood Empire.
Northern Palace.
Consort Yu.
Male.
Twenty years old.
Sent to the palace as a political offering from the fallen Yu clan.
Despised by the imperial court.
Ignored by the emperor.
Used as a substitute blood vessel.
Lu Ran sucked in a sharp breath and pressed trembling fingers against his temple.
"What the hell..."
His voice sounded softer than usual.
Weaker too.
The curtains beside the bed suddenly shifted.
A young servant hurried inside carrying a bronze basin. The moment she saw his open eyes, her face turned pale with shock.
"Your Highness!"
Water splashed onto the floor as she dropped the basin carelessly.
"You... you're awake?"
Lu Ran instinctively frowned.
The servant immediately knelt.
"This servant deserves death!"
Her body trembled violently against the cold marble floor.
Lu Ran blinked slowly.
The fear in her voice felt real.
Not exaggerated.
Real fear.
As if this palace could truly kill people for breathing too loudly.
Before he could respond, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
[Ding! Quick Transmigration Childbirth System successfully activated.]
Lu Ran froze.
The servant continued shaking on the floor, completely unaware.
His pupils narrowed slightly.
System?
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Host: Lu Ran]
[Current World: Dragon Blood Empire]
[World Rank: A-Class Ancient Fantasy]
[Identity: Gifted Consort Yu Ran]
[Main Mission: Survive until the end of the Blood Moon Festival.]
[Hidden Mission: ???]
[Target Character: Dragon Emperor Qin Wuzhe]
[Affection Level: 0]
[Danger Level: Extremely High]
[Special Notice: Host possesses a rare spiritual womb constitution.]
Silence filled the room.
Lu Ran stared at the final line for a long moment.
Then another.
Then another.
"...What?"
The system's voice remained emotionless.
[Host is capable of conceiving offspring in all compatible worlds.]
Lu Ran nearly laughed from disbelief.
Instead, he felt his eye twitch.
"You're joking."
[System does not joke.]
He inhaled deeply.
Exhaled slowly.
Maybe dying really had broken his brain.
The kneeling servant carefully lifted her head, her eyes red with panic.
"Your Highness... should this servant call the imperial physician?"
Lu Ran looked at her automatically.
Her memories surfaced almost immediately.
Xiao Cui.
Personal maid.
One of the few people in the palace who hadn't openly mocked the original owner.
Though even she looked terrified most of the time.
"No need."
His throat felt dry.
Xiao Cui visibly relaxed.
Then panic returned to her face again.
"Your Highness, tonight is the Blood Moon Banquet."
Lu Ran paused.
More memories surfaced.
Every year during the Blood Moon Festival, the imperial family held a ceremonial feast.
This year was different.
The emperor had awakened his dragon bloodline recently.
The entire empire celebrated him as a divine ruler chosen by heaven.
But there was one problem.
Dragon bloodlines were unstable.
If they lost control, they became monsters driven by slaughter instincts.
And apparently...
Consort Yu existed as a backup sacrifice.
A living vessel.
Someone whose rare constitution could calm corrupted dragon energy.
Lu Ran suddenly understood why the danger level was marked "Extremely High."
He wasn't a consort.
He was emergency medicine.
Wonderful.
Outside, distant bells echoed through the palace grounds.
Deep.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Xiao Cui hurried toward the wardrobe.
"This servant will prepare Your Highness for the banquet."
Before Lu Ran could refuse, several palace servants entered carrying robes.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Nobody looked directly at him.
Not out of respect.
Out of discomfort.
Pity.
One servant whispered quietly while unfolding layers of crimson silk.
"He'll probably die tonight."
Another sighed.
"The emperor killed three officials last week. If the dragon curse erupts again..."
Their voices lowered further.
Lu Ran pretended not to hear.
Inside, his thoughts raced rapidly.
New world.
New identity.
Deadly emperor.
Possible pregnancy system.
His life had become ridiculous in under ten minutes.
The servants dressed him carefully.
The robe was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Black silk layered beneath dark crimson outer robes embroidered with silver dragon scales. His long black hair was tied loosely with jade ornaments.
When Lu Ran finally glanced into the bronze mirror, even he paused briefly.
The original owner's face was stunning.
Cold brows.
Pale skin.
Sharp elegant eyes.
Beautiful enough to look unreal.
And exactly like his original appearance.
A strange unease settled in his chest.
[Reminder: Host appearance remains constant across worlds.]
Lu Ran ignored the system.
He stood slowly.
The robes felt heavy against his body.
Outside the palace chambers, snow drifted softly beneath lantern light.
Servants lined both sides of the corridor with lowered heads.
Nobody spoke.
The deeper they walked into the imperial palace, the quieter the atmosphere became.
Even the wind seemed afraid here.
Finally, they reached the banquet hall.
Massive black pillars towered toward the ceiling.
Golden flames burned inside dragon-mouth braziers.
Nobles filled both sides of the hall wearing luxurious robes, yet the atmosphere felt unbearably tense.
No music.
No conversation.
Only silence.
Lu Ran immediately understood why.
At the highest throne sat a man dressed entirely in black.
Dragon Emperor Qin Wuzhe.
