Chapter 1500

Right after that, she threw herself into his arms, half her body a warm, soft, silky sensation against him.

"My lord, are you hurt?"

Gu Qing's soft, seductive voice carried a note of surprise.

Then a wave of warmth spread through his whole body, and his injuries healed completely.

He'd used too much force trying to break free of Shangguan Ting's control just now—muscles strained, bones knocked out of place.

Now he felt much better.

"Thank you, Gu Qing."

"It's nothing… what happened to you?"

Should he tell Gu Qing about this?

He opened his eyes and saw Gu Qing smiling at him, her gaze full of concern—and brimming with love.

Zhao Chi smiled back at her.

He told her everything that had just happened, from start to finish, exactly as it was.

Including the conflict from before.

And everything that had just occurred.

Gu Qing's smile turned to surprise, and from surprise to tension.

When she heard Wei Li bring the dagger down, Zhao Chi felt her soft body tense up—still soft and silky as ever, but with a new taut strength in it.

"You weren't hurt, were you?"

Gu Qing was already quite at ease with Zhao Chi now; she no longer needed his permission before acting.

At the same time, she knew his body intimately—after only a quick touch, she could tell there was nothing wrong.

Zhao Chi laughed. "Of course I wasn't hurt. Otherwise you wouldn't be seeing me right now."

Gu Qing felt a wave of dread after the fact.

But at the same time fury surged up in her—Zhao Chi could clearly feel that she was angry, and not just ordinarily angry.

Zhao Chi hurried to comfort her.

Gu Qing sighed. "My lord, and then? What happened to that female captain and female squad leader after that? Did they die?"

Die?

It's a miracle I didn't die…

Gu Qing was truly angry now—she was already eager to hear news of their deaths.

Zhao Chi shook his head. "Here's where it gets critical…"

Zhao Chi told her everything about Wei Li's outrageous kiss and everything Shangguan Ting had done, without hiding a thing.

With Gu Qing, he could indeed trust her completely.

Gu Qing's fury dissolved into astonishment.

Her little red mouth fell wide open.

Her eyes, usually so tender, were now filled with confusion and bewilderment.

She suspected she'd misheard, but that was impossible.

Zhao Chi had spoken very clearly, very plainly.

"So… that Shangguan Ting took Wei Li's… and did it herself?"

"Mm…"

Gu Qing looked up at the sky, still unable to believe her own ears.

After a moment, she burst out laughing.

Zhao Chi sighed. "Why are you laughing?"

Gu Qing laughed. "This whole thing is just too unbelievable. If you put it that way, my lord, you could use this trick on any woman from now on. I've seen your 10-point appearance too—it's true no one can look away, a breathtaking kind of beauty."

"Beautiful? Me?"

"Yes. Beauty isn't exclusive to women—men can be described with that word too. At the time, you really left me unable to forget you for a long time, let alone other women."

Zhao Chi shook his head. "That trick only works as a one-time thing. What matters most in the end is still strength—after all, on a battlefield, looks don't matter at all. And a 10-point appearance might also draw even more instinctive hostility."

Gu Qing nodded. "I understand. But my lord, you could say you came up with something clever under pressure this time. Still, do you think that Shangguan Ting won't come looking for trouble again next time?"

Zhao Chi sighed. "I have that worry too. And before, just using energy points was enough to make her ashamed and furious. This time she did… I'm afraid she'll silence me for good. What do you think she's thinking? Even with my 10-point appearance, she shouldn't have done that, right? What do you think is really going on in her head?"

Gu Qing frowned and shook her head. "Although I'm a woman too, but… I can't figure her out either. Still, I can roughly analyze it. She's nearly thirty and still single. If she met a perfectly flawless young man, and that man once gave her an extreme moment of pleasure, and now that man is firmly under her control… using this method to get revenge on him, it seems… it could explain it."

Zhao Chi nodded.

Gu Qing asked again: "Suppose there's a woman you absolutely despise, but she hasn't actually caused you any real damage—only offended you in that particular way. Now, suddenly, her appearance strikes you right in the heart. And her status is low, her strength even weaker, completely unable to resist. Now she's willing to use every possible method to settle the dispute. What would you do to her? Would you also use that method to get even, tit for tat?"

Zhao Chi really thought about it for a moment.

If there were no consequences at all…

Damn!

"By your analysis, Shangguan Ting was actually being lenient with me?"

Gu Qing laughed. "Logically, yes. She didn't force herself on you to… to… take things further, but only used… I think she really was being lenient."

Zhao Chi: "…"

He never expected the analysis to end up like this.

Gu Qing said: "Regardless, this only theoretically resolves the earlier conflict. But you can't keep up a 10-point appearance forever. Next time she sees you, she'll probably react just like before—no friendly face. And the worst part is, if she feels she was tricked, she might develop new hatred for you… What a hassle. You'll still need to be careful when you see her next time."

Zhao Chi said: "Exactly, that's what I'm worried about. Sigh… this is really tough."

Gu Qing laughed. "It's fine—at least you didn't come out on the losing end."

"I didn't come out on the losing end?"

"Didn't you say those two female lords were both quite good-looking? At least I feel you didn't get the short end of the stick."

"Fine."

"But I still have to give you a proper wash."

Zhao Chi silently felt Gu Qing's tenderness, forcing himself to push the matter aside.

Since it had already happened, there was no point saying anything.

Meet soldiers with soldiers, flood with earth.

Gu Qing quickly helped him wash clean in detail, then stayed by his side, silently gazing at the starry sky together.

At some unknown moment, Zhao Chi fell asleep.

He slept very soundly.

When he woke again, he found himself lying on the warm white shore beside the Carefree Spring, resting in Gu Qing's arms—everything was soft, an absolute pleasure.

"My lord, you're awake? It's just midnight now."

"Did I sleep that long?"

"Not that long. You've been tired these past days too—sleeping a bit more is quite nice."

Zhao Chi stood up and saw a large patch on Gu Qing's chest had been reddened from his resting on it.

"Next time just put me on the platform, no need to hold me—you've been pressed red."

"It's fine, I'm willing to hold you. The marks on me will recover in a little while."

"Alright."

"My lord, it's just midnight now."

"I know, you've already said that."

"You haven't forgotten what we're supposed to do, right?"

"Of course not. You were just holding me, now I'll carry you back."

"Hehe~ okay~ watch your step, careful not to slip~"

Not long after.

All the displeasure and anger received from Shangguan Ting were soothed under Gu Qing's gentle comfort.

Having a good woman is really important.

Gu Qing smiled charmingly: "My lord, shall we transform again tomorrow? Let me devote myself entirely to serving you today, alright?"

Zhao Chi shook his head: "It's fine, we can do it now."

Gu Qing lay down and nodded: "Then whatever changes happen to me, don't pay them any mind—just keep treating me as me."

"Alright."

"Then I'll begin."