Chapter 32: No time to explain, kiss me quickly!

Absolutely certain—I've seen her twice; this time I can tell it's her even without the usual frontal shake.

Are the few people behind her with her?

Jiang Yunzhou immediately dismissed that guess, because he could see the five people behind the swordswoman flinging blade after blade of sword qi at her.

The attire of those few behind her looked like... Southern Witch Rebels.

The white-clad swordswoman leapt ashore first, her right arm hanging unnaturally, as if injured; she drew a sigil in the air with her left hand and flicked it back.

Whoosh!

A talisman exploded in midair, and the erupting flames temporarily drove back the five.

However, this time the five Southern Witch Rebels pursuing from behind were somewhat different from those encountered earlier in the Jade Stele Forest.

The first two, in perfect sync, each swung a blade of qi to cleave the fire wall before them, then rushed through the flames, flicking out the hand-spikes fixed to their wrists as they jointly attacked the white-clad swordswoman.

Knowing she couldn't easily shake them off, the swordswoman readied herself to draw the sword at her waist.

However, the black cloth inside her bamboo hat urged:

"Senior sister, these Southern Witch scoundrels' last one has considerable cultivation; we should leave quickly, don't get bogged down in battle."

The swordswoman drew her waist sword and flew backward, saying:

"It's not that easy; these guys won't give up on entangling us."

Seeing the white-clad swordswoman land, the two leading Southern Witch Rebels sensed an opportunity, kicked off the ground to launch an attack, while the poison needles hidden beneath their wrists could be fired at any moment for a sneak strike.

But just as the two charged forward together toward the white-clad swordswoman, a faint sound suddenly came from the nearby woods to their right.

Faced with the swordswoman trying to flee, the two, fully focused, didn't pay much heed.

But the next moment they felt a chilling killing intent accompanied by a strong wind descending from above; startled, they turned their heads and saw a black-clad man wielding a long spear, about to strike down with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

The two had been solely focused on the white-clad swordswoman ahead, completely unprepared, their bodies still lunging forward; by the time they noticed the change, it was already too late to defend.

Before the two, eyes wide, could utter a word, Jiang Yunzhou's move "Pressing Heaven and Earth" had already smashed onto the backs of their necks.

The domineering force coupled with mighty qi would fling even a head‑on block aside, let alone the two trying to withstand it with their spines.

Crack‑crack‑boom!

The crisp sound was buried in the roar and indistinguishable; the shattered ground sent out shockwaves that surged left and right.

The remaining three Southern Witch Rebels and the swordswoman were all startled by this sudden turn, each planting their feet.

When the shockwave faded, a black‑clad man wearing a sword at his waist and holding a long spear stood before them.

The two Southern Witch Rebels from moments ago lay on the ground beside them, their bodies smashed into the earth into a bloody pulp.

Because their spines were snapped, although their bodies lay prone, their heads faced upward, blood pouring from the seven orifices—a gruesome, eerie sight.

At first the white‑clad swordswoman thought it was another assassin, but upon seeing the familiar black attire she immediately realized who it was.

The black cloth inside her bamboo hat exclaimed excitedly:

"It's that young hero who helped us the other day!"

Meanwhile, the Southern Witch Rebels were still confused, not knowing whether the black‑clad man before them had lain in ambush earlier or had shown up halfway to meddle.

Seeing both sides stand firm, Jiang Yunzhou retreated with his spear to stand before the swordswoman, then turned and said coldly:

"Are you alright?"

Although she didn't know this black‑clad knight or why he was here, having helped twice already, the white‑clad swordswoman veiled in gauze, clutching her right arm, said:

"Thank you; I'm just poisoned. Be careful—their hidden weapons are formidable."

Among the three Southern Witch Rebels, the white‑haired man on the right, upon seeing the black‑clad knight, immediately furrowed his brow and called out to the gray‑robed, dis‑haired man at the rear:

"Elder, it's him! He's the one who harmed my brothers in the Jade Stele Forest! He's from the Southern Pacification Office, and his methods are not trivial."