The moment Lu Ran saw him, his footsteps nearly stopped.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Cold-faced.
The emperor rested one hand lazily against the armrest while staring down at the hall with complete indifference.
His features were terrifyingly handsome.
Not gentle handsome.
Dangerous handsome.
The kind that made people instinctively lower their eyes.
A faint golden mark flickered beneath his left eye like molten scales.
Dragon corruption.
Even from this distance, Lu Ran could feel overwhelming pressure pouring from him.
Like standing before an ancient beast pretending to be human.
The emperor suddenly lifted his gaze.
Their eyes met.
Lu Ran's breath caught for half a second.
Cold.
Those eyes were too cold.
Not hatred.
Not anger.
Worse.
Complete emotional emptiness.
Like looking at something already dead.
A palace eunuch announced loudly.
"Consort Yu has arrived!"
Every gaze in the hall shifted toward Lu Ran instantly.
Some mocking.
Some sympathetic.
Some waiting for entertainment.
Lu Ran walked forward steadily despite the pressure crawling along his spine.
He stopped below the throne and bowed properly.
"This consort greets Your Majesty."
Silence.
Several long seconds passed.
Then the emperor finally spoke.
"Raise your head."
His voice was low and calm.
Lu Ran obeyed.
Qin Wuzhe studied him quietly.
Something strange flickered briefly across the emperor's eyes.
Interest.
Tiny.
Almost nonexistent.
But there.
The system chimed immediately.
[Affection Level Increased: 0 → 3]
Lu Ran nearly choked internally.
Three points from eye contact?
The emperor suddenly asked, "Are you afraid of me?"
The entire hall stiffened instantly.
Nobody dared breathe.
Lu Ran looked directly at him.
"If this consort says no, would Your Majesty believe it?"
A dangerous silence followed.
Several officials looked horrified.
Xiao Cui nearly collapsed outside the hall.
Then unexpectedly, the emperor laughed softly.
One short laugh.
Low and rough.
The atmosphere became even stranger afterward.
Because apparently...
The emperor almost never laughed.
Qin Wuzhe leaned slightly against the throne.
"Interesting."
Those two words echoed heavily throughout the hall.
Lu Ran felt dozens of shocked gazes stab into his back.
Great.
Now everyone would hate him more.
A servant suddenly rushed inside the hall in panic.
"Your Majesty!"
The man fell to his knees violently.
"The prisoners in the underground palace... they've all died."
The emperor's expression disappeared instantly.
Cold pressure exploded through the room.
The flames inside the braziers flickered wildly.
Several nobles turned pale.
Dragon scales slowly appeared along Qin Wuzhe's neck.
Black.
Sharp.
Terrifying.
The system alarm rang sharply inside Lu Ran's head.
[Warning: Dragon Blood Corruption detected.]
[Warning: Target emotional stability falling rapidly.]
[Emergency Side Mission Triggered.]
[Mission: Calm the Dragon Emperor before loss of control.]
[Failure Penalty: Immediate death.]
Lu Ran's pulse skipped.
Excuse me?
The emperor slowly stood from the throne.
The air itself became heavier.
Cracks spread across the marble floor beneath his feet.
Several servants collapsed crying from spiritual pressure alone.
Qin Wuzhe's golden eyes darkened vertically.
Dragon pupils.
Monster-like.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
The hall descended into panic instantly.
Nobody dared approach him.
Nobody except Lu Ran.
Honestly, even Lu Ran didn't know why he moved.
Maybe survival instinct.
Maybe stupidity.
Maybe because everyone else looked ready to faint.
He stepped toward the throne carefully.
The emperor's gaze snapped toward him instantly.
Dangerous.
Predatory.
The kind of look that warned prey not to move closer.
Lu Ran stopped only one step away.
The heat radiating from Qin Wuzhe felt unnatural.
Like standing near wildfire.
"Your Majesty," Lu Ran said quietly.
The emperor stared at him silently.
A scale slowly appeared beneath Qin Wuzhe's jaw.
Lu Ran swallowed once before reaching up instinctively.
The entire hall gasped.
His fingers lightly touched the emperor's wrist.
Warm.
Too warm.
The dragon corruption instantly reacted.
Black energy wrapped around Lu Ran's hand violently.
Pain shot through his arm.
Yet strangely...
The emperor froze.
Completely froze.
Their eyes met again.
This time, something unreadable flickered inside Qin Wuzhe's gaze.
Not emptiness.
Recognition.
As if he had suddenly sensed something impossible.
The violent spiritual pressure throughout the hall gradually weakened.
The cracking marble stopped spreading.
Silence swallowed everything.
Then the emperor abruptly grabbed Lu Ran's wrist.
Hard.
Possessive.
His voice dropped dangerously low.
"...Who are you?"
The system notification rang immediately.
[Hidden Condition Triggered.]
[Target has recognized Host's soul aura.]
Lu Ran's heartbeat stopped.
Soul aura?
Before he could even process the meaning, Qin Wuzhe pulled him closer suddenly.
Close enough for Lu Ran to feel the emperor's breathing against his skin.
The dragon emperor stared at him with terrifying intensity.
Then softly, almost like a whisper:
"We've met before."