The man called Elder, the dis‑haired one, gave a slight nod and said:

"At most seventh rank—go all together! Finish him quickly."

"Yes!"

Seeing that two of the three opponents wasted no words and came forward weapons in hand, the paper‑person Jiang Yunzhou turned back and said:

"Fall back, protect yourself."

The swordswoman was clearly uneasy:

"But you..."

Before the swordswoman could finish speaking, the black‑clad knight had already leapt forward, spear in hand.

The white‑haired man still flung a pair of tiger claws, while his partner held a half‑circular wheel blade in each hand, looking like he gripped two "half‑wheels".

Paper‑person Jiang Yunzhou leapt, thrusting his spear downward to cleave; the Two Tigers (the two tiger claws) and Napoleon (the two wheel blades) jointly blocked.

Whoosh!

At the instant of double impact, the shockwave exploded again in the forest.

Giving them no chance to strike, paper‑person Jiang Yunzhou drove a powerful fist into the spear that was being held up.

With a bang, the Two Tigers and Napoleon were shaken, both retreating repeatedly, their tiger mouths sore and numb.

The Two Tigers had seen this black‑clad knight wield a sword before, but hadn't expected his spear technique to be even more domineering; a single move made them feel as if they were about to vomit blood from the shock.

Is his spear technique inherently stronger? Or has he improved dramatically these days? Compared to those two possibilities, I'm more inclined to think he deliberately concealed his true strength last time.

Just as paper‑person Jiang Yunzhou felt he could finish the two in one go, his true self far away at the city's Green Medicine Hall suddenly felt his mind disturbed.

After a brief thought he immediately realized:

"Oh no, it's the medicine Elder Sister Qingru sent last night taking effect."

"Damn, why now of all times!"

After all, the paper‑person and I are the same individual; a sudden disturbance of mind naturally affects my control of the paper‑person to some extent.

Seeing the situation, the Two Tigers and Napoleon, though still unclear what was happening, seized the chance to launch a joint counter‑attack, hoping to overwhelm the black‑clad knight in one go.

Feeling a certain inner desire growing ever stronger, Jiang Yunzhou's sword‑like brows furrowed tighter.

Shen Qingru beside him didn't know what was going on, only feeling that Yunzhou's hand gripped even tighter.

"Yunzhou, what the heck...... uh!"

Shen Qingru approached with some worry, and Jiang Yunzhou, unable to explain, didn't bother with much else; before she could finish speaking, he grabbed and pulled Sister Qingru over, pressing her down with one hand on the table.

After a slight hesitation, he still lowered his head and planted a forceful kiss.

The warm, moist sensation and the fragrance of orchids refreshed Jiang Yunzhou's spirit, and the drug's hazy effect also faded considerably.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingru, pressed against the table, was completely stunned by the sudden forceful kiss.

Instinctively she wanted to push Jiang Yunzhou away, but recalling how uncomfortable he had just looked, the jade hand she had already placed on his chest weakly relaxed.

Clearly feeling Yunzhou's whole body relax considerably after the kiss, Shen Qingru guessed that kissing might be a release for Yunzhou, who had taken the medicine.

But this kind of intimate contact with a man was also a first for Shen Qingru.

Her lovely face quickly flushed and grew hot, and at a loss what to do, she hesitantly placed her hand on Jiang Yunzhou's back to steady herself.

Her gaze darted away when looking at Jiang Yunzhou, yet she discovered those sword-browed deep eyes were gazing right back at her.

Seeing that his eyes seemed to hold an apology, Shen Qingru's originally resentful gaze finally softened, she didn't pursue the matter, and instead slowly closed her apricot eyes in tacit consent.

"Mm!"

As a result, Shen Qingru didn't expect Jiang Yunzhou to misunderstand, further turning the lip kiss into a negative distance.

Unprepared, Shen Qingru's hand resting on Jiang Yunzhou's waist unconsciously clenched, and her mind wandered along.

And with that deep kiss, the irritation in Jiang Yunzhou's mind caused by the medicine finally calmed down